Return What Was Lost

Chapter 21

Julian didn't know what to say. He knew that this was what Avery wanted, she was hoping that her mother and father had not come here, that would give her hope that her mom cared about her. However Julian also knew that she was expecting to either see her parents' names or not, the last thing she was expecting to see was her mother and her uncle's names together.

He didn't know what to do, he just stared at her as she sat under the cave entrance close to the water. Julian figured she didn't care anymore if she got wet, the waterfall was just faintly spraying her.

"You can leave if you want," she said quietly. "I don't need you here."

Julian barely registered that she was talking to him. He stood nervously, he didn't know what to do, he stayed there with his arms crossed. It had been a long time since Julian actually wanted to comfort someone. He made up his mind and went and sat down beside her. She seemed surprised by him, but she didn't seem to mind either.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know that this was the last thing you were expecting to see today."

Avery laughed but there was no humor behind it. "I don't really know what else I was expecting, to be honest, I knew I was going to find out if they loved each other or not, but not that, I didn't want to see that," she admitted. "I always thought I would want to meet her, I always thought she had a good reason for leaving, but now," Avery sighed and looked away. "Now I know she's just a bad person and somehow that only makes it worse."

Julian glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye. Now he knew why she didn't care about getting wet, tears had been pouring down her face this entire time. Instinctively, she looked away once she realized Julian noticed but then looked back at him once she saw that he wasn't judging her.

"I feel like I am just like her," she whispered, clearly talking about her mother.

"How so?" he asked.

"I'm everything I promised my dad I wouldn't be," she mumbled.

Julian's heart ached for her. How could she not see how amazing she was? How could she not realize the mannerisms and behaviors she picked up from her father? The little furrow in her eyebrow when she was deep in thought, the stellar math skills, the basketball talent, her stubbornness, it was all things she picked up from her father. Good things, she was everything her dad would have been so proud of.

All Julian wanted to do was make her see that. So, even though the thought of touching her terrified him, he moved over and put his arm around her. Surprisingly, she didn't shove him off or get mad, she leaned into his touch instead.

"You are not a bad person," he said quietly.

"You don't me," she mumbled into his chest.

He held her a short distance away, staring into her blue eyes. How could he keep his feelings a secret any longer? She deserved to know. He only hoped that it would go over smoothly, the last thing he wanted was Avery's hatred. With all his strength, he finally convinced himself to do it.

"Yes, I do," he whispered. "Come on, Avery. I don't care about whatever guilt you feel about what happened all these years. You and I both know that I am the only person around who truly knows you."

He refused to look away as Avery stared at him with those blue eyes he had always loved. She seemed confused at first but then slowly she seemed to believe him. His eyes then slowly drifted down to her chest where the silver stingray pendant was. He used his thumb and index finger to carefully pick up the chain and held the pendant between his fingers.

She looked up at him and he looked into her eyes with such sincerity. Her eyes drifted to his chest where a similar silver necklace was hiding under his shirt. She carefully reached over and picked up the necklace and pulled it out from underneath his shirt. He watched her expression carefully as she ran her thumb over his own shark pendant.