Page 23 of Down Memory Lane
Autumn’s expression was dubious, but before she could turn him down, a young woman came and took their order. Autumn usually got a short stack of pancakes, but today she went with the same thing he did. Felix knew that comparing the old Autumn to the new one wasn’t a good habit to get into, but he couldn’t help it. If anything, seeing everything that was new and different about her was a good thing, like getting to know a whole other person without all of the small talk and awkward pauses.
Once the server had left, Autumn turned back to him with a wry smile. “So, what memories are attached to this place?”
Felix studied her, and while she looked eager to hear the stories, there was also that small trace of sadness that seemed ever present in her eyes. Most of the time it was at the back, barely visible to the casual observer, but what Felix felt for Autumn was anything but casual. He knew it was hard for her to hear things she didn’t remember being a part of, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause her more distress by taxing her brain with more trauma.
He leaned closer to her and kept his voice low. The diner was packed, so the likelihood that he would be overheard was small, but he didn’t want to take the chance. Applewood was a small town and people liked to gossip. Most people likely knew about Autumn’s condition already since her parents were in town and not hiding it, but he hoped they would keep any questions to themselves.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Autumn smiled sadly and nodded. “I’ll stop you if it gets to be too much.” Despite the heartache in her voice, there was also a thread of excitement that gave Felix hope that she would be alright.
“Okay.” Felix smiled and searched his memory banks for some of their best diner stories. Settling on one he thought she would appreciate, he turned to face her more fully. “We have a lot of memories here from high school when we would ditch last period to eat pancakes, but I’ll save those for another time.” Autumn chuckled and Felix took it as a good sign to continue. “There was one time just after you were home on a break from college that sticks out though. You wanted me to meet your roommate, Mallory.”
Autumn raised a brow at the mention of the woman’s name. “Why does it sound like you’re saying her name with a sneer?”
Felix barked a laugh at her astute observation. “Because I am. Mallory was the worst, but you were so excited at the possibility of me liking her that I agreed to a double date.” Felix shook his head as he remembered the tall redhead who cared more about constantly checking her make-up than making good conversation. “Sadly, I didn’t do much better and brought along a guy that I met while visiting breweries, though in my defense, Chad seemed like a nice guy at the time.”
Autumn’s nose scrunched up adorably. “Ew, Chad? You should have known from the name alone that he was bad news.”
Felix shrugged. “What can I say? Outside of my brothers, I didn’t really know many other guys.” The server dropped off their meals and Felix nodded his thanks. “Anyway, we sat in that booth in the corner and tried to make conversation. About halfway through the dinner, it became obvious that Mallory was paying more attention to Chad’s muscles and tattoos than me, and he was too busy staring at her boobs to ask you about yourself, but we’re nothing if not committed, so we tried to stick it out.”
Autumn paused halfway through chewing one of her fries. “Oh no. Why didn’t we leave?”
Felix shook his head sadly as the memory played out in his mind. “We did, just not until we had both gone to the bathroom only to come back and find Chad and Mallory playing tonsil hockey.” Felix swiped his fry through some ketchup and popped it into this mouth. The greasy, salty goodness was almost enough to erase that image from his mind, but not quite. “They were practically doing it in the booth. I thought poor Mr. Harvey was going to have a heart attack when he came out and saw it, and that’s not even the worst part.”
Autumn’s eyes shot wide. “What could be worse than that?”
Felix smiled mischievously. “That asshole ate what was left of my fries,” he quipped as he stole one of the crunchy potatoes off her plate.
Autumn laughed and slapped Felix’s arm. “Not cool, Fe.” She pilfered one of his in retaliation until they were both just laughing and stuffing themselves with fried potatoes. Seeing Autumn so carefree gave Felix another idea. Signaling for the server, he asked for a couple of boxes for their burgers. “We’re leaving already? Did the story bring up unresolved trauma for you?”
Giving her a withering look, he slapped some money down on the counter, grabbed their bags, and started toward the door. “No, smartass. Though if I could erase the image of those two going at it from my mind forever I would.” The moment the words left his mouth, Felix knew he’d made a mistake. Turning to face her, he was unsurprised to see hurt in Autumn’s eyes. “Shit, Auts. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Autumn looked slightly offended, but it cleared soon enough. “It’s okay, Felix,” she said with a weary sigh.” Fuck, she was back to using his full name. He needed to get them back on track before any more distance was created between them. “I get that some things would be better left forgotten.” Her words were forgiving, but there was a stiffness to her posture and a dimness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
Wanting to get back the playfulness he’s squandered with his careless words, Felix pulled her outside and steered her towards his car, draping his arm over her shoulder for good measure. “It was still a stupid thing for me to say, but I know how I can make it up to you.”
Autumn smiled cautiously at him. “If it’s more stories about dates gone wrong, I think I’m good.”
Felix shook his head as he helped her into the passenger seat. “No, it’s much better than that. It’s another place I can take you to that has special meaning. Only good memories there.”
Autumn smiled as he shut the door. Stashing their food in the back, Felix drove them to the small outcropping of evergreen trees on the other side of his family’s orchard. Autumn stared out the window at the green forest that stood out against the still blue sky. “What memories could we possibly have in the middle of the woods?”
Felix beamed at her as he thought about all the good times they’d shared in the special place they’d not visited in far too long. “You’ll see.” Stepping out of the car, he grabbed the rest of their food, meeting Autumn in front of the hood. “How about I give you a run down while I take us out to Autumn and Felix’s Fantastic Fort of Fun?”
Autumn’s feet paused for a moment as she stared at him. “Fort of Fun?” She reluctantly started following him again as he stepped through thick underbrush. When they got to the area thicker with fallen trees and rocks, Felix held out his hand for her, pleased when she took it without question. Her eyes darted around the thick group of trees wearily. “Does this fort have a cushy reclining chair and a large television, because that’s the kind of fun I could go for right about now.”
Felix smiled over his shoulder as he led them deeper into the trees. “We can do that when we get home. Right now, we’re going to have the kind of fun we used to when we were younger.” He pushed aside a few low branches as he stepped into the clearing that housed the makeshift fort they’d retreated to so often when they were in high school. “Here it is.”
Autumn came to a stop next to him and looked over their Fort of Fun. Slanted wooden boards that were warped and rotted were barely held together by bent, rusted nails. It was essentially a ramshackle old shed that had been cobbled together and then abandoned by some other kids before them, but to the younger pair of best friends looking to escape their small town, if only in their imaginations, it was as good as a castle.
“Wow.” Her voice sounded less than impressed, but as she stepped closer, Felix thought he could see some of the magic of their special place coming back to her.
Joining her, Felix narrated a pseudo tour of the place. “As you can see, this is an open concept fort. No doors to speak off to offer a more welcoming environment.” Autumn silently pointed to the wordsStay Outthat had been spray painted in red letters on part of the wood, a wry smile on her face. “Okay. Amostlywelcoming environment.”
They stepped inside, and Felix smiled at the old café table and lawn chairs they used to sit in and pretend that they were older, more serious versions of themselves as they made plans for the future. Felix knew his plan always included staying in Applewood, but Autumn had different aspirations at the time. Of course, those were mostly her parent’s influence, but he couldn’t help wondering if maybe now that she had another blank slate in front of her if she would want something different again. Felix sat in the chair, the left side sinking into the soft ground as he did.
Autumn snickered at him but took the opposite chair. “So, what exactly did we do for fun here?” She brushed a few dead pine needles off the table and rested her hands there.
