The Ties that Bind

Chapter 7 | The Aftermath

Selene didn't sleep. 

Everytime she tried to close her eyes her mind opened them, forcing her to think about Theo, again and again. With every thought her mind swirled with more unanswered questions. What had happened to her? Did he feel it too? Was it just because she was star-struck at how gorgeous he was? No, she thought. That wasn't what had caught her. There was something else, something beneath, something she couldn't wrap her head around. 

Theo slipped away with Henry shortly after she saw them and they didn't come back. Though Janey had let it slip that it was important business. 

She stared up at the chalk white ceiling, placing her hand over her chest. A warm steady pulse beat underneath. Why did she feel different? What if she had just imagined it all?

Selene let out an exasperated sigh and looked sideways at the glowing digital clock on her nightstand. 2:12am. In a moment, she threw the blankets off her and tiptoed out of the room. The door to the guest room was closed and at the other end of the hall her parents bedroom was shut. Good, she thought. Everyone was asleep.  

Silently, she made her way downstairs into the kitchen. She pulled open the fridge and the only thing to eat was cold corn-beef with a questionable array of condiments and sauces. She'll have to do shopping tomorrow. The doorknob to the backdoor jiggled. 

The sound startled her and she gasped, swinging around to see Aunt Ruth standing in the doorway of the living room dressed in a vintage printed t-shirt and track pants. "What're you doing up?"

"J-Jesus, Aunt Ruth, you scared the shit out of me," After a reassuring breath, Selene pulled out the carton of cranberry juice and poured herself a glass.  "What're you doing up? Besides scaring the souls out of children." 

She gave her a small smile and pushed her golden honey hair over her shoulder and leant against the doorframe, crossing her arms. "Couldn't sleep. Needed a little fresh air. What about you?" 

"Couldn't sleep either," Selene said drinking half the glass and turning around to look at her beautiful aunt. There was so much unsaid, so much Selene wanted to know. Thomas could be a brick wall at times, almost impossible to talk to and now that she was leaving and going back to Chicago it almost seemed like a bittersweet ending. "It's been really nice having you here, Aunt Ruth. I'm gonna miss you."

Ruth smiled, one that reached her eyes and she motioned Selene to follow her outside on the porch. It was a warm night, crickets buzzed in amongst the trees in the darkness. Selene took a seat next to her aunt on the wooden porch seat. Ruth leaned into her and planted a maternal kiss on top of her head, "I'm gonna miss you too, sweet heart. I'm always a phone-call away though."

After Raina died, Ruth was the only female in her life she had to look up to. She brought her her first mascara, drove her to sports events, sent her money every month and was an undiluted well of sage advice. Selene pulled away from the hug, feeling solemn about how much of her family she lost when Ruth went away. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything." Ruth said. 

Theo's presence pulsed in her chest, an uncomfortable and strange sensation. "This is going to sound...dumb. But this is a genuine question. Have you ever just...looked at someone - a stranger and felt something you've never felt before?" 

Ruth simply chuckled, "Like love at first sight?"

"No, no...something different," Selene didn't know how to explain it and she was becoming increasingly agitated trying to formulate a good reason for what had happened, "I mean, have you ever met someone and it feels like, in a weird cosmic sort of way, that you were supposed to meet? Like it was predestined? Or, no, not even that, like you've met that person before and they're so familiar but you can't remember their name or where you met. But it's like...constantly on the tip of your tongue...does that make sense?"