Chapter Sixteen: Unspoken Changes

The bookstore smelled of aged paper and vanilla as Faye scanned the counter, her fingers absentmindedly tapping against the register. It was a slow afternoon, the kind that gave her too much time to think. Her mind kept drifting back to Edward—how he had the uncanny ability to make the world feel both overwhelming and intimate all at once.

She was still lost in thought when the bell above the door jingled. A familiar voice pulled her back.

"Well, if it isn't Faye Carrera."

Her head snapped up. For a moment, she thought she was hearing things. But then she saw him, leaning casually against the doorway like he hadn't disappeared from her life two years ago.

"Jaxon?" The name felt strange on her lips after so long, but the smile that broke across her face was effortless.

"In the flesh," he said, stepping forward. His grin was the same as she remembered—slightly lopsided, like he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be serious or joking.

"What are you doing here?" Faye asked, closing the space between them. "I thought you moved to—what was it? Alberta?"

"Nova Scotia, actually. And yeah, we did. But we're back now—kind of a long story. My parents decided Timmins wasn't so bad after all."

Faye's smile softened. "It's good to see you. It's been... what? Two years?"

"Two years, three months, and five days," Jaxon teased, holding out his hand like he was marking the time on an invisible calendar. "Not that I was counting or anything."

Faye laughed, the sound light and genuine. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed him until now. Jaxon had always been easy to be around, the kind of person who could make a room feel warmer just by being in it.

"Well, how about this?" she said, leaning against the counter. "You tell me all about your long story, and I'll let you buy me coffee after my shift."

Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle the excitement? My life's been pretty wild lately."

"Try me," she said, crossing her arms.

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By the time they were sitting in the corner of a small café down the street, Faye realized how much she'd missed this. Jaxon hadn't changed much—same shaggy hair that was always a little too long, same laid-back attitude. But there was something different about him, too, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"So," Jaxon said, leaning back in his chair. "What's new with you? Last time we talked, you were planning on winning some poetry contest and taking over the world."

Faye rolled her eyes. "That was years ago."

"Doesn't mean it didn't happen," he said, flashing a grin. "Come on, what's been going on?"

Faye hesitated. How could she sum up the last two years in a way that made sense? The grief, the long hours spent trying to keep her family together, the way her world had started to tilt ever since Edward walked into it.

"Not much," she said finally. "Same old stuff."

Jaxon tilted his head, studying her like he could see straight through her words. He'd always had a way of doing that, which was both comforting and unnerving.

"Sure," he said after a moment, letting it go. "And here I thought you'd have some big, dramatic story for me."

"You're the one with the dramatic story," Faye said, eager to change the subject. "Why are you back in Timmins?"

Jaxon shrugged, his easygoing expression faltering just slightly. "My parents wanted to come back. Said it was time for a change, I guess. Honestly, I think they just missed the winters here."

"Yeah, because everyone misses freezing to death for half the year," Faye said with a laugh.

He laughed too, but there was something about the way he avoided her eyes that made her wonder if there was more to the story. She had known him for years, and she could tell when something wasn't right—though he didn't seem ready to talk about it.

Later that evening, Faye found herself sitting on the edge of her bed, thumbing through the pages of an old, tattered notebook she hadn't looked at in years. It was filled with her scribbled thoughts, poems, and half-formed stories from when she and Jaxon had spent their summers together—before everything had changed. She smiled faintly as she turned the pages, memories of simpler times creeping in.

One page in particular caught her eye. It was a list they had made together one afternoon when they were thirteen: "Things We'll Do When We're Older." It was ridiculous and childish, but it made her laugh nonetheless. The list had been full of things like "take a road trip to the Grand Canyon" and "buy matching motorcycles." She could almost hear Jaxon's voice in her head as she read through it, his casual tone filled with enthusiasm as he'd dreamed up all those wild plans.

Faye laughed to herself, running her fingers over the page, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her. She missed that carefree version of herself, the one who believed anything was possible.

For a moment, she thought about calling Jaxon, seeing if he wanted to hang out again soon. Maybe they could talk about the old days and see what had changed. But instead, she put the notebook down and grabbed her jacket. It wasn't time yet. Not when there were still things she wasn't ready to face.

