Page 115 of Wonderstruck

I shrugged, coolness rolling with my shoulders, my face unreadable. But thecool-unreadable plan lasted all of two seconds when I thought of her name, then her smile, and in a matter of milliseconds I was letting my eyes go lazy as I pictured us at the edges of the rink.

“That good, huh?” Daisy chuckled.

I peered at her in my peripheral, doingeverything but pin down the corner of my mouth she could see. “Things are fine.”

She huffed a laugh as her eyes stared ahead of her. “‘Fine’ wasn’t exactly the word that came to mind for me when I saw her with the Lionesses and then stuck to your face fifteen minutes later.” My eyes leapt to her. “But sure, we’ll go with ‘fine’.”

The skin of my bottom lip sank between myteeth, only biting harder to conceal my smile.

God, I was furious when I saw Hatterson's jersey over her body.

Furious was probably the wrong word. Jealousy on crack was more appropriate, come to think of it.

For a second I thought I’d overslept, missed the game and had woken up in some unhinged nightmare. Her grin wasn’t one I’d imagined her ever wearing, and the dare in her eyes was like a siren call, one that made me want to forget everything just to be closer to her. The second I left the ice was when I knew it was real. When I saw the look on Jess’s face as I barged past him, I didn’t think twice about what I was doing. It was like a red mist came over me when I went to find her, only lifting when her mouth was back on mine.

“Okayyy, Finn, back to earth now sweetie.” Daisy’schuckle lifted me out of the rabbit hole I was diving into. Only when my non-hazy eyes were back on her did she smile up at me, the green that was in mine brightening along with it. “I’m happy for you. Really. And her. It’s about time she had things to be happy about, and now she’s got skating, and you.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’m quite happy too.”

Happy was an understatement. I was goddamnbeaming every time she crossed my mind.

“Just… and I’m saying this from a place of deep, caring devotion for you and her.” Her toned dipped, in a way it rarely did when we talked. “Please don’t let whatever it was that happened last year happen again.” Her eyes traced mine like she knew the exact reason why I’d let Rory go. Like there was a secret tunnel from her thoughts to mine. “I don’t think you need to worry so much anymore.”

Had she said that to me three months ago, Iwould've told her she was crazy. I would've laughed at how impossible not to be so fucking frightened all the time sounded. But the idea of worrying, of going back to that place in my mind where I’d been trapped for so long sounded nothing but ridiculous now.

There was no going back there. I couldn’t. Ididn’t want to. And I knew I never would.

“I promise, I won’t.”

We walked in silence until we reached the last plot. The cemetery wasn’t big, just a small patch of land on the outskirts of town. The headstones were worn but cared for, and someone—Miss Patty, probably, who owned the florist—always made sure there were fresh flowers at least once a month on the headstones that were here.

And sure enough, as we rounded the bend, thereshe was.

Miss Patty knelt by a grave, her thick pink coatwrapped tight against the cold. She placed a small bouquet at the base of the headstone, smoothing the stems with her hands.

“Afternoon, Patty,” Daisy called out, her voicewarm.

Patty turned, her face lighting up when she saw us. “Oh hey, you two!” She came off her knees, brushing them as she climbed to her five-foot height. “Back for Thanksgiving?”

“Sure are,” I said, tipping my hat at her andmanaging a small smile. “How are things in town?”

“Oh you know, always a drama. Small townstuff, you remember,” she said, stuffing her hands in her pockets, escaping the breeze. Her gaze shifted back to the grave, and she hesitated before speaking again. “It’s why I like coming here. Takes my mind off everything.”

Dais and I shared a glance before smiling, whenmy attention fell to the bouquet she just set down atop the grey headstone she’d stopped at. “That’s a beautiful bunch,” I said, nodding my chin at the white roses.

The sun bounced over her silver hair when she smiled atme, before she carefully leant over and readjusted some of the petals. “Amazes me that nothing has to be done to these flowers to make them look so alive. No matter what time of year, they always seem to bloom just right.” She chuckles to herself. “Almost like they know that where they’re needed could do with a little extra love.”

Daisy walked behind me until she stood byPatty, brushing her arm. “That’s such a lovely thought.”

Patty shrugged, that wry, almost sad smile creasingher face. “Helps me get through stopping by this one. But I’d do it in every lifetime.” She nodded at the grave. “Their baby girl hasn’t lived here since her Momma passed away a few years back, and now that her Daddy is here I’d happily take this burden from her.” Patty shook her head, in a way that I knew she was probably internally screaming at the world for being so cruel. “But that sweet Rory has the entire town as her family whenever she comes back here. I just hope she knows it.”

As the sun peered out from behind the thick wall of clouds, my stomach dropped as Patty’s voice echoed in my head.

It couldn’t be… my Rory?

My Rory.

Daisy froze next to me, and I glanced down tosee her staring at the headstone. I followed her gaze. “Aurelia Greene and Arnold Greene.” she read aloud, her voice barely above a whisper.

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