not once did thalia think that coming back home and sliding back into her old life would be a smooth transition. despite plenty of long-distance group facetime calls and an obnoxiously active group chat, it had been hard to keep up with her friends. she had known—the second she stepped off the plane and onto a faded, familiar territory—that things had changed while she was gone. the other night only twisted that feeling in her gut, as she was forced to realize that she couldn’t just fix their problems the way she used to. no pseudo therapy sessions. no apology muffins. no motherly lectures. she understands, as she parks her car on the side of the beach, that things have changed a little bit. or that maybe, she’s changed. but she doesn’t want to think about that. she just wants to be there for her friends.
she knows adam will be here. at least, she hopes so. she’s driven all around town hoping to spot him, to bump into him on a fully-planned accident. but as the sand shifts beneath her feet, lia knows that this long walk out to the rather secluded spot seems like anything but an accident. sure enough, he’s out there, in his usual spot, just as she had expected. the beach is quiet where they are, and the waves drown out all the other sounds. it’s so quiet that she isn’t quite sure what to say as she takes a seat next to him in the sand, kicking off her sandals and crossing her legs. even if they just sit there in silence, she’ll be content—she needs adam to know that she’s not going anywhere, even if he tries to push her away. “hey, dingus,” she says, burying her hands in the sand at her sides. “whatcha’ up to?”
adam stares at the sea like he’s waiting for it to speak. he’s not used to things being difficult for him, or experiencing emotions as negative as the ones he has felt for the past two months. though he’s willing to go to the ends of the earth to find out what happened to his dad, part of him still thinks that an easy answer will fall into his lap. or wash up on shore. his stomach churns and he takes a deep breath, pushing that thought out of his mind.
even as he hears footsteps approach, he doesn’t look away. he knows it’s thalia before he confirms it with a glance. there aren’t many people that would know to look for him there, and he doesn’t need to see any of the three to tell them apart. despite retreating to his spot with the goal to be alone, he’s immediately comforted by thalia’s presence. he wasn’t built to be alone, and apparently that remained the case even when he was upset with his friends. after she sits, he tilts sideways far enough to gently tap his shoulder against hers. “hey,” he says as he straightens again. “just. y’know, contemplating.” somewhere within him, adam knows he should be apologizing to thalia. he’s well aware that they were only trying to look out for him and his snapping was unwarranted. but it has been less than twenty-four hours and the wounds are still too fresh. his spine straightens slightly as he runs back through the events of the bonfire, he hopes thalia wasn’t there to try and convince him to give up again; he has made up his mind and she isn’t going to change it. “what about you? were you in the neighborhood?”