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The next day, Faye found herself in the bookstore again, her thoughts a mix of confusion and anticipation. She couldn't stop replaying the moments with Jaxon, the way he seemed so effortlessly at ease with her, as if nothing had changed. But something had. He was different now, and she wasn't sure how to bridge the gap between who he used to be and who he had become.

When the bell above the door jingled again, Faye looked up, expecting it to be a customer. But her heart skipped a beat when she saw Jaxon standing there, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His familiar, easy grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he made his way toward the counter.

"Hey, Jax," she greeted, her voice lifting with a smile that was instinctual, though her heart beat a little faster than usual. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed seeing him until just this moment.

Jaxon smiled back, but there was something almost wistful in his eyes. "Hey, Faye. How've you been?"

"I've been good," she said, leaning against the counter as she studied him. "What about you? Settling in okay?"

"Yeah, more or less. It's a bit of an adjustment, but my family's getting used to it. Timmins isn't exactly what we expected, but it's..." He trailed off, looking around the bookstore. "It's quieter, at least."

Faye nodded, her eyes catching a glimpse of the way Jaxon shifted slightly, almost like he was holding something back. It was subtle, but she had always known when something was off with him. His easy demeanor now had a slight edge to it, and she wondered if it was because of their time apart or something deeper.

"Good to hear," she said, keeping her tone light, though her curiosity about the change in him lingered. "It's been a while since we've really caught up. Feels like forever."

Jaxon's grin returned, but this time it was tinged with something bittersweet. "Yeah, it's been too long." He paused, studying her for a moment before continuing. "You still writing?"

Faye smiled, but the question caught her off guard. "A little. Here and there. It's harder to focus sometimes with everything going on, but... yeah."

"Maybe you'll write a book one day," he teased, leaning casually against the counter. "You know, a bestseller. I bet I'll be able to say I knew you before you were famous."

Faye laughed, the sound coming out a little more relaxed than she expected. Jaxon always knew how to make her feel like things weren't so complicated, even when they were. She wanted to say something more, to ask him what had really brought him back to Timmins, but before she could, Jaxon glanced down at the book in his hand, his expression shifting again.

"Anyway, I'll let you get back to work. I'll be around—probably just browsing for a while," he said with a shrug. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, for sure," Faye said, watching him turn and walk off toward the aisles. She felt a strange pull in her chest as she turned back to the register, her mind swirling with questions. What was going on with Jaxon? He seemed like his usual self, but there was something different about the way he was acting, like he was keeping something locked away. Faye could sense it, but she didn't know how to approach it.

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By the time her shift ended, the bookstore had grown quieter, the soft hum of the fluorescent lights and the distant sound of the wind outside filling the space. Faye grabbed her bag, the weight of her thoughts settling heavily on her shoulders.

"Hey, you still good for coffee?" Jaxon's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked up to find him standing by the door, his hand resting casually on the handle.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "Let's go."

They walked in silence down the street to the café, the air crisp and cool against their skin. Faye stole a glance at Jaxon, wondering how much had changed between them in the two years since they'd last really talked. There was a quiet distance now, an unspoken barrier that neither of them acknowledged but both could feel. Maybe it was just time, the way things moved, but Faye couldn't shake the feeling that Jaxon was holding something back.

When they reached the café, they settled into a booth by the window, the warm glow of the lamps casting soft light over their table. Jaxon ordered first, then Faye followed suit. As the barista moved off to make their drinks, the silence between them stretched on.

"So, what's really been going on?" Faye asked after a beat, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer. "You've been acting kind of strange since we ran into each other."

Jaxon's eyes flicked to her for just a moment before he looked down at the table. His fingers drummed softly against the surface, a nervous habit she hadn't seen in years.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, though his voice was quieter than usual.

Faye studied him, watching the way he avoided her gaze. "You can't expect me to believe everything's fine, Jax. You're not exactly the same person I used to know."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and for the first time, Faye saw a glimpse of something unfamiliar in his eyes—an emotion she couldn't quite place.

"I'm fine," he said quickly, too quickly. "Just... getting used to things, you know?"

Faye didn't push it further, but she could tell there was more beneath the surface. Jaxon was hiding something, and for reasons she didn't fully understand, he wasn't ready to share it with her.

As they sat there, sipping their drinks, Faye couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was somehow different this time. She had always considered Jaxon a close friend, someone she could trust, but now, there was a distance between them that she couldn't ignore.

And she had a feeling that whatever he was hiding, it was only a matter of time before it came to light.

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