NATE
"Ready?"Nick asks as we watch the flight information update on the departures board.
I think about the question seriously, running my thumb over the edge of my passport.
"Want me to lie or tell the truth?"
Nick grins and claps me on the shoulder."I'm right here."
The flight from Spain to Eden feels both endless and far too short.I spend most of it staring out the window at clouds that look like cotton balls against an impossibly blue sky, listening to the songs from Nora's mixtape she made me on repeat, trying to prepare myself for the reality of being home.
By the time the plane touches down, my nerves are stretched taut as guitar strings.The familiar landscape unfolds below us as we descend—rolling hills, the glint of the lake in the distance, the small town sprawl that holds every memory of my childhood, both beautiful and fucking terrible.
"Welcome home," Nick says, the words should feel comforting, but right now they’re anything but.
The drive through town is surreal.
Everything looks smaller than I remembered, but also more vivid somehow.We pass Sonder, the sight makes something warm unfurl in my chest—pride, maybe, or just the simple pleasure of seeing something I helped build thriving in my absence.
"Want to see your mom first, or..."Nick trails off, and I know what he's really asking.
"Yeah, take me to the lake house," I say without hesitation."If she's there."
The lake house looks exactly the same as it did the day I left—imposing and beautiful, with its wraparound porch and floor-to-ceiling windows that reflect the late afternoon sun.But as we pull up the circular drive, I can see movement through those windows, and my heart starts hammering against my ribs.
"You want me to come in?"Nick asks as he puts the car in park.
I shake my head, grabbing my single duffel bag from the back seat.
"I can do this one alone."Before I close the car door, I lean in the window, “Thanks.For everything, really.”
He nods, understanding."I'll be at my place when you're ready."
I watch him drive away, leaving me alone at the bottom of the porch steps.For a moment, I just stand there, breathing in the familiar scent of lake water and pine trees, letting the reality of being home settle into my bones.Then I climb the steps and knock on the door.Footsteps approach from inside, and I can hear voices—Mom's laugh, and underneath it, another voice that makes my entire nervous system freeze.
Jake's.
The door opens, and the look on Mom's face is like she's seen a ghost.One she's happy to see.Her face lights up and arms are thrown around me.
"Oh my god, you're home!"She pulls me into a hug and I let myself sink into it for just a moment."I wasn't sure you'd come," she whispers in my ear, and I can hear tears in her voice.
"Neither was I," I admit, pulling back to look at her.
My eyes find Jake over Mom's shoulder, and even with space between us I can feel the anger, the hurt, the betrayal in some way.
"I can’t believe you’re here, both of you," Mom says, squeezing my hand once before disappearing toward the kitchen.
"I'm leaving."Jake says abruptly.
"Jacob," Mom says in a tone that I recognize is equal parts sadness, hurt and underlying sense of fear.The fear in her voice is similar to how she used to address me.
Funny how roles can reverse.
"I'll see you at the party."He says without looking at her, instead grabbing his jacket off the staircase railing and brushing past me as if I'm barely there.The front door slams shut.
"He’s mad," I say to Mom, placing my bags on the staircase.
"He’s just under a lot of stress," she starts, then stops, wrapping her arms around herself like she's cold despite the warm evening air filtering through the screen door."I don’t know why he's working with Scott now."
