Prologue
Reminiscing will be the death of me.
As I gently mist my lilies, cool droplets drift down and kiss my forearm. The door clicks. He’s finally back.
“Babe I’m home!” he exclaims. His voice echoes across the apartment, as it always does, knocking me back into my senses. I feel his familiar embrace hit me from behind as I place the spray bottle down to hug him back.
“How was your day?” I whisper.
“It was great!” He lets go, walking backwards to the kitchen to make our usual 4pm coffee.
“The kids at school are as loud as ever, well I say kids,but they're almost adults now.” He says, flicking on the kettle.
“What did you teach them today?” I reply, taking a seat on a kitchen chair.
“Funnily enough, we captured natural forms, more specifically flowers and plants. I told them my partner was a florist. They got all excited; giggling and were asking questions.” He chuckles to himself. Before I can reply, he suddenly turns, takes my hands and places them around his waist, pulling me into a hug.
“What’s up, love?” I ask.
“Nothing. Talking about you in class just makes me miss you, is all.” He says as he presses his face upon my shoulder.
“You’re still as clingy as we were back in our teenage days,” I laugh, half-teasing, half-fond.
“You’re right. I was attached to you.” He smiles, letting go to pour our coffee.
“I’ll always remember when we met in that coffee shop.”
“You mean when I spilled coffee all over you? Don’t remind me.” He buries his face in his hands for a moment before setting my cup down. “Black, just the way you like it.” He grins. I place a kiss on his cheek before taking a sip.
“I’m pretty sure I bumped into you anyway. It gave us lots of time together after five or so years of not seeing each other.” I speak.
“I guess that’s true. I was just embarrassed that I made myself look like a klutz.” He laughs.
“Well, I was just surprised to see you after all that time. Out of everyone in our class, I really thought you would just stay in our hometown.” I mention.
“That sounds nice. We should go there. Reminisce.” He looks at me, his hand resting gently on my head. You would think after all this time, the thought of home wouldn’t make me sad, but it always does. I look down, retreating into my own skin. He notices, saying “But I like staying here, withyou. And I am fulfilled enough.” I look up, wanting to cry because I feel so much for him.
“I’m happy you spilled that coffee on me.” I hold his hand as we both smile at each other. I squeeze his hand, and we share a smile.
A faint vibration hums from the other room, breaking the moment. I get up and head to the living room, where my phone buzzes on the table. Picking it up, I glance back at him. “It's my landlord,” I say, holding the screen up for him to see. “You mean from your old apartment?” He says. I nod, confused, but I still answer the phone.
“Hello?” I say, a hint of hesitation in my tone.
“Finally! This is Edward, your old landlord. You lived on Berry Wood Lane around 4 years ago, right?” He echoes into my ear.
“Yes, is everything okay? I don’t even live there anymore.” I question.
“Yeah, I know. But I've found someone who wants to live there now. The owners right after you barely used the apartment and didn’t even tell me about the letters. But I need to get rid of them before I can tour the new people.” He sounds frustrated.
“Letters? What letters?” I speak.
