Chapter 6 #2
“It is you! Darby Andrews.” The man’s smile lit up his entire face, brighter than half the trees around them as he came closer. He was tall and trim, with a square jawline, deep-set dark eyes, and a youthful grin.
She took a tentative step forward. A strange fluttering feeling bubbled in her stomach like she’d forgotten to eat again.
He made it to her and started moving in to hug her but stopped when their eyes met. “My God, it’s you. It’s really you after all these years.”
Darby’s mouth fell open. “Samesh?” Samesh Devi was standing inches away from her.
Samesh is here?
Her heart skipped a beat, momentarily suspended in long-lost memories, before resuming its rhythm with a newfound intensity.
“Samesh?” Darby repeated. “I haven’t seen you in, what? It must be thirty or probably closer to forty years.” The air around Darby seemed thin, causing her to deliberately focus on every breath to steady the tumultuous storm of emotions within.
“You haven’t aged a day.” Samesh appraised her with a look that made Darby take a step back. “Those hazel eyes. That heart-shaped face. I would recognize you anywhere.” Samesh’s eyes twinkled with delight.
Her cheeks warmed from his compliment, even though she knew it was entirely untrue. The years had been kind to her, but they hadn’t saved her from a softening belly, wrinkles, or the whitening of her shoulder-length hair.
The last time she had seen Samesh was at a college bonfire during their senior year.
She suddenly became acutely aware of everything around them.
Once familiar and comforting, the sound of Samesh’s voice surfaced a symphony of bittersweet memories.
Time morphed as she was transported to that fateful night decades ago that had completely altered the course of her life.
He raised an eyebrow and stretched out his arms, giving her his signature lopsided smile. “Do we hug? Is that weird?”
“Not at all.” Darby returned his smile and leaned into him.
A faint tingling sensation pulsed along her spine.
Samesh smelled of cedar and vanilla. Was he wearing the same aftershave he had during their college days?
The aroma evoked a surge of nostalgia, bringing a new flood of memories to the surface.
His soft touch was a glaring reminder that she hadn’t been held by a man for a long time.
She pulled away, her body stiffening and her protective guard going up.
Samesh beamed at her. “Darby Andrews. I can’t believe it. After all these years.”
“It’s Reynolds now.” Darby hesitated.
“Right.” Samesh bobbed his head in agreement. “How long have you been married? It was only a few years after graduation that I remember hearing you had gotten engaged.”
This took Darby by surprise. She and Samesh had lost touch after the fateful night of the bonfire. She hadn’t spoken to him since. He had never attended reunions nor appeared on mutual friends’ social media pages, or their college newsletter. Samesh had basically dropped out of existence.
Her wedding ring wasn’t visible under her gloves, but Darby’s fingers instinctively massaged the gold band. “It would have been thirty-six years next month.”
“Would have been?” Samesh’s smile faded.
“Jim—my husband—died two years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Darby.” He sounded sincere and looked at Darby with a swell of empathy.
Darby had forgotten how soft-spoken he was and how his naturally calming aura created a ripple of serene energy.
“I know it’s not the same, but I lost both parents this past year.
My dad to Alzheimer’s and then my mom shortly after to a heart attack, although I’m convinced that caring for him took a toll on her.
” A sadness that Darby felt an instant kinship with clouded his face.
“I helped as much as I could. I tried to get her to agree to put him in care, but she was determined to keep him at home.”
“That must have been difficult.”
“It’s life. Our parents care for us. Then we care for them.
” He rolled his shoulders and stood taller.
“This is supposed to be a night of fun. In fact, I’ve been told that this is the biggest event of the year.
I shouldn’t be bringing down the mood. I should be trying to lighten this moment.
You don’t want to hear about my problems. Tell me about you.
How have you been? Are you competing in the hunt? ”
Darby suddenly felt overwhelmed. The cold she felt earlier had vanished, replaced by something that closely resembled a hot flash.
Her cheeks were warm, and she was almost tempted to take off her knee-length parka and walk around in nothing more than the long-sleeve T-shirt she wore underneath.
“No, I’m supposed to cut the ribbon. Hilary invited me.
She took over Jim’s position after he…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
“Oh, Jim Reynolds. Right. Sorry.” Samesh connected the dots on his own.
Then he gently tapped the side of his forehead as if scolding himself.
“Hilary told me about him and how he started this entire event. Impressive. It’s quite a tribute to your late husband.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. ”
Darby forced a smile and changed the subject. “What about you? Are you living in Bend again?”
Samesh pointed to the parks department emblem on his ski jacket.
“I took a job at the parks department a few weeks ago. After my parents died, I needed a change. I needed to do something for myself, so I decided I wanted a fresh start, and I always wanted to find my way back to Bend after college. It seemed like fate. I guess it is.” His eyes lingered on Darby briefly before he nodded to the hot chocolate station.
“I think I blocked you from getting a cup of cocoa. I’ll walk that way with you, and then I should get back to work, but I’d love to meet for coffee or dinner and catch up. ”
“I’d like that.” The words escaped her lips before she could take them back.
Samesh grinned. “Great. Maybe this is fate.”