Chapter 46: Vee

My old neighborhood looked much the same as it had when I was a child. Everything was practically unchanged—the same shops, the same neighbors, the same landscape. Even the two-story white house next to mine, with its red door and perfectly manicured lawn, remained the same.

Except for mine.

My house was missing a large portion of the roof and most of a wall. My old room and the kitchen, however, were still intact.

The silence helped me sleep. After years of living in a chaotic, noisy city, the vast backyard felt like an oasis in the middle of nowhere. I spent the next few days cleaning the house, boxing up my father’s belongings, tending the garden, and sitting outside, listening to birds and watching the stars.

For the first time in a long while, I had space to slow down and reflect. To ask myself whether I liked the person I had become. My senses felt sharper, then that my mind was no longer clouded by alcohol or drugs. I realized I didn’t need them. I didn’t even miss them. More than that, I didn’t miss anything about my life in Los Angeles.

Scott, my assistant, Patti, Colin, and a few others had left condolence messages on my voicemail, but I hadn’t answered any of them. I imagined them still caught up in the exhausting, superficial world I had left behind.

I spoke with Yaron’s father about repairing and restoring the house once I was gone. At first, I had asked Yaron to talk to him, but he explained what had transpired between them—how his family had practically disowned him for abandoning his faith.

As the days passed, my desire to return to Los Angeles faded. But that didn’t mean I wanted to stay in Seattle, either. I felt lost. I had made a mess of my life, and I had no idea how to fix it.

A knock on the front door interrupted my thoughts.

“Yaron?”

“Hi, Vee. I came to check on you. I brought some lemon puff pastries,” he said, holding up a paper bag.

His hair fell slightly over his eyes, and his shirt clung to his chest. He looked calm. Relaxed. It had been too long since I had seen him this way—probably not since before I left Seattle. Ever since then, Yaron had always seemed worried, cautious ... unhappy around me.

“Thank you. Come on in,” I said.

We sat at the kitchen table.

“Coffee?”

“I’ve switched to tea lately.”

Luckily, I found a bag in one of the kitchen cabinets.

“You seem relaxed.”

He sipped his tea and nodded. “I guess I am. I’ve been meditating and doing Tai Chi.”

I nodded. Scott had once suggested something similar to me, but I’d found it boring.

“You do look great.”

As soon as I said it, a warning sounded in my head: Don’t take away from him what he has accomplished without you.

“Thank you,” he said, his gaze growing warmer. “I do feel good. You still shine.”

“It’s the hair,” I joked. “You have no idea how many products it takes to make it look like this.”

Yaron smiled. “No. It’s you. You always did, but now everyone sees it, not just me. It was inevitable. I knew the world would steal you away from me.”

Goosebumps rose on my skin. His words moved me in ways nothing else had. Not glowing reviews of my performances. Not the adoration of fans on social media. None of it compared.

But I decided not to tell him that HE was the one who made me shine.

Despite all the time apart and the different paths we had taken, my love for Yaron was still there. I couldn’t turn it off.

“No one can take me away from you, Yaron,” I said, my cheeks warming.

His serene eyes held mine, full of questions. A warmth spread through me, a feeling I had almost forgotten.

“How are you coping with all this, Vee?”

I knew he wasn’t just referring to my father’s death.

“Are you trying to be a shrink?” I teased.

He laughed. “Well, I’ve been working at a health clinic for a while, and now I’m ready to start my own practice. I guess asking these kinds of questions comes with the job. But I’m also your friend.”

“You have to show me your new place,” I said, dodging his question.

“Sure. The place is an empty canvas. I could use some advice from a fashion guru. Just let me know when.”

I laughed and nodded.

“How about tomorrow? My schedule is incredibly empty.”