it wouldnât be the first time someone encountered a surprise companion amongst the fruits & vegetables  â in this or any other store. isaac comforted himself with that very fact, in a small town like hillston it was very, very likely that one should run into their exesâ mother. was zara his ex? had they been boyfriend and girlfriend? he found himself then preoccupied with any number of questions, dissecting their fight, analysing their reunion at the circus. did he have a reason to be cautious around veronica? after all, how much would zara have told her mother? most of their activities hadnât been safe for parentâs ears, but maybe there was something to be learned in talking to her. he wanted the reassurance that heâd meant something, that he still had a chance, even if it was slim. one didnât get many chances with someone like zara  â who could easily draw in any number of people with her smile and contrasted ferocity, and he knew heâd blown his first. he didnât plan on blowing a second. he wasnât a fast learner, in that respect, but when he did  â he remembered. when veronicaâs hand extended he took it and shook firmly, standing that bit straighter as her gaze swept over him. he was thankful he hadnât worn what heâd initially planned on wearing, opting for jeans and a henley instead, for at least he looked like an adult. sweats and a singlet didnât scream worthy of oneâs daughter, did it? âzaraâs talked about me?â his face lit up and he smiled, âwell, i hope it was all good things.â truly. âlikewise, veronica. iâm sorry we havenât met sooner, i admit iâve been a bit reclusive the last week or so.â his smile widened at her laugh and the corners of his eyes crinkled, for the first time in that week. it seemed the calloway had something in common, infectious brightness.
âoh, just some staples. iâve been⌠neglecting this side of the store so i need to get back on top of things.â heâd always prided himself on his physical strength  â for while he hadnât been a sporty kid, necessarily, heâd always been fit. ate his greens, drank enough water, it was only in recent months with the divorce coming to light that heâd fallen into bad habits. his boxing bag in the garage and the gym membership had both fallen to the wayside, if only for a week, but he needed to jump back into it. and soon. he looked at her and his brows rose, âoh, we mustâve just missed each other. i was there with my siblings a few nights, but i found it all a bit overwhelming if iâm honest.â he shrugged loosely, desperately wanting to avoid thinking about the brief flare of hope zara had lit in him. all doe-eyed and mournful of their previous conversation. looking so angelic beneath the circus lights. his heart twisted and he bit his bottom lip before blurting out, âhow is zara? iâve been meaning toâŚâ apologise. tell her how i feel. i love you, i love you, i love you. âiâm afraid our conversation at the circus got cut short. iâd hoped we could finish it.âÂ
nice handshake, veronica noted as she continued to assess the young man. she nodded then, winking, âall good things, i swear.â or barely anything, but, again, isaac didnât need to know that. she waved him off, âoh, donât worry about it- i know how things are- plus, for some reason, my daughter doesnât quite like me trying to be too involved in her life. you know how it is!â she let out an amused laugh, and that much was true. zara had obviously been reluctant to tell her about isaac and troy, much like, she assumed, a normal mother and daughter pair. not that she would know anything about that, but she could guess.Â
veronica patted his shoulder, a familiar gesture- a way to endear herself, âhey, a cheat week is fine, plus, youâre young. you have awhile until your metabolism fails.â she joked, eyes moving to look at the array of produce beside them, âfinding good produce is a lot of work sometimes- i mean, no necessarily in a town like this, but itâs still sometimes a chore.â hillston offered plenty of options. it wasnât like before, when she was young, when zara was young, and they would just take what they could get. any food, it didnât wanter what as long as there was something in their stomachs. it was almost insane, now, how different it was. how she could have some dumb conversation about produce in an affluent town in front of a trough of organic oranges- everything seemed to be organic. more expensive, fancier. though, veronica figured she deserved it after all her years of suffering and fighting tooth and nail.Â
she tilted her head slightly in understanding, âit was a little much. we didnât stay for long.â her interest was thoroughly piqued, though, as isaac continued. the way he stopped, trailed off a bit. what had happened? she wouldnât ask him, but she would sure as hell try to get it out of her daughter, âsheâs alright.â was she though? the blonde wasnât sure. veronica grinned, âsheâs been spending a lot more time out of the house, honestly. work and whatnot.â with troy? she wasnât sure. but, apparently, not with isaac, âyou should, though! finish your conversation, i mean. it couldnât hurt.â she pursed her lips slightly. she didn't hate this boy so far, but she far from trusted him, âjust donât hurt her.â a warning, in all seriousness.Â