This epilogue deviated from my original plan xS
Oh well. I still like it.
HAPPY ENDINGS :D
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Underlying Truths - Epilogue
"Mmmmm," I moaned in content as I sunk further down into the bright, yellow beach chair placed near the lakeshore.
Large, dark brown sunglasses covered my eyes though, at the moment, my eyes were closed shut as my muscles unwound and I breathed in the clean, fresh air. Soon, the sun would set and my glasses would serve no purpose. For now, I soaked up what was left of the sun in my plain teal tank top and white shorts. My hand held a covered plastic cup of homemade lemon iced tea, its cool temperature feeling just right with the moment, a straw sticking out of its top.
The bungalows by the lake were still a family-favorite spot for summer outings. I held no bad memories about the place and probably never will. Despite what had happened at this very same place last summer, I couldn't hold a single occurrence against over more than a lifetime's worth of amazing and unforgettable memories. I loved this place as much as I had when I was a kid. Hopefully, with time, that love will only grow stronger.
"Enjoying the barbecue?" I hear a voice ask as someone sat down on the sand next to my beach chair.
"Mhmm," I mumbled out as I took a sip of my drink. I loved the icy feeling of my drink as it slid down my throat, the heat around me causing me shiver as the
tingle of the cool drink spread throughout my chest. "What brings you away from the unlit bonfire and to my side, dear Will?"
I leaned on the right arm of my chair to look at him with a grin. I slid my sunglasses onto my head as I saw him smiling up at me.
"Just wanted to let you know that he'll be arriving soon," Will said casually with a shrug.
His gaze was then diverted to the lake in front of us as I mimicked his actions. I leaned back into my chair and stared out to the wide expanse of water, not bothering to lower my sunglasses back over my eyes. The water was a dark blue with a tinge of green, glimmering in the sunlight. Occasionally, it would catch a ray of light just right and the surface would sparkle.
I sighed after a few seconds, not exactly knowing what to expect. I hadn't seen Spencer in what was nearing a year. After the incident last summer, Spencer was sentenced to a stint in a mental facility (it's classification much harsher than its reality) until he was declared mentally stable. Following his admission into the facility, I was swept away in work and had no time to visit him while he was still within reasonable driving distance. But before I knew it, Greg was on his way back home and Spencer was transferring to a facility nearer to where his brother lived so that Greg could keep an eye on him. Their house across the street from my parents' was locked up and left abandoned for the time being. More than once, I was tempted to go and visit Spencer, but, at the time, I was told he wasn't ready to face me yet. When I finally got the call from Greg saying that I could finally come and visit Spencer, I was already moving back onto my college campus that was states away, translating into hundreds of miles.
"Have you talked to him yet?" I asked Will.
I tilted my face to the side, staring intently on his face. His head didn't turn to acknowledge me.
Squinting at what was before him, he answered, "A couple of times. Over the phone."
"Does he still hate me?" I asked in a whisper.
Those five words were all it took for Will's head to snap towards me and meet my gaze with his own.
"Of course not. He doesn't hate you, Carina. Its just..." Will paused to rethink his words.
"I'm sure that he doesn't think that way of you or your actions anymore. At least, not when he's got complete control over himself. Greg told me that he still has lapses in his self-composure where he kinda gets his thoughts all muddled up and he doesn't completely realize or comprehend the things he's saying or thinking," Will attempted to explain.
"I think we all have those moments," I remarked in a quiet voice.
"Maybe," Will said simply.
At this time, the sun was finally inching down the horizon. The water was changing colors along with everything around us. Suddenly, there was a rise in the noise level behind where we both sat causing us to turn our heads over our shoulders and search for the reason. A small grin made its way onto my lips as I saw two boys approaching the barbecue, one with a head of styled hazelnut brown hair and the other with a very tamed head of blonde.
"They're here," I said, proclaiming the fact more to myself than Will.
"They sure are. Let our families get their fill of them first. I'm sure that Spencer will make his way here when he can't stand all the fussing any longer," Spencer added with a chuckle.
