Chapter 102 The Call That Waits
Sunday Morning - 9:30 AM - Beacon, NY
The hiking trail dropped them onto a tiny, rocky beach along the Hudson River.
Not the ocean kind no sand, just wet stones and some driftwood.
Wild, empty, almost raw in the cold November air.
Leo shot ahead. His boots crunched over the stones.
“Look! The water goes FOREVER!”
“That’s the river,” Alexander called after him. “It just keeps going, all the way to New York City.”
“We came FROM New York City!”
“That’s right.”
“So… did the water come with us?”
“Sort of. The river flows one way. We drove the other.”
Leo squinted at the water. “That’s confusing.”
“Rivers are confusing.”
Elena wandered up next to Alexander, hands jammed into her jacket. The air bit at her cheeks. Every breath showed in the cold.
“This is beautiful,” she said, voice soft.
“Better than the city?”
“Not better. Just… different. The city’s always buzzing, electric. Here there’s space to just be.”
“Can’t have both?”
“Not at the same time.”
Down by the shore, Leo was already piling up rocks, making patterns only he could understand.
“I’m building a fortress! Against the river!”
“The water’s going to win, you know,” Alexander said.
“Not if my fortress is REALLY GOOD.”
Alexander grinned. “Fair enough.”
Elena walked along the edge. Stones rolled under her boots, and the river just slid by, steady and uncaring. It headed south, even as they’d come north.
Alexander followed, caught her hand.
“What’s in your head?”
She shrugged. “Nothing deep. Just… the river doesn’t care where it ends up. It just moves. Not thinking.”
He chuckled. “Pretty philosophical for before breakfast.”
“I’m a morning philosopher.”
“Deep thoughts, huh?”
She smirked. “Try me.”
She nudged him playfully. He staggered, laughing.
“Push me again, I’ll toss you in.”
“You won’t.”
“Try me.”
So she did. Harder this time.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pretended to drag her toward the water.
“Alexander! Don’t you dare—”
“What? I’m just standing here.”
“You are NOT just standing here—”
He spun her and they tipped toward the river, cold water from a rogue wave splashing their boots.
Elena shrieked and laughed. “You got me wet!”
“You started it!”
“I barely touched you!”
“That’s called assault. I’m defending myself now.”
He kissed her, tasting the edge of her laughter, coffee, and cold air.
When they broke apart, Leo stared at them.
“Why are you kissing? Are you fighting?”
“Both,” Alexander said.
“That’s weird.”
“That’s marriage.”
“Are you married?”
He shrugged. “Close enough.”
Leo shrugged, too, totally unfazed, and returned to his fortress.
Elena and Alexander wandered further along the beach, just far enough to talk, but never losing sight of Leo.
“He’s right, though,” Elena said. “We still aren’t married.”
“We said we’d talk about it—remember that night? Under the stars?”
“I remember.” She nodded. “You said someday.”
“You did too.”
She smiled. “I did.”
They walked a while, silent but comfortable, letting the sound of the river fill in the blanks.
“What would it even look like?” Alexander said. “You know. If we did it.”
“Did what?”
“Got married.”
Elena thought. “I’d want something small. Just us and Leo. Maybe Victoria. Maybe Mrs. Chen, few people.”
“No big celebration?”
She made a face. “God no. What would that even be? Who’d we invite?”
“Exactly.”
She shrugged. “Just something real. Quiet. Simple.”
“I like simple.”
“I know you do.”
They walked. More silence, but nothing heavy about it.
“Someday though,” Alexander said. “When it feels right.”
“When it feels right.”
Heading back, they found Leo’s fortress half-swallowed by the river.
“The water’s coming! I need more walls!”
They joined him, stacking rocks, trying to protect his masterpiece from the relentless tide. Of course, the river won, carrying off stones one by one.
Leo stood, arms crossed. “The water is strong.”
“Very strong,” Elena said.
“Can we build another one?”
