Apologies for the late post. Had some personal stuff come up. Will try to be more regular with posting now!
The bus lurched to a stop, startling Norah awake. As she got off, she was bombarded by familiar sights and smells. This used to be a comforting feeling of home, but with the news of her grandpa, it now felt bittersweet. Her eyes instantly filled with tears as memories of him played in her head.
She started the walk to her grandpa's house. It was only about a five-minute walk. When the farm came into view, she stopped dead in her tracks. The place was a disaster—overgrown weeds, boulders, trees, and debris covered the land. That can't be right, Norah thought. It looked as if the farm had been abandoned for years. Why wouldn't Grandpa ask me for help? Why did he let it get to this state…?
A hand on her shoulder made her jump back. She hadn't even heard anyone approach.
"Hi, dear, it's Robin. We talked on the phone. I know we never really spoke much when you visited your grandpa, so I don't know how well you remember me."
"I remember you," Norah replied.
Robin smiled sweetly at her. She was right—Norah hadn't spent much time with her or anyone else in town during her visits. She had spent every moment she could with her grandpa.
Robin noticed Norah staring blankly at the mess in front of her and said, "We did try to help him clean up the farm, but he shooed us away every time. Now that you're here, we'd all be happy to pitch in and help you."
Norah didn't respond. She just kept staring.
"The lawyer won't be here until tomorrow. You're welcome to stay with my family if it's too difficult to be alone right now," Robin offered.
"Um, no, I'll be fine," Norah said, then realized she might have sounded rude. She quickly added, "But thank you—I appreciate the offer."
"Okay, well, your grandpa probably doesn't have any food in his fridge, but we can bring you some. Or, if you want to get out, you can come to the Saloon," Robin said.
"I ate on the bus," Norah lied. In reality, she was so sick to her stomach that if she ate anything, she felt it would probably come right back up.
"Okay. Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us, right?" Robin replied, a look of pity in her eyes.
Norah hated being pitied. She knew Robin's look came from a place of kindness, but all she wanted right now was to be alone—somewhere no one would look at her like that.
"Thank you for everything, Robin," Norah said, attempting a smile. "I'm going to head inside now."
"Of course, dear," Robin said, again with that look.
Norah turned and headed into the tiny farmhouse.
The house was so dark. The only light came from a tiny lantern on the table. There were some logs in the fireplace. Norah looked around for a lighter or matches. She pulled open a drawer in the cabinet by the bed. A box of matches sat in an otherwise completely empty drawer.
That's weird, Norah thought. Her grandpa was not the kind of person to have an empty drawer. In fact, he always had drawers filled with random documents and knickknacks. To prove her point, she opened the drawers underneath and found them completely filled to the brim.
She was too tired to think about it too much. Lighting a match, she tossed it into the fireplace. The cardboard underneath the logs caught fire, and slowly, the flames roared to life. Norah sat down in front of the fire, wrapped her arms around her legs, and let everything wash over her. She sobbed quietly until, eventually, she fell asleep.
A knock at the door woke her. She stood up, cracking her neck. The fire had gone out, and the house was freezing. Grabbing her jacket, she put it on in one swift motion before opening the door. The sudden brightness surprised her—it was already morning.
When her eyes adjusted, she saw a man standing in front of her. He had dark hair that partially covered his eyes, dark blue irises, and an icy stare. He looked familiar. When he glanced down at her, a look of surprise flashed across his face so quickly that Norah thought she imagined it—it was instantly replaced with a cold expression.
What the fuck is his problem? Norah thought. He wasn't saying anything. He was the one who knocked on her door.
"Hello?" Norah said, trying to figure out why he was here.
"Oh, right. Here." The man handed her a bag. It smelled like baked goods.
Norah was so hungry that she unconsciously grinned as she reached out to take the bag.
"Thank you!" she said.
"It's from my mom, Robin. So thank her," he said curtly.
The smile vanished from Norah's face. Robin's son... So this was Sebastian. She had met him when she was younger but hadn't even recognized him. He'd grown so much. He used to be gangly and awkward, but now he towered above her, his face sharp and undeniably handsome. She blushed, then immediately remembered what a dick he had just been.
Before she could say anything, he had already turned and walked away.
Norah grumbled and went back inside. He'd left so quickly she hadn't even had the chance to confront him for being rude.
