Lies My Memory Told Me by Sacha Wunsch

Author:Sacha Wunsch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Published: 2021-08-25T20:10:12+00:00

16

The park was already deserted except for a lone figure on the swings, the chains squeaking a bit as he rocked.

“Hey,” I said, settling myself into the swing beside his.

He jumped a bit, startled by my arrival. He’d been deep in his own thoughts. “Hi,” he said, his face suddenly brightening.

A wave of relief washed over me.

“Thanks for agreeing to meet,” I said, as if it were some covert operation.

Which I guess it kind of was.

He smiled and looked at his feet, swinging them out, gaining a bit of momentum. The chains squeaked faster.

“I probably shouldn’t be here,” he said.

I looked away. Of course he thinks he shouldn’t be here. He thinks I’m unsafe, whatever that means. And I don’t know where it came from but I was suddenly fighting off tears. It seemed like life was...so hard. Everyone else seemed to sail along, EM-ing their way through everything, and all the shit had kind of been falling on me, even though I did nothing to ask for it. Not to mention I didn’t even know what I was doing. It’s not like anyone had taught me the bus schedule, or how to take care of the house. Some days it seemed like this was it. That I was pretty much on my own for good now.

I knew I was being ridiculous and dramatic, which wasn’t really my style, so I fought those tears hard, willing them to reabsorb into the backs of my eyes. I pulled in a long, shaky breath and cleared my throat.

I could sense Kade look up at me then, and I think he raised his hand to reach for me, but I was not about to look at him with the wateriness that was threatening to gush forth.

“Nova,” he said, his tone serious. “You don’t understand. I mean that I shouldn’t...but I can’t seem to stay away.”

His swing stopped dead.

I had been concentrating so hard on keeping my emotions at bay that I didn’t really understand what he was getting at. “Stay away from what?” I asked, wiping my eyes and trying to compose myself with one last sniff, risking a glance his way.

He paused for a moment. A long moment, looking into my eyes, so intensely that I nearly had to look away. Finally he seemed to set himself, like he was pulling up something from inside. “Don’t you realize by now? I can’t stay away from you.”

“Oh,” I said, blinking.

He turned his swing to face me more. “It’s like you don’t have anyone protecting you. Looking out for you.” He shook his head like he wanted to say more, but didn’t know how to say it, then sighed. “Or at least that’s what it was at first. But then...I don’t know. Then I got to know you and you’re so...real.” He smiled. “And curious about life in a way that no one else seems to be anymore.” He shook his head. “Sorry, that probably doesn’t make any sense.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be sorry,” I said, my swing unmoving as I watched this beautiful creature in front of me.

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