Page 20 of Down Memory Lane
A somewhat dreamy expression overtook her face before she shook it off and nodded. “I can do that.” She scooted closer to him, the herbal scent of her shampoo coming off of her in waves, but there was something missing. No matter how many times she showered or washed her hands, Autumn had always smelled faintly of clay, but as she hadn’t been throwing in over a week, that was gone. Felix missed it and made a mental note to take her down to her studio to get her reacquainted with her work. If nothing else, it was another way to help get her back into her normal routine.
“What’s this from?” Autumn pointed at the screen where Felix had pulled up photos from their latest road trip through California.
The picture in question was of the two of them at the beach. Autumn wore a pink two-piece that matched her hair and Felix wore a Speedo that was covered in pineapples. It had been a gag gift from her at the start of their trip, but the joke was on her because Felix wore it every chance he got, embarrassing her anytime they were in public.
“That swimsuit is definitely a choice,” she remarked. Autumn shuddered slightly as she pulled a face at the offending item of clothing.
“Funny,” he said, bumping her with his shoulder. “It was a present from you, so how could I not wear it?” Felix clicked through more photos where he proudly displayed his tiny swimsuit, each one eliciting a louder giggle from the woman next to him. “Just wait, these aren’t even the best ones.”
Autumn stared at him bug-eyed. “There’s more of you in this thing? I’m surprised they let you on a public beach showing that much skin.”
Felix glanced over at his friend, not missing the blush on her cheeks as she stared at the photo on the screen. The two of them were standing on a pier, Autumn in a cover-up and Felix in nothing but his suit and everything God gave him on display. It was a ridiculously tiny thing, and it didn’t even remotely hide how much he was packing downstairs.
“It’s practically indecent,” she mumbled. Autumn shifted on the couch and if Felix was reading her correctly, she was more than a little turned on.
Debating whether or not to take advantage of that fact, Felix ultimately decided it was best to err on the side of caution. If he made his move prematurely, he risked losing Autumn for good, and that was something he was unwilling to do. Scrolling past his itsy bitsy, teeny weeny yellow pineapple bikini, Felix navigated toward safer photos like the ones they’d taken on the Golden Gate Bridge, at Disneyland, and at a few spots in San Diego, laughing together as he told her all about the trip.
Felix regaled her with tales of how they’d made a pact to stop for road snacks at least twice a day and he’d nearly eaten his weight in cheese popcorn in about two hours, about them walking near the bay in San Francisco and the wind blowing her hat into the water where it was promptly eaten by a sea lion, and all about how they’d been trapped on a stopped ride at Disneyland for nearly half an hour and become temporary best friends with the couple in the car behind them.
Autumn giggled and snorted with each new detail, and seeing her looking so carefree and like herself again reminded Felix of memories from the trip he would keep to himself. How he’d watched her look at almost every snack in the gas station convenience store before finally deciding on the same peanut butter cups she always got, something other people might get annoyed by but he found endearing. How her laughing off losing her hat made him realize that she was exactly the type of happy-go-lucky person he could see himself building a future with. And how being trapped on a ride with her, being squeezed so closely next to her body had made his own feel safe, yet so hot with need that he “accidentally” dumped his water on himself just to cool off.
The entire rest of the day, Felix would look at Autumn, at the curve where her neck met her shoulder, the way her hair fell against her cheek, and how her eyes shined lovingly anytime she looked at him and felt the need to make her his forever. Those thoughts would be kept private until the moment he felt she was ready to hear them. As he watched her smile and laugh at the screen, her blue eyes dancing with mirth, Felix couldn’t help but hope that time came quickly.
Chapter Ten
Autumn
Bleary-eyed and the opposite of bushy-tailed, Autumn rolled over in her bed and tried to muster up some enthusiasm to greet the morning sun that was pouring through her windows. To say that it was difficult to face the day with anything other than a scowl was an understatement. With nothing to do other than hope her memories came back, Autumn was finding it increasingly difficult to find reasons to get out of bed in the morning. The daily check-ins from her parents kept her mobile most days if only to ward off a lecture she could tell would come despite not remembering having ever gotten one.
The other person that kept her going was Felix, but for a vastly different reason. The man with the wide smile and eyes she could drown in was the one bright spot in her otherwise humdrum existence, but even he would allow her a day to just stay and mope if she asked it of him. Heck, she was sure he would probably hop in bed with her just so that they could spend more time together. Sharing a bed with Felix wasn’t something Autumn would mind doing, and in fact had been something she had been tempted to ask for almost every night in the two weeks since she’d been home from the hospital.
Loneliness always started to creep into her heart the moment they said goodnight, but she was too afraid to voice her need to have Felix stay. It felt too needy for Autumn to admit to wanting him to hold her in his arms all night long so that she could feel safe enough to get some actual rest. As it was, her consciousness was suspended for at least seven or eight hours when she slipped under the covers, but she still woke up feeling restless. It was as if instead of turning off completely and getting some semblance of peace, Autumn’s body switched into low power mode while her mind still whirred away, trying to uncover her lost memories.
The other reason for her wanting Felix with her was due to the fact that Autumn admired her friend both in personality and in physical appearance. And if she was able to convince him to sleep next to her, would it be so wrong to test the waters and fool around a little bit? There definitely seemed to be an attraction on Felix’s end as well, and Autumn had wondered on more than one occasion if they had ever had any kind of friends with benefits situation going on, but she was too afraid to ask him about it.
If the answer was no, Autumn would feel foolish, and if the answer was yes, would trying to get that back ruin what they had between them now? Their friendship still felt tenuous at times, though at others, it seemed almost as if it were so solid thatnottrying for more seemed like a waste. Either way, losing Felix wasn’t something she wanted to risk because of her rampant hormones.
