Page 6 of Down Memory Lane
Chapter Four
Autumn
The sun sliced through the curtains of Autumn’s bedroom and shone onto her eyelids, stirring her from the kind of deep sleep that could only have been achieved by one thing: alcohol. Groaning, she smacked her hand against her forehead, cursing the version of herself from the night before. No one who ever said, “I’ll just close my eyes for a second” woke to tell the tale until the next day, especially when they’d had a few drinks in them. In her defense, she had just looked over her finances and discovered that she’d actually made more money in the last quarter than she did in two the years prior which meant she could pay off the last of her student loans. That was something worth celebrating and Autumn had done that with a glass of Felix’s finest.
The bubbly cider had gone down a treat, adding to the buzz she’d already been riding from the two drinks she’d had at Branch and Brew earlier that night. Autumn normally nursed a single cider over the course of the evening, but her stomach had been so fluttery, so filled with the nervous butterflies one gets when they consider confessing feelings that she needed to calm it with a little hard cider. It wasn’t her fault she was a lightweight.
Historically, Autumn had never really been able to hold her liquor, so her current state came as no surprise to her. The first foray she’d taken into the wide world of alcohol induced stupidity had been her junior year of high school. Her parents were out of town for the weekend, and she’d decided the best way to celebrate her freedom was to take a bottle of her dad’s Kentucky bourbon from the kitchen cabinet out to the small fort she and Felix had discovered the summer prior. It was little more than a shanty constructed of warped wooden planks, a screen door, and a few fallen logs, but it was a fun place to sneak out to when you wanted a place to get up to no good.
That night she and Felix had passed the bottle back and forth while they talked about the future. Back then he hadn’t been quite as certain about his business as he would become just a year later, so they talked about going to college together. Sometimes Autumn wondered if she would have tried to stick it out in her nursing program if Felix had been there to handhold her through it, but it was better left unknown since she was perfectly happy where she was now.
After they’d polished off the bottle, they spent the rest of the night alternating between puking their guts up in the forest and begging the other not to tell their parents. They’d slept it off on the floor of her basement, their faces plastered to the cool cement until they woke up the next day smelling of pine needles and regret. Currently the pine scent was nowhere to be found, but there was plenty of regret lingering with her in her bed.
Last night was supposed to be about starting a future with Felix as her boyfriend, but instead she’d gotten caught up in the alcohol.Wonderful. At least this morning there was no trace of a hangover, just the slightest pressure at the base of her head and a serious case of cottonmouth. Autumn licked her fuzzy teeth and scooted up in the bed, glowering at her sweater dress that was twisted around her like an anaconda. Apparently, she hadn’t even bothered changing into her pajamas.
“Good morning.” The familiar sound of Felix’s voice, his tone considerately low, sent the butterflies fluttering again.
For a second, Autumn thought she might need to dash to the toilet as her stomach turned, but the smell of warm bread and sweet honey soothed any nausea as well as her nerves. She smiled at Felix as he walked a tray covered in thick slices of homemade bread, cubes of butter, and a large jar of honey over to her bed. Setting it down over her lap, he brushed her hair off her face. His fingers snagged in it slightly and she winced at what a rat’s nest it must look like to her friend, but the expression on Felix’s face was simply one of fondness.
“Thought you could use a little something to eat after your bender last night.” He smirked. “I figured the bread would help soak up all the cider in your belly.”
Autumn snorted as she grabbed a piece of Cora Kemp’s world-famous potato bread with one hand and a butter knife in the other. “It was hardly a bender.” Slathering a large pad of oily, yellowy goodness over the top, Autumn bit into the fluffy bread, letting the fat and carbohydrates do exactly as Felix intended and absorb some of the alcohol that lingered in her stomach. It would help clear her body, but until she spoke with Felix, her brain would remain fuzzy. “Besides,” she deflected. “I had something to celebrate.”
Reaching over to her nightstand, she nabbed the printout explaining that her student loans were all paid off and handed it to Felix, smiling as she watched his eyes widen with happiness. “This is amazing, Auts.” He tossed the paper aside and pulled her into a hug, jostling the tray slightly. “What are you going to do with all that extra income? Should we start saving up for the next T. Swift concert? It might be nice to view the show from the lower atmosphere next time.”