She opened the bag and found a croissant, a muffin, a bagel, and a scone. It was way more food than she thought she could eat—or so she assumed. Within minutes, she had devoured everything, not even a crumb remaining.
Walking into the bathroom, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked positively crazy. Her hair was a rat's nest on top of her head. Maybe that's why Sebastian had that brief look of surprise, Norah thought.
She hopped into the shower and got ready for the day. After smoothing out her black A-line dress, she tidied up the house. By the time she finished, it was already noon.
Another knock at the door.
Opening it, she found a man, probably in his forties, standing before her, dressed in a green suit.
"I'm your grandfather's lawyer. You can call me John," he said, holding out his hand.
She reached out, shook it, and replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Norah."
The whole conversation was a blur and took almost the entire day. The gist was that her grandfather had left her everything—the house, the farm, and the $50,000 in his bank account. Everything was hers.
Except for a book.
For some reason, her grandfather had left that to Sebastian.
Norah was surprised. Her grandfather had never mentioned being close to Sebastian, so why would he leave him something?
After signing all the paperwork, John left, presumably to deliver the book to Sebastian.
Norah checked the fridge. Empty.
She sighed and decided to go to the Saloon for dinner.
Secretly, she hoped no one would be there, but it was Friday.
The moment she stepped inside, the room—once filled with lively chatter—fell completely silent.
Great, Norah muttered to herself.
Everyone had that same look Robin had given her yesterday.
Pity.
A girl with purple hair ran over and put an arm around Norah, guiding her toward the pool table on the right. Norah didn't see it, but the girl turned back to the rest of the room and shot them a glare. People immediately looked away and resumed talking.
Turning back to Norah, she said, "We met a long time ago. I'm Abigail!" Her voice was bright and cheerful.
"Hi," Norah replied, a bit caught off guard. She wasn't used to people being so friendly. She hadn't had friends in a long time.
"Hey Emily, one of everything on the menu for my new friend!" Abigail called out to the blue-haired woman behind the counter.
"Oh, I can't eat—" Norah started to say, but Abigail held up a finger to her lips and shushed her.
"Don't worry. Whatever you can't eat, Sam and Sebastian will. They're human garbage cans," she giggled.
Sebastian? Norah started to ask, thinking about his cold demeanor earlier.
But Abigail had already run off to greet a blonde-haired man who had just walked in. She laced her arm with his and dragged him over to Norah.
"Norah, meet Sam. Sam, meet Norah." Then she leaned in and whispered something to him. Sam nodded, then gave Norah a warm smile.
"Hey, I'm so sorry—" Sam started to say, but Norah interrupted him.
"Can we not?"
She didn't want to talk about it. Just for tonight, she wanted to pretend her grandpa hadn't just died. She wanted to be a girl, hanging out with friends on a Friday night.
Sam clearly understood. He ordered a pitcher of beer and four glasses—one for each of them. The fourth glass was for Sebastian. Norah's stomach twisted at the thought of him showing up.
Sure enough, Sebastian walked in right as Abigail emerged from the back.
Sebastian grinned as Abigail ran up and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a big hug.
Norah couldn't stop staring at that smile on his face.
All her anger at him from earlier melted away.
As if sensing her gaze, his smile immediately vanished, replaced by a glare.
Instinctively, Norah took a step back.
"Abby, what is she doing over there?" Sebastian muttered.
Abigail looked completely mystified by his reaction. "Outside. Now," she seethed before dragging Sebastian out the door.
Sam sighed beside her. "He spent a lot of time with your grandpa at the end of his life. He's grieving. Not that I'm making excuses for him," he added quickly.
Norah didn't buy it. This felt like more than just grief. It felt personal.
Sam waved a hand in front of her face.
"What? Sorry, I spaced out."
"I asked if you know how to play pool," Sam said.
"Oh, um, no."
Abigail suddenly reappeared with Sebastian. "You'll teach her, won't you, Seb?" she said, pushing him toward Norah.
"Of course," he replied stiffly.
"And?" Abigail pressed.
Sebastian sighed. "And I'm sorry for acting like an ass."
Norah didn't feel an ounce of sincerity. But Abigail was being so sweet, so she decided to let it slide.
For now.
"I'd rather Sam teach me," Norah said, stepping closer to him.
She could have sworn she saw Sam's ears turn red.
