Words Unspoken

Chapter 14 - Memory

Will's POV

I smiled to myself as sunlight filled the window and aimed over my shoulder perfectly, as I turned the page in my book to read the next.

I was sitting on the red cushion booth in the cafe with my legs splayed out on the rest of the booth, while Natalie was on the opposite side of me, busying herself with her phone. It seemed to be the only thing she was paying attention to today, but I could care less. The smell of coffee and freshly baked cinnamon bread that Louis had just finished baking filled the air, and even though the cafe was loud, filled with friends and family having conversations, the sound was drowned out by the words of my favorite mystery novel I was re-reading.

It was Natalie who had found my book just the other day. She was going through my things, trying to find things to throw out to clean out the house a bit, since I was never fond of cleaning, and for some reason never had the time to.

I remembered how excited I had become when she had found the book and handed it over to me because I couldn't remember the last time I had picked it up. As I flipped through the pages, from the first page to the last, a small cloud of dust filled the air and I turned my face slightly to avoid coughing. The vintage smell of it filled me with happiness as I bounded up the stairs and back into my room for a day full of reading. But that was then.

"Who's this?" I suddenly heard, but I ignored her voice, wanting to get on with the page I had started. Something wavered in front of my face, but I ignored it, too.

"Hmm?" I hummed instead.

"I said, 'Who's this?'" A glowing screen was shoved in my face now, so close that I couldn't see anymore because of the closeness. Natalie pulled her hand back slightly to let me see the screen now.

And I froze when I saw what was on the screen.

It was the picture of Kaylee I had accidentally taken that day at the creek that I meant to delete afterwards, but forgot about it.

I hadn't realized that I had been staring at the picture, a little wide-eyed too much, that Natalie was even more annoyed with me now. She pulled the phone back from my view and began thumbing through the screen, trying to look for something. I stared as she did so, until I heard myself ask, "Why do you have my phone?" I had thought it was hers, but seeing the phone up close now, I realized that it was m+y own. I hadn't even realized that it was missing.

She avoided both my gaze and question and continued looking through the phone and said, "You didn't answer my question." She looked up. "Who is she?"

I turned my face slightly so that she couldn't see me panicking. My heartbeat had picked up pace and I had no idea what I could say to her to make her believe me. I had never been the best liar anyways. I rung my fingers together and tried to come up with something quickly. But nothing came to mind that was good enough to save me. Or Kaylee.

"Will?" Natalie said.

"I don't know," I finally mumbled, and I almost slapped myself. There was no way she would buy it now.

But instead, to my surprise, she curled herself up on her side of the booth and hugged her knees to her chest, lowering her head so that her face wasn't showing anymore to me, and soft sounds of sobs escaped her mouth.

"Natalie?" I asked, confused, but I still made no move to go over and comfort her. My hands stayed frozen by my side, as if it was connected to my body as one. I told myself to get up and go over to her, but my body was immobilized. It didn't even feel like mine anymore.

"I didn't do anything wrong," instead came out of my lips, like she was the police and was accusing me of something I didn't do.

She brought her hands up in front of her face and I could already see the mascara smudges on her fingers and I held my breath. So stupid, was all I could repeat over and over in my head. Why had I ever even taken that picture? I should've deleted it immediately.