Autumn chuckled at the memory of their nosebleed section seats and shoved him playfully, watching as he fell backwards in overdramatic fashion. Felix could be a bit of a goofball at times, but it was one of the things she loved most about him. He never took things too seriously or failed to bring a smile to her face.
She tore off another large chunk of bread and popped it into her mouth. “I was actually thinking of saving up to open a storefront.” It had been something she had pondered the last year or so, but it was a big undertaking and would take a lot of money. “Maybe it could even be like a pottery co-op. Different sculptures could rent space and then we could all sell our stuff up front.” She shrugged, never sure if her ideas were good or just silly fantasies that were better left in the recesses of her mind.
Felix straightened from where he lay on the bed. “I think that sounds incredible, Auts.” He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Your online store is always selling out, and I bet a ton of people would be excited to find handmade stoneware in town. If you want, we might be able to talk to my parents about testing some out at The Applecart during harvest season.”
The Applecart was a small store at the edge of the farm that was stoked with all things apple during the months surrounding the harvest season. It was the best place in town to find apple jelly, apple butter, apple sauce, and even leftover apple pulp from Felix’s cider making to use as fertilizer for planting. The idea of selling her creations next to items she’d been fond of since she was little warmed her heart.
Nodding, Autumn nicked a finger full of honey before pushing the tray aside. “I love that idea. Do you really think your parents would go for it?”
A loud beep from Felix’s phone interrupted his response. Picking up the device, he smiled and showed the screen to Autumn. It was a reminder to attend their Friday morning Zumba class. They had started going together as a way to keep each other motivated to get in some body movement, but the thought of dancing around the studio and sweating like a pig was less than appealing, especially with how she was feeling at that moment.
Autumn groaned and lay back in the bed, nearly toppling the stuffed bunny that had been hers since childhood to the floor. “Do we have to, Fe?” She shoved her face into her down pillow, nearly eating a feather that had wiggled its way out of the case. “I don’t feel like it today,” she mumbled.
Felix shook her shoulder lightly. “Come on. We promised we wouldn’t talk ourselves out of going every week, no matter how tired, or in your case, hungover we were.”
Autumn tossed her pillow at him, smiling when it hit his face with an “oof.” Sitting up, she adjusted her sweater dress and grabbed another piece of bread. If they were going to be exercising, she’d need the energy. “Fine, but you’re taking me to Grind and Shine after. I’m going to need an iced macchiato and a big cinnamon bun to fuel my drive to Seattle later.” It was a trek she made often, heading into the city to the largest pottery supply store she’d ever seen to beef up her studio inventory. It would be easier to order it all online, but Autumn was a tactile person and wanted to feel the tools and clay with her hands before she committed to buying them.
Felix frowned. “That’s today?” He picked at the ties on her comforter, looking like she’d just taken his favorite toy away. “I was hoping to go with you this time. We could have that talk we never got into last night.”
Autumn nibbled the inside of her cheek as she considered that option. It was always great to have Felix for company, but if her confession went the wrong way, being stuck in the car with him for a few hours was a level of cringe she didn’t think she could handle. The knowledge that they would always be friends regardless of how he took the news was as certain as anything else in her life, but that didn’t mean she wanted to sit with the person who rejected her and bake in the awkwardness that would follow immediately after either.
Shaking her head, Autumn stood and grabbed some workout clothes from her dresser. “We can go for a walk after we grab our coffee and chat.” She slipped out toward the bathroom, Felix hot on her heels. “Besides, you’ll need to be back to open the bar and you know I hate feeling rushed when I’m visiting my happy place.”
Felix chuckled and held up his hands. “I remember the last time I rushed you, so after coffee will work fine.” Autumn smiled and shut the door to start and get ready. She hoped the Zumba would help get some of her nerves out, then she could tell her best friend how she felt and they could start a future on steady ground.
****
By the time Autumnand Felix reached Rise and Grind, she was desperate for coffee. Zumba had kicked her ass,hard.Normally she could hold her own, but today had been rough. She felt sluggish until about halfway through the class, and even then the only thing keeping her going was watching Felix dancing with his palms in the air, attempting to raise the roof while his damp hair constantly slapped him in the face. He was a good sport for agreeing to try it with her two years ago and an even better one for sticking with it to help keep her motivated. Sitting at the pottery wheel all day was hell on her hips, so the movement was absolutely essential to her not complaining about achy joints for at least another ten years.
