Chapter Text
The boat moved slowly across the water, leaving a long white wake that dissipated almost immediately.
Ramona leaned against the railing, her arms folded in front of her, her eyes fixed on the horizon. After all, she wanted to see Sterling Point. She wanted to know what it would be like. It had been almost a year since she'd set foot on the island, not since she'd left with Steven and Connor.
She'd had enough time to forget some things, or at least that's what she'd told herself. In New York, it had been easy to convince herself that Sterling Point was a thing of the past. The crowded streets, the constant noise, and the days that always seemed too short had a peculiar way of filling the void left behind.
She had studied, she had worked, she had met people, managed to build a routine, a new life of sorts. And for almost all of that year, she hadn't looked back—well, almost…
Ramona took a deep breath as the island's silhouette finally appeared in the distance. It was still just a dark mass, barely discernible between the sky and the water, but she recognized it immediately.
Her gaze remained fixed on the island as the boat continued forward.
She had imagined this moment more than once. Wondering if she would feel relief, anger, nostalgia, or perhaps nothing at all. She would have much preferred the last option.
Her eyes briefly shifted before returning to Sterling Point.
She had come back for one reason only. At the end of last summer, Annie had asked her to wait before making her decision. At first, she had thought she wouldn't be able to; she had been afraid of losing herself in a world that, at that moment, seemed intent on hurting her. And the idea of switching places with Annie had somehow calmed her. Helped her accept waiting. She had let the seasons pass. Autumn, winter, spring, and now summer had returned.
The time had come to know. The decision didn't have to be made now, not yet. She simply wanted to stay a few weeks. See the island again, fall back into her old routines, see the people she had left behind.
And above all, discover how she would feel once she was there.
Because if Sterling Point still hurt as much as it had a year earlier, then perhaps the answer had already been found.
The boat finally slowed down as it approached the dock, and Ramona remained motionless for a few seconds. Her gaze swept over the island one last time from the water. She saw the marina and, of course, a certain boat she would have preferred to forget.
Everything else seemed strangely familiar. The same trees lined the paths, the same houses were outlined behind the foliage, and even the old quay seemed unchanged.
With a sigh, she finally grabbed her bag and stepped down. When her feet touched the wooden quay, a shiver ran down her spine. She remained motionless for a few seconds, her fingers gripping the handle of her bag.
It was silly; it was just an island. She'd lived there for years. She knew every path, every turn, every spot where the ground turned muddy after the rain, and yet, she had the strange feeling of being a stranger.
Ramona quickly shook her head foolishly before forcing herself to move forward. The path to the cottage seemed shorter than she remembered, or perhaps it was simply she who had changed?
She recognized a few faces along the way; some greeted her with surprise, others with a warm smile. She made a point of responding each time, but her attention kept returning to the cottage, which was gradually appearing between the trees.
When she could distinguish the green of the cottage from the green of the trees, she slowed down. For a moment, she wondered if Annie would be there, which was completely fucking ridiculous since they had spoken the day before. Annie knew exactly what time she would arrive, but after almost a year, seeing someone who had remained close to her felt almost as strange as returning to the island itself.
Ramona finally climbed the last steps of the little path, and the cottage finally appeared before her. The facade was almost exactly as she remembered it—almost.
A new plant had been placed near the porch door, a chair had been moved under the window—a few insignificant details, yet enough to remind her that, while she was in New York, life had gone on here.
Ramona continued to observe the cottage for a few more seconds, then she took a deep breath. She hadn't yet decided if she wanted to stay; she didn't even know if she was capable of it, but for the first time in a year, she was ready to find out. She opened the porch door and noticed the hanging lights, the same ones Annie had put up for the ‘thanks for letting me stay’ party, then her gaze fell on the green door in front of her. Her hand rose slowly until she grasped the handle. She hadn't even stepped inside yet, but she recognized that scent that had once been soothing.
