Page 115 of Come Back to Me

Tapping on my phone, I see the time.

It’s 11:10 a.m.

I want to leave here between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. ideally, since it takes around a half hour to get to Sunset Cove without major traffic, and I want to get to the shelter at a reasonable hour. This is mainly because I want to be able to spend a decent amount of time with my mom, especially since I’m bringing Violet with me.

After Xander finishes his breakfast, he takes our plates and silverware. He throws away the plates before he washes the forks we used.

“So, what are your plans today?” I ask Xander out of pure curiosity.

“After last night, I plan on having a very chill day here at the apartment. I don’t want to go anywhere if I don’t have to.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“What are your plans for after you guys visit your mom?” He leans on the edge of the counter near the sink.

“I’m not sure. I threw out the idea of getting lunch, and she said she was okay with it yesterday. That could change though.”

“Interesting,” he says.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Mm-hm. I’ll be in my room if you need me, scrolling aimlessly on my phone.”

“Don’t get trapped in the digital rabbit hole.”

Xander isn’t an avid social media user like Noah and I. For Noah, he has to be on social media to promote his book, and he enjoys scrolling like I do. For me, I like seeing what people are up to and watching random videos for entertainment purposes.

Xander is an old soul, and I aspire to be more like him in that regard.

“I’ll do my best not to.” I get up from my chair and push it in.

Once I’m inside my room, I lie down on my bed and take out my phone. Time to let the scrolling commence.

now

VIOLET

I’ve been awake for about two and half hours now.

I ate some avocado toast with a fried egg on top of it for breakfast. The fuel is energizing my mind and my body. I feel more awake than I did before I ate.

Sage was still in her room when I woke up. She’s sitting at the kitchen table and working on her computer. She’salwayson her computer.

I slap my hands down on the table to get her attention. “What are you working on?”

She doesn’t look up from her computer screen. “A project for one of my graphic design classes.”

“Can I see it?”

“Alright, but it’s not finished yet.” She turns her computer around to face me.

It’s a collage full of images, words, and colors. It’s all aesthetically pleasing, and I can feel Sage’s personality seeping throughout the entire collage. Next to the collage in a different window is awebsite mockup.

Her mockup draft design is modern and cohesive. Bold fonts are paired with delicate ones.

She’s so talented.