All Around Us

Chapter Seventeen

"Hey sweetie," Dad greeted, holding his phone close to his face. "Hey Dad," I responded awkwardly, a wave of homesickness washing over me. "How's Brazil? Are you guys coming back soon?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Brazil's fine, Dad, and we're coming back tomorrow. Is there something wrong? You never take video calls." I was preparing myself for the best or worst news.

He smiled apprehensively and looked at me carefully. "Sweetie, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

A woman scooted into view. It was Ms. Evans. What was Dad doing with Ms. Evans? Before I could ask, Dad started speaking again. "Lisa, this is Emma. We've been seeing each other for a while and have fallen in love. We spent time together when you were at your aunt's place over the summer. The day you came home, I proposed to her. I wanted to tell you earlier, but you didn't want to talk to me. We've been planning the wedding, and it's happening next week. I really want you to be there, sweetheart."

I sat there, stunned. "You're getting married?" I finally managed to croak out. Dad nodded patiently.

Ms. Evans was Christian's mother. She and my mom used to chat when Christian came over, but she never hung around long enough for her and Dad to meet. Dad would always be late from work or elsewhere when she visited. When Mom died, she stopped coming over, explaining she couldn't bear to return after losing her friend. It was strange. It felt like a glitch in the matrix that they never met until recently.

The rest of the conversation was a blur. I tried to tell Dad who she was but failed. When the call ended, I wanted to cry. How was I supposed to tell Christian? What did this mean for us?

But why didn't she recognize me? I took a long look at myself and realized she last saw me when I was eight. I didn't look the same. Plus, Dad and I had moved houses when my 'mother' passed away, so she couldn't have linked us to the old house.

It was almost as if they were destined to not meet until recently, and that unnerved me.

"Hey babe, I'm back," Christian said, sitting next to me. I had my head down, and I wouldn't look up. "Babe, look at me. What's going on?" he nudged my chin gently.

I looked up at him tearfully. "Christian, we have to break up."

Shock rippled through his body. "What? Why, Liss? Did I do something wrong?"

"Our parents are getting married to each other, Christian," I blurted out, silencing him.

As I said the words, my heart burned. I watched the realization unravel in his worried eyes. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. I wanted him to process it first but found myself revealing the rest of the story.

By the time I finished explaining, Christian was heartbroken. His expression matched mine, and there were unshed tears in his eyes. "So it's really over," he said.

"Yeah," I replied.

Silence.

"Liss, please let me hold you one more time," he asked softly. I nodded, and he pulled me to his body. He hid his face in my back as he held me, his warm tears slowly seeping into the back of my shirt. I felt my own tears begin to fall, and I shut my eyes, holding tightly onto his arms.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. We were just two heartbroken teenagers holding onto each other for dear life, holding onto the last moments of our broken paradise.