The moment her foot touched the wood, it creaked softly. Without bothering to close the door behind her, Ramona stepped forward, approaching the sofa that hadn't moved since she left.
"Hello?"
Footsteps echoed upstairs, then up the stairs. As soon as Ramona turned, she saw her sister, standing motionless in the middle of the staircase. For a second, neither of them spoke, then Annie's face lit up.
"Oh god! Y-you, you're here!" She practically ran down the last few steps before stopping in front of her. For a split second, Annie seemed to simply look at her, as if she needed to make sure she was really there, then she hugged her. "You're really here!"
"Yeah," Ramona breathed, dropping her bag to the floor. "I'm here," she finally said, hugging her sister back.
And for the first time since leaving New York, she genuinely smiled.
Annie's arms tightened, her fingers closing around Ramona's jacket, as if she were afraid she might disappear. "I missed you so, sooo much."
Ramona leaned a little closer to her sister. "I’ve m—"
"So much has happened since you left!" Annie added, having slid her hands down to Ramona's wrists, stepping back slightly to get a good look at her, "Did you know there's a family of raccoons that lives next door, like, like real raccoons and when I say next door, I mean literally!" Her eyes began to shine, as if some things could stay the way they were. "One morning, Ellis and I went out to go canoeing, and they were there, like, right there and—"
Ramona chuckled. "Whoa…" She looked at her sister, who seemed to be reliving the whole thing for the first time. "I'm very excited to listen to all of your stories, I really am, but I'm fucking starving. So, how about some mac n cheese and then a long afternoon of incessant talking?"
Annie nodded several times before finally releasing Ramona. She waved one hand before letting her fall back to her side. "Yeah, yeah! Except… um, I, like, forgot to go grocery shopping, so…" She finished with a click of her tongue, her gaze slightly averted from Ramona's.
"What? You'd rather spend your time making friends with your raccoons now?" the younger sister retorted sarcastically.
"Ah, ah…" Annie placed a hand on her hip. "I really think you've been spending too much time with Connor."
"Ouch…" Ramona breathed softly, feigning injury.
"Was it too much?" Annie asked with a half-smile.
Ramona curled a corner of her lip into a doubtful pout and shook her head slightly, a silent way of letting Annie know she agreed with her question.
"Yeah, yeah... That's true, sorry," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Shall we go? Or would you rather wait here?"
Ramona frowned, looking slightly lost. "Go where?"
"Um, to get some food?" she said, turning her answer into a question.
"Yeah, hmm-hmm." Ramona nodded probably too many times before continuing, "I don't want to risk starving to death because you ran aground on an island while driving the boat."
Annie laughed heartily, and for a moment, Ramona felt as if she'd never left. The two sisters wasted no time; they headed back down the path from the cottage to the lower dock.
Needless to say, Ramona was relieved when Annie explained that Joe had lent her one of his boats so she could travel freely without having to go to the marina every single time.
The trip to Carling point went smoothly. Ramona had been in charge of the helm, and it took her no more than two seconds to realize how much she'd missed driving a boat. That feeling of freedom, the wind after each acceleration, the smell of water mixed with engine gas.
As soon as they stepped through the shop doors, a high-pitched squeal ripped through the ambient hubbub. Looking up towards the back of the store, they spotted Sully.
A huge grin spread across his face as he frantically waved his hands before exclaiming, "Ra-Ramona!" Without a care in the world, he left the back of the cash register to come and meet them halfway through the store. He stopped right in front of them, arms wide open. "I, I, I can't believe you're here now!" He took a step forward. "Can I give you a hug?"
Ramona smiled at him before stepping forward. "Are you really going to wait for my permission after crossing the whole store like that?"
Sully rushed to hug her before stepping back, his eyes still filled with surprise and joy. "I'm so glad to see you," he said, pausing for a moment to look at Annie. "You too, Annie baby, it's just that…"
"Yes, yes, I know," she replied immediately, her eyes still so expressive. "I had the exact same reaction, then," she added with a happy giggle.