“We’re getting lunch soon,” Alexander said.
“After lunch?”
“Maybe.”
“That means no.”
He grinned. “No, it means maybe.”
Heading back up the trail, Leo chattered about fortress strategies and how next time, he’d build higher.
In town, they found a food cart: hot dogs, fries, steaming drinks. Nothing fancy. Perfect.
They ate at a picnic table, Leo smearing ketchup everywhere, Elena stealing Alexander’s fries.
“You always do this,” he said, mock scandalized.
“Yours taste better."
“They’re the same fries!”
“They taste better. It’s science.”
“That’s not how science works.”
She swiped another and grinned.
He kissed a spot of ketchup from her cheek. She laughed.
“That’s yucky!” Leo scowled.
“You’re coated in ketchup,” Alexander pointed out.
“That’s food-gross. Kissing is kissing-gross gross.”
“There’s a difference?”
“BIG difference.”
Lunch finished. They strolled the market. Leo found the wooden toy stall—straight for the dinosaurs.
“Can I get one? Please?”
Elena sighed. “You have twenty-seven dinosaurs at home.”
“But not THIS one. It’s wood. And it’s a Pachy-cephalo saurus. I only have two.”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “Only two, huh?”
“Please?”
“Okay. Just one.”
“YES!”
While Leo examined every dinosaur like he was making a life decision, Alexander’s phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen. His face changed, shutting down.
Elena picked up on it immediately. “What is it?”
“Text from Victoria.”
She waited.
He read the message twice. Then handed her the phone.
Mom texted me last night. Wants to meet Lily and Leo. Wants to talk to both of us. Apologize. I told her I’d think about it and call her today. Wanted to give you a heads up before I do. What do you think?
Elena read it. Looked up.
His face was blank—careful, closed-off.
“What do you think?” she asked quietly.
“I… don’t know.”
“That’s fine.”
“Is it?”
“It is. You don’t have to know right now.”
He nodded, but didn’t look convinced. Took back his phone, staring at nothing.
Leo popped up with his wooden dinosaur. “This one! Can we buy it?”
“Sure, buddy,” Alexander said, half there.
They paid and walked to the car. Their earlier ease had disappeared.
In the back seat, Leo played quietly. Dinosaur voices. Safe from the adult world up front.
Alexander drove, jaw set, hands tight on the wheel.
Elena just waited.
About halfway back to the inn, he finally spoke.
“I should be happy, right? That she wants to apologize. There’s a chance to fix things.”
“You don’t have to be happy about it.”
He let out a shaky breath. “But I should be. It’s what I wanted. A while ago, at least.”
“What did you want then?”
“For them to accept you. Accept us. Let it be okay. Not—” He swallowed. “Not punish me. Not ruin my reputation. Not make me choose between my sister and my career.”
His voice went flat, too steady.
Elena’s tone matched. “They did all that. You’re still allowed to be hurt.”
He shook his head. “I’m not hurt.”
“Alexander.”
He stiffened. “I’m not. I’m—past it. We’ve moved on. Built a real life. Without them.”
Elena just sat with that.
“Maybe,” she said after a second. “But you’re allowed to be hurt AND okay. That’s kind of how it works.”
More silence.
She kept going, gentle but relentless. “Your dad blackballed you. Called everyone. Made sure you couldn’t work. Just… because you loved the wrong person.”
His hands wrapped tighter around the wheel.
“And now your mom wants to apologize—"
He swallowed. Voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t hate them. I thought I would. I thought I’d stay angry forever. But I’m not. I’m just—”
“Hurt.”
“Yeah. Right.”
“That’s normal.”
“Is it? I feel like I should be bigger than this. Just… let go already.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. You are bigger. You went on. But the hurt doesn’t vanish.”
They pulled in at the inn.
Leo snored in the back, dinosaur gripped in one hand.
Alexander and Elena just sat. She reached for his hand.
