Shine Again

Shine Again - Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

After sleeping in the next morning, I went down to the kitchen to the smell of coffee brewing. It was after 10A.M. and I was surprised to see aunt Caroline there, at the table. I'd had a good sleep, no nightmares. The kitchen was warm - I assumed the A/C wasn't working again - but smelled amazing.

   "Hey," she said, smiling at me. "How was your weekend?"

   I hadn't seen her since Friday morning, which was strange. For so long, she was the only person who I did see. Things seemed so different now. It was my first Monday in three weeks that I didn't have summer school, so getting to sleep in felt good, too.

   "Good. You?" 

   "It was wonderful," she beamed, standing up to pour her coffee. "Such a nice couple of days off."

   I nodded. "Is Brayden... back on the road?"

    "New York, for a couple of weeks," she answered, pouring a splash of milk into her coffee cup. "So, how was the movie night?"

   "Oh, it was fun," I said quickly, but noticed that she was looking at me funny.

   "So, I noticed on the doorbell camera... there were some guys..." She was still smiling, but I was suddenly horrified.

   "Oh, uh..."

   "I just checked it when I got the doorbell notification on my phone, Saturday night." She still didn't seem upset by this, thankfully.  I hadn't realized she could check it from her phone. I'd forgotten she had the doorbell camera at all.

   "Um, sorry. It was Janelle's boyfriend, and his friend." I hadn't meant to keep this secret from her. "I was going to tell you."

   "Addison, it's okay. Relax," she laughed. "I trust you, and you're not a kid. You're responsible."

   "Oh, um, okay."

   "I'm really proud of you. Honestly. Maybe some parents wouldn't be happy about guys in the house when they aren't there..." She stopped, realizing what she had said. "Sorry, I didn't mean that I'm your-"

   "No, it's okay. I know," I nodded.

   She sighed. "Maybe I could meet your new friends, sometimes?"

   I let a smile creep onto my face. "Yes."

At the end of that week, July came to an end. With three weeks until my senior year began, I felt an urge to really get my bearings with everything, and figure out where I stood, with Miller. He'd only texted me twice all week. I'd seen Janelle and Wyatt three times, though Miller never seemed to be around.  Once, we went to Wyatt's for an afternoon swim. The next day, we met for coffee at the bakery. And then, on Friday, we went to Caz's for ice cream. Each time, I silently hoped Miller would be there, a part of the group. But he never was. His texts had said Hey. And then, How's it going? a few days later.

   "He's working a lot for the rest of the summer," Wyatt told me, when I'd asked where he was. We were sitting outside, eating our ice creams on the picnic table.

   "The studio runs summer camps and drop in classes in August. It's really busy, and he needs to be there to keep things running smooth, I guess," Janelle added.

   "He'll be around tomorrow, for movie tonight. My place," Wyatt said, then went on, "Thomas will be at my grandparents house for the weekend."

   "It's my pick," Janelle said, grinning. "Unless you want a pick."

   "I'm good with whatever," I smiled at her.

   I was just still thinking about Miller. I couldn't stop thinking about him, that week. He'd been in my house, watching a zombie movie, and that was when I had realized that I felt things for him that was more than friendly. I'd never really had a crush, which is what I assumed this was. I wondered why it was called a crush.

   I'd met Wyatt and Janelle at Caz's, so when we were done, I got back in the Bronco, after promising to be at movie night, the next evening. I watched Wyatt drive away, Janelle waving wildly at me, then pulled out my phone. I hadn't talked to Miller in two days, and that was just a few texts back and forth. Now, I pressed his name, to call him.

   "Hey," he answered after a few rings. He sounded a bit unsure. "Addison?"

   "Hi."

   "What's up?"

   We'd never talked on the phone before.

   "I just... I was wondering when you're done work?"

   "Tonight? I'm actually done, but I'm waiting around for Shay. She's in class for another hour."

   "Oh. That's cool," I said awkwardly.

   "Not really. But... my mom has to stay later, so... I have to drive her home," he explained.

   "Oh, okay."

   "Yeah, so..."

   This was so awkward. I was regretting calling him at all.

   "Um, I'm free tonight. We could..." I finally said, but let my voice trail off.

   "Oh! Yeah, do you want to meet me at my house at 8P.M.?"

   It was almost 7P.M., and I was still sitting in the parking lot of the ice cream place.

   "Um, okay."

   "Okay. See you in a bit, then?" he asked, sounding... excited?

   "Yeah."

   After calculating that it would take me about fifteen minutes to get home and then ten or fifteen minutes to go back to his house, I decided to take my time and try to be a little late. I definitely didn't want to see overly excited. We'd barely talked that week and I had no idea what I would even say, when I got to his house.

   Back aunt Caroline's house, the kitchen was dark. Flicking on the lights, I crossed through to go down the hallway to my bedroom. I had never been afraid of being by myself, but sometimes that old house was creaky. I didn't like when it was dark.

   My phone buzzed after I changed my top - from a regular t-shirt to a strappy tank top. I crossed my room to pick it up and check who the text was from, like I'd done plenty of times over the last couple of weeks. But this time it wasn't Janelle, or even Miller.

   It's funny how everything can just hit you all at once, all over again, just when you thought you were doing okay.

   Hi Addi. I know it was weird the last time we talked. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you.

   That text, from Isabelle, shattered me. I read it over and over again, feeling overwhelmingly sad and guilty for starting to "move on", with Janelle, and Wyatt and Miller. Now I'd been gone over four months, and since Janelle took me under her wing, I hadn't been so sad. I hadn't missed Tacoma, or Isabelle. How was I supposed to just continue on, go talk to Miller, go on with my life, while my best friend of ten years was thinking about me, back in Tacoma?

   I thought about it for too long, wondering if I should text her back. Wondering if I should even go and see Miller. But in the end, I decided to let it be. For now. I knew that if I answered Isabelle, it could open up something I wasn't ready to deal with. But I was ready to talk to Miller.