Sully smiled, then his attention returned to Ramona. "When did you arrive? What was New York like? Oh god, I need all the details!"
"Easy now," Ramona retorted with a laugh. "I just got here."
"Sorry, I got carried away."
"Stop apologizing," Ramona said, taking Sully's forearms in her hands. "And I don't plan on leaving anytime soon, so we'll have plenty of time, but right now, I'm fucking starving."
Sully glanced sideways at Annie, who wasted no time in explaining herself. "Um, I... I kind of forgot to go grocery shopping.
"Yeah, she's too busy with those raccoons," Ramona added with a smile.
"Ramona! It's not—"
"Raccoon…" Sully muttered, not understanding a word of the conversation.
"We, we just came to buy food," Annie quickly added, clearly not wanting to explain the raccoons' situation.
Sully's bewildered expression quickly transformed into a smile as he gave a little jump for joy. "You've come to the right place. Let me give you one of my charcuterie platters—it's a real treat!" He turned swiftly, already heading toward the back room. "Take whatever you need, it's on the house!" he called out before disappearing.
Instinctively, the two sisters exchanged a glance. A smile graced each of their lips. They browsed the shop, carefully selecting each item, making sure to grab a few boxes of mac n cheese before heading to the register, where Sully was waiting for them, all smiles.
"So, I've wrapped up the charcuterie platter for you, and I've made sure to leave you a bottle of white wine—excellent, especially with the Muskoka bliss," he said, beginning to bag the items in the basket that Ramona had just placed on the counter.
"It's too much, you know," sighed Annie, helping him by handing him one of the boxes.
"Nothing is too much for my Ramona. Consider this a welcome back gift."
"Thanks, Sully,"
He looked up at Ramona, who hadn't lost her smile. "It's a pleasure. Enjoy your reunion day because starting tomorrow, I forbid you two to stay together. I have some gossip to catch up on," he said, handing them the two bags.
Each of them grabbed a bag and thanked Sully before leaving the shop to return to the boat tied up at the dock a little further on. The return trip to the cottage was uneventful. It wasn't long before Ramona was in front of the stove, waiting for the water to heat up, an already opened box of mac n cheese in her hand.
Annie was cleaning the plates and utensils that had been sitting in the sink for a while. "I know I've asked you this before, but…" Her eyes left the fork and landed on her sister nearby. "Do you like New York? I mean, did you enjoy it there?"
"Yeah."
The speed with which Ramona had answered surprised Annie slightly. "Really?"
"Yeah, it's kind different from here, obviously, but I like New York." Her eyes fixed on the water that hadn't yet started boiling. "There's always something to do. Nobody really cares what you're doing. You can disappear into the crowd if you want, you know."
Now holding a plate, Annie spoke. "And do you like that? Disappearing?"
Ramona smiled slightly before turning to her sister. "Sometimes."
"You can talk to me, you know, about, about anything. I'm here for you," Annie added, her voice softer.
"Yeah, I know."
The water started boiling at that moment. Ramona took the packet of cheese powder out of the box and then began pouring in the noodles.
"Be careful, hot water."
Ramona laughed, her head shaking slightly. "It's not the first time I've cooked."
Even from behind, she knew Annie was smiling and watching her. Probably because she thought she'd end up dropping the cauldron of hot water on her.
Wooden spoon in hand, she made large circles in the cauldron, mixing the pasta and water more thoroughly. "Is everything going well with Ellis? I mean, are you still in the honeymoon phase?"
"You mean, did he drag me across the floor again to kiss me in the closet?" Annie retorted, remembering the moment she'd first told Ramona.
"Yeah," Ramona turned, wooden spoon in the air, pointing at her sister, "Exactly," her smile the same as it had been a year ago.
Annie placed a knife against the counter before turning completely around, her small back against the edge of the sink. "I think I've finally figured out who I am in this kind of situation, and I love it."
