STARTER FOR / @mintings !
tara hasn't sold a house in this side of town basically ever . but as soon as she'd stepped out of the car , the deja vu had hit her like a deep smog . she'd spent forty minutes , distracted , talking to the owner about what needed to be done to get it showcase ready for open home inspections . the entire time , all she'd been able to think about was just down the street was the boxing ring that used to be her life . and further down from that : ALTON BEACH . she turned her back on this town decades ago , but it always lingered , like a distant lover's touch . waiting . wanting . AFTERWARDS , TARA WANDERS DOWN TO ALTON . because of course she does . it's overcast , shitty weather , and the sand is cold , but tara remembers how nice it used to be to watch the sunrise , after a late night out . remembers even more how they'd strip down to nothing and run into the water . the very idea now makes her shiver . SHE'S NOT THAT GIRL ANYMORE . good riddance . thank god for that . but she left a lot of people and things behind . when she turns , she isn't surprised to see a mirage of the man she used to be in love with ( would have done anything for . only to realise he wouldn't have done anything for her ) . when she blinks , she realises it isn't a mirage , or a hazy memory . HE'S ALIVE , is her first thought . HE'S OLDER , is her second . tara ducks her head , heart picking up its pace immediately , like a pavlovian response . she hopes to god he hasn't seen her as she begins shuffling through the sand faster , further away . away , away .
