Page 24 of Nineteen Letters
What we had is far too beautiful to be forgotten.
Yours always,
Braxton
Just because she doesn’t remember our bond, doesn’t mean it’s not there. All those old feelings are buried somewhere deep inside her, I know it. You can’t love someone so completely oneday, and feel nothing for them the next. It’s not possible. It’s just going to take time to coax those feelings back to the surface.
I read over the letter before folding it in half and sliding it into the envelope. Reaching for the tiny sandwich charm sitting on my desk, I lay it in the palm of my hand. I feel myself smiling as I think back to that day.
These letters were supposed to help Jem get back pieces of her past, but they’re helping me as well. She may be lost to me for now, but reliving all these precious memories I’ve made with her over the years will keep me going until I have her back.
Chapter 11
Braxton
The questions start the moment Jemma is seated in my car. “Did you really make Larry Wilson eat mud?” Without even looking at her, I can hear the amusement in her voice.
“I did. He spent the rest of the day in the sick bay. Rumour has it he vomited on the principal’s shoes.”
“Oh my god,” she says, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle her giggle. Just hearing her laugh again makes me happier than I have felt in weeks. “Did he stop bullying after that?”
“For a while,” I answer, glancing in her direction. “Old habits die hard, I guess. He left you alone, though, which was all that mattered to me.”
A sweet smile forms on her face as she looks over at me from the passenger seat. “Thank you for sticking up for me, and for sharing your sandwich.”
“I’ll always be here for you, Jem, no matter what.”
I love the letters are opening up a line of communication for us. I think in her own small way she’s coming to terms with what has happened. It may not be as fast as I’d like, but I hope these letters will help her to eventually get back to where she once was.
She goes quiet for a while, and I’m relieved when she finally speaks again. “Did we go to the beach much when we were kids?”
“Yes,” I answer as I steer the car into a parking spot at the rehab centre. “It was one of your favourite places to go. Your parents took us often when we were kids, and once we were old enough, we’d go on our own. That’s why we built our house near the beach. You ran along the sand every morning.”
“Really?” she asks, turning her head in my direction. When I see her brow furrow, I know she’s trying to remember.
As much as I would like to show her our place, I’m not sure if she’s ready for that. I can already see the tiny shift she’s made since I started writing her the letters, and I don’t want to do anything that might jeopardise her progress.
“I can drive you past your favourite beach on the way home if you like. It’s not that far out of our way.”
“I’d like that,” she replies with a smile.
She reaches for the door handle. “Let me get that for you.”
Pulling the keys out of the ignition, I step out of the car and round the vehicle. Opening the passenger-side door, I extend my hand to her. She smiles up at me as her dainty fingers wrap around mine. Seeing her smile has always been my undoing. In this split second, everything seems perfect, just the way it used to be. So much so that I actually forget that things aren’t.
“I love you, Jem,” I say without thinking. They’re words that have come naturally for me—for us both—for so long.
I don’t even realise what I’ve said until her face drops, and she pulls her hand from mine. With just three little words I undo all the progress we’ve made over the past week.
“Hey,” Lucas says as he enters my office and takes the chair in front of me. “You okay, bro? You don’t seem yourself today.”
“I haven’t been myself since Jemma’s accident,” I reply dryly, slumping back in my chair.
“I know. How are things going with you two?”
I shrug. “It’s all over the place. Every time we make a bit of progress, something happens and we end up right back where we started.”
The air feels thick as I silently berate myself. Things had shifted dramatically after those three words. She withdrew back into herself and became cold and aloof.
