CHAPTER 32

XAVIER'S POV

"We'll find her, okay?"

Ophelia and I had walked to a nearby beach in Fremont. We walked around for a few minutes and finally stopped in front of the shore. The waves kept touching our feet as we stood there, lost in our thoughts. Ophelia bent and picked up a rock. She raised her arm and threw it into the ocean. It kept moving forward for a few seconds and then stopped.

We were just like that rock. We keep trying to move forward in life with all the strength that's left in us. And then one day, we run out and just stop.

I was scared to meet Nicole. As far as I remember, she used to be the sweetest sister. Sure, we had our fights but it always ended with either of us bringing a tub of ice cream and sharing it.

But in the years that our dad became an abusive alcoholic, she too went down the rabbit hole.

I didn't know what I was scared of more, her reaction, or the fact that she forgot me?

I mean, it has been four years. And we did part on one of the worst possible terms ever. It was possible, that she doesn't remember me, at all.

Now that we didn't have any way to contact her, I don't think I should be worried about all this. This is why I hate life. One minute, you dread something and the other, you lose it and want it back.

The wind got chillier as the waves started to hit the shore even furiously.

"Looks like, we aren't the only ones disappointed."

I chuckled at what Ophelia said. Count on her to make the worst possible situation even slightly better.

My stomach grumbled as I looked down at the water touching my feet. Ophelia looked up at me and laughed. I was pretty sure, my cheeks had turned the worst possible shade of red.

"Wanna grab something to eat at that café there?", She asked while pointing at a small restaurant that looked like a coffee shop ran by a family.

I nodded and we put our shoes back on. As we started to walk towards "Cup o' Joe", an elderly woman who was walking down the street, smiled at us.

"You guys make a good couple. May God bless you both."

Ophelia looked shocked and opened her mouth and closed it again. That always reminded me of a fish. A pretty fish.

"N-no ma'am, you got us wr-"

"Thank you, ma'am."

If Ophelia looked like a fish before, she, now, looked like a dolphin with her mouth wide open as she stared at me. The woman walked away as Ophelia continued looking at me questioningly.

"Jeez woman, can't you just take a compliment?"

The rest of the walk to the café was silent. As soon as we entered, a sense of coziness embraced us. The smell of freshly brewed coffee warming us up. We chose a booth at the corner and sat down.

"Hey, guys! I'm Juliet and I will be your waiter for today. What can I get you, today?"

Ophelia asked for a grilled cheese with some apple juice, and I opted for a hamburger with some coke.

"Okay, I'll be right back with your food."

The café was small but it was filled with people. Friends hanging out, couples on their first dates and kids with their parents had occupied booths all around. The surprising part was that, despite the number of people in the restaurant, it was peaceful.

Almost calming.

"Xavier, did you know that your sister's married?"

Did I hear that right? I think I heard Ophelia say the word married. My head whipped back to Ophelia.

"I don't think I heard you correctly. Would you please repeat?"

I started laughing after processing what I thought Ophelia said.

"I said exactly what you heard, Xavier. Your sister's married."

For the first few seconds, it came as a shock. But then, my stomach dropped. The awful feeling in my chest continued to choke me as I realized that Nicole had moved on so much with her life, without us.

Without me.

"Oh, that's great. I mean, I'm happy for her."

I tried to sound as cheerful as I could but I knew Ophelia didn't believe that crap.

"Here you go, a grilled chilled with a glass of apple juice and a hamburger with some coke. Enjoy your meal and call out for me if there's something else you guys need."

I didn't want to eat anymore. It was hard to be hungry, knowing your sister didn't want you in your life anymore. I mean, I knew she made that choice when she left four years ago. But I always thought that she would come back or I would find her.

"Hey, I know it's hard, okay? But we are gonna find her. And once you do, you'll get all the answers you're dying to get. Let's eat and then hit the road, again."

I nodded at her and started eating the hamburger in front of me. It was great. The cheese melted in my mouth as the spices made me take one bite after the other. It was either that or the fact that I was starving.

I looked at Ophelia having her grilled cheese. She had the first half easily. But the second half was lying in her plate as she eyed it with disgust in her eyes. I nudged her plate towards her and she looked up.

"I'm done. I can't have anymore."

She was done with half a sandwich? I knew she was hungry. She probably skipped her breakfast today like she usually does.

'We aren't leaving until you finish that sandwich, Ophelia. I have all the time in the world."

I didn't, but still.

After a few minutes of her staring at her food and me nudging her plate towards her, she finally finished her sandwich. We left two twenty-dollar bills, one from Ophelia and one from me on the table, after a few minutes of bickering about who was gonna pay, and left.

The moment we stepped out of the café, the sky crackled, and it began raining. It wasn't a gentle rain that would slowly die down.

No, it was a full-on heavy shower. Ophelia giggled and smiled at the sky. I loved the rain, too. It gave me comfort knowing that the sky shared some sadness with me.

Her car was parked a few minutes away and we decided to wait under the bus stop across the street. Ophelia took my hand in hers and she made the run for it. As I ran beside her, my heart pumped blood like it wanted to and not just because it had to. My lungs screamed as adrenaline flooded my veins. The rain drenched our clothes as Ophelia's laughter became the only thing I heard apart from the thumping in my ears.

Once we reached the bus stop, Ophelia kept laughing as I smiled at her too. That was an experience I wasn't gonna forget. It took us a few minutes to catch our breaths, but, before I could say anything, Ophelia leaped into the street and stood under the pouring rain with her arms wide open. Her auburn hair framed her round face as her eyes laid shut. The raindrops fell on her face as she looked at me. Her hand reached out to me and pulled me into the street too.

"Let's dance, Xavier."

Thunder crackled once more as I touched her waist. Her warm hand on my shoulder. I took her other hand in mine and we danced silently in the violent rain. At that moment, I didn't care if people were staring at us. We were lost in the world we created for ourselves. She rested her head on my chest as we swayed slowly.

After a few minutes, Ophelia opened her eyes and looked at me. The rain had become even more violent. She stared into my eyes as a drop ran down her lips.

Her soft lips.

Fuck it.

Fuck this "she deserves better shit".

For this minute, she deserved me. And, just for this minute, I deserved her.

I crashed my lips into hers and my eyes immediately closed. Ophelia's arms circled around my neck and she kissed me back just as passionately. I felt the fire in my chest and it slowly warmed me up in this cold rain. Her soft lips were even softer than I had imagined them to be. She tasted like apples. Her small nose rubbed against mine as we got lost in this moment.

Ophelia pulled back to catch her breath and opened her eyes. With our chests heaving, we looked at each other. The rain kept pouring down as we stared into each other's eyes.

No words were exchanged.

But many emotions were.

Her brown eyes kept flickering as they glimmered with a new-found hope. They were not a solid brown. Spirals of earthy brown collided with honey droplets and even a hazel color filled those two orbs with magnificent light.

She hugged me, once our heart rates got back to normal. With her in my arms, and her soft breaths in my ears, I don't think there was anything more calming than this.

I don't think there was anything more beautiful than the girl in my arms.