I blink. For a moment, I am not sure I heard her right. Her family? Kenna hasn’t invited me into that world before.
I smile, knowing that I have already figured it out. “I already got you something.”
Her brow furrows in surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah,” I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small box. “I got you an art set. You’ve been talking about wanting to experiment more with your painting. And—” I pause, glancing ather with a smirk, “I got you a bracelet, too. With our initials on it. So you’ll always have a piece of me with you.”
Kenna’s eyes soften, and she pulls a hand to her chest. “Cole...that’s so sweet. You really didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” I reply. There is something in her eyes when I say it. Something that tells me this moment is going to stick. I will remember the way she is looking at me forever. “Still, is there anything else you want? Anything you haven’t told me about?”
She shakes her head, clearly overwhelmed in the best way. “You’ve already done enough. Really.”
We finish packing up the blanket, and as we walk back toward her house, our fingers brush together, and I can’t help but feel the connection between us. It’s like the pull has always been there, like it’s always been this way. Everything feels...right. And as the sun dips lower, casting long shadows and bathing the world in golden light, I realize that this moment, with her by my side, is everything I could’ve asked for.
We pass by the local market, and something inside me clicks. I stop suddenly, making Kenna look at me with a confused expression.
“What’s up?” she asks, eyes narrowing slightly.
“I need to grab something,” I say, already walking toward the door of the market.
Kenna looks at me, confused. “What are you doing?”
“Just wait here,” I say with a grin. “I’ll be right back.”
Inside, I pick out a small bouquet of hibiscus—Kenna’s favorite flowers. The bright colors stand out against the duller shades in the store. They’re delicate but bold, like her.
When I return, her face lights up, that radiant smile spreading across her face.
“You really are something, Cole,” she says, her voice quiet, but full of gratitude.
She reaches out to take the flowers. Instead of hugging them to her chest like I expect her to, she throws her arms around me. I am momentarily surprised—but only for a second. I hold hertight, wondering how I got so lucky. How a girl like her could believe in a guy like me.
And as we walk home with the sun setting behind us, I can’t help but feel that, for once, everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.
Right now, it feels like one of those days you don’t realize is perfect until it’s already behind you. A snapshot moment, frozen in time.
Later that night, after I drop her off and say goodbye, I stay parked outside her house for a few minutes. I watch her silhouette behind the curtain of her room. She’s humming. Painting. Existing. And I’m just sitting in it, the feeling of us.
I don’t know it yet, but this day on the beach is one of the last truly simple ones we’ll have. Before the distance. Before the silence. Before everything shifts.
If I could see what’s coming...maybe I’d hold her hand a little tighter. Stay a little longer. Say a little more.
Chapter Four
A FUTURE IN FRAGMENTS
KENNA-PRESENT
As I stepout of my car, I notice that the world feels alive today—like it’s breathing in time with me, and a little brighter than usual. Maybe it’s because I’m meeting with Natalie and Rina, my two best friends for as long as I can remember, at Beanstalk, or because in the back of my mind, I know today is going to be different.
I push open the door, the bell above chiming softly. The smell of fresh coffee and pastries fills the air, comforting and familiar. Millie is behind the counter whipping up some sweet treats.
I catch sight of Natalie and Rina sitting in our usual booth. Rina, with her fiery bright red hair, sips her latte with that playful grin she’s known for, while Natalie scrolls through her phone, her quiet energy filling the space between us.
“Hey, guys,” I say as I slide into the booth across from them, my voice carrying a bit of warmth from the sun outside.
Rina’s eyes light up as soon as she sees me. “Kenna! Finally! We thought you weren’t coming.” She leans in closer, dropping her voice a little. “So, we need the scoop. Did you see Cole yet?”
