43. Talia
Talia
She wedged herself into the narrow crevice in the cliffs, scooting herself deeper into the rock.
A couple of meters in, the space angled right and opened up into a small cave. Sam sat on the far side, reading, his back propped against the wall with a blanket as a pillow.
Talia’s chest clenched, and she hovered in the entrance. Would he want to see her?
“Hey,” she said quietly.
Sam looked up at her.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked. “I brought Sunday Lunch, although it’s probably cold by now—sorry.”
He didn’t say anything. But he didn’t ask her to leave, either.
Talia crossed the small cave and handed him the bag.
“I don’t even know what’s in there. I took a leap of faith and ordered random stuff.
” She laughed nervously. It was strange to feel jittery around Sam.
He’d always been a calming force for her, a safe place to come to when everything else out there felt like too much.
But of course, she didn’t know if she had the right to want that from him anymore.
“Sam, I’m so sorry—about the rewinds that I didn’t tell you about, for kissing you and erasing it, and for not listening when you tried to keep me from getting sucked into the seduction of this thing.
” She toyed with the band of her watch. “You’ve only ever cared and worried about me, and I’ve taken you for granted.
I am more sorry than I can ever express. ”
He only looked at her, his expression blank.
Talia stumbled on. “I wish I could undo it all. No! Not like that! I just mean that… I’m sorry a million times over. I broke your trust by manipulating your timeline. Those weren’t my choices to take away from you or to make for you, and even worse, I’d made you a promise and didn’t keep it.
“I know now that what I really should have done was simply talk with you. Rewinds can actually come from open, honest conversation and making different choices and not just the watch. I should have chosen that path—chosen you—over a magical watch.
“I’m not sure if you can forgive me. But if you can, I’ll buy you Taco Bell forever. I’ll be less selfish, more considerate, and I’ll be better about not using technology all the time, because I see clearly now that it’s not a substitute for real friendship or real life.
“And most importantly, there will be no secrets between us. But… but if this apology is too late or not enough, I get that, too.” Tears brimmed over the rims of Talia’s eyes. “I hurt you, and you deserve so much better. I’d understand if you never wanted to see me again.
“Just know that you’re my best friend, Sam, and… I think I might love you, too.”
The right corner of his mouth twitched, but still he didn’t say anything. The sunlight filtering in through the cracks in the cliff faltered. And the sound of the surf hitting the shore seemed to go silent as this moment stretched on and on.
Talia unbuckled the watch and offered it to him. Sam didn’t move, though, so she laid it on the sand at his feet.
“Okay, then… I’m sorry.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to go.