Chapter 36
CHAPTER 36
C lara
“Oh, wow. Look at this shirt you're wearing!”
I held up a picture to Laura from when we were kids. She was wearing a bright pink sequin top with high-waisted shorts. When Laura saw the picture, she snatched it from me and placed it face-down on the carpet.
“Ugh, what was I thinking back then?” she said with a laugh. “Why didn't you tell me that looked so bad at the time?”
“It didn't look that bad.”
She eyed me suspiciously.
I giggled. “Okay, it was a bit of a fashion crime, but it still looked cute on you. I loved how stylish you were. You didn't care what anyone thought.”
“I care a little bit now.”
“But you rock what you wear. I've always loved that about you.”
“I mean, I get it from the coolest sister ever.”
I shrugged and grinned as I reached for another set of photos. There were a dozen or so stacks of pictures hanging around a plastic bin. I shuffled through them and awed at some, handing them over to Laura.
“I can't believe I ever cut my hair that short,” I commented. “And who told me to straight-iron it? I love my curls now.”
“Your curls are amazing. I wish I had gotten them.”
“We could always curl your hair whenever you want.”
She smiled. “I'd like that. We should have a girl's night with Jen like we used to back then!”
“That rhymed.”
“You know me. I'm the poet of the family.”
I cackled. “You're ridiculous, Laura.”
“Wow, is that really Levon?” She held up a picture. “He looks so young!”
“We all look so young. This must have been right after our graduation ceremony.”
I studied the picture in my hands. I was wearing a tight purple dress that stopped just above my knees. Levon wore his usual suit and tie with a purple rose sitting in his breast pocket. I lovingly stroked the image.
“He looked so handsome that day. I'm so glad I didn't trash these pictures.”
Laura reached for another pile. “Why were you going to trash them?”
“Well, just the ones of Levon and me. I was sure that I needed to get rid of them. But I never got around to it. I'm glad I didn't.”
“I hope I find love like you and Levon have someday.”
I set down the photos I was holding and scooted next to my sister. I wrapped her in a warm hug. “I'm positive one day that you will. It's not easy, but it's worth it.”
“It's hard to meet guys these days.”
“I know, honey.” I pulled away and rubbed her shoulder. “You never know when it will happen. With Levon, I had no idea I would end up back with him.”
“I'm just not sure where to even look.”
I chuckled. “It usually comes along when you aren't looking.”
“But what if I want to look? Bars aren't helpful. And the guys at my job are so immature.”
“You'll get there someday. Just don't worry about it too much right now.”
“That's easy for you to say. You have Levon.”
I laughed. “Believe in yourself, Laura. You have a lot to offer a guy.”
“Like tips on how to get stains out of a white silk shirt?”
I nodded. “That's the spirit.”
“Maybe one of Levon's friends will be sweet on me. Does he have a lot of friends? Like does he know anyone single in Europe?”
“Would you really want to travel all the way to Europe to find out?”
She cackled. “It's worth a shot!”
“I mean, whatever floats your boat.”
“Or flies my plane.”
“You're silly.”
She beamed. “But you love me.”
“I do!”
I grabbed another stack. The whole pile was entirely photos of Levon and me. There weren't too many with Laura.
I frowned as I held them out to her. “I'm really sorry I constantly chose to hang out with Levon instead of you. I feel like such a bad sister.”
She laughed. “Some things don't change.”
“Hey, I was trying to be nice!”
“It's okay, Clara. You love him and I understand that. Besides, I've been able to spend more time with you recently and that's meant more to me than you could ever know.”
“I just wish I had been more present while we were growing up.”
She smiled warmly. “You were present. You went to every single one of my events. No, you didn't hang with me personally at home a whole lot, but does that really matter right now? You're happy and that makes me happy.”
“I knew there was a reason I loved you.”
“Oh, there's plenty of reasons. You just don't know all of them yet!”
I fell into a giggle fit as I shook my head. I lifted a few stacks of pictures and placed them back into the bin, standing up once they were all put away.
I turned to Laura and helped her up. “Do you want to go for a run?”
“That sounds really nice right now. I've been slacking on my routine.”
“Let's do it!”
I went to the bathroom to change. I had still had some spare clothes at my parent's house that I had left behind after I had moved. I changed into a pair of shorts and a sports top, pulling my hair back into a ponytail. When I was done, I met Laura in the living room where she wore the same thing.
“Hey, are those mine?” I asked while pointing to her shorts. “Wow, I forget we're the same size sometimes.”
“It comes in handy, doesn't it?”
I laughed. “Sure does. What route do you want to take today?”
