We leaned against Hannah's car, idly breaking off bits of cotton candy to share between the three of us. The parking lot had a glittery view of the lit-up rollercoasters, rides, and glow-in-the-dark memorabilia held by people peeling out of the entrance. As night fell in Canada's Wonderland, a lurkwarm November breeze tousled our hair. Tai brushed his bangs from his eyes. Hannah rescued her wavy locks into a ponytail. I spat out my hair strands before hooking a gloved finger to tuck them beneath my jacket collar. Another raindrop appeared on my cheek, and I warily observed the overcast sky. Having the same thought, Tai held out his palm.

"The rain's stopped," he said thoughtfully, "but it'll start up again in an hour. I have my umbrella though."

"I thought you can't drive in the rain? We don't mind driving you home as long as you're safe," I told him, concerned.

"The rain isn't supposed to be that bad, and I don't mind waiting outside."

I admired his patience. "That solves the guessing-game, then. Either we're waiting for one more hour, or Danielle and the others get drenched without us." 

Hannah smiled. "I'm sure they're still at the arcade. Eddy and Ella are having the time of their lives, and Tomas seems competitive."

She leaned her head and waved. A car beeped behind me. I followed her gaze to where Vihan and his fathers were getting in their car, ready to go home. Emmanuel seemed to have patched things up with Vihan. After learning that Hannah planned to pass down ownership of her business to Emmanuel, I had wondered if that was the reason why Vihan acted on edge. I sensed a disconnect between their personal interests. The root of the matter was likely far deeper than that. Whatever it was, we were happy to explore Canada's Wonderland together. I hadn't had the chance to properly thank Vihan for finding me, or thank Emmanuel for giving me the vase of pumpkin spice potpourri that was left at my condo's doorstep. The arrangement reminded me of a three-tier cake, and I want to ask where he learned the art of potpourri. If it were any other day, would Emmanuel, who I was not necessarily close to, do something so thoughtful? But I resolved to not leave it alone. I needed to make my feelings clear, instead of avoiding them. Once I returned home, I promised myself.

Home could wait. Sharing cotton candy between myself, Tai and Hannah was equally relaxing. Actually, the entire day was spent just unwinding with friends. Like Tomas suggested, the falsely predicted rain—a lucky guess on our part; what would we have done if there were showers?—had discouraged the weekend crowd. Ella and Eddy were free to run amok without getting lost among hundreds of other park goers. We took our time riding rollercoasters, wandering the expansive park grounds, and munching on deep fried food. It wasn't all perfect. By the day's end, my butt was damp from the soaked rollercoaster seats. But was one of the most memorable days I've had, spent with people I cared about. People that cared about me.

Fortunately, it wasn't too cold for us to crawl back in our cars just yet. While we waited for the others, Hannah, Tai and I exchanged snippets of conversations—echoes of what had transpired in the park, but repeating them made the experience more real. Bafflingly, Hannah preferred the dizzying rides that spun you until your brain was reduced to scrambled eggs. Tai had a hidden talent for whack-a-mole that was slightly concerning; he didn't miss a single mole despite the ridiculous speed, and won a small Pokémon plushie at the end. My greatest achievement was riding the Leviathan with my hands in the air—though as Hannah noted, I would not have done so if it wasn't for my co-workers' dare.

Now we lapsed into silence. The adrenaline hadn't quite worn off yet. My mind buzzed with the fading excitement like summer fireflies. Sneaking a glance at Tai's shadow, I hoped he felt the same. He rocked on the balls of his feet, occasionally throwing his plushie in the air—Charmander was its name; a small fire dinosaur—before catching it. I was surprised when Tai accepted my invitation. Amusement parks tended to be boisterous. But Tai said that with the rain and reduced crowd, the sensory feedback was refreshing rather than overwhelming. Besides, he wanted to see as much of the Greater Toronto Area as he could, he'd explained to me. He was staying for a music gig. He wasn't inclined to talk more about the job itself. When I asked, he steered the topic to music theory before lapsing into pensive quiet.

"Hey Tai," I said. He nodded. "When you suggested that I should talk to my family, you were only trying to make me feel better. But I didn't think of that at the moment. Instead, I snapped at you, and didn't properly apologize. I was rude. I'm sorry.

He stopped throwing his plushie. He fiddled with its fire-tipped tail. "What changed your mind?"

"Reflection. And taking your advice. In the past, people often implied that it was my fault, for the way that my family was. That I was wrong for cutting them off. Then conversations would become less frequent, more awkward, and more judgmental. I was afraid that was going to happen again, with you," I murmured. "But when I thought about it, you were the first to see that in a different light. Instead of accepting it as it was, you suggested what I haven't tried before. I did. And now I think I'm in a better place. So I'm sorry. And thank you."

He took it all in. I wondered if my apology sounded sappy, or worse, ingenuine. Out the corner of my eye, Tai stared intently at the ground. Finally he said, "It's okay."

"Is it really?"

Tai relaxed. "You're right. I'm still hurt a little. I was worried I said something wrong, but I didn't know what, or why. The way you phrased your situation made it sound so painful. To be honest it got me thinking. What if I wasn't seeing my family as what it actually was? To me everything's fine, but it's like other people resent me for saying that. But thanks. I accept your apology. What's going to happen with your father now?" he asked suddenly.

