Or maybe he’s decided he doesn’t like me.
Above me, tall trees loom over, letting the sun filter through their bright green leaves. To my left is the glittering lake, and off in the distance, I think I see a sailboat passing by.
I focus on the calming beauty around me to settle down.
Within five minutes, I make it to the boardwalk bordering the St-Lawrence River—home of St-Anne’s central commercial area, where old, quaint buildings decorate the edge of the water. It’stoo early for the boardwalk to be busy. Instead, I’m gifted with the vision of a sunrise across the water.
I lean against the railings on the boardwalk and take a deep breath. My attention is so far away from my own body that I don’t hear anyone approaching until his voice booms from behind me:
“Looks like you could use a break.”
I jump and scream, then turn with a hand on my chest, my heart beating a mile a minute. Karan, looking sheepish, is nonetheless a pleasant sight against the backdrop of the restaurants and boutiques in my vision.
He wears the hell out of his crisp buttoned-up shirt decorated with dozens of tiny cacti, and his shorts let his long legs breathe. Instead of having his hair pulled up like the last two times I saw him, his wavy locks tumble free an inch past his wide shoulders.
“Shit, didn’t mean to scare you,” he says as he takes a step back.
I grip the railing and take a breath to stabilize myself. “You’re a ninja, or what?”
“Absolutely not. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me coming a kilometer away.”
I chuckle nervously. “I was zoned out.”
“Yeah, I should have thought of that and been more mindful of my approach.” With that, Karan takes a step forward. “Are you okay?”
My toes tingle at the thought of him getting closer.
I’m okay now, I want to say, but the last thing I want to do is be too forward.
He’s cute, and there’s definitely something about him that makes me want to get closer, but there’s a good chance he doesn’t feel the same way.
“I just…”
How do I explain everything that’s on my mind? The way I not only miss my sister, but feel this constant gnawing anxiety that she’s not safe without me?
I don’t have any proof. My parents are okay, I guess. They’re not the warmest people, and they’ve been pushing me and my brother Will hard, but it’s for our own good. There’s just something about the way they are with little Océane, though…
I can’t put my finger on it.
I decide to keep it simple. “I miss my family.”
“Hmm.” Karan walks up to the railing and leans against it, mirroring my previous pose. “I never thought I’d say this, but so do I.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Never thought you’d say this? Why?”
Karan laughs, and the deep roar of it makes my heart soar. “They’re kind of… overbearing. But they mean well.”
“Ah.” I turn and lean back against the railing, our forearms separated by a single inch of space. “Yeah, I get that. Mine said they’d help me through college only if I stayed on the honour roll for all five years of high school.”
“And did you?” His warm brown eyes transfix me.
“Yes.”
“Same. Even got the governor’s medal.”
“Oh, shit.”
“But I’m from Val-d’Or. And I went to an English school.”
