Page 24 of Down Memory Lane
“The name was more of a nod to our love of alliteration at the time,” he explained. “But we used to do all kinds of things here. Applewood is small and there are only so many times you can go to the movies or get your parents to drive you to the bowling alley two towns over.” He shrugged, thinking back on exactly what they’d gotten up to. “We used to come out here and shoot empty soup cans with paintball guns, or sometimes we’d do our homework at this table just to have a change of scenery, but mostly we just talked about random stuff or about the future lives we hoped to be living in ten years.” He chuckled as he thought about fifteen-year-old Felix thinking that twenty-five wasso old. What a difference a decade makes. “Oh, I almost forgot the best part.”
Grabbing Autumn’s hand, he led her out of the precarious building and out toward the wooden bench swing that hung from a large tree branch. “Oh my gosh,” Autumn squealed excitedly. Running ahead of him, she sat down on the long plank of wood and slowly started to drift back and forth. “This is amazing!”
Felix dropped the bag of cheeseburgers on an old tree stump and stepped behind her. “Want a push?” Autumn nodded, her smile wide as she looked at him over her shoulder. “Hold on.”
Felix proceeded to push her, lightly at first but then with more force as she went higher and higher, her light laughter drifting down to him as he did. The sound healed some of the fissures that had formed in his heart since he’d heard about her amnesia and had him looking forward to the future, a future that he hoped would include more of the two of them simply enjoying each other’s company just as they were in that moment.
“Enough, enough,” she called with a giggle.
Her feet were nearly touching some of the tree branches in front of her and it almost looked like she was flying. The thought made Felix both happy and sad, wanting to see her as free as she’d once been but not wanting her to take that new freedom and leave him.
Felix slowed her to a stop, grabbed the burgers, and joined her on the swing, shaking off the feeling of potential loss that had settled over him. Tonight was about fun with his friend, so he would focus on that. “Shove over,” he said, nudging her with his elbow.
Autumn shoved him back. “Hey, no one invited you to share this bench.” Her eyes were teasing, the sight lifting the rest of the heaviness he’d felt off his chest.
Felix pulled the small box that contained her burger out of the bag and wiggled it in front of her face before moving it just out of her reach. “If you want this delicious burger, you’ll be a good girl and share the bench.” Autumn elbowed him in the gut and stole the box. “Not cool,” he breathed out.
“Serves you right.” She nodded curtly before tearing into the box and stuffing part of the burger into her mouth. “Ohmygod.” Her moan was obscene, but Autumn didn’t seem to notice or care that she was making such noises. Felix sure as hell did, and so did his dick. The poor guy was practically weeping as it pressed against his zipper. It seemed like Felix would be plagued with a case of perma-erection until they moved their relationship further.Ifit moved further. “This is so good,” she mumbled. Wiping some grease from her chin with the back of her hand, she stared at the remainder of her burger lovingly. “How could I have forgotten you?”
The heart that had partially healed cracked a little bit more at her words.How could she have forgotten him?To distract himself from that maudlin thought, Felix bit into his own burger. He could tell that the meat patties were cooked to perfection and the cheese had melted into the beef in such a way that created an almost creamy texture to it, all of which was contrasted nicely by the crispy bacon. Too bad it all tasted like ash in his mouth.
“Oh no,” Autumn said, a concerned expression on her face. “Sad puppy is back.”
Felix laughed humorlessly. “I hate that I’m so easy to read.” He stuffed the burger he had no appetite for back into the bag and set it on the ground. “I’m not trying to be sad, Auts.” He brushed a stray sesame seed off the side of her mouth with his finger. “I just wish you remembered me.”
Autumn grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek, sighing wistfully. “I wish I remembered you too.” They stayed there like that for a long moment before a squirrel skittering across the forest floor in front of the swing startled them out of their position. Autumn tore a piece of her bun off and tossed it to the little guy. “I don’t know what to say to make you feel better, but I hope you know that even though I don’t remember the person you were to me before, I really appreciate the person you are to me now.”
Felix tried and failed to push down a lump of emotion that was lodged in his throat, wishing that in that moment, he could be everything to her just as she was to him. Watching her struggle and knowing that he contributed to it even in the smallest of ways made him feel more helpless than he ever had, and somehow, he knew the future of their relationship hinged on her answer to his next question.
“What am I now?” he exhaled.
Despite the sadness she was clearly still feeling, Autumn smiled, her shoulder bobbing up and down. “A friend?”
The word friend stung slightly, but it was still far better than what he’d been a few weeks ago. “I’ll take it.”
Rising from the swing, Felix held his hand out once more. As Autumn grasped it and they made their way back to the car, Felix thought over their conversation and smiled. In just a few weeks he had gone from total stranger to friend. With a little more time, he hoped he could become even more than that.
