Waiting for Autumn

by J.A. DeRouen

No amount of distance can separate a love that started with pigtails and skinned knees. No amount of time can erase a feeling that’s as ingrained as breathing.

With a belly full of Pop Rocks and a heart set on fairy tales, my lashes flutter shut, and I surrender to him.

Home. Autumn will always be home to me.

A love this strong was never meant to end.

I’ve opened the door today. Now I only need to get her to walk through it. And I’ll wait for that day. I’ll always wait for Autumn.

We’ve lived a lifetime of memories in the making, and tonight feels like the culmination of every kiss, touch, and secret we’ve shared.

In a flash, I see it all again. Dirty feet and clasped hands … skinned knees and broken curfews … faint whispers and broken promises.

loving her was like a golden thread of memories woven into the deepest part of me.

Autumn is the story I’ve known my entire life. Aria? She is a revelation.

How can I be so right and so wrong, all at the same time?” “Because real life doesn’t come with a rule book and red pen, Autumn. There are five thousand different explanations on the way from right to wrong, and most things fall somewhere in between the two.

“Love doesn’t always look like you think it should. Doesn’t make it any less real.”

“You’re the only thing I’ve ever believed in, and when it really counted, I couldn’t trust myself to know the truth.

“Come on now, Autumn, when did we ever need to make plans? You and me? We just are.”

Some wrongs can never be made right. Some wrongs are bigger than forgiveness.”

It’s a tangled mess of hope and heartbreak. Who will win out in the end is anyone’s guess. But I’ve always been a dreamer, and when it comes to Autumn and me, I’ve always dreamed big.

His touch is healing. His kiss a promise for the future. My heart will accept nothing less.

“I’d have waited forever for you, Autumn.” “I think we’ve waited long enough.”

Even when it hurt too much to think about, I never could push the thought completely away. It was always happening. It was always forever.”