Shattered [On Hold]

10. Seashore Mishap

-Kady-

"I rarely see him so... unsettled," I say after I tell Mia about Liam's surprise visit this morning. We are currently lounging on the couch with the lights off, sitting among the scattered cushions and a bowl of popcorn resting on my lap while some random rom-com, whose name I didn't care to know, played on the TV.

"Maybe he was just really tired?" Mia suggests, reaching her hand out to take a fistful of popcorn from the bowl without taking her eyes off the movie.

"Maybe, but it's just not him, you know. Something was off about him." I frown at the almost empty bowl of popcorn. I haven't even eaten much of it. Mia is the only one doing most of the eating.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she says as she takes more popcorn. "Probably his obsession with work finally getting to him. Tell him to cut some slack, will ya?"

"You think he'll listen to me? He'll just come up with some snarky retort to shut me up."

Mia doesn't reply. She was too engrossed in the movie already. I sigh and turn to look at the flat television screen too, hoping that it will distract me from thinking about Liam, Logan, or Alex again. That had been my initial plan before Mia unexpectedly showed up with James.

After Liam left, I thought I'd spend all day thinking about everything that happened in the past few days since I met Logan. Maybe look at the picture Liv showed me that day when we went to the ghost town and compare it with some old photographs of Alex before the accident, all the while thinking of the crazy possibilities.

Could it be that Alex is still alive? Maybe he somehow survived the accident? But even if he did, how the heck did he become the freaking manager of Logan Barnes?

I shake my head. It was impossible. I was there in the same car with Alex during the accident.

I saw him in the hospital too.

I saw him when he was buried.

I know Alex is not alive.

I need to stop thinking about these things and enjoy the movie with Mia. I lean back on the comfy couch and stare at the screen, trying to focus on the movie.

I watch as a girl appears on the screen, sitting on a beach in the warm sunshine. Another girl comes over and joins her. They both start talking but all I can think of about is how the beach looks so damn inviting. I can smell the salt in the air. I can imagine the soft sky above me as I listen to the waves. The sweet, sun-warmed waves crashing upon the sand and around the rocks in shallows.

I sigh. When was the last time I had been to a beach? Oh, right. It was when I went to attend Mia's wedding. That was one crazy night. Heck, I was crazy that night.

I bite my lip when I recall what happened that night. I was spending time with Mia and other people when I had to go out to answer my phone. Liv and Lucy had both called me together from their own places where they were spending the spring break before we went back to college. Plus, I wanted to go out to the beach the moment I had landed. The phone call was a good excuse.

"Is this a bad time?" Liv asked as soon as I picked up.

"Nah, I needed to get out of there anyways. I need the fresh air," I said as I was strolling on the seaside.

"So, how's everything going there? Having fun?" Liv asked.

"Oh yes, I'm having so much fun," I said, my voice dripping of sarcasm before a giggle tore through me. There was silence on the other end, and I took this moment to appreciate the ocean breeze bringing a long awaited relief to my bones. I loved this beach. I loved listening to the constant percussion of the waves. Loved how the beach was tinted sepia in the gentle spring twilight, the sand more orange and the water darker.