The Red String of Fate

The Day I Came Back to You

857

Anya hesitated, looking at the bar from across the street. it's not too late to back out she quickly dismissed the thought. She had to find out for herself. She had to walk into that bar, and make sure that whoever it was Sarina found wasn't the man she thought to be dead for the last 13 years. The man she hadn't seen in 22 years. The man she had known for the first 15 years of her life, who was her best friend, her confidante, her lover, her everything. She had to walk in, and prove Sarina wrong – because if Sarina was right, how could they come back from spending that long apart? Surely, he's moved on. she thought to herself as she crossed the street, the heels of her boots splashing the rain on the street. Surely, he has a wife. Kids. A home. A family. All those things we dreamed about and talked about. On the off chance that this was the Levi she had known and loved and lost, she couldn't bring herself to be a homewrecker, albeit the idea didn't sound bad – being able to have him back. No, she thought to herself we'll just catch up as old friends do. I'll listen to him talk about his home, his wife, his kids. His time in the military. We'll laugh about the past and how we were foolish kids in love, and then I'll bid him goodbye, go home, and wallow in self-pity. Then I'll have some closure and move on. As she got lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize she was already opening the door to the bar, her signature cheery smile plastered on her face like a mask.

As she looked around the bar and only saw Sarina sitting there, the mask shattered. She walked up to Sarina and spun her around on the barstool by her shoulders. "What kind of sick fucking joke is this?" Anya asked, rage clear in her voice.

Sarina chuckled to herself. "That's what he said too!" She exclaimed as she laughed.

Anya was not impressed by her sister's comment, and her face showed it clearly. The anger built up inside of her came crashing down like a wave as she grabbed her sister's flute of champagne and juice, slamming it on the bar top to break the glass away from the handle. In one quick motion, Anya held the broken flute's grip to Sarina's throat. "I swear to whatever fucking god is out there Sarina..." she started, before being cut off by her sister snorting out another laugh.

"Chill, psycho!" Sarina laughed out the words and pointed a finger to the side room. "He's in there. They're all in there. They've been waiting for damn near over an hour. What were you doing? Showering in the fucking rain?" She asked, laughing at her own insensitivities.

Anya did not move the broken glass from Sarina's neck, and frowned at her. "Sarina, I swear..."

Sarina sighed "can't take a joke?" she rolled her eyes "fucking made for each other. I swear. Just go see them for fucks sake"

"No, I'm going to go see mom first" Anya said as she put down the broken glass, and walked into the kitchen, hearing the faint sound of a bell alerting her to someone leaving the side room.

Levi was the first to comment on the bell that had just gone off, alerting them to someone's presence in the bar. He swallowed thickly and started taking a long sip of his water. He put down the empty glass, waiting with bated breath for the door to open behind him. "I don't think I can do this" He said aloud, looking to Falco and Gabi.

"Why not old man?" Gabi asked, a smirk on her lips

Levi's mind was racing with thoughts. What is she going to think when she sees me in a wheelchair? What is she going to think when she sees these ugly scars? What is she going to think when she finds out how many people I've killed? What if she's already moved on? What if she's married? Of course she's fucking married she was always so perfect, why wouldn't she be married He took a deep sigh and looked at Falco again, asserting his voice "We've got to go, I've got to get out of here" I can't stay, oh god, what if she has kids? Am I about to be a homewrecker? Am I about to ruin some kids life? he thought to himself, swallowing down whatever he could find left in his mouth to swallow. "I can't do this" Levi said as he felt tears welling up in his eyes.