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"This was Henry's room. Mom kept it the same after he died. It's the only thing she kept the same. It was like she couldn't let go. I don't know if she ever did. Sometimes when she's upset, she'll say something about him like he's still got an opinion."
I walked to Henry's desk and looked out the window into the backyard. It was well-kept and small. It didn't give the outside world a hint at what was hidden inside these walls.
My childhood hadn't been easy by any means, bouncing from apathetic place to careless home, but none of my stops were like this. Beyond the filth was a loveless shelter.
Lia had resided here, but she'd clearly lived inside her mind, and that was for good reason. While I was in New York building my independence, Lia was in this dirty cocoon, just waiting out the clock.
Lia scooped a penguin keyring off the dresser and slid it into her pocket. She then picked a picture frame, and a Phillies baseball cap.
"Are you all set?"
I trailed my fingers across her cheek. Her gaze was far off; she wasn't with me.
"Yeah."
The word wasn't even a whisper, hardly a breath. As we turned to leave, her eyes welled up. I laid a hand on her arm. "Hey. We can stay longer if you want to."
She shook her head with resolution. "No. It's time to go. This has all been here too long."
When we navigated our way back outside, the sky had begun its descent from the fiery colors of evening into dusk, but it still felt bright and wide open. The air smelled sweet and fresh, fresher than I ever gave air credit for. I swallowed thickly, sorrow for Lia blanketing me.
She put her items on the front seat, then shut the car door and leaned against it. She looked at the ground and moved her toe idly over a crack in the sidewalk.
"Is there time to walk?" she asked.
"If that's what you want, sure."
She laced her fingers through mine and walked me down the street, around a bend, and down a steep hill.
"I never ran from that home, never once tried. I stayed and did what she expected, which thankfully wasn't much. I didn't put effort into relationships with people, either. It wasn't like I could have friends over or have sleepovers. College was a shock to the system, I could keep my space however I wanted and make social choices. It had been years since I had the chance."
"Is that why you majored in design?"
"It is, yes. My upbringing taught me what power there was in how a space could make you feel. I was drawn to it, or I was led there. Either way."
When we reached the bottom of the hill, I realized where she was leading me.
"Hey, is this…" I trailed off.
Lia smiled. "It is. We don't have much daylight, but since we were in town, I thought we should come see it."
The park hadn't changed in over a decade. The same pavilions, swings, field, everything. We walked across the grass, tracking the path we had both taken so long ago. Lia stopped next to the creek and peered across.
"It's probably still there, my nest."
I turned Lia, so she faced me, and felt the weight of the moment settling around us as I gazed into the depths of her blue-green eyes.
This stop completed the circle, and again I was with her. Nothing was the same, not even close. But we made it.
Destiny brought us together and brought us back.
I tried to be gentle and supportive through the day, giving Lia all the space she needed to process everything that happened. I would want the same if the roles were reversed. But in the glow of the fading day, in this place that was such a sacred memory, I couldn't keep myself from her. No logic or calculation or patience could hold me back. I cupped her face in my hands and brought her lips to mine.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lia
Raph and I stopped back at the hotel to give my mother her keepsakes from Henry’s room, but she was too tired for a visit, so we got back on the road. The sun had already set, and we had a lot of travel ahead, so leaving right away was for the best.
