He'd gone beyond his player ways for her.
She'd grown beyond her traumatic past for him.
Together, their love was beyond.
Until one fatal accident.
__________
When she loses the love of her life in a car crash, Althea has nothing left in California...
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*ALTHEA'S POV*
October 22, 2016.
"Don't you think you went a little... extra?"
I stared in disbelief at the supply list we had already checked thoroughly at the first hardware store, and yet we'd still stopped by a craft shop and supermarket along our tour of Lotus Bay, which had been an interesting ride—a car ride, as we hadn't walked more than through the various shops.
I didn't know if he'd done it out of thoughtfulness for my feet however, or just because the suffocating AC-filled compartment allowed us more closeness, his hand brushing my thigh almost every time he shifted gear before he leaned closer to point at the 'famous' Lotus Bay landmarks from the small marina to the old movies theater.
I was surprised we hadn't arrived at the legendary diner yet.
"Gotta do what you gotta do to not get beheaded by the Queen."
"You could also work seriously maybe and—" My words were interrupted by the Grill diner sign, the neon light flashing like a warning reminder of whom I was talking to.
He'd joined the art club for only one reason, and once he would understand he wouldn't get anything more from this date, he probably wouldn't even be back next Friday.
I'd prepared myself for this already, like I'd braced for Troy's disappointed frown when we would walk into this diner, and like I'd planned an excuse to leave before dessert.
And if Asher didn't want to drive me home, I could even take the shuttle, whose stop was a few feet behind the diner and... we'd just driven by.
"Wait, didn't you say we were going to eat?" I turned to him, my gaze still trailing to the windshield, where in the distance, the Lotus Bay exit sign was standing out in the shadowed surroundings, letting me take in how dim it was getting around.
Even the sharp angles of his face appeared darker as the sun had disappeared behind the wooded hillside, and the town lights would soon do the same if we continued this way.
"Yes, I hope you like pizza?"
His green eyes were still clear and sparkling though, and I let out a sigh of relief as he put on his blinker before the Lotus Bay sign, and a pizza drive-through came into view.
It was better than getting lost in some creepy wood or ending up in his famous diner.
