Getting Home

Part 38

I opened my eyes, feeling refreshed, recharged and happy.

I stretched out on the backseat, my toes poking out one open door while my fingers reached and pointed out the other. The roof of the Civic was sagged and crumpled above me. The dark of the night had gone, leaving an early beautiful dusty orange morning light that softly lit the interior of the car as I flopped and rolled on the backseat. Even though I felt charged and eager and excited—

Sleeping just felt so good.

I got out of the Civic, yawning and sleepy-eyed. The morning light was so pretty, a glittering tangerine glow that made the marble blue sky look deeper than ever. I looked down—the glass in my skin had finally stopped sparkling. Now I could only just barely see it, and that's only if I really looked.

Henry was down by the shore.

He turned around, and when he saw me, his face lit up—which then made my face light up. My face literally hurt from smiling; I had always heard that, but never believed it.

I waved, smiling shyly, embarrassed—and I don't even know why. It was Henry. After everything we had gone through, how could I still get shy and at a loss of words?

Just from his freaking smile?

There's no hope for you, girl.

Henry was already dressed in his wonderfully form-fitting black shirt and jeans—my own clothes were laid out on the hood of the Civic. Henry must have laid them out to dry. For some reason, I suddenly felt embarrassed about that too.

Almost like... shameful.

Like something about that was dirty, or wrong, or I should feel... bad about it, even though Henry had done it for me. It was so confusing to have so many conflicting feelings at the same time.

Maybe there really was no hope for me.

If that's true—then why even worry about it?

Enjoy it.

I grabbed my clothes off the hood and slipped back around to other side of the car to change. My t-shirt and jeans didn't just look clean—they looked brand new. The colors seemed to pop, fresh and vibrant, like they had just been painted. It made all the small tears and holes look like designer choices.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. As Henry walked up, I felt my body began to tingle just from him coming near me.

Oh my god, it's so much stronger now!

"Hi," he said.

"Hey," I said, suddenly blushing and hating it.

We stood facing each other, me lost in his eyes, which were spinning slow, so slow they barely moved at all. We both tried to speak at the same time.

"Ava, I—"

"Henry, what—"

We stopped—and then slowly smiled at the exact same instant.

Why is everything always so perfect when I'm with him?

He nodded at me to go first.

It took me a second to remember words. "Henry, last night you said you were 'remembering'—what do you remember?"

"Being home." His eyes suddenly flashed bright silver—that was a new one. "But Ava, your voice... singing. I've never—it's..."

His eyes begin to speed up.