OBLIVION [SEQUEL TO SATELLITE HEART: BARLEY LIGHTFOOT x READER]

chapter thirteen

Barley told you everything, and you quietly listened. Of course you quietly listened. He told you about every important day. Every single one in detail. The hard ones and the easy ones, the good ones and the bad ones. He explained to you what the wedding was like, how you wanted it to be small and intimate with just his family attending. He explained to you how life was for the two of you now that you were married, and how on the last day he was with you, you were with him and his family and it was Christmas, and you'd just told the family about the baby.

And after it was done, everything was quiet, and you were seated in the passenger seat with the heat blowing a little too harshly out of the vents on the dashboard. "Well," you said, and you paused a moment. "I would say that you're crazy, except that would mean that you really planned this out. I mean there were a lot of details in that story."

He looked at you with surprise. "So you believe me?" 

"I don't know if I believe," you said, "considering every single memory you have has absolutely nothing to do with the memories that I have. Even when we were hanging out back then, I don't remember you saying that Ian was a wizard." 

"He isn't," he said, and he sighed. Poor choice of words. "Not here anyway. Well, he is, but he doesn't know it here 'cause he didn't realize he had the magic gift until we tried a spell to bring our dad back for a day."

"Your dad is really dead in your... other life?" you asked softly. 

He nodded slowly. "He died when I was a toddler and Ian wasn't born yet. He got sick. The same sick that I was. But you saved me before it killed me too. And that's why it was my idea to go back and have you save my dad. I didn't know..." 

"Wow." Your eyelashes fluttered as you blinked, turning to look ahead at the gently falling snow that was landing and melting on the windshield. "This is really confusing." 

"Yeah, and like I said, it doesn't seem very believable," he sighed. 

"It sounds believable," you said. "You have an answer for everything and I can't really argue with it. I just can't picture any of it. I can't picture you loving me like that." 

He looked down at his lap. His voice was a soft mutter, "Well, I did. I do." 

You looked at him sadly. "Then I'm sorry. I'm sorry I don't remember things the way you do. I wish I could do something..." 

"Yeah," he said, inhaling deeply, letting his head fall back against the head rest. "Me too. And it's not your fault, it's mine. I screwed all of this up." 

"Well, if what you're saying to me is true, then I'm the one that did it," you pointed out. "And I can't imagine myself not second-guessing everything I do, even in a different life. But I didn't second-guess that." 

"No, you didn't," he said. 

"Then I must really have loved you, Barley," you said, "to put trust in the universe like that." 

"You really did." His mind was aching with painful memories, blurred around the edges as they started to slip away. He really didn't want to lose them. He kept replaying it in his mind again and again, hoping it was enough. 

His promise to you. "I'll be sticking around for a long time. And I'll keep reminding you of that until you're not afraid anymore. I promise. My gorgeous girl---" 

The way you stayed at his side when they entered the hospital. The way you remained calm when you saw Barley as a kid down the hallway, the way you sat at the edge of his father's bed and said hello. The way you confidently healed him, a smile on your face as you did it because you were doing it for Barley. You did everything for Barley. 

Everything.

"Wait a second."

"What?" 

"You have the magic gift too." 

"I what? You mean how I saved you?"

"Yes!" he cried in pure joy. 

"I know that, you already told me," you said.

"No, I'm just piecing something together. Hang on." He paused for a second before he beamed at you. "You have the magic gift. Ian has the magic gift! And if I can just get that staff then you can change it back! Hang on, I have to get something!" 

"Wait, what are you talking about?" you asked. "I don't know how to do magic." 

"I'll teach you," he said. "It'll be easy!" 

"Easy?" you gasped. "You were just telling me that it took a long time for me to get as powerful as I ended up being, and that it was a miracle that I was able to heal you the first time."

"Miracles can happen twice," he said defensively. 

"I don't think---" But he wasn't listening as he clumsily got out of the van. You followed with an exasperated sigh, throwing your door open and stepping into the snow. "Barley?" He slammed his door and booked it towards the house again. You shut your door and stepped up on his porch, grabbing the front door as he let it go. You leaned into the house, "Barley, what are you doing? Just wait a minute!" 

Frustrated, you stomped your boot against the porch and turned around. Part of you wanted to just forget it and go home. You didn't really know Barley. You knew him once, but that was a long time ago, and it wasn't for very long. But you couldn't help but turn back and worry for the guy that was so intent on getting his old life back just so he could have you in it.

"Barley," you hissed, turning back towards the doorway and leaning in. It took you a split second of doubt before you thought of yourself in another life --- which was absurd, like this was really just insane but Barley was so genuinely afraid of losing you that you just had to believe him, against the better judgement of everything inside of you. But you thought of yourself in another life, of the young pregnant woman who risked everything that she was just for her husband to have a second chance at a life with his dad. She put him before her. She trusted herself. She trusted Barley. 

And if Barley had this insane idea to do magic --- or for you to do magic --- then shouldn't you listen to him? Shouldn't you trust him? 

The doubt faded away. You stepped into the house and glanced around before going towards the staircase. "Barley!?"