Twenty Five
November Twenty-Fourth
Fade
He pulled out a chair in the back corner of the Community Hall and sat at the round table alone. Facing the door he would be able to see Whitney or any of them walk in. It was early and he watched almost every guest arrive in their small groups. He refused the dinner they provided and glanced at his phone as it lit up on the table. Fade powered the screen back off after seeing it was a work message about Monday.
A barely eighteen girl approached him, reminding him of Whitney’s roommates. “Hey.”
She tossed her blonde hair behind her shoulder as he continued sitting with his arms folded. “You look like you could use a distraction.”
“No, I’m waiting for someone.”
He could feel her eyes work down his shoulders and arms.
She palmed the back of the chair next to him. “I could sit and wait with you.”
“No, I’m not interested. You’re too young for me.”
He looked up at her annoyed. She was nice looking but her youth reminded him of his ex and that was enough to turn him off completely.
She scoffed, taking the hint. “Whatever.”
and strutted off.
The night was long and thirty minutes until it ended he called it quits and got up to leave. For the first time Whitney missed a Community Day. She had no reason to go but Fade was willing to try to catch her.
November Twenty-Sixth
Fade shoved his phone into his locker at the gym, resisting the urge to send another message. He was starting to feel like a fool. Grabbing his water bottle, he found Wolfgang mid-set.
“Hey,”
Fade said, setting his bottle down next to the machine.
Wolfgang finished his reps and sat up. “Hey. How are you holding up?”
“Hanging in there.”
It had been over a month. Between work, therapy, and working out, Fade kept busy, but nothing distracted him for long.
They fell into an easy rhythm, talking workouts and counting reps. After a while, Wolfgang broke the silence. “Any word from Whitney yet?”
“Nope.”
Wolfgang took a drink from his bottle. “June saw her a few days ago. Said she’s having a hard time. Apparently, she’s been going to the beach a lot, it clears her head, I guess. Hopefully, she comes around.”
“That’d be nice,”
Fade muttered, stretching his arms. But his mind had already latched onto the information. The beach. Maybe that’s where he’d finally find her.
November Twenty-Ninth
On the drive home, Fade turned toward the beach on instinct. He parked and walked across the sand, scanning the shore for any sign of Whitney. Nothing.
For a few minutes, he debated waiting longer but the ache of disappointment was already settling in. With a heavy sigh, he headed back to his car and drove home.
November Thirtieth
If the beach was his best shot at seeing her, then he’d keep showing up. As often as it took.
This time, Fade went on his lunch break, eating his meal in his car while he kept an eye out. But as he stared at his own reflection in the windshield, realization hit.
She knew his car. She wouldn’t stop if she saw it. He was going to have to get creative. Maybe he’d run the beach trail on Saturday. He needed the cardio anyway.
After work, he swung by again. Still nothing.
December First
Fade was starting to feel desperate and like a stalker as he passed by before work, risking being late. Nothing.
December Second
Fade woke up late, shoving a yogurt and a handful of nuts into his mouth while his mind wandered back to Whitney. And the beach.
Without work to rush to, he had more time today, enough time for that run. If his car was the problem, maybe showing up on foot was the answer.
“Might as well,”
he muttered, heading outside after a quick stretch and warm-up. He had no real plan, just the hope that his feet would take him somewhere he needed to be.
As he ran along the road heading north, doubt started to creep in. What if she sees me running? But he pushed the thought away. He was already in this. Worst case? He got a solid cardio session out of it.
Each mile cleared his head a little more. By the time the late morning sun burned overhead, the parking lot finally came into view.
Two cars sat there. A white minivan… and a baby blue car. His heart dropped, then kicked into high gear.
Finally. For the first time in weeks, hope stirred in his chest.
Whitney
Whitney sipped her coffee, sitting at the edge of the water where the sand turned dry and soft. She found herself here two or three times a week, just to cry. To really cry. She thought about Orion, their childhood, her past. About Fade, their relationship, and what future was left for her.
And after a solid sob, she always felt clean.
Orion had always been one to stir the pot, but she never thought he’d do it to his own sister, especially when it meant so much. She worried he hated her. And that, of course, made her think of their dad and the way he’d always looked at her with disgust. Whitney assumed it was because she looked so much like their mother, more than Orion ever had. The strong features of her Latin ancestry clashed against their father’s brown hair and blue eyes, and that difference had always put a wedge between them.
Still, she never understood his bitterness. If he’d loved their mom as much as she loved Fade, she might understand the heartbreak of seeing that person reflected in their children. But she couldn’t imagine treating her own kids the way their dad had treated them, the kids who hadn’t left him. Not until they became adults, anyway.
Her mind circled back to Fade, like it always did. If things worked out between them, would they have kids? He’d mentioned not wanting them, even though the island encouraged it. The decision would be theirs alone, but strange as it was, Whitney did want children. And she wanted his.
