’ it’s a long story. ’ it’s all she can say, to keep herself from saying hey, my father died and i couldn’t BEAR to stay in our house in seattle, so she pushes forward, ‘ and god, i can’t apologize enough for not speaking to you, for falling off the face of the earth. ’ and despite him pulling away, their embrace no longer bone crushing and existent, she still reaches out, resting a slender hand on his arm, feeling better with some sort of touch shared with him. ‘ i also CAN’T believe you’re here still. especially on this beach. i couldn’t be anymore shocked. ’
she’s still more than shocked when the sun creeps out from behind clouds, and she turns to it, blinking before readjusting to newfound warmth. was it that oddity of hers ? or was she simply in luck now ? had they still been as close as before, she would’ve spoken to him about it. rambled endlessly on how she thinks she’s got some insane sort of talent, or had simply gone INSANE, out of her mind. but instead - instead she opts to see what has changed in his life. other than the fact that they, OF COURSE, are no longer children. no longer are they young and living the best life offered to them ; but instead young adults, somehow struggling to find their way.
‘ how have you been ? what’s happened to you since ? i haven’t seen you in so long, and i bet more than just a little bit isn’t the same in your life. ’
embry didn’t pry, understanding that sometimes people had things they didn’t want to elaborate on. he waved his hand in the air when she apologized, finding her apology a bit unnecessary. sure, he had been sad when she had moved away and it had been disheartening to slowly lose contact with her, but it wasn’t as though he had made an effort to stay in touch either. “it’s okay, feyre,” he chuckled, shaking his head a little. “i’m sure you’ve been plenty busy,” he shrugged, appreciating her small gesture of keeping contact once they pulled away from the tight hug. “you shouldn’t be that surprised - i think we always knew i’d grow old and die here,” he laughed, despite the fact that he wasn’t growing old. like his presence on this familiar beach, his age was static.
the warmth of the sun felt nice on his face as it peeked out from behind the thick clouds. it had been mostly overcast for several days in a row, and it seemed as though feyre had brought the sun with her to la push. as she asked about how his life was now, embry wished he could tell her the truth. so much had changed and his old life seemed like it was just a blurry memory. they were both so different now, and despite still being in their youth, they both showed signs of aging. embry held himself differently than he had as a teenager, his posture straighter and his head held high. he had grown stronger and more dignified - a perfect image of the protector of his home that he had always been destined to be.
“not much has changed, really,” he lied, a gently smile on his lips. he used to be a horrible liar as a child - a dopey grin would always give him away. but now, lying had become a required second nature of who he was. embry didn’t enjoy not being able to tell the truth, but it was necessary. it was difficult to explain what had changed without sounding pathetic. he hadn’t left la push, he barely finished high school, and he didn’t have a job - his life was full, but not in ways that he could describe to her. “my mom will be thrilled to hear that you’re here,” he smiled, quickly changing the subject. his mom was almost constantly angry with him, but he was sure seeing feyre would warm her up a little bit. “are you just visiting? or are you sticking around for a bit?”
