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June 16 - June 21, 2025
I just preferred the company of characters in books and getting lost in whatever world I was imagining versus my reality.
“Meet Me in the Vines.” My voice is just above a whisper. My eyes stay on the inscription as I hear Donovan slowly walk up the steps, caging me in from behind, resting his hand on top of mine. “The story goes that my great grandmother would sneak out late at night to meet my great grandfather here.”
I look in the mirror, not recognizing the girl staring back. Her strawberry blonde hair is now covered with semi-permanent brown hair dye because that’s what he wants. Her green eyes are sunken and dark, no longer bright and beaming. Bruises pepper her skin from a man who claims to love her. She’s lost her spirit, her strength. She’s lost herself.
green. I know these eyes, but there’s a brokenness in them I don’t recognize. The protector in me wants to kill anyone who had a part in breaking her.
I’m searching for Audrey in there, but I can’t find her. I’m desperate to see a glimmer of her spirit, the one that captivated my heart that unforgettable night. “Hey, talk to me?” I say with a gentleness, and when her eyes open, I catch a glimpse of that glimmer. There’s my girl.
Audrey is home, and this time, I’m not stopping until I win back her heart.
For the last ten years, I’ve been building my wall brick by brick to shut out any residual feelings for the boy who broke my heart. But now here he is, effortlessly dismantling what I’ve worked so hard to build until I have nowhere left to hide. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold up. One more look from those ocean blues and I am completely done for.
But it showed me that the feisty, playful, free-spirited girl I knew was still in there. She can try to hide it with hair dye and heavy makeup. But I see her.
Just two kids who never got the chance to love each other to the fullest. And god, I want that chance again.
“Time heals our grief, but that doesn’t mean we forget. I fucking miss him, too. I know he was your best friend…”
God, I dream about her laugh.
“I want you to be surprised when we get to the front of the shop. Close your eyes. Please?”
My arms snake around her waist from behind, and her breath hitches. I expect her to throw me off, but she doesn’t. I lean my chin on her shoulder and breathe in her sweet, floral skin. “I hope you like what we did in there. You know, for Violet,”
“I love it. Thank you, Donovan.” Anything for you, Mouse. “You’re welcome.”
embrace. Why did I ever want to leave? Twenty-four hours here and my heart feels like it’s slowly piecing itself back together,
I know this song. I know this melody. I look down at my feet, trying to remember where I know it from. My chest squeezes the moment I realize. I look up and Donovan is staring straight into my eyes. Make It With You. The song we danced to the night at his graduation party. The night that changed my life.
“If I died this second, and that was the last thing I heard before I go, I’d die a happy man.”
“Fuck it,” he growls out. His lips crash into mine and the years of heartache, loss, and anger quickly melt away.
“Audrey, I’ve been dreaming about this kiss every day for the last ten years. I dreamed of the day when I could taste you again, feel your body against mine.”
“What are you doing? Why are you stopping? Don’t you want me?” I whimper, slightly offended.
You hurt me, Donovan. You took away my virginity, and you fucking left me there thinking that night meant something more to you!” He opens his mouth to say something, but I hold my hand up to his face. “No! I’m talking. You used me and then never spoke to me again. I waited for you and you didn’t even have the decency to call or text or, god forbid, break it off in person! You told me you wanted me. You wanted the summer together. You said all of those things. And you FUCKED up!”
When his eyes lock onto mine, a single tear falls down his cheek, shattering my heart into tiny fragments all over the parking lot. He trudges to his truck, the gravel crunching under his boots, ignites the engine and pulls away.
“You can’t tell me that there still isn’t something between us. The second we saw each other, you knew it wasn’t over.”
“Tell me, Audrey. Are you happy in New York? Are you happy with him?” I ask breathlessly. “Because I see you. I see it in your eyes. They’re so beautiful, but broken.”
“Stay. Please stay with me. Don’t go back,”
Losing Audrey once nearly broke me. Losing her again might just finish the job.
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t escape you. And I don’t think I ever want to…”
Do I love her? Do I think about her every second of every day? Do I live for her laugh, her smile, the way she says my name? Do I love the way she fits in my arms, and how we touch and play? I love her. I love Audrey. “I do, Noah. I really do.”
I’ll follow you anywhere. As long as I’m with you. Take me away.
“You are the realest thing that has ever happened to me, Mouse. You changed my life that night. I never should have let you go,”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I vow to protect you, to keep you safe. Please. Can you forgive me? Come home with me?” he asks with teary eyes. “Yes and yes,”
She curls her index finger toward herself, beckoning me to come. And that’s all it takes. I fucking run.
“Say it again,”
“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you,”