The thought made her cry harder. Every moment with him replayed in her mind, over and over, as she tried to dissect it all, searching for some missing piece that could fix everything between them. But there was nothing. As always, there was nothing.
What if this was the end? She would eventually forgive Orion if she ever found anyone else and would hope they got along. Orion would still bring her relationship with Fade up down the road to cause issues. And honestly, she wasn't impressed with anyone else, no one compared to her five foot ten, tattooed felon, who as fucked up as it sounds, would kill her brother to defend her honor.
Her coffee warmed her as she threw the rest of it down her throat and her tears ran out. It was good just to cry.
Her mind cleared, leaving no thoughts, except what was for dinner later and the thought to go shopping for what she needed to supply it and of course, for fun. She inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times before picking up her coffee cup and standing up to brush the sand off her body.
Whitney stretched her toes and gripped her sandals to turn around and head to the car. Startled, she saw him sitting forty feet behind her.
Her heart dropped like it did the first time. Her brow crinkled as her lips let out, “Fade?”
He smirked, “That sounds good coming from your voice.”
Slowly, she pushed through the sand toward him as he stood. She said nothing, just stared, waiting. “I just want to talk to you, Whitney,”
he said. His voice was soft, but there was a weight to it. A desperation she hadn’t heard before.
“Lucky for you, I’m listening.”
And she was. After a good cry, the timing couldn’t have been better. Her mind was clear. Her heart was at least open. Standing across from him, she listened as his voice rose above the sound of the waves.
“I can’t live on this island without you. I hate driving down the road in an empty car. Seeing you at work kills me. I can’t stand not having someone to back talk me and your shit’s still all over my apartment.”
His eyes burned into hers. “I love you. I fucked up. And I’ll do whatever it takes to fix it. But if you don’t take me back… I’m leaving in January.”
Her breath caught. “You—what?”
“I already talked to Margaret.”
His hands fell to his sides. “It’s in the works.”
Whitney hid her shock by zipping up her jacket. “Where would you go?”
He sighed. “Vegas. I’d have to go back. Get whatever that shit Juniper was given to help me forget you. Because alcohol doesn’t work. Working out doesn’t do it. And I’m sure as hell no other woman’s going to make me forget you.”
The fringe of his curly hair fell across his face as his voice softened. “I’d rather live my life feeling like I’m missing something than live with the pain of knowing exactly what it is.”
He closed his mouth, ready for a response.
Whitney stared at him, her throat tight. She shuffled her feet in the sand, trying to shake out the grains sticking between her toes. “Well, that’s a shame,”
she said quietly. “I’d hate to see you leave.”
“There’s only one way to keep me here,”
Fade said, his eyes lifting to hers. “And it’s up to you. So… can we start over?”
Her hands curled deeper into her pockets. “Fade, no.”
His jaw tightened, and his face fell. But she took a step closer, slowly pulling off her sunglasses. Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying.
“You think I can really just start over with you? After everything we've been through, you really think I want to start over?”
He watched her chin quiver before opening her mouth again; “Fade, I – I want to pick up where we left off. I want to be your fiance again.”
Fade’s face broke into a grin just as she did before he swept her off the ground. She laughed through her tears, and when he finally set her down, she met his gaze.
“But I swear,”
she warned, smiling even as her voice stayed firm, “if there’s any more conflict between you and Orion, you won’t need to leave. I’ll bury both of you myself.”
He grinned, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I missed you, Justin,”
she whispered.
“My Lilith,”
he murmured, and kissed her, his arms strong around her, his hand warm against the back of her neck.
When he finally pulled back, he reached for the drawstring of his gym pants. Her engagement ring dangled at the end of it, glinting in the sun.
Whitney’s breath caught. And then she laughed, nodding as he slipped the ring back onto her finger. The two almost in the exact same spot on the beach where he’d proposed the first time.
“I want you to know,”
she said softly, locking eyes with him, “it destroyed me having to give that back. I hated every minute of it.”
“I know,”
he whispered. And then he kissed her again.
When they finally pulled apart, she brushed the last of her tears away. “But before we take this any farther… I need to talk to Orion. I can’t fix things with only one of you. You both have to get along. And honestly… I don’t even think he cares that I haven’t been talking to him.”
“Fair enough,”
Fade said. “But call me when you open your gift, okay? I’d kind of like to be there.”
“Okay,”
She raised a brow. “It’s still sitting there. Honestly, it just became part of the background.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Well, it’s a little past due now. Might not make much sense anymore.”
They started walking toward the parking lot, his hand brushing against hers.
“I love you, Whitney,”
he said, his voice soft.
“I love you too.”
Her cheeks flushed as she smiled at him.
“Hey,”
he said, shooting her a hopeful look. “Could I at least get a ride?”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed in place. “Yes, Fade. Get in the car.”