“It just needs to be the perfect time.” Whenever the hell that was. Perhaps it was tomorrow, or the next day or three weeks from now when my stuff was already packed in the back of my trunk.

“Next?”

I blinked in surprise and shuffled forward, prescription in hand. Somehow I had made it inside to the pharmacy, with no recollection of how I got there. The stark white counter loomed in front of me, looking out of place among the country themed store. Without saying a word I thrust the slip of paper forward. The pharmacy technician, not anyone I recognized, seemed to appreciate the silence and quickly got to work.

“Jesse Tyler?”

I froze. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Even as an adult it struck fear in me, rendering my limbs catatonic. Gulping, I turned around and eyed the man who seemed so much shorter than I remembered, but still as frightening. Grey hair sprinkled his thick sideburns and even thicker eyebrows, giving him a James Bond villain sort of vibe. He was definitely still intimidating.

“Hello, Mr. Rossi.”

His lip trembled slightly as he gave me a suspicious once-over. “Are you…um…back in town?”

No, the person standing in front of you is just a hologram.

My eyes locked with his, and all of a sudden the memories of that night flooded into my mind. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to scream and tell him he was one of the reasons why my relationship with Rocky became strained. But I didn’t. I was now better than that.

I shook my head. “Temporarily. My mom’s sick.”

I expected shock and maybe even intrigue or complacency. What I didn’t expect was the look of concern that fleeted over his face.

He coughed uncomfortably. “Um, yes, I heard. I’m very sorry. She…she’s made something of herself these past few years, but I’m sure you knew that. It’s a shame this is happening to her.”

I nodded, not knowing what else to say. It wasn’t as if Mr. Rossi and I had a history of heart to hearts. I turned back toward the counter where my medicine was waiting and practically shoved my money at the poor pharm tech, desperate to leave the store.

“Jesse?”

I paused and looked over my shoulder, lifting my eyebrow slightly.

Mr. Rossi scratched at his head and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Looking as if he was fighting an internal battle and losing, he ground out, “How long are you staying? Do you need a job?”

I wanted to scoff. Tell him that the boy that wasn’t good enough for his daughter was now a new business owner. However, the sincerity in his tone and the conviction in his eyes prevented me from saying one bad thing. Curious, I tilted my head to the side and asked, “A job? With you?”

He cleared his throat. “Um, yes, if you’re staying for a few months why don’t you work for us? I’m…I’m sure Rocky would like to see you.”

Rocky.

There are moments in your life when you’re faced with a simple decision. Ironically, this simple decision could either make you or break you and change the course of your life as you knew it. Despite the fact that the familiar flags of caution were ruffling in the breeze while the “grown-up Jesse” screamed for me to walk away, the version of me I had long since buried somehow burst out of its grave like a zombie looking for nourishment. Needless to say, I didn’t have any brains at the moment. “Um, yeah, that sounds great, actually.”

Abort! Abort! What the fuck are you doing?

Mr. Rossi’s dark eyes brightened. “Perfect. Why don’t you start after Christmas? Maybe the day after?”

Was it really Christmastime? How’d I lose track of that?

“Uh, yeah sure. Thanks.” What the hell did I just agree to?

“Good. See you then.”

I nodded once and had turned toward the door when Mr. Rossi’s deep voice called out again.

“Jesse?”

I turned. “Yes, sir?”

“Rocky’s had an amazing life so far. She’s good.”

“She always was,” I agreed.

He nodded. “And I’d like to keep her that way. Don’t drag her down again. Don’t make me regret hiring you, capisce?”

“Yeah.”

Chapter 15

Christmas was just another day to me. No gifts, no cheer, just a phone call from Dad and a wave of a hand from Mom. I spent the day locked up inside my old room watching a marathon of A Christmas Story and chomping on Doritos. It wasn’t too bad of a day. I mean, I was never a big Christmas person anyway. It wasn’t as if it was a huge holiday for the Tyler family to begin with. Besides, what I was really looking forward to was the day after. The day I’d be seeing her.

The air was icy that morning, sharp with an electric bite. The streets were empty and still, as if everyone was still locked up indoors, hungover from the holiday’s festivities. The drive through the silent town further revved up my already strained nerves. Was it excitement? Fear? I wasn’t sure, but I knew I’d soon find out.

I sat in my car for longer than I cared to admit staring at the entrance of Rossi’s Novelties. The building was a lot bigger than I remembered and was caked in ice and slushy snow. Along with its garlands and wreaths, it reminded me of those toy houses that were often used as store displays around the holidays.

“What am I doing here?” I paused on the rubber mat, just inches from the sliding door. “What the heck am I going to say to her? I’m sorry for ignoring you all these years, but I loved you enough to let you go?”

Knowing I couldn’t just stay posted outside, I took one last breath and pushed the glass door open. Part of me hoped to sneak inside undetected, but alas, the three silver bells tied to the door handle thought otherwise. I winced as they clanged loudly against one another.

“Fucking bells.” I sighed and ripped off my gloves, taking a look at the store—or rather a warehouse. “Huh, guess they’ve done pretty well for themselves since I’ve been gone.”

It was like a fucking maze to walk through, but I wasn’t complaining. Taking my time, I navigated through the aisles of random merchandise looking for the elusive counter. Passing furry blankets, diapers, spatulas—and whoa, is that a shirt for dogs?—I bit back my laughter eyeing the odd merchandise. Rossi’s Novelties was definitely a bad name for the store. They should have called it “Things You Didn’t Know You Needed.” Seriously, the place was like a hoarder’s dream.

Glancing at a collection of neon colored building blocks, I rounded the corner and felt the wind knock out of me. I felt as if I had walked into the middle of a dream.

“Rocky.” My heart felt like a gigantic beating drum. After years of wondering how she was doing, there she stood, looking like the angel I remembered, except something was off about her…she looked different, and she was staring right at me.

“Jesse, there you are!” Mr. Rossi’s gruff voice greeted me as he gestured for me to join them at the cash wrap. He shot Rocky a knowing look before making his way toward me, and I swear to God his stomach jiggled with every step. Yet even his blubber wasn’t enough to distract me. I could not tear my eyes off my old friend. Her hair looked longer, darker almost. Her face was thinner and higher at the cheeks, having lost the bits of baby fat from our high school years. And her body—damn, her body—had new curves that were never there before. Though she looked as delicate and prim as ever, she was definitely a woman now. My manhood twitched at the realization.

Awkwardness would not even begin to describe how I felt at the moment, but judging from Rocky’s stiffness, she most likely felt the same way. Stumbling out of the weird pose she was strutting, she hesitantly walked toward me and threw her arms around me, and just like that I felt all the walls I had built come crashing down. She felt familiar and mysterious at the same time, and for the life of me I could not figure out why I stayed away so long…