Aftermath

1

Calpurnia was startled upright, at the sound of someone slamming the front door. She had been somewhere between sleeping and awake before the ruckus, but the drone of the television was a telltale sign her mom had gotten home from work. She laid back down in bed trying to get her bearings and maybe sleep until her alarm went off, but she had no luck. When her alarm went off she smacked her hand over the button and shut it off quickly.

Groaning, she sat up in bed to peer out her doorway into the living room. As expected her mom was spread out across the length of the couch cushions, still in work clothes. She made her way from her room into the den and turned the television off. Cal glanced at her mother asleep on the couch, then the glass on the coffee table. Before moving on to get ready for work, she covered her with a blanket.

The walk to work was Cal's favorite part of the day. It was early enough that it remained peaceful and untouched by the hustle of daily life, not that the small town was ever too busy. The Valley Nook, the same bookstore she had worked at since she was old enough to convince the owner. Her parents were both book lovers and she grew up with that shared love for reading. She had spent all of her free time reading there as a child so it was only fitting that she worked there in her adulthood.

On her way in the door, she flipped the closed sign around and punched herself in on the old punch card machine. It was typically slow, but working at a place where she was able to perch herself up at the counter and read while she was on the clock wasn't exactly something to complain about. Mr. Delgado, the owner of The Valley Nook, and the only other employee was a very close friend of her father when he was young. As she clipped back her waves to keep them out of her face, Cal began sorting through the donation tub to shelve them.

It had been uncharacteristically slow for a Saturday, but the late afternoon sun had just made its way in the window casting a warm glow on the corner where Calpurnia was organizing. She loved the simplicity of working at the bookstore. The repetitiveness made it easy to fall into a rhythm that didn't require concentration. She had made it through most of the donation boxes she needed to put away that day. Her gaze was torn from the book in front of her when the shop's door jingled, signaling an incoming customer. She felt herself sucking in a breath, preparing a customer service-worthy smile. Her eyes found the person entering and her demeanor faltered slightly.

"At ease," Cal locked eyes with Matthew Moreno, shocked expression quickly softening to a friendly smile. "It's only me" he had let his hair grow, the dark curls framed his face, one loose strand dangling down in front of his dark eyes.

"Mattie," she said, jogging over to throw her arms around him. A thousand thoughts were running through her mind, but still, she kept a smile on her lips. "I didn't know you'd be here." His grip around her tightened for the briefest of moments before he let go and took a step back so he could see her face again.

"Yeah" he sighed, averting his glance to the stack of books she was putting away. Noting he had no intention of giving any more detail Calpurnia nodded in acknowledgment. Matthew reached out and picked one of the books up, examining the cover before handing it to her. "Want some help?"

Calpurnia could tell things were off, but instead of pressing she grabbed the book and started searching for its place on the shelf.

"I'd love some" she beamed. She tried not to let her mind wander too much, he had a habit of reading her too well. It was a lot of pressure to be seen the way Matthew saw Calpurnia, and this was not something that Cal had practiced in a while. A comfortable silence fell upon them as they put away the books, they had always worked well together. It seemed as if, even the destruction of time and change couldn't destroy that.

Cal met Matthew the day he moved to Pelter Valley and they had been best friends with him ever since. They practically did everything together, their houses were within biking distance of each other, they attended the same high school, and even got a job at the bookstore together as soon as they were old enough. When Matthew moved away it had been devastating for Calpurnia. It was hard to miss someone so much but know that being gone was the best thing for them. Getting out of Pelter Valley was the goal of almost anyone who lived there. Cal couldn't seem to escape though, whether it was the guilt of leaving her mother, or something else, she couldn't be sure. Mattie had made a life for himself that Cal wasn't a part of- which was not malicious like it sounded- just true. But the worst part about that truth is that Calpurnia's life hadn't changed at all. She didn't have friends he didn't know, a new job, or a place of her own to go home to after work every day. Calpurnia had Pelter Valley, her jobs, the bookstore, and her mom's house.

"Where are you staying?" Cal asked rummaging through her purse while Mattie locked up behind her. Ruffling through more thoroughly when she didn't see her wallet, then patting down her pockets to make sure she had left it inside. She sighed and then realized she hadn't even listened to Matthew's answer. "Sorry Mattie, I left my wallet inside, one sec."

She exited again, this time with all her belongings, and locked the door. It was the first time he'd been out of her sight since he came to the bookstore, and Cal wasn't sure if he'd be there when she got back. But there Mattie stood, hands in his jacket pockets, with a soft smile waiting for her.

"Okay, sorry about that. Where did you say you were staying?" She made a point to study his face this time, to give him her attention while he answered.

"I got a hotel just outside of the valley" he stated plainly. Cal still wasn't even sure why he had come home in the first place. Are you staying long? She wanted to ask but it would be impossible to keep her voice steady. Cal wasn't even completely sure what she wanted the answer to be anyways. Obviously, she would love any time they could get while he was there but the sting of his impending departure would hurt more the longer he stayed. She settled for a nod again.

"Calpurnia" Her eyes found his, but he made no move to continue what he was saying. Mattie's eyebrows furrowed. His lips parted as if he had intended to say something else and then closed again. Finally, he shook his head as if to dismiss the thought before breaking eye contact and looking at the ground with sudden interest.

"Are you hungry?" Cal hoped her voice had remained steady and not given away the desperation she was feeling. The thought of leaving him so soon after seeing him was scary as if he'd cease to exist if she couldn't see him. He looked back up and studied her face for a moment.

"Starved," he smirked.