Chapter 24 #2
Leaving with Silvie feels different than when we arrived.
She moves confidently and people nod and greet her by name.
She stopped to shake hands, pat their arms, and remember their names.
She laughed easily and was at ease. This is where she’s comfortable.
It’s her world, and it’s fascinating to watch.
I stayed half a step behind her the whole time because I wanted her to feel supported. Coming here brought up a lot of feelings for me. And, in some ways, it made me start healing in ways I didn’t realize I needed to.
The doors open, and the doorman straightens when he sees her. “Ms. Montclair,” he says warmly. “Good to have you back.”
“Henry,” she beams. “Good to see you.”
I’m already thinking about getting air outside, stripping out of this suit, and going back to casual clothes, when his gaze shifts to me. He frowns slightly and studies my face. And the recognition hits me just as his eyes widen at the same time.
“Cal?” he says. “Cal Bennett?”
I turn to face him, and the city rushes back all at once. The version of me that was here six years ago.
“Henry,” I say carefully. “Hey, good to see you.”
He breaks into a grin. “I thought that was you. Wow, I haven’t seen you around in years. You look good.”
Silvie pauses beside me, and I can feel her confusion before I even look at her. She’s still, and her head is turned watching us.
Henry continues, “You just disappeared.”
His words hit harder than they should. But he’s not wrong. I did just disappear.
Silvie’s eyes continue to flick between us. She doesn’t say anything, just watches. I feel my shoulders tense, and I paste on a smile that doesn’t quite stick.
“Yeah,” I say. “It’s been a while.”
He shakes his head like he’s still catching up with me and not making things really messy. “Everyone talked about you back then. You were sharp and focused. We all thought you were headed somewhere big.”
Silvie’s breath hitches, and she says, “You two know each other?”
Her question changes everything between us.
“We worked at the same company together,” I say quickly. “A long time ago.”
As if the last part makes anything less confusing.
Henry laughs. “Long time? It’s only been what...five years? Feels like yesterday. Don’t disappear again, man.”
I swallow and look at Silvie nervously. Her brows are together and she looks so confused.
“Anyway,” Henry adds. “Good to see you, Cal.”
“Yeah,” I say. “You too.”
Silvie thanks him politely and slips her hand into mine as we continue to the car waiting for us. The door closes behind us, cutting off the memories of a life I didn’t get to finish. Memories that still cut deep when I let myself think of them.
She doesn’t say anything, and that feels worse.
We get a few blocks away when she finally says, “What was that?”
I stare at the buildings, the familiar buzz of the city that makes my throat tight. “I didn’t know how to bring it up. I don’t talk about it.”
She waits.
“I loved it here,” I admit. “More than I meant to. And leaving felt like the greatest failure of my life. Just talking about it makes me have to face who I didn’t become when I thought that was my dream.”
Her hand slides into mine and squeezes, and it pushes me to continue.
“I went to school here. Then I worked in finance at Smith and Townes.”
She exhales slowly, like something is clicking into place.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asks, surprised.
“I don’t know...it was like a past life. Not me anymore. You know?” I shrug. “I’m just a bartender from Coconut Beach now.”
“Why did you go back to Coconut Beach?” she asks softly.
I look out the window for a few seconds, and then I say, “I went back for my mom.”
For a while, the city hums around us as we make it back to her penthouse. Life continues even though I feel like I’m failing.
“I didn’t mean to hide anything from you,” I promise. “I just don’t like talking about it. I miss it more than I thought I did. And coming back has shown me that.”
And I realize that’s the first time I’ve let myself fully admit it.
“You weren’t hiding,” she says. “It sounds like you’ve been grieving.”
I nod, because she’s right. And I haven’t been able to fully process it until I met her.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” She laughs. “You let me play tour guide like it was your first time in the city. You lived here for years.”
“I didn’t want you to know someone who doesn’t exist anymore. That’s not me,” I say quietly.
Silvie leans closer. “I like knowing you. All of you. The sweet man who takes care of his mom and Jonah. The hot bartender. The hot surfer. All of you.”
I look at her and realize this isn’t about secrets or not being who we think we can be. It’s about us. And somehow, we’ve been orbiting each other in this lifetime, yet we still ended up together. Even in some strange capacity, like a fake marriage.
Fake marriage. Fake rules. Fake lines we promised not to cross. One look at her and I know the truth. Whatever this is, it’s already real. And we’re running out of time to stop it.