"Who's the one with sparks in their eye now?"
Annie caught her sister's teasing gaze and couldn't help but blush. "Shut up," she muttered, turning abruptly back to the sink. Her cheeks remained high, locked in a blissful, goofy smile she couldn't wipe off.
Ramona had started stirring the water again when she heard her sister's voice once more.
"And you?"
"Me?"
"Have you met someone?"
"Someone?" repeated the younger sister, her spoon now motionless.
"You know what I mean."
Her eyes were fixed on the bubbles slowly rising to the surface of the water. "No," she paused for a moment, "I was busy."
"Hmm," was all she heard.
Annie quickly finished washing the dishes and began to tell her story about the raccoon family in detail. Ramona listened from beginning to end, truly engrossed in the tale. During this exchange, Annie set out the platter of charcuterie and cheese, followed by two glasses of wine, while Ramona finished mixing the powder and milk for the macaroni.
And just a few minutes later, they were sitting across from each other, savoring every second as they reminisced about their past year.
Annie was the one who told the most stories. She talked about Ellis, Sully, and all the little things that had changed since Ramona had left. She poured what was left of the wine bottle into each of their glasses before speaking again. "My first day on the boat, right at the beginning of spring, the boat just, broke down, right in the middle of the lake. The boat drifted, for a really long time… I was sure I was going to die alone, swallowed by the freezing water, a real Titanic remake."
Ramona laughed, her wine glass in hand. "How did you manage to get back?"
"Oona," Annie blurted out before abruptly stopping. "Shit, sorry Ramona, I..."
Ramona finished her sip before gently shaking her head, her brows slightly furrowed. "No, no, it's fine." Her gaze settled on her sister, who seemed genuinely concerned. "You don't need to apologize."
Annie remained silent for a few seconds, observing her sister's face as if trying to determine if she was truly telling the truth.
"How did she find you?" Ramona's voice broke the silence.
"She was on her boat," she replied, her voice softer. "She towed my boat to the dock and stayed with me until we figured out what was wrong."
Ramona gently swirled her glass between her fingers. "She hasn't changed."
"Not really," she took a moment to swallow before adding, "Well, maybe, maybe a little."
Ramona raised her eyebrows slightly. "What do you mean?" The words came out before she could even think about it.
Annie barely shrugged. "I don't know, I, I'd say she's more, um, calmer maybe."
Ramona didn't answer right away. Her gaze drifted down to her plate. "Is she okay?"
Annie looked at her for a few seconds. "Yes," a small smile appeared on her face, as if she were trying to reassure her. "She's fine."
Ramona simply nodded and took another bite of her mac n cheese.
The rest of their conversation was lighter. Ramona recounted a few anecdotes from her time with Connor, followed by some of the trouble they got themselves into before getting out of it. Annie blurted out, "I'm going to kill him!" or "I can't believe he's my twin!" and each time, Ramona laughed.
Then they finished their wine and their plates. The afternoon was drawing to a close, but even so, Annie had no intention of ending the day so quickly.
"You know what?"
Ramona looked up at her sister, her plate in hand. "What?"
Annie took Ramona's plate, stacked it on top of hers, and placed them in the sink. "It's much too nice out to be cooped up inside."
Ramona glanced briefly out the window. The sun wasn't as high anymore, but it was still there. "What you suggest?"
"A walk."
"A walk? Seriously?" A soft laugh escaped her lips. "Are you going to introduce me to your forest friends?"
"Oh, please. I know you're dying to see them." Annie crossed her arms, her playful gaze fixed on her sister.
"Oh hell yeah."
"I knew it!" Annie's smile automatically brought a smile to Ramona's face, and she headed for the outside door.
"Come on, before I change my mind."
"But there are still things on the table!" Annie exclaimed, craning her neck to try and see Ramona.
"Later!"
With a soft sigh, Annie went to join Ramona, who was waiting for her by the screen door leading out of the porch.
