Waters Edge

Chapter 1

Edgeli Addison

I got off the bus and the place looked exactly as it did when I left 5 years ago. It was a run down bus station that was never going to renovated or repaired.

My phone rang with a specific ringtone and I instantly picked up, "so you there now?" Skye asked me. He'd been checking in on me the whole journey from Fort Lauderdale to Neptune Waters. This was the furthest apart we'd been since we'd started dating. We always worked the same areas during charter season and were usually on the same yachts.

"Just got off the bus, I'm supposed to meet my brother out the front of the station," I told him, "then the funeral is tomorrow afternoon," I said as I walked towards the exit.

"You sure you don't want me there?" He asked me, "there's still time for me to get on a flight and get out there," he offered and that was sweet of him but I needed to do this on my own, and there was a lot of my life that I hadn't told Skye so I didn't want here coming here and learning things I never wanted him to know about me or where I came from if I could help it.

"I'm okay, I'll probably have to stay out here a few weeks anyway to sort through Dad's affairs with Easton anyway and you'd get bored out here so quickly," I assured him but I did appreciate that he wanted to be out here for me. I walked out onto the street and looked around for the person I'd left behind 5 years ago to save my own soul. It wasn't as run down as I expected but it definitely hadn't changed much if at all since I was last here.

"Just keep me in the loop with your plans babe," he told me and that wasn't unreasonable.

"I will, I promise," I assured him and spotted my brother, "I've got to go, I've found Easton," I said and he spotted me too, "I love you," I said and I did love him. He was a constant in my life that I needed and was lucky to find.

"I love you too," he said and I hung up on him, pocketing my phone.

"You look different," was the first thing my brother said to me after five years had past.

"I dyed my hair," I said and I didn't know if I should hug him or what I should do because we were more like strangers than siblings.

"I'm parked just around the block," he informed me and went to take my bag but instinctively I didn't let him from my years of stewarding.

"It's fine, I can carry it," I assured him and followed him towards where he'd parked.

"Where were you?" He asked me and I was confused, "you said you were out of the country, where?" He asked me.

"British Virgin Islands this time," I said, "landed in Florida late last night so my body clock is currently in pieces," I informed him.

"So Florida? Is that where you're living?" He asked me.

"Yeah ever since I left," I said, "I like it down there," I added and I really did like living in Florida in the off season. "I'm guessing you never left this town?" I asked him.

"I stayed because it was the right thing to do," he told me and I knew he wouldn't ever forgive me for leaving home but I had to leave home.

"You know I couldn't stay, EJ," I told him and he opened the trunk of his car. I put my bag in the trunk and shut it.

"But you could have called," he said and got into the car. I got in on the passenger side and I just felt so incredibly awkward around this person that used to be my idol.

"The longer it got, the harder it was to call," I admitted, "The further from Edgeli Jenessa I became," I added and I was no where near the same person who'd left at that bus stop.