the first day?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea..."
He nodded. "It was a blue dress with matching leggings that hit just above your knees. You wore it with your Converse. The next day, everyone was wearing dresses with tennis shoes. You didn't even notice."
"How do you..."
"When you were seven, your grandma came to visit and took you and Cassidy to the park. You both got a balloon. Yours was orange. She told you to let her tie it to your wrist, but you refused. A few minutes later, you accidentally let it go. You cried and cried until she finally bought you another one. Do you remember what color the second one was?"
Cadence recalled the incident. She remembered watching that balloon fade into the sky, wondering why she hadn't listened to her grandma. "It was red..."
Once again, he nodded. "Do you remember the time when you were four and your parents took you to the zoo? Your mom was very pregnant. When that goat started eating your shoelaces, she couldn't get there in time. You didn't cry, though. You laughed and laughed. Your dad called you Goat Bait for the rest of the day."
She was baffled. Did he really care so much about her that he had, had these conversations with her friends and loved ones? To the extent that he could recall specific discussions and events that accurately? Then, suddenly it dawned on her. There was only one explanation for how he could possibly know all of that information in such detail. "You were there!" She felt a shiver of chills go up her spine as the words escaped her lips.
He nodded and watched her bewildered expression shift to acceptance before he continued. "Cadence, this whole situation has been... very confusing for me." He saw the acknowledgement in her eyes. "I don't know if we can figure this out or not. It might not be possible. But, there is one thing you need to be very clear about--I have always loved you. Please, don't ever stop believing that, no matter what happens, no matter where you are, I do love you." He was no longer interested in fighting back tears and let them roll down his face, fully aware that she was crying as well. After a moment, he pulled himself back together, his calm façade etched back in place.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked at last.
"I promised I wouldn't," he admitted. "But I talked to Janette earlier this week, and she said maybe it was time for you to know."
Cadence nodded. Janette was her grandmother, the same one who had bought the balloon. She had been the Hunter Leader at one point in her life, the last one, before she retired. The spot had remained vacant ever since.
Wiping away her tears, she realized she had a lot to think about. She could see he was growing impatient again, wanting to take off. She didn't blame him. Cadence felt as if she had just detected an iceberg, the oblivion below the surface still hidden beneath a pristine sea. "I'll let you... get back to headquarters," she said. She had almost said, "I'll let you go," but that didn't quite seem right.
She closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around him, unwilling to let him go without doing so. He returned her embrace, unsure of whether or not he had made the right decision in uncovering the past.
"Be careful," she said, releasing him but not quite stepping away.
He nodded. "You, too."
"Let me know when you get there?"
"Sure."
She backed away then, giving him one last look before collecting Aurora's bike and heading back to the hotel. The sun was fully above the horizon now, and a new day had begun.
***
It turned out the diner was a little bit more crowded around lunch time, though Cadence and Cale still
She shook her head. "I have no idea..."
He nodded. "It was a blue dress with matching leggings that hit just above your knees. You wore it with your Converse. The next day, everyone was wearing dresses with tennis shoes. You didn't even notice."
"How do you..."
"When you were seven, your grandma came to visit and took you and Cassidy to the park. You both got a balloon. Yours was orange. She told you to let her tie it to your wrist, but you refused. A few minutes later, you accidentally let it go. You cried and cried until she finally bought you another one. Do you remember what color the second one was?"
Cadence recalled the incident. She remembered watching that balloon fade into the sky, wondering why she hadn't listened to her grandma. "It was red..."
Once again, he nodded. "Do you remember the time when you were four and your parents took you to the zoo? Your mom was very pregnant. When that goat started eating your shoelaces, she couldn't get there in time. You didn't cry, though. You laughed and laughed. Your dad called you Goat Bait for the rest of the day."
She was baffled. Did he really care so much about her that he had, had these conversations with her friends and loved ones? To the extent that he could recall specific discussions and events that accurately? Then, suddenly it dawned on her. There was only one explanation for how he could possibly know all of that information in such detail. "You were there!" She felt a shiver of chills go up her spine as the words escaped her lips.
He nodded and watched her bewildered expression shift to acceptance before he continued. "Cadence, this whole situation has been... very confusing for me." He saw the acknowledgement in her eyes. "I don't know if we can figure this out or not. It might not be possible. But, there is one thing you need to be very clear about--I have always loved you. Please, don't ever stop believing that, no matter what happens, no matter where you are, I do love you." He was no longer interested in fighting back tears and let them roll down his face, fully aware that she was crying as well. After a moment, he pulled himself back together, his calm façade etched back in place.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked at last.
"I promised I wouldn't," he admitted. "But I talked to Janette earlier this week, and she said maybe it was time for you to know."
Cadence nodded. Janette was her grandmother, the same one who had bought the balloon. She had been the Hunter Leader at one point in her life, the last one, before she retired. The spot had remained vacant ever since.
Wiping away her tears, she realized she had a lot to think about. She could see he was growing impatient again, wanting to take off. She didn't blame him. Cadence felt as if she had just detected an iceberg, the oblivion below the surface still hidden beneath a pristine sea. "I'll let you... get back to headquarters," she said. She had almost said, "I'll let you go," but that didn't quite seem right.
She closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around him, unwilling to let him go without doing so. He returned her embrace, unsure of whether or not he had made the right decision in uncovering the past.
"Be careful," she said, releasing him but not quite stepping away.
He nodded. "You, too."
"Let me know when you get there?"
"Sure."
She backed away then, giving him one last look before collecting Aurora's bike and heading back to the hotel. The sun was fully above the horizon now, and a new day had begun.
***
It turned out the diner was a little bit more crowded around lunch time, though Cadence and Cale still
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