Something in Jayden’s brain just fucking shattered.
He couldn’t look at that photograph–couldn’t breathe in that suffocating room that reeked of grief and dead flowers and ten years of unbearable He slammed the door so hard the frame rattled and spun armind to face Mrs. Carter, who was standing in the hallway schling.
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“I have to go,” he choked out, his voice completely destroyed. “I can’t–I’m sorry, 1 just –*
He was out the door and stumbling toward his car before she could say a word, before she could try to explain or comfort him or make any of this nightmare make sense.
The tiny mountain town spread around him like a graveyard of everything he’d never get to have with her. He wandered the streets like a forking ghost, his mind completely coming apart.
She was everywhere.
There–outside the vintage candy shop with the hand–painted sign. She would’ve dragged him inside, made him try every single flavor while she bounced on her toes with excitement
There–at the little coffee place with mismatched furniture and local art covering every inch of the walls. She would’ve ordered something ridiculously sweet and complicated, then stolen sips of his black coffee and made that face like he was trying to poison her.
There—on the park bench overlooking the river. She would’ve pulled out her sketchbook and tried to capture the light on the water, her tongue. poking out in concentration the way it always did when she was really focused.
But every time he blinked, the visions disappeared. Just empty fucking spaces where she should have been
The memory hit him like a sledgehammer–that summer after sophomore year when she’d gone to visit family for two months. He’d been so goddamn pissed at her for not calling, for leaving him alone in Vermont with nothing but his shorty summer job and the constant ache of missing her.
When she finally came home, he’d been ready to tear into her.
Instead, she’d practically launched herself at him with that smile that always made his chest feel like it was going to explode.
“Don’t you dare be mad at me she’d said, grabbing his hands and swinging them like they were still five years old. “Tm gonna make it up to you, I swear. Next time Ell bring you with me!”
“Yeah, fucking right,” he’d mattered, but his anger was already dissolving. It always did around her.
“I’m dead serious! My hometown is incredibile–like, a million times better than boring ass Vermont. There’s this park by the river where you can watch the most insane sunsets. The whole sky turns into this painting of orange and pink and purple.”
Her eyes had gone all dreamy the way they did when she talked about things she loved.
“Promise me,” she’d said suddenly, sticking out her pinky. “Promise we’ll go there together someday. I want to show you everything.”
He’d looked his pinky with hers without even thinking. “I promise.”
Now he was here, in her hometown, seeing all her favorite places
Completely alone.
He still couldn’t wrap his head around it. People like Arianna didn’t just fucking die. She was too alive, too bright, too essential. The universe couldn’t be that curl
Could it?
As the sun started setting, Jayden found himself following her childhood directions to the river park. He’d stopped three different locals, asking fe help bike some kind of desperate tourist following a dead girl’s treasure map
The park as expelly like she’d described–small and peaceful, with old wooden benches facing the water. A few families were packing up from dinner picnics, and an elderly couple was tossing breadcrumbs to a group of aggressive ducks
Jayden dropped onto the nearest bench, staring at the water at refected the orange and pink sunset sed promised
It was beautiful She’d been right about that.
But it felt empty as hell without her there to see his face when he first saw it, to point out details he would’ve missed, to probably take a thousand blurry photos because she was hopeless with cameras.
“You okay there, son?
Jayden looked up to find the elderly couple walking over. The woman had kind eyes behind wire rimmed glasses, and her husband’s hand was protective on her arm as he helped her navigate the uneven ground.
“You look like someone ran over your dog,” the old man said with a gentle smile. “Or broke your heart its about a million pieces.”
“We don’t mean to be nosy,” the woman added quickly, her voice soft with concern. “‘s just that we’ve lived here our whole Ines, and sometimes young people come to this spot when they’re thinking about… well, when they’re thinking about permanent solutions to temporały problems”
Jayden managed what he hoped passed for a reassuring smile. “Im not gonna hurt myself. I’m just looking for someone.”
“Someone important?” the woman asked.
“The most important person in the world,” he said, his voice cracking. “But she’s not here anymore.”
The couple shared one of those looks that only came from sixty years of loving the same person.
“Sometimes,” the old woman said gently, the people we love most are still with us, even when we can’t see them with our eyes.”
After they walked away, still holding hands despite their slow, careful steps, Jayden sat on that bench until the stars came out. He stayed there wondering if Arianna was somewhere looking at the same sky, if she knew he’d finally kept his promise.
The drive back to Vermont was a blur of empty highways and 24–hour gas stations. When he finally pulled into his driveway, dawn was starting to creep over the mountains
He dragged himself upstairs like a zombie, Jus whole body feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. His old bedroom looked exactly the same as the day he’d left for college–posters on the walls, textbooks still scattered on the desk.
From his window, he had a perfect view straight to what used to be Arianna’s room.
Dark, obviously. It had probably been dark for ten fucking years.
Jayden collapsed onto his unmade bed fully clothed, every mascle in his body screaming with exhaustion. He stared at that amply window across the street, remembering all the nights he’d seen her silhouette moving around in there, doing homework or reading or just existing in the same world
him.
His eyes were just starting to drift closed when a soft light suddenly flickered on across the sipett
ore That Crue
