I’mthatgirl.
The runaway bride.
And now, I’m returning to the scene of the crime.
***
“Dais!” Bella squeals when I push through the doors of her café for the first time since she opened it.
Of all the things that have remained the same in this small town, this is one thing thathaschanged.
Guilt gnaws at me, and I’m confronted with the reality of what a shitty friend I’ve been as I look around the quaint little café, taking in my childhood best friend’s success.
Booths line the windows, each one filled with a customer sipping on coffee, reading a newspaper or eating a meal. A glass display case located next to the counter holds a variety of different baked goods ranging from cookies to cakes to pastries.
There’s a neon sign hanging on the wall behind the checkout,Bella’sglowing red.
A pang hits me in the chest as I soak it all in.
I should have been here.I should have been stood beside her on the day she opened this place. Should have been behind that counter whenever she needed the extra help. Should’ve stayed up late with my best friend while she spent hours in the kitchen coming up with new recipes.
The second emotion that hits me, is pride. Because she did it. She achieved everything she ever set out to achievein life. Every plan she ever told me about have come to fruition.
“Wow, Bells. This place is amazing,” I say past the lump clogging my throat.
Bella rounds the counter and barrels toward me, throwing her arms around my neck and crushing me against her chest.
My body tenses for half a second before I release a harsh breath and return her embrace, holding her with just as much force.
“I’ve missed you so much, Dais,” Bella whispers in my ear and my eyes burn with tears that threaten to fall.
I sniffle. “I’ve missed you, too, Bells.”
She pulls back but doesn’t release me, instead running her gaze over my face as if she’s seeing me for the first time.
In a way I guess she is.
The girl standing before her now isn’t the same girl she knew three years ago. She doesn’t know this version of Daisy. The person she knew back then is so far in the past that I barely remember her myself. I may look like the old me, but I’m not that girl anymore.
So yeah, in a way Bella is seeing me for the first time. She’s seeing the hollow version of her best friend. The illusion, the mask I’ve worn for so many years, the façade I’ve created and perfected.
“You look different. Older.”
I snort. “Gee, thanks, Bells.”
Bella bats her hand through the air and rolls her eyes playfully. “You know what I mean. You look like a woman now. More mature.”
I smirk at her. “I should hope so.”
“So, where have you been? What have you been doing? How long are you home for?”
Home.
I almost correct her. This town hasn’t been my home for years. Hell, Montana isn’t my home either.
To me, home has never been a place. It’s always been a person.
And that person doesn’t belong to me anymore.
