A Twist Of Fate (PREVIOUSLY A Purple Garden)

Chapter 2

The next morning, Sydney woke up to the sun spilling into her old bedroom through the same sheer turquoise curtains that hung in her window. Wrapped up in a blue and white paisley print quilt, she rolled over to grab her phone off its charger.

It was barely 6:30 but going back to sleep didn't even seem like a possibility for her at the moment. She had barely gotten her mind to slow down enough for her to sleep to begin with. Now being awake, all the worries that had kept her awake were back full force.

The talk she shared with her mom the night before was about what she had expected. Her mom asked to hear about all the high and low points from her last assignment in Arizona. She told Sydney about the latest and best movies and shows she had seen on Netflix. It seemed like now that all the small talk that kept them up for hours was insignificant but really it was the time spent with her mom that Sydney knew was special.

Tossing her quilt off and to the side, Sydney made her way to the kitchen to find something to make for breakfast. As she skimmed through the fridge, freezer, and pantry, she came to a conclusion. She needed to go to the store.

Without another thought, she stripped off her llama pajamas and exchanged her attire for a pair of black yoga pants and a red hoodie. After a quick glance in the mirror, she pulled her messy brown hair up into a less messy and more manageable bun. As she threw her glasses on instead of her usual contacts, she snagged her car keys off the hook by the kitchen counter and hopped into Priscilla the Prius.

Within a short ten minute drive, Sydney was shifting into park on the Walmart parking lot, reviewing the mental list she had thought up of what to grab.

Milk

Eggs

Butter

Biscuits

Bacon

Grabbing a shopping cart, she headed through the store and to the grocery section. One perk to being there so early was that it wasn't the usual busy she always dreaded. She also liked the fact that with it being so early, the odds of her running into someone she knew from high school were more slim also. She hated having to make uncomfortable conversation with people she ran into in passing that she recognized just to avoid being rude.

As she slowly pushed her cart down the snack aisle, she skimmed each item carefully. Did she really think she was going to buy a bunch of junk food? She wasn't planning on it but as long she kept moving, her mind would have less opportunity to dwell on depressing thoughts.

Suddenly, she felt her cart come to a sudden stop. "I'm so sorry," she said quickly, turning her attention to the path in front of her as she hurried to determine what she had just collided with. When her eyes met the owner of the cart hers had knocked into, she felt her heart drop. "Oh," she hesitated more quietly, "hey there."

"Syd?" Lucas' green eyes seemed to light up for a moment  but the light burned out just as quickly as it came. "What-um-why are you-" He stuttered, not sure what he should ask or say first.

"I just got in yesterday evening."

He nodded slowly, taking her appearance in carefully as he bit his lip. He looked her over, his eyes meeting hers as he cleared his throat. "I, uh, I didn't realize you left. I mean it was more like you just disappeared."

Well, he wasn't completely wrong.

Instead of acknowledging his questions, Sydney decided to avoid them and just change the topic. "Gosh, it's been, what, 6, 7 years since we last saw each other?"

Lucas nodded, pursing his lips. "Not since high school graduation to be exact." Her eyes caught the pain flash across his face as he remembered the things she wished she could have undone. He of all people deserved so much better.

"Right," she said quietly. Her eyes traced every feature of his face before moving down the length of his torso. She noticed the muscle he had clearly gained over the years that was being defined by the fitted jacket and shirt he had on. His jeans shaped the muscle he had put on his legs as well. Last she remembered him, he was still very slim, despite the weight he had managed to put on. His warm eyes and neatly groomed, black hair hadn't changed though. "It's crazy how much time has gone by. You've really changed. You look great, though."

"Thanks," Lucas replied with a small, polite smile. "You do too."

There was a lot she wanted to say to him. In the years since they had last spoken, she had lost count of all the times she wanted to reach out to him. It wasn't his fault, it was never his fault and she knew that. They had gone from being best friends to being nothing. It was lonely. If she could have done it all over, it would have all gone so much different. Not that it mattered now. What happened had happened.

When she apologized to him in her head, it never took place in the snack aisle of a Walmart. Maybe it was a combination of that and the fact that she was completely caught off guard by him that she couldn't find any of the words she needed to say to him.

"Well," he said, "I guess I'll see you around Sydney."

As he pushed his cart past her and toward the end of the aisle, Sydney finally found the courage she needed. "Lucas, wait." She spun around  toward him and he did the same, locking his tense eyes on hers. His hard, tense gaze made her words vanish before she managed to recollect herself. She worked to focus on her breathing. "I'm sorry. For everything. The way I pushed you away and just...shut you out. It wasn't okay. I want you to know that I'm really sorry. I know I'm late but I still need to say it. I owe you that much."

Lucas hesitated as he processed her words. It was as if all the events from the years before replayed before him. But then he seemed to suddenly see her instead. As he looked at her, she swore she saw the look she once knew so well. Nobody ever made her feel like he did with just a look. Then as if the clouds were just opening after a storm, the hint of a smile came over him as his shoulders visibly relaxed. "Yeah, you do," he agreed. Sydney gave him a look of surprise at that response and as their eyes met, they both breathed out a small laugh.

"I hope you can forgive me."

He smiled. "Syd, I forgave you a long time ago."

"Thank you." For a moment the silence that moments before was awkward and uneasy, became suddenly familiar. "Well, I guess I'm gonna finish grabbing these few things for mom's."

"Yeah, I need to get going too," he replied. "It's good to see you're home, Syd."

As Lucas slipped around the corner of the aisle, Sydney stood for a moment looking at where he had just been. In the moment that she first recognized him, her heart jumped against her rib cage and she felt her lungs deflate. The breath she took next was sharp as it hit her when the memories flashed in her mind.

Inhaling deeply, she shook her head as she looked back at the list in her hand, as if reading would erase her mind.

Milk

Eggs

Butter

Biscuits

Bacon