“Oh,” I laugh. “I don't know what's in there. Ma packed some stuff up years ago."
What I’mnotsaying is that I can’t guarantee that opening the box won’t start a journey thatmakesus address that elephant we’re ignoring, the one I'm affectionately calling Regret.
It’s time to put my big girl pants on and face it though. I came home to settle down and reconnect with the man standing beside me. If I can do the Camino de Santiago by myself, surely I can deal with whatever is inside one little–OK, big–box.
"Maybe it's a time capsule from the past?" he jokes as he grabs a spare blanket from on top of a shelf and shakes it out, laying it on the floor and urging me to take a seat.
“I thought we buried that behind the tree and under the tree house?”
Austin laughs. "I'd forgotten about that. I wonder if it’s still there?”
I lift my hand to my chest melodramatically. “Howcouldyou?” Austin’s face falls and I start giggling. “I’m just teasin’ you. You know what I’m like, I remember everything.”
“Still?”
My head jerks. “What do you meanstill? I could never forget all the things we did, Austin. They were some of the best moments of my life.” He stands there staring at me, his gaze full of warring emotions and I hope he’s remembering the good times… and thereallygood ones too. Deciding it’s time to lighten the mood, I nod to the box. “Should we open Pandora’s box and see what happens,” I ask with a wink. Thankfully, he snaps him from his thoughts.
We sit cross-legged on top of the blanket, Austin moving the box so that it’s between us. I look over at him. "You ready?"
His lips twitch. "It's not abomb, doc. It's probably just a box of old books and diaries. Maybe those embarassin' posters of has-been movie stars that you used to have plastered all over your bedroom walls?"
"Take that back!" I say, pointing my finger his way. "I'll have you know that those actors were very big back in the day."
"Very big or very cute?" he replies, arching a questioning brow.
"Both?" I giggle, feeling my cheeks heat.
"C'mon, doc. Put us out of our misery so we can get back to work." I don’t know what it is but something has changed with him. He’s relaxed, more at ease now. He’s like the person I’d hoped he’d still be. The same one who gave me the courage I needed all those years ago to follow my dreams. The one who I’ve never been able to forget.The one I’ve always wanted…
I give him a mock salute. "I'm startin' to think you've grown up bossy, Austin Graham."
"You wish. I’ve always been bossy.”
“No. You’ve always helped people by tellin’ them what to do.”
“Yeah,” he laughs. “Also known as bein’ bossy. Sometimes you’ve just got to rip off the band-aid, Char." And with one flick of his hand, he opens the lid of the box, sending a puff of dust over both of us. He sneezes first, then I do.
"You goin’ to keel over?" I add. "Cause the only place Icouldlay you down on right now would be the floor and honestly," I look at the old carpet and wrinkle my nose, "I'm not sureanyonewould want to go on that right now.
He chokes back a laugh then looks down. "Oooh, look. Is that a diary? Maybe I can find out your deepest, darkest secrets." I gasp and quickly jerk my eyes down into the box before realizing that he’s screwing with me.
“You’re a jerk.”
“I’m a funny jerk though,” he chuckles.
“Yeah. A bossy, funny jerk.”
“Isn’t that the best kind,” he says, shooting me a grin that I swear would have any single, willing buckle bunny blushing and ready to do his bidding.And right now I’m feeling just like a buckle bunny.
“Charmer…” I mutter.
“Always. Oh look, thereisa diary. What does it say?”
This time hedoespull out a seen-better-says ratty notebook covered in doodles and stuck on photos from magazines and newspapers. I can tell by the celebrity crushes plastered on the cover that it’s from my last year at high school which means itwillhave things I didn’t tell anyone. Things Austin should only find out from metellinghim, not reading my secret teenage confessions.
I quickly close the box and stand, trying to carry it but struggling under its weight. Then Austin’s standing there with me, taking it off my hands. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
My eyes snap to meet his and there’s no missing the sincerity that’s written all over his face. A lump grows in my throat and I just shake my head, not trusting myself to speak.
