Always

Chapter Sixteen: Misters & Pictures

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   I walked up Brian’s Aunt’s front steps, a nervous breakdown just waiting to happen. 

   “Don’t worry June. She’s going to love you.” 

   But that didn’t stop me from shaking like it was the middle of the Winter when it was 85 degrees outside. Brian opens the door, the front room calling my name. I stepped into the house, a lemon-ey smell hits my nostrils as soon as I’m in the house. 

   What’s that sweet smell? Hmmm. Cookies. 

   “Aunt Becky, we’re here!” 

   “Oh good!” A lady about in her mid-thirties comes out of what seems the kitchen, and gives me a bright smile. “You must be June. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Brian here never stops talking about you.” 

   Brian’s face goes red, which was so cute to see. 

   “And you must be Aunt Becky.” 

   “The one and only.” I looked her over. She had on white sweatpants, a baggy hoodie on that swallowed her whole figure, red-brown hair, green-blue eyes, and a nose piercing that was blue. I decided to myself that she looked okay to be around with. 

   “I’m going to go check on Dad if you don’t mind.” 

   “Okay.” I watched Brian leave the room, heading upstairs to see wherever his dad may be.

   Aunt Becky clears her throat, making my face burn from staring at him for too long. 

   “I made cookies. Would you like to be my food tester?” 

   “Sure. Why not? Free food, right?” Aunt Becky laughed as I followed her into the kitchen. Two pans of cookies were laid out on the counter. My mouth watered at the smell. Aunt Becky placed four cookies onto a plate, then poured a glass of milk. 

   “Here you go Honey.” She places them before me. “You’re too kind.” “Nah, just how I am.” I take a piece off a cookie, the chocolate chips still gooey and warm, dip it into my milk, and take a bite. 

   “This is really, really good Aunt Becky.” I take another bite, the warmth filling my whole body.

   “Thank you Honey.” I eat the rest of my cookies, then drank the last of my milk. All the while, Aunt Becky was looking at me. Studying me. 

   “What?” I blurt. Man that was rude to say. Especially to Brian’s Aunt. 

   “Oh nothing. Just that you’re more beautiful than what Brian’s described you to be.” 

   “Oh.” Could I say anything more lame? I pick at the designs on my sweater, feeling out of place sitting here. 

   “He talks about you a lot. Brian does.” I say, trying to change the subject. 

   “And I about you.” 

   And the subjects back. 

   “Really?” 

   “Really.” 

   “That’s sweet.” 

   “He truly is.” The clock ticks by as the silence takes over once more. 

   “Is he happy? Like...With me?” I have no idea why I brought that up. I’m guessing I was just curious. 

   “With you in his life? Of course Honey. I haven’t seen him this happy ever since his parents divorced.” 

   The hurt for him still lingers whenever he’s around. Hoping that he’s healing up for what happened that day when he hurt the most, when he fell apart, when I was there to see how much it destroyed him. But he stayed strong through it. 

   “And Honey? I’m glad that you’re the one he’s with, because I could never see him with anybody else that seems to love and care for him as much as you do.” 

   She accepted me into her life that day. And her words stayed with me. No matter what was going on in my life. But those words also haunted me, for I made the worst mistake I could ever make.

~