Before us...

Chapter Twenty One

The night had not been her friend. She had awoken almost every hour with a desperate grasp for the air around her that seemed to move further and further away the more she reached toward it, too far to reach in her clouded state. Dreams had begun to resume their old nature of torture for Lila after her father had died and it appeared that they had no intention of leaving. Her mind had forced images of Isaac forcing himself on her over and over during her stay in New York. It was why she had decided to return so quickly despite enjoying the comfort of her mother's presence. But her father's absence became too much and thus; here she was.

She lay frozen in her bed wondering about how she would spend her day off. Getting back to work had helped her mind clear, kept her focused with Grace's helping hand but there had been no time to meet up with Milo. They had taken to texting at all hours of the day which would occasionally seep into night, but they had each become busy with work now that the new year had officially started. The snow had stopped; a thick layer of ice and grim skies hovered over the town, but the crispness of the air was delightful, serving the great purpose of waking her up on her walk to the store.

It had been a week since they last saw each other, and a date had not yet been set. Lila was at a loss as to what to do until this morning. After her dreadful night sleep she had laid still for hours waiting for the sun to rise before she woke Zar up for his walk when it had come to her in the form of a memory.

Thoughts of her father were often tainted with sadness since his passing however this morning was different. See, she was reminded of why she chose to move to Saratoga Springs in the first place. The connection became clear during her online search for places to hide when she stumbled across the towns tourist site and was reminded of the many happy adventures her and her father had created together on the small beach that lay a little outside of town. The pictures she saw online had bombarded her saddened state with a joy only her father could have brought her when she was younger.

On the occasion that her father was able to pull himself away from work long enough to dote on his daughter, he would wake her up early with the intention of sneaking out of the house before his wife awoke to dampen their fun. Her mother was not one for sand, always find some excuse to do something else that did not involve the outdoors. But he would wake early, leave a note with a few careless scribbles on it before sneaking Lila out of the house, shushing her as she giggled with glee under his arm. The car would already be packed when she was stowed away in it and they would begin the long journey to their favourite place in the world. Lila would fall asleep on the way there and back which was why she had no idea that it was their place until she saw the undeniable proof online.

They would spend hours there; running, shopping, swimming (if it was warm enough) but most importantly, he would take her for ice cream after they had demolished the food he had packed for them before she was even aware of what was happening. Her father always made it special and she would love him eternally for it.

It was because of this that she finally rolled over to her bedside table to pull her phone away from its charger, practically ripping it away so she could send a swift message to Milo asking if he would be available today for their date. They had each been so busy with work that it had yet to take place. As it sent, she noticed that it was barely six in the morning meaning that she would not receive a reply for hours to come. she slowly pulled herself from her freezing bed to begin getting ready for the day.

She showered, dressing fairly formal but comfortable, wrapping her new winter coat over her shoulders to keep her nice and comfy whilst she stood at the back door waiting for Zar to finish his business. Zar would have plenty of time to run around and exercise when they get to the beach, if they get to the beach that is.

As Lila continued to wait for Milo's reply, she began to put together a basket of sandwiches and snacks for the trip. It had been decided in her mind that even if Milo could not accompany her, she would find her own way there to enjoy the peace and silence that would await her alone. Although she would prefer his company if she were being honest with herself. Thus, when she received his confirmation and they settled on a time for her to meet him at his house, Lila began to throw everything that she felt they would need in the basket ready to go. A ball and some treats were added for the puppy who sat waiting patiently by the door to leave, watching curiously as she added a towel and blanket on top knowing just how cold it would be when they arrived.