Without a Hitch

by Avery Maxwell

“It’s not that I felt left out. I just didn’t feel like I fit in. There’s a difference.”

That’s the thing about true friends—even in our darkest times, we’re there for each other.

“Jesus, Tilly. You’re so stubborn. We’ve always known you won’t be my assistant forever. You’re too talented for that, but why must you venture out on your own? We just want to help, you know?” “I do know, and I appreciate it. But when you grow up learning how to survive, not thrive, at some point, you have to stop simply surviving and make your own path.”

I have an uncomfortable feeling that she could harness the sun and bring me to my knees in one fell swoop.

“You’re fiery, Pepper. Sprightly. A sassy little pixie who gets shit done, and I find that sexy as fuck.”

A heavy, painful sigh escapes my lips. Much too painful to be directed at a one-night stand, that’s for sure. Staring into his bewildered blue eyes, I open my heart to him. “I’ve been searching for the fairy tale my whole life. I need the happily ever after. I deserve the happily ever after, and I won’t settle for anything less.

Dreams are meant to change. We’re not stagnant or paper dolls. If the dreams we have as children don’t adjust to the changes in our life, they’re just that. Dreams.

You’re not guaranteed a future, but you do have today. Start livin’ for today and build a future on the happiness that brings.”

“You’re going to crush me.” My words are barely a whisper. They’re as fragile as my heart, and he knows it. “I’m going to make you mine.” I gasp, and he grins.

You’re hearing the words, but you’re not feeling them. Music is meant to be heard in a way that feeds your soul. Simply understanding the words is not the same as experiencing the music, and that makes me think you need to learn how to feel again.

“Because, Lochlan. Some people are meant to do great things in life, and some people are meant to help make those things happen. I’m a helper. I’ve always been a helper, and right now, my mission is to help you be the man I know you are under all that anger.”

“We play the best hand we can. Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. I lost in the parent department, but I know it’s not my fault or theirs. Life can be hard and cruel. It can also be beautiful and magical if you let it. My sisters are my rocks. My friends are my sounding boards. You can’t miss something you never had, so I try to be thankful to my parents for giving me life. Thank them for doing the best they could, and never take anything or anyone for granted. We only get one life, Lochlan. That’s why we have to make it a good one.”

“You know, even in families, we have a role to play, and what’s expected of us isn’t always who we’re meant to be. I think sometimes the best parts of ourselves only blossom when the right person is nurturing them.”

it’s the gory details that are the bedrock of our souls. They make us who we are, who we want to be. It’s in pain that we find our worth. You’re capable of love. Of giving and receiving it, if that’s what you want. Forgetting and forgiving old hurts are two very different things.

The reality is people will generally hang themselves with their true nature if you give them enough rope.

“That’s a choice too, Loch. Choose to be the man she deserves every day, and that will never happen. People change as years go by, sure, but choose to change with her. Make her the number one priority in your life every single day, and love will bend and shift with you.”

“Love isn’t just about the highs in life, Lochlan. It’s about how you react to the lows. Who has your back and who will pick you up. Loving someone is the greatest gift you can ever give. It’s how you love someone in the quiet moments when no one’s looking that matters.”

Tears cling to my cheeks as we move as one. Love is a powerful thing, and it brought me the happiness I’ve always searched for.