Us After All (In The After #1)
Chapter 1 - Lily
Lily
Tampa, FL, September
“The comet will doom mankind. It will bring devastation and terror like you’ve never seen.
Don’t listen to what they say. If you want the truth, we’re here with the facts.
” The announcer’s dire warning came through my roommate’s laptop speaker while stock hurricane and forest fire videos filled its screen.
“That’s not so horrible, though it’s not ideal considering we’re on our way to see it,” I said. It’d be an improvement from my dating life. “What else is there?”
“Planet destroying content doesn’t excite you?” Violet shoved the laptop screen back to provide a better view. “Try this one instead. A fun science lesson before we leave. It’s from a year ago, before all the comet fever set in.”
Like everyone else, we planned to view the comet’s light show from one of Tampa’s public beaches.
“Sounds exciting.” I was sick of the stupid comet.
Violet resumed her video, and a familiar face caught my attention.
“Oh, wait. Stop. I recognize him,” I said.
Violet paused the video again. “You know Sam Williamson? The guy who discovered the comet?”
“Sort of. We met a few times. You know how my family loves to take in strays. My brother told me Sam struggles with his newfound celebrity. Death threats and worse.”
I stroked the faded scar where an abandoned kitten had scratched me as a little girl. It happened the same year Dean Montgomery’s mother died.
“We’ll be observing from the space station.” Sam’s voice carried through the speakers. “For the first time, we also plan a manned mission to monitor up close. Imagine how much we’ll learn about comets.”
“How confident are we that this comet won’t hit us? I mean, accidents happen.” The interviewer chuckled at his question.
Sam didn’t immediately respond. “Let me explain it like this. Think of this room as outer space. Big, right?” He swept his arm, showing the interview room they shared, before ripping off a tiny strip from the paper in front of him.
He smashed it into a ball, rolling it between two fingers.
“How difficult would it be to hit the correct speck of dust on the other side of this room with something this small?”
“One of those tiny pieces of paper took out the dinosaurs,” Violet said.
“You’re not helping,” I said.
Sam threw his speck of paper, and it dropped, disappearing under the desk. “Almost impossible. This comet, as special as she is to me, is far away from us. We can expect a light show better than any Fourth of July fireworks.”
Uninterested in the scientific details, I tuned out the interview to open an app on my phone and pull up my brother’s profile. “Here, check it out. I know someone famous.”
I scrolled less than a page, looking for a picture of Sam, and found Dean’s solemn expression instead.
He looked to the side, perhaps unaware that my brother caught him on camera, and whatever drew his attention earned a subtle frown.
His broad shoulders and chest filled the frame.
His wavy black hair dared you to touch it.
Violet’s cheeks bulged as understanding dawned. “Is that him? Dean? The one you…”
I’d forgotten she sat beside me. “The same one. This is from last year.” My throat closed up. “Thanksgiving.”
Her voice lowered. “Have you heard from him?” Violet asked, more interested in my pathetic love life than her comet obsession.
“Nothing since the note he left me.”
Dean, my brother’s childhood best friend and my first crush, returned to our hometown before Thanksgiving last year to place his family home on the market, claiming he had grown tired of the upkeep.
I should have known then what he meant: his plans turned him into the proverbial stranger passing through town, with all the temporary implications that implied.
“His loss,” she said.
“We were together for less than a week. A holiday fling doesn’t count for very much.” It was true, while also not the complete story.
I scrolled back up my brother’s profile, telling myself to forget Dean existed, when another picture caught my attention.
Dean had exchanged his typical ill-fitting clothes for a tailored black suit.
A woman leaned into his embrace. Her cold blue eyes held his gaze as he gave her an uncharacteristic smile.
The green dress she wore emphasized the rich tones in her red hair.
I touched my auburn locks, pulled into a lazy low ponytail.
My blue eyes, devoid of makeup, had never earned such a worshipful expression.
“Don’t tell me he’s dating that now?” Violet asked. “You’re prettier. Hotter. Funnier.”
“I don’t know what he’s up to. We don’t exactly text each other these days.”
Funnier? Perhaps, but prettier? She wore diamonds, while I had on an old tank top and elastic-waist shorts.
“It’s Christmas.” Violet snatched the phone to zoom in. “Look at the trees behind them. Also, the red and white blur in the top corner looks like a Santa hat.”
“I know.”
“Forget him.”
I tried. “I think I’ll pass on tonight. You and your boyfriend will have to witness the big show without me,” I said.
“Connor is bringing a friend, remember? Maybe this time it’ll work out.”
“What’s the expression? Work on yourself first, or something like that.”
Playing third wheel was almost as awful as wondering which one of us was the other woman. The supermodel in her stunning green dress or the girl who found a note on her pillow?
Dean Montgomery once claimed I deserved a nice guy. He had kissed me and said, “A nice girl like you shouldn’t be with someone like me. You deserve better.” The lines around his eyes had deepened, and I took his words for a joke when they had been a warning.