Months before… Alex's POVThere is only one thing I like about my uncle's house more than the one I grew up at and that is the sound of the Hamptons ocean waves and the smell of the salty water in the air. That's why I like getting up early and sitting on the balcony before the everyday buzz of the people disturbs the rhythmic sound of the waves hitting the sandy beach. Well maybe that wasn't the only thing I liked, the fact that Adam lived near and worked closely with Uncle Richard was a good bonus. It meant that I got to see him more.Adam, Sasha, and I grew up together, but as we got older I passed on to be his best friend's sister and he became my brother's best friend. Not that they excluded me or anything, it's just that when you get older life happens but now that I live here I see him practically every day."Here is your coffee, my dear." Mrs.Hendrics says as she opens the balcony door and hands me the cup."Thank you." Mrs.Hendrics has worked for the family for as long as I c
Everyone in the dining room pauses and drops their forks as we stare at my uncle in disbelief. A daughter? Did I hear that right? Did we hear that right? Apparently so because we all have the same surprised look on our faces. "Richard, what are you saying?" Mom asks as she recovers from the shock. "I'm saying I have a twenty-nine-year-old daughter named Autumn living somewhere in New York. And I need to find her." That is more than half of his life, how come he is only finding this out now? "It's Caroline's daughter, isn't it? There couldn't be anyone else." Mom says and Uncle Richard nods his head. "Who is Caroline?" The words roll off my tongue before I can stop myself. But I never knew this family to keep secrets from one another and curiosity is more than natural."Alex, that is a private matter that doesn't concern you," Mom says but Uncle Richard lifts his hand in the air for her to settle down. "It's alright Eloise, our parents are no longer with us. No one can stop us fr
I go back to my room and throw myself onto the bed as I scream into my pillow. If only I had the courage to tell him how I feel about him. If only I knew there was a chance of him feeling the same. But I can't risk losing him as a friend, and I can't put in jeopardy the friendship he has with Sasha or the relationship between the two families for something that might not work out in the end.If only loving him wasn't this easy. But there is not one thing not to love about him. Adam is sweet, kind, smart, generous, responsible, and loyal... he's always ready to step in and help, just like he is doing right now. The fact that I won't be able to see him for days makes me so sad, that he isn't just casually gonna come bring some papers for Uncle Richard to sign, or that he won't play golf with Sasha or tennis with me while my mother asks him questions like "When are you going to bring us a girlfriend?". If only she knew how much I dread his answer. Some days I wonder how much longer I wil
"Why... hmm, why dont we go sit down for a moment?" Adam says as he lets out a long breath of air while Uncle Richard nods his head and turns to walk back into the living room. Adam looks at me with a troubled expression and I know that the news he is bringing isn't the best. "Do you want me to join you?" I ask him as I gently touch his shoulder and he puts his palm over my hand. "Yes, please." Adam takes my hand and walks me with him, it is only as we reach the living room that he lets go of me and lets me go in first to take a seat next to my uncle."Come on Adam, just tell me did you find them?" Uncle Richard says impatiently as Adam sits across from us. "Uncle Richard I dont know how to tell you this... there really isn't an easy way to go about it..." Oh no, I think I know what he is having trouble saying out loud, and I can feel more sorry for the pain my uncle is about to experience. "Just tell me!" Uncle says, his voice cracking. He must know what is to come and all the hop
"You are getting better at this. For a second there you almost won." Adam says as our horses slow down and we ride side by side after the little race. "But you could never beat the master." If only he knew I was actually letting him win because winning wouldn't feel as good as seeing him brag and laugh by my side. "You never know, maybe I will surprise you one day." With more than just winning a simple horse race."Thank you for this... for taking the time to help me take my mind off of things." As if there was any other place I'd rather be than right here with you. "It was really hard for me to bring this news to Uncle Richard. I feel like I failed him." One could see just how personally he was taking this and just how much this was eating at him. "Hey, dont say that. You didn't fail him, finding a person when we have no idea what she looks like or where she went isn't easy, especially not in a town like New York." "It just feels like every road takes me to a dead end. She changed
Adam's POVSometime later...It turns out that Alex had a brilliant idea about tracking Autumn's bank account after I managed to pull it out of the medical records it took me some time to get a warrant in order to track it. But today I have it. And I have a new address. It seems that Autumn opened up her own cafe and I was just on my way there. I had a hard time deciding if I should call Uncle Richard right away but after the disappointment he lived the last time I won't tell him anything until I have his daughter in front of me. I wonder what she is like, and how she will react to the news I have to bring. Most of all I hope that she is a good person, the last thing I want is for someone to hurt the people I consider to be like my second family.As I pull up to the address where the cafe is supposed to be I notice something that immediately feels weird. The cafe was trashed, the windows were broken, the walls spray painted and the entry was practically destroyed. I get out of the c
I try to shake off the hot coffee from my sleeve when I notice the woman who bumped into me dropped to the floor and was now crying. "Miss, are you alright?" It was a dumb question, it was obvious from her state that she was the further thing from being alright. I kneel and offer her my hand as she lifts her head and I meet a pair of eyes that seem all too familiar. "Miss, let me help you," I say as I help her to her feet and she looks down at the spilled coffee cups and my white shirt beneath my coat completely soaked."I'm so sorry, I didn't see you." She takes a cloth tissue out of her bag and tries to tap at my shirt to get some of the moisture out but to no use. "Dont worry about it, at least it wasn't hot." I lie as I offer her a smile but when I see her long face I realise it's probably not the right time for that. "Besides it seems like you have bigger worries." She nods her head and leaves the cloth tissue in my hand. "Again, I'm sorry. Please excuse me." She tries to lea
Alex's POVShould I call him? It's not weird if I call him, we are friends and friends call each other. But what would I ask him? Hey, how is the investigation going on? Do you have any leads? Are you planning on coming back? ... Do you miss me like I miss you? Or maybe not.This shouldn't be so hard. I knew him for years, talking to him should be easy at this point. God, maybe the lack of sun is finally getting to me, it turns out closing yourself in a bedroom and pretending to paint to avoid questions from the family isn't that great of a plan. Luckily artists have the fame to be creative loners so no one questions when I lock myself up from time to time."Alex!" I suddenly hear a voice and I turn away from the canvas to look at Mrs.Hendrics standing by the door. "Are you alright, dear?" "Yes, sorry. I spaced out." I say as I get up and cover up my canvas. "You needed me?" "Your mother asked me to call you, we have guests." Great, now I have to sit around another boring tea sessio