“Let's circle the park and then take the wooded trail.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We walked out to the porch and started doing our stretches. I used the rail to help me stretch my legs, pulling my foot up behind me. I leaned against the rail to deepen my stretch and leaned back to stretch my back.
“Ready?”
I nodded. “I'm stoked. We haven't been on a run forever.”
“Want to race?”
“Let me warm up first, you dork.”
She giggled as she hopped down the steps and jogged ahead. I followed behind her. I kept my arms up and moved them to the rhythm of my feet. I met Laura's pace and jogged beside her, loving the way the breeze felt against my face. It was a quiet afternoon. We sailed past the neighbor's houses toward the park, the one where we used to play.
She picked up her pace and I matched her rhythm. We were in sync like the old days. It made me feel a sense of pride to be connected to her. Even now that we were grown, I was worried about not spending time with my sister. She meant everything to me because she was family. I never wanted our bond to break, not even over someone like Levon.
But I knew my love for her and my love for him didn't need to compete. I could give her all the care and respect she deserved while I did the same for Levon. My love wasn't limited to one or the other. They could encompass both. And it made me happy to realize that.
We quickly approached the park trail. I sailed down it first, breezing past my sister. She huffed as she caught up to me and then cut me off, giggling as she darted down one of the side trails. I shook my head as I jogged after her. I could tell she was getting ready to sprint. I didn't want to take off just yet. I felt like my muscles weren't warm enough.
As I breathed deep the scent of the wooded trail, I admired the greenery surrounding us. The trees were tall, looming over our path and creating a natural tunnel. I followed Laura down the winding nature trail past benches, stretching areas, workout equipment, and an assortment of bushes and flowers.
A couple of joggers were coming our way. We both moved to the right and I kept a few paces behind Laura, giving her space to move. Her sneaker got caught on a fallen branch and she launched forward, squealing.
I darted toward her. “Laura!”
One of the passing joggers extended his arm and caught her before her face could smack against the ground. She landed on one knee while clinging to the stranger's shoulders. I paused. I could hear us both panting as I approached, leaning against my knees.
“Oh, my God! Are you okay?”
She laughed nervously. “Oh, I'm just dandy.”
“There's a branch there,” the stranger pointed out. “And gravity is in effect.”
“Whoops! I forgot we were on Earth,” Laura joked. “Thanks for that. You have some spectacular reflexes.”
“I do taekwondo in my spare time.”
“It certainly shows.”
I smirked as he adjusted her upright. She brushed her shorts and stood with her hands on her hips, still panting.
“Well,” she blurted. “Thanks for the gravity check, friend.”
“No problem.”
“Enjoy your stay on Earth!”
I laughed as I followed after her. She wasn't quite jogging yet, but she was briskly moving away from the stranger who was rather handsome.
“Maybe that was fate,” I teased. “You should have asked his name.”
“You're ridiculous, Clara.”
“And you're blushing.”
She giggled nervously. “Well, he was cute. Did you see that blond hair? He looked like a surfer. Maybe he's just visiting. There's no chance we could hook up.”
“You never know.”
“Hey, alien lady!”
We both turned to find the handsome stranger jogging up to us. He extended a business card to Laura with a dazzling grin.
“Let me know if you ever want to give me a tour of Earth.”
He winked and jogged away.
Laura held the business card as if she had been handed a gold coin. I could tell by the way her eyes were lit up that was totally smitten.
“So, it is fate,” I teased. I elbowed her playfully. “What's his name?”
“Ben Witt—he’s a mattress salesman.”
“Get that discount, girl.”
She laughed. “Clara, you're such a dork.”
“And you love me.”
“I sure do love you. Are you ready to keep going? My knee is fine and I want to shake off some of that embarrassing energy.”
“Yeah, let's get going. Maybe we'll run into Mr. Ben Witt again.”
She shoved me playfully and sprinted ahead. I laughed and darted after her, trying to keep up.
She yelled over her shoulder. “And don't even think of giving me advice! I'm not taking any from someone who is having her ex-boyfriend move in!”
I chuckled. “Oh, you're going to pay for that comment!”
She giggled as she increased her speed, hopping expertly over other branches along the trail. I kept her pace and sailed like a gazelle down the path. I felt free and alive. The air was cold in my lungs, stinging slightly before my runner's high kicked in. I finally caught up with her and elbowed her playfully while we tried to fight for the trail.
We giggled and teased each other as we approached a bend in the path. I went right as she went left. I didn't bother trying to chase after her because I knew we would be joined on the other side. Just like we always did. I happily kept on running, feeling a sort of liberation I hadn't felt in years. Everything was beautiful in that moment. And I felt so happy that my sister had run into someone.
It was fate—I just knew it.