Authors: Josh Grayson
Sia (29 page)
He lifts his eyebrows in question.
“
All I want to remember is that kiss you gave me.”
He smiles. All fear leaves his eyes. They’re wide open, liquid with emotion. “Sia,” he says quietly and reaches for me. His palms are warm on my cheeks. My heart starts beating loudly, melting slowly. His breath tickles my lips. Then he’s there, kissing me gently. Far too soon, he pulls away. He rests his forehead against mine, and I think I might just die of happiness. “I love you too, Sia.”
And I feel like I’ve come home. Right where I belong.
EPILOGUE
There’s something about the ocean. What it is, I’m not sure. But something about it tugs at my heart and pulls out my emotions. It’s like the waves are a huge, empty space I can fill up with my thoughts. And I have a lot of those these days.
Kyle said he’d meet me here on the beach after his classes are over, so I have a little time to myself first. I don’t mind waiting, though. I’m lulled by the rush of the water, the crashing of the waves. A seagull glides overhead, angling into the sea breeze. It gives a shrill cry of joy over finding a crab. I smile, feeling at peace.
I’ve spent the last two years creating new memories that I plan on holding on to forever. Kyle and I both go to the University of Southern California now. He’s doing well in business management, and I’m studying social work. Actually, social work has become a big part of my life lately.
Turns out Travis was right—my story grabbed a lot of interest. They gave it an appropriate title:
The Cruelest One,
and it was a box office hit, grossing millions at the box office. The movie’s success spread to everyone around it. Mom is one of the best examples of that. She’s been sober ever since rehab. She still attends therapy sessions occasionally, but she’s strong as a rock. Dad’s company is in the black again, and more great movies are pouring in.
I still hang out with Stacy, but I’m also good friends with Tiff, Roberta, and Ben. I find I enjoy doing different things with different people, and no one is better than another. Stacy’s really mellowed. She’s not overly obsessive about her appearance anymore, though she still loves to go wild with the makeup—especially on me.
No big surprise: Amber ended up going into showbiz. After graduation, she tapped into her love for fashion and shopping, and—wouldn’t you know it?—she got her own reality show doing just that. My dad’s company produced it. On the show, she’s a personal shopper to the stars, scouting fashion runways to get her clients the latest must-have outfits. “It’s my calling,” she tells me. “The reason I was born.”
I have to smile.
As for me, I found my calling in helping people. With all the money I made with the movie, I opened a new soup kitchen. Kyle and I own it together, since he got some money from the movie as well. It’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. My guardian angel, Carol, is there, too, supervising things. Her warm spirit has truly helped the facility blossom. Even better, the job we were able to give her helped her get a real place of her own.
“
Hey.”
I turn toward the voice and smile at Kyle. He steps off the boardwalk and makes his way toward me. The soft brown of his hair lifts with the breeze. He’s carrying his shoes, and his pants are rolled up over bare feet. I smile at him.
“
Hey yourself,” I say. “Good class?”
He nods. He wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on my head, then murmurs, “Good class, but this is much better.”
We stand that way for a few seconds, just enjoying the moment. I never get tired of holding him and being held. As always, I inhale his scent. That sweet cinnamon, permanently infused into the fibers of his t-shirt, is a constant reminder of how lucky I am to have him.
“
You got here just in time for the sunset,” I tell him, pulling away so I can see his face.
“
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He pulls me in for a kiss.
We’ve become so familiar with each other’s touch, each other’s kisses that they probably shouldn’t have any effect on me, but they still do. My lips tingle as they touch his, and butterflies swarm in my stomach.
“
Feel like walking?”
“
Sure,” I say.
We start walking down the beach, toward the setting sun. The sand is warm from the day’s sunshine and soft as spun sugar. Just before it changes to a deep, vibrant orange, the setting sun hits the waves and reflects off them. A couple of kids hop around down the beach a way, tethered to kites. Their happy squeals compete with a gull that has now landed and toddles around the sand, searching for supper.
It’s hard to imagine anyone being as happy as I am right now. Crazy as it sounds, I’m grateful for all the stress I experienced two years ago. If it hadn’t been for that turmoil in my life, I never would have had the amnesia. And if I hadn’t had the amnesia, I never could have changed my life.
That time in my life was like a rebirth, and I ended up with the best of both worlds. I mean, I did go back to some things, like my closet—which now contains a rainbow of color, not just pink. I’ve gotten back into dressing up, though I can safely say fashion no longer controls me. Now I have control. Over everything I do.
That scary period of my life, that time when I couldn’t even remember my name, has become a landmark. A milestone. Now I can look back and say, “That’s when I changed my life.” Who else can say that and be so exactly right about the timing?
Time.
That’s an important thing.
And now I know what to do with the rest of it. I have a lifetime ahead of me, one I hope to fill with as much love and joy as I can find. One I will fill with beautiful memories.
Who am I? I’m Sia Holloway.
And this is the me I was meant to be.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. During his free time, Josh enjoys jogging, swimming, reading and dreaming up new stories.
Sia
is his YA debut novel.
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