I turn around, and I’m face-to-face with Chelsea. She’s looking down as she walks into the diner, but then she stops and looks up, and her mouth hangs open in shock when she sees me. The shock she feels turns into anger, and I see her eyes flash. “What the fuck are you doing here?” she says, and I look at her.
“Watch your mouth,” I say, not thinking that she is now seventeen years old. She looks just like Mom, her black hair is long to her waist, and she has crystal blue eyes. She is so beautiful, and I want to take her in my arms and hug her. I want to tease her like I did when she was younger. I want to put her in a headlock and mess up her hair. Seeing her all grown up just shows me what I’ve missed.
“You don’t get to tell me to watch my mouth,” she hisses. I see the huge tears in her eyes, but she is just like Mom as she blinks them away. “You don’t get to tell me jack shit. You lost that right.” She advances on me, not even caring that I tower over her nor that I can pick her up with one hand. She has no fear in her eyes, none.
“I hate you,” she hisses. I’m ready to take her in my arms and let her hate me all she wants. I just don’t want to see her crying. But I don’t get a chance because Emily has approached and now stands by her side.
My eyes fly to her, and my heart speeds up, just knowing she is within my reach. I take her all in as though I’m memorizing a military operation. She looks the same, maybe a bit thinner but still as beautiful as she was when I first kissed her all those years ago. All I can think about is messing her hair up and seeing if she still tastes like strawberries and still gets shivers when I kiss her right behind the ear. I wonder so many things.
And if seeing her didn’t hurt me enough, smelling her and having her so close is like getting kicked in the balls. The hurt and pain are so unimaginable. I was tortured for two weeks one time—I was whipped, beaten, branded, you name it—but this right here is a million times worse.
“He’s not worth it,” Emily says, the words gutting me. “Just breathe.” Chelsea looks over at her, and she blinks as the tears run down her face.
“You have no idea what you did when you left.” Chelsea turns around, looking at me. “You have no idea what happened after you left because you didn’t fucking care.” My heart starts to speed up. “Why don’t you do everyone a favor and leave?” She turns and storms out of the diner.
Emily starts to follow her out, but my hand reaches out, grasping her arm. She stops in her tracks, her whole body going tight. She looks at her arm, her eyes fixated on my hand, then she rips her arm away from me and puts her left hand on her arm where my hand was just touching her and it’s then I see the rock on her finger. It is almost blinding and so unlike her.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” she says, her voice low and tight. “Ever,” she says and walks out, running after Chelsea. I watch them as Chelsea turns to her and puts her hands on her knees as she has what looks like a panic attack. Her chest rises and falls as she sobs, and Emily rubs her back, bending down to talk to her.
“Hey.” I hear from beside me, and see that it’s Drew. I turn to look at him, and everyone in the diner is watching our exchange. “You sure do know how to make an entrance.”
I shake my head. “That wasn’t what I was going for,” I tell him. Drew and I met on the rodeo circuit when we were both ten. We often participated in the same competitions, and one of us would end up getting the ribbon.
“What were you going for?” he asks, and I look at the expensive suit he’s wearing and the Rolex on his wrist. “Because I’m not sure you get it.” He throws his jacket over his shoulder. “You just aren’t welcome here.”
“Is that any way to welcome home your best friend?” I ask.
“Our friendship ended the day you fucked off and left us all behind,” he says, walking out of the diner. I don’t even let a second go by before I’m outside. I watch Drew stand beside Emily and Chelsea.
Chelsea stands up now, and Emily puts her hand around her shoulder and says something to Drew who just nods. Chelsea and Emily turn to walk away, but then Drew calls Emily’s name. He walks back to her and kisses her on the lips, and it’s my turn to stand here with my mouth open.
You left, I remind myself. You left without looking back. What did you expect? I’m about to take a step forward when I spot a blue Range Rover pull up. The driver door opens, and he takes off his sunglasses.
“I thought they were lying,” Casey says. He’s dressed more casually in jeans and a T-shirt with boots. What I’m not expecting is for his clone to get out of the passenger side dressed exactly like his father but with