He stared ahead. “I don’t know if I can face them. My dad—after what he did. After he—” His voice cracked a little. “After he chose his pride over me.”
She squeezed his fingers.
“He’s my father. He’s supposed to—” Alexander choked off. Tried again. “Parents are supposed to love you. Want you to be happy. He just… tried to rip that away.”
“I know.”
“And now my mom thinks an apology fixes it. Like ‘sorry’ erases months of silence. Of her letting him choose pride over all of us.”
“She messed up too.”
He nodded, eyes shining, but looking away. “At least she’s trying now. That’s something, right?”
“It’s something.”
He let out a tired breath. “But why doesn’t it feel like enough?”
“Because it’s not. Not to you. And that’s okay.”
He let his head fall back, eyes closed.
“What do I tell Victoria?”
“What do you want to tell her?”
“I don’t know. She should decide for herself. See Mom or not. Take Lily or not. I won’t stop her.”
“But what about you?”
Long pause. “I just wish… it had meant something when they said ‘I love you.’ That it wasn’t just words to say when I did what they wanted.”
Elena’s voice was quiet. “Maybe it did mean something. And they broke it anyway.”
He flinched. “That’s worse.”
She just nodded.
“You don’t have to decide today,” she said. “Take all the time you need.”
“And if Victoria wants to make peace?”
“Then that’s her choice. Her timeline. Yours is yours.”
He met her eyes. “When did you get so wise?”
She shrugged. “Been wise all along. You’re finally catching up.”
He almost smiled. “Using my lines against me.”
“They work.”
He squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
"You don't have to thank me.”
“I have to for... not telling me what to do. For letting me just… feel it.”
“You’re allowed all of it. Hurt. Hope. Anger—whatever.”
“Even hope?”
She smiled. “Especially hope. Hope just means you’re still human.”
He pulled her close. Kissed her forehead.
Leo stirred behind them. “Are we home?”
“Almost, bud. Almost.”
They carried him inside. Tucked him into his usual spot by the window.
Alexander sat on the bed with his phone. Hesitating.
“I should text Victoria,” he said.
“What’ll you say?”
“That she should do what feels right. I’m not ready. I think... I still need more time.”
“That sounds right.”
He typed, read, sent it.
Victoria wrote back immediately.
Take all the time you need. I love you.
Love you too.
He set the phone down.
Elena just sat beside him. No speeches. Just there.
He sighed. “I thought escaping here would be simple. No drama. Just… breathe.”
“Life doesn’t press pause for a trip.”
He let out half a laugh. “Guess not.”
“But look… we’re still here. Still together. Still okay.”
He hesitated. “Are we?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We are.”
He leaned into her. She hugged him.
“I’m scared,” he whispered.
“Of what?”
“That if I see them, I’ll either forgive too easily, or never forgive at all. I’m not sure which would be worse.”
“You don’t have to figure it out now.”
“When do I?”
“When you’re ready. And maybe never. Maybe you just… find your way in the middle.”
“That sounds uncomfortable.”
She shrugged. “Most real things are.”
He studied her. “How do you do it? Stay calm?”
She shook her head. “I’m not calm. I’m furious for you. But that’s my anger. You get your own.”
He looked lost. “What if I don’t know how I feel?”
“That’s fine, too.”
He kissed her. Slow, thankful.
“I don’t deserve you.”
She just rolled her eyes. “Yes, you do. Stop it. You deserve support and messy feelings and not being ready. That’s just… life.”
"Is it?"
"Yeah it's"
He let that sit.
They lay down together, quiet. Outside, sunlight filtered through the trees. Inside, Leo breathed softly in his bed.
Tomorrow they’d go back to real life, the decisions waiting for them. But for now—
Now they had each other. Some peace.
Alexander didn’t have to have answers. Or be over it. He could just be human—hurt, healing, complicated—and loved anyway.
And for today, that was enough. Maybe that’s all any of us ever really need.