As they started walking toward the forest path, Ramona finally spoke. "I'm starting to think you really want me to see those raccoons."
"N-no, we're just walking."
"You know I know the island like the back of my hand?"
"Yes, that's precisely why I agreed to walk in this forest so late in the day."
Ramona raised an eyebrow. "So you're using me?"
“No,” Annie quickly grabbed Ramona’s arm, “I’m just spending time with my sister.”
Ramona glanced down at Annie’s arm, still clasped to hers, before smiling. “You know you don’t have to hold my arm, right?”
“Yes, I know, but,” she paused, observing the surrounding trees, “I’d rather not risk getting lost.”
Ramona chuckled and continued walking, letting her sister touch her arm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
They walked for quite a while. Ramona had really taken her role as guide seriously, showing Annie as many places as possible and sharing a few childhood memories here and there. The more time passed, the more Ramona thought that this place wasn’t so bad after all. That maybe, just maybe, she could live here. She no longer felt the pressure and tension in her body that had been present since her departure from the New York airport.
She felt calm, serene, in a place she knew and loved.
They were now walking near the lake, not far from the Sterling Point marina.
"I don't want to be too cheesy," Annie began, her hands gripping the cuffs of her long sleeves, "But I've missed this."
Ramona looked at her.
"You know, being with you, being able to talk to you, about everything," she finally said.
Ramona smiled at her immediately. "Yeah, me too."
The horizon was now dotted with pink, orange, and navy blue, the sun completely veiled by the lake's water.
"I think we should go back now."
Annie nodded immediately, but her shifty eyes betrayed her.
"What?"
"Do you mind if, like, we make a little detour to the marina? I have something to pick up there."
Ramona watched her questioningly.
"Ellis fixed the collie lamp, you know, Mom's."
"I didn't know it had broken again."
"Yes, well, um..." stammered the older sister, definitely not ready to be asked about it.
"Annie?" Ramona asked with an even more curious smile.
She rolled her eyes, trying not to look Ramona directly in the eyes, "Let's just say... she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Now I'm even more curious."
"Let’s just unpack that later." Then she started walking faster, pulling ahead of Ramona.
"Slow down, you'll get lost," Ramona's voice echoed from the lake, but Annie wasn't about to slow down.
"I can't hear you!"
"Yes, you fucking do!"
Ramona eventually followed Annie a little further back, but after only a few minutes, they met at the marina. Annie started walking towards the main building while Ramona waited below, close to the dock.
Although her gaze was fixed on Annie, she couldn't help but think about the boat a few meters behind, illuminating the dock with multicolored lights. Without realizing it, she began tapping her heel lightly, and her hands started to clench around each other.
The day had passed without a hitch, and she fully intended for it to end the same way.
Yet, the longer she stayed there, the more that strange tension returned.
Ramona turned her head slightly, observing the boat for a few seconds before looking away. She took a deep breath, trying to convince herself there was no reason to react this way. She knew Oona lived here; Annie had mentioned her at dinner, and she'd even been able to say her name without her voice trembling.
So why did it feel like her heart was pounding so hard against her chest?
She crossed her arms, then uncrossed them almost immediately. Her heel continued to tap softly against the wooden dock.
She just needed to calm down. It was just a boat for God’s sake, just a place she knew, just a memory.
The sound of footsteps behind her, however, made her straighten up. Ramona stopped moving immediately.
She heard indistinct voices approaching, accompanied by lighter footsteps on the wooden dock. Her gaze remained fixed ahead for a few more seconds, as if a part of her refused to turn around.
Then a familiar voice rose behind her.
"Mona…"
Her heart seemed to stop. Her eyes closed briefly before she turned.
Oona was standing a few steps away, Maple at her side.
For a second, Ramona completely lost control of everything. She finally opened her mouth, but no words came out immediately.
Oona hadn't moved; her gaze was fixed on her.
Then finally, in a voice much weaker than she intended, Ramona said, "Hey."