"I'd love to!" he said, practically running to grab two cue sticks.
For the first time in a long time, Norah felt like she was home.
He handed her one of the cue sticks. He started to reach for her, then hesitated, looking at her as if asking for permission.
Norah wasn't used to people asking for permission. She hadn't had the best relationships in the past. Even Abigail hadn't asked before grabbing her (granted, it hadn't bothered her), but this look on Sam's face was new to her.
Norah smiled at him, and he took her arm, gently pulling her toward the pool table.
He showed her how to set up the table for 8-ball, how to break, how to shoot, and by the end of it, she was actually sinking some shots. Sam grinned from ear to ear the entire time. His energy was infectious.
While she was with him, she really did forget how sad she had been earlier.
When they finished the game, Emily brought out platters of food—spaghetti, pizza, jalapeño poppers, and more.
"Eat up," Emily said, offering Norah a warm smile.
Norah smiled back. Everyone was so welcoming.
I could really see myself living here, she thought.
Then she turned—and saw Sebastian glaring at her.
Abigail suddenly grabbed her arm, as if trying to distract her from her rude friend.
"You get first dibs on the food," she said, grinning.
Of course, they turned to see Sam already stuffing his face.
"Sam!" Abigail scolded.
"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, his mouth full.
Norah and Abigail both giggled as they all sat down to eat.
Sebastian settled in between Abigail and Sam. Norah overheard him talking about a potential new song for their band, while Abigail chattered excitedly about a new video game.
Norah looked at Abigail and said, "Thank you."
"For what?" Abigail asked, taken aback.
"For being so kind," Norah said.
"Of course!" Abigail beamed.
As the evening wound down, Abigail pulled Sebastian off to the side for what looked like a very heated conversation.
Norah turned to see Sam smiling at her.
"Let me walk you—" he started, but before he could finish, Abigail appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his arm, and cut in.
"Good to see you, Norah! Talk to you tomorrow," she said with a smile, then practically dragged Sam out of the Saloon.
Sebastian walked up to Norah.
"I'll walk you home," he said.
"I can walk home by myself, thanks," Norah replied, brushing past him and heading toward the farm.
She was just about to pass Harvey's clinic when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Wait," Sebastian called.
She wanted to turn around and yell at him for being so cold to her since she arrived. It was her grandfather had died, and despite her spending the evening out, she was still drowning in grief. Even if Sebastian had been close to Grandpa, wouldn't that make him more sympathetic to her?
Instead of turning and screaming at him, she decided to keep walking.
Suddenly, Sebastian grabbed the back of her jacket.
That was it.
That was the last straw.
She whirled around, knocking his hand away.
She opened her mouth, ready to let everything out. They were in front of the bus stop. No one else was around. If they were going to have it out, now was the time. Before she could say a word, he spoke first.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Excuse me?" she snapped, caught off guard.
"It's been years since you visited your grandpa. And what was stopping you? Working for that soulless Joja corporation?" Sebastian's voice was sharp, cutting. "Do you have any idea how much he praised you? How much he talked about you being such an amazing granddaughter?"
Norah stood frozen.
He wasn't done.
"And what an undeserving title for you," he continued. "He missed you constantly. Always hopeful, always saying he was sure you'd visit soon. And instead? You were a software engineer for the very corporation that was putting small businesses like your grandpa's out of business."
The silence between them was deafening.
Then the tears came.
The tears Norah had been holding back all day.
"Do you think I don't know that I messed up?" she cried. "Do you think I won't regret not visiting my grandpa for the rest of my life?" Her voice cracked. "And if you think I didn't come because I didn't love him, you're wrong. He was probably the only person in my life I truly loved and felt safe with. And I fucked it up. And now I'll never be able to fix it!"
She was sobbing uncontrollably now.
Sebastian reached out to touch her.
She slapped his hand away.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shouted, turning toward the farm.
She didn't see the regret etched on his face as he watched her walk away.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
But she was already too far away to hear him.
She made it back to the farmhouse, screaming as she slammed the door shut behind her.
It was freezing.
She ripped open the drawer that held the matches. But when she yanked it with too much force, the bottom popped up, revealing a hidden compartment.
Confused, she hesitated before lifting the false bottom.
Beneath it was a collection of documents, photographs, and other papers.
What is all this? she thought.