The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 37

The sound of footsteps echoed along the hallway and suddenly someone appeared on the threshold, a little out of breath. "Kirsten."

Kirsten's and an old man's eyes who was sitting across her moved to the tall figure who had just barged into the room. The figure looked so dashing in his black peacoat with a gray scarf around his neck and a pair of black jeans and white Nike Air Max.

"Liam," Kirsten accosted, bliss unleashing all over her to finally see him again after weeks.

She was currently in Liam's Pops' living room in front of the fireplace with a mug of s'mores hot chocolate in her hands, having a light conversation with the old man who she hadn't seen for a long time. She was always respectfully fond of his Pops for he was a very decent man to talk to and always welcomed her warmly into his house like his own granddaughter.

This morning, Kirsten had stopped by Liam's house since she couldn't bear another day without seeing him anymore. But his maid said to her that he was in San Diego and would be back in a few days. Without thinking much, she took more than a hundred-mile drive there just to come see him and try to talk to him again.

Not far from entering Carmel Valley this late afternoon, she had received a phone call from Joey asking her where she was because he wanted to borrow her car. When she told him that she was driving to San Diego, he exploded and ordered her to come home right at that second. With unwavering decision, she asked him not to worry about it and she would definitely come home tonight.

"Liam, my dear boy," Pops said in a hoarse, soft voice, his one arm spreading out. "I can see you forgot your errand."

Liam facepalmed. "Ah, I'm sorry, Pops, I was... distracted. I'll- I'll go back there tonight."

"It's okay, son. My favorite dessert from the city can wait." Attempting to prop himself up on his walking cane, Pops had difficulty to get up from his throne chair. In a hurry, Kirsten and Liam ran to him to assist him stand up. Chuckling phlegmily, he said to them, "I'm going to pretend it's time for my medicine and leave the two of you alone now. Be good, kids." His eyes twinkled at them knowingly before his caretaker escorted him out of the living room.

"Let's talk outside," Liam said after Pops was out of sight.

Leading Kirsten toward the glass door, he slid it open and stepped over the threshold to a patio on a very extensive backyard with a big swimming pool and a jacuzzi. It also had a nice bungalow at the very corner of the property next to a game room. A garden full of flowers surrounded the patio she was standing which had a barbeque pit and long patio table set.

Liam plopped down on a pool lounge chair with an unreadable expression upon his face. "What are you doing here?" he questioned after Kirsten took a seat in front of him. "Joey called me saying you were coming to San Diego to see me and I just drove straight back home from the city. What was on your mind?"

She encouraged herself to talk, but her voice sounded fragile. "I, uh... I needed to see you and talk."

A blow of clouds formed from his nose. "What else?"

"I- I feel like I haven't told you the whole story of that night," her voice croaked. "I swear to you I wasn't lying when I told you I accidentally met Kyle at the music store."

Afterwards, Kirsten started to narrate about what had happened that night. How Joey had bailed on her last minute. How she had almost changed her mind about going to Newark out of fury. How Kyle had happened to be at the same music store at the same time. How he had actually had his own plan there, but gotten stood up instead. How he had helped her with the birthday present, so she had treated him dinner.