Page 53 of Lost
“You don’t need to say it,” he said before they could start. “I already know. But that’s why I’ve been away for so long, and why I haven’t called. After I found out, I just wanted to be alone. Then there was the funeral to get through and after that I just...” He shook his head. “The only person I spoke to was my best friend back home. I didn’t even talk to my dad. So please, don’t take offence. It was nothing against you. Either of you. I just...had a lot that I had to deal with.”
Eliza Beth stared at him. Her hand was immobile in his and he didn’t know whether to take it as a good sign or not.
Then she was hugging him, her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. It took him by surprise, but having her back in his arms felt good. He’d missed her. Having her here was almost like he was whole again. She wasn’t Dakota, but she was so much like his sister that it was easy to pretend.
“Jeez, man.” Jack didn’t look quite as comfortable in that chair now. His expression was stricken. “I wish we’d known earlier. Maybe we could have tried to help.”
Lysander shook his head as Eliza Beth released him. “There’s nothing you could have done. Zack already had a bunch of people looking, and…I guess it was just too late.”
Eliza Beth was looking around his room now. Her eyes drifted from the pile of school books on the floor to the shoes neatly lined up next to the door and then to the photographs on his bedside table, where her gaze lingered.
“Your mother and sister?”
He glanced at the photos. His girls smiled back at him, just as they did every morning.
“Yeah...”
“They’re pretty.”
Lysander only nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m not talking about that,” Eliza Beth said, nodding at the photos. “I’m talking about getting mad at you. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions when you didn’t call. I should have known something was up and that you’d get around to telling me when you could.”
“I shouldn’t have left without saying anything.”
“You had a good enough reason.”
“Still.” He smiled at her as best he could. “I should have called you at some point. I’ve lost my motherandmy sister now. It kinda makes you want to hold on tighter to the people who are important to you in life. And you’re both important to me. I should have called. Or at least responded to one of your texts.”
Jack shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“You’re back now. That’s what matters.” Eliza Beth took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “And... Did you really mean that? That I’m important to you?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I wouldn’t ask just any girl to be my girlfriend. From the moment we met there was something about you that I liked. And now...” He shrugged. “It’s hard to imagine life without you.”
He sounded cheesy and he knew it, but it was the truth. He hoped Jack wouldn’t poke fun at him for it later. Eliza Beth didn’t seem to mind the way that it sounded. She was smiling.
“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
She pressed a kiss to his lips. Jack had the decency to look away.
“So,” she said. “Are your parents home?”
“Yep. Downstairs. You wanna meet ‘em?”
Zack and Georgia were out in the yard, the man cooking an assortment of meats on the barbeque and the woman stretched out luxuriously by the pool. Zack was the first to notice their arrival, his eyes lighting up with surprise as he eyed the girl by Lysander’s side. Eliza Beth blushed under his gaze.
“Hi,” she said, suddenly timid.
Lysander squeezed her hand. Georgia had looked over in their direction at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, blue eyes peering over the top of her sunglasses.
“Dad, Georgia,” he started, “this is my girlfriend, Eliza Beth, and my best friend, Jack Avery.” To them he said, “This is my father, Zack, and my step-mother, Georgia.”
“Good to see you again, Jack.” Zack wiped his hands clean on his shorts before holding one out for Jack to shake. He then held it out to Eliza Beth, who stood frozen for several seconds before finally grasping it. “It’s lovely to meet you, Eliza Beth.”