"I really hope that things between us three become better than ever," I hoped out loud.
Will put his hand on my wrist as it rested on the arm of my chair. Slowly, it slid down my arm to hold my hand, his fingers lacing tightly with mine.
"They will," he said optimistically, or maybe just realistically. "I promise you."
The sun was more than a quarter of the way gone by now. Will and I chatter for a few minutes before we heard an approach that we had been expecting.
"Holding hands now, are we?" Spencer asked teasingly as he sat by the other side of my chair.
I slid out of my chair and sat on the sand, pushing my chair behind me with my back. With my free hand, I grabbed Spencer's, evening out the playing field.
"Happy?" I asked him with a wide grin.
I saw a sparkle in his eyes and a wide smile placed on his lips, aspects of him that I hadn't seen in so long. Those aspects of his demeanor alone made me giddy with joy. Our Spencer was back.
"Ecstatic," he corrected. "Want to take a walk with me, Cari?"
I looked at Will, silently asking him if it was fine. After getting a flash of a wary look, he nodded and gave me an encouraging tilt of the lips. The darkness was slowly creeping over our little party and, with each passing moment, it was getting dimmer and dimmer.
After Spencer and I were a few steps away from Will, he abruptly stood up and faced us, all the while dusting off his jeans.
"Where are you guys heading?" Will asked, a dash of concern apparent in his voice.
"The dock," Spencer answered for both of us.
Will nodded and headed towards where all three of our families were congregated. Spencer and I slowly started walking along the shore. I was barefoot while he had his sandals on. His hands were deep in the pockets of his board shorts and my own were merely crossed over my chest.
"You know that you don't have to be afraid of me, Carina, right?" Spencer asked a little nervously.
I tilted my head at him at little questioningly.
"I'm not afraid of you, Spence. I'm just not quite sure how to act around you. It makes me feel awkward. You know, with having to second guess ever action I'm planning to take," I tried to explain to him in the least offensive way possible.
Spencer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes," he said. "I swear. Sometimes, I can't even believe the things that I had done to you. I'm so sorry."
My feet bumped against the wood of the dock and I gave Spencer a small smile before quickly jogging onto it and to the edge of the wooden structure. I immediately sat down and let my legs dangle down, my toes barely skimming the surface of the water. I patted down a spot next to me and I let a laugh loose as I heard Spencer jogging towards me. In seconds, he was sitting next to me, his sandals to his side and his legs dangling into the water, too.
"You're my best friend, Spencer," I told him with a genuine smile after a moment of comfortable silence. "No matter what."
"It still doesn't justify why I took advantage of that fact. I'm so regretful over what happened and I despise myself every time I remember what I put you through," he confessed. "You can't understand how sorry I am, Carina. For both my actions and my thoughts."
"You don't have to keep apologizing, Spencer," I told him with a sigh of my own. "The past is the past. We can do nothing to change what's happened. It's all about moving forward. For the record, I accept every single one of your apologies, even the ones that are still running through your head right now."
Spencer laughed loudly at that last sentence. He leaned to me, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me tightly against him.
"I hope that this ordeal hasn't made any permanent damages to our friendship," Spencer whispered out against my hair.
I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly.
"It hasn't," I told him. "I still love you, bud."
While we hugged, the last of the sun slipped beyond the horizon and darkness was fast approaching.
"I'm going to add to this love fest and join you guys out here on the dock," Will's voice called out from behind us.
He held a portable lamp in his hands and a joking grin on his face. He walked down the length of the dock, finding his place at my other side. His arm, unlike Spencer's, made its way around my waist instead. I brought one of my arms away from Spencer and wrapped it around Will.
"We have to get back to the bonfire. Our families are waiting for us to join them," Will said quietly, in fear of ruining the moment.
"We'll go back in a bit," I decided as I leaned my head against Will's shoulder.
For now, I wanted to treasure this: all three of us sitting side by side, at one of our most favorite places in the world, in each other's arms.