Good question. "We're figuring out where my father is going to live. After the house is completely sold—long story, there was an old relative's house that stressed me out—with that money, we're thinking of going to a therapist. One that understands our situation."

Dad had refused my offer to let him stay at my condo. He assured me that his and Mom's schedules were like night and day, and there was no need to let her know this was happening. Yet. The worry swished around in my chest like Meabh's tail when she stalked an unsuspecting squirrel. I smiled, reminded of Dad's reaction when he saw her. Meabh had sniffed his fist before licking it. He joked that she must like chicken, and that was how I knew we were on the right path.

So many uncertainties. So many things I had yet to plan for.

"I hope you find a good therapist," said Tai. "They're hard to come by, and they can be deceptive too. It'll take some time."

"True."

That was if I could fully convince Dad. I wanted to make sure he wouldn't back out of it once started. It was one step at a time. We planned to visit Allison's grave together. Her anniversary was near Christmas, but Dad insisted on going early, so by Christmastime we only had good stories to share. Hopefully.

Tai resumed throwing the Charmander plushie in the air. I wanted to thank him for coming over. I wanted to have a more meaningful conversation with him, and figure out where we both stood on the subject of dating. Most of all, my question burned: Was he a mind-reader? Something along those lines? But if so, he would have picked up my curiosity by now. Or I would have blurted it out thanks to his power. Perhaps. He was still quiet. He might feel uncomfortable with Hannah's quiet presence. Or he wasn't ready to discuss it so soon. But he hadn't walked back to his own car yet, so I assumed the best-case scenario in that he felt comfortable with us. For that I was glad. The edges of my lips spread like wings.

To my left, Hannah nudged me with a conspiratorial smile, to which I responded with a tilt of my head. One thing at a time Ask him if you want to know.

Hannah shrugged with a teasing pout. I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress giggling. "I'm happy for you," she mouthed.

I wasn't convinced the rift between myself and Tai was completely healed. Besides, this wasn't a date. Or a day to broach the subject. We were at Canada's Wonderland, and we wanted to have fun together. This was perfect.

Hannah plucked a blue tuft of cotton candy from mine. "Nora, have you considered pursuing art as a career?"

I blinked. "I thought of it as a hobby. Besides, my job has enough art in it."

Hannah leaned back. "I was just thinking. You seem a lot happier when you draw things that aren't related to your job. But to yourself. I am convinced it's more than just a temporary phase thanks to your aunt. It's as if she inspired you to get creative. No, more than that. So you could express yourself, in a healthy manner, instead of overworking. I don't want you to faint again. It's scary."

She was beyond the point of believing it had been due to my hypothyroidism, and my stupidity. I tilted my head, pretending to consider it. "I'm not giving up my job. I love it there. But if it'll make you happy, I'll try to paint more."

"If it makes you happy, then yes, do it," she said with a smile. "Give yourself the strength to keep going."

"I will. Promise." I could barely contain my smile. I remembered having this exact same talk oh-so-long ago, only Hannah was the one wrought with uncertainty. In the end I convinced her that despite what was expected for a confectionary, she should run her business in the way she wanted it to. In the way she was passionate about her life's investment.

To my right, Tai stopped humming to ask, "Is that Danielle?"

"No idea," I said, following his finger. "They don't seem to be—"

"Auntie, just ONE MORE GAME!"

"Pleaaaaaaaase?"

"Nevermind," I said, laughing, as Tomas, Alek and Danielle emerged with her cousins clinging to her arms.

Alek rubbed his forehead. "Happy now? I told you, parks aren't my type of thing."

"Now you can say that," Danielle replied as Ella tugged on her arm. "And besides, I know you had some fun. Ella dear, what now?"

"I don't want to go home," she whispered.

"If you like it so much, we can come back again."

"Yes!" Ella and Eddy chorused.

Tai squirmed. "I should probably get home now. It was fun. Thanks for inviting me, and see you guys later."

We waved each other goodbye. "Bye, Tai!"

Tomas scratched his head. "Well, we better get going, too. I have heaploads of laundry to do tomorrow. See you guys."

Alek nodded. "Night, everyone."

"Bye Hannah! Bye, Nora! Today was a blast!" Danielle called before chasing her cousins to her car. Soon, Hannah and I were left in the parking lot.

"Are you sure about Tai?" Hannah asked, nodding to Tai's car as he backed out of the parking spot. "You might not get another chance."

Just hearing his name made my lips twitch upwards. It was an effort to keep my face straight. My fingers still tingled with nerves. Stammering out an incoherent request was surely worse than not asking him out at this very instant.

"I'm sure. Besides, he came to have fun today. I don't want to ruin that."

"You don't ruin anything, Nora. You're perfect. But I trust your decision. Update me, okay?" Hannah winked.

"Only if it grows into something more."

She rolled her eyes but let it slide.

France. In one year, give or take, Hannah would be moving back. In the meantime, I would savour moments like these. To live in the present, not in the past. My Unlocked memories weren't an omen for what couldn't be undone. They stood to prove that unlike before, I had every chance at my fingertips. To do something different. And that was how I could truly move forward.

The End.

Stick around for the author's note and announcements for the sequel. Wattpad is glitching but I couldn't wait to share this last chapter with you. Love you all.