Echoes of Time

Chapter 8 - Heart-to-heart

After their shift ended at the café, Adeline and Debbie walked side by side down the quiet streets of Seacliff. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows over the small town, and the ocean breeze carried a hint of salt through the air. The clinking of cups and faint laughter from the last few customers at the café faded behind them as they made their way toward the pier.

Debbie glanced at Adeline, noticing the tension in her friend's posture, the way she held her shoulders stiffly, and the look of distraction in her eyes. She had seen Adeline like this before—lost in her thoughts, carrying a weight that she didn't know how to set down. As much as Adeline tried to hide it, Debbie always knew when something was wrong.

"Alright, spill it," Debbie said, breaking the silence. "You've been zoning out all day. What's going on?"

Adeline sighed, kicking at a loose pebble on the sidewalk. She knew she couldn't keep this bottled up forever. Debbie had been her closest friend for years, and if there was anyone who could help her make sense of the chaos in her life, it was Debbie.

"It's just... everything," Adeline muttered, her voice low. "Keith, the weird warnings I've been getting, my parents. It's all just too much."

Debbie slowed her pace, her expression softening. "Hey, take your time. I'm here. Tell me everything."

They stopped by a bench near the pier, overlooking the ocean. The waves lapped gently against the shore, and the sound of seagulls filled the air. It was a quiet, peaceful spot—one that always seemed to help Adeline clear her mind. She sat down, running her fingers through her hair as she tried to figure out where to begin.

"I met this guy, Keith," she finally said. "He's... strange. Mysterious. He carries around this hourglass like it's the most important thing in the world, and no one will tell me why. I've tried talking to him, tried getting to know him, but he pushes me away. He's rude, cruel even. But... I don't know, there's something about him. Something that makes me feel like he's not as bad as he wants me to think."

Debbie tilted her head, listening carefully. "You think he's hiding something?"

Adeline nodded. "Yeah, but it's more than that. I've had these weird dreams, and this strange old woman told me that being with Keith is dangerous. She even brought up my parents. And now I can't stop thinking about them. It's like everything is connected somehow, but I don't know how or why. It's driving me crazy."

Debbie furrowed her brow, her eyes filled with concern. "Wow, that's a lot. No wonder you've been so stressed. But Adeline, you're not crazy. You're just trying to make sense of something that's really complicated."

"I just don't understand why Keith acts the way he does," Adeline said, her voice trembling with frustration. "I don't know if he's pushing me away because he's scared or because he doesn't care. And I hate that I care so much."

Debbie reached out, placing a comforting hand on Adeline's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay to care. You're allowed to feel the way you feel, even if it doesn't make sense to you right now. Sometimes, we can't control who we care about, but we can decide how we handle it."

Adeline looked at her, her eyes filled with confusion. "What am I supposed to do, Debbie? I've tried being nice, I've tried talking to him, but it's like he's building this wall around himself and I don't know how to break through it."

Debbie leaned back on the bench, thinking for a moment. "It sounds like Keith is dealing with something big, something he doesn't know how to handle. People don't act like that for no reason. Maybe he's scared of letting you in because he doesn't want to hurt you. Or maybe he's hurting, too, and doesn't know how to deal with it."