"Lexi, you have to support their decision and understand where they are coming from. I get it, it’s not easy. This place holds lots of memories for me too. It holds most of my memories, more than the actual house I grew up in. But memories, Lex, are in your heart and mind, not in some brick and mortar building. I mean, look at tonight, look at what a simple ornament can bring back to your memory."
I felt my lips start to tremble at what Drew had said and began to cry hard now. He was right. It was still hard, but he was right. "Why are you always so sensible?"
"Because your parents practically raised me. If I had stayed with my dad, I am sure I would have ended up where he did: in some alley behind the city mission, holding a brown paper bag." He stood up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him. He kissed the top of my head, squeezing the back of my neck.
"Thanks." I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, inhaling the scent of his cologne.
"What do you say we go for a walk? Get some fresh air? Just relax and forget what they told us tonight."
"That sounds wonderful."
Chapter 12
Drew
We walkedinto town and went directly to the little coffee shop in the center of the village. We had barely said a word on the way into town. I wanted her to know I was there for her, but I didn't want to push her. If she didn't want to talk about it, that was okay.
The coffee shop was busy tonight, people who had been out Christmas shopping and skiing and were now coming in to have a warm drink and some food.
"Did you want coffee or hot chocolate?" I asked, pulling out a chair over near the fireplace so Lexi could sit down.
"Coffee." She smiled, pulling off her gloves and rubbing her hands together, warming them.
I removed my hat, coat, and gloves and went over to the counter and ordered. I soon had two mugs of hot coffee piled high with whipped cream in front of me. "Miss, do you have any of those chocolate shavings you used to put on top?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see if Lexi was watching, but she was busy typing away on her phone.
"I do. One second." She went over to the back counter returned carrying a jar. She sprinkled some on top of Lexi's mugs, dark chocolate and white chocolate died red. I thanked the lady and carried the mugs over to the table and set hers in front of her. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw her mug.
"Oh, my goodness, you remembered," she cried out, laughing.
"Of course." I laughed. I had made the mistake of getting the whipped cream and chocolate shavings on her coffee for her birthday one year and she never had a coffee here without them, except for maybe at home.
I took my coat off and flung it over the back of my chair and sat down, relaxing back, taking a sip of my coffee. Lexi looked around the little shop at the Christmas decorations that were displayed, and a look of sadness came over her face.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I guess I've just really missed home, and it took coming back to figure that part out." She shrugged.
I went to say something, but she stood up and grabbed her camera and went to take pictures of the little Christmas village that the shop always displayed across the fireplace mantel. I sat and watched her get every angle just right and she began clicking away, a sense of peace falling over her face as she captured each little house.
An hour later, as snow lightly fell, we continued our walk through the village. Flakes danced in the air, twinkling in the streetlights as they fell to the ground. I walked beside Lexi as she took more pictures of the people in the village and the beautiful lights of the ski hills. Every click of the camera produced another beautiful photo. I was in awe of how one tiny device could produce a smile like the one she wore. She was beautiful in her element, and just when I averted my eyes from her, she turned the camera toward me and began taking my photo as we walked.
"Are you still living in that condo?" she asked, continuing to snap my photo.
"No, I sold that before...well, before everything went down. I have a small two-bedroom home on the outskirts of the city now. It works well for me. It's not like here, though, where you have your space. My neighbors are literally in my backyard."
"What about work? How is that going?"
"It’s been a challenge, but it’s going well. I pretty much just buried myself in work after everything happened. It was easier that way, and it kept me busy." I heard the shutter of Lexi's camera go off again, and when I turned, she once again had it pointed at me, a soft smile on her lips as she looked at me through the lens.
"It was pretty tough, eh?"
"Yeah, you could say that. You know, it isn't even the fact that she didn't want to be with me that bothers me, and now I just don't care. What bothered me the most was that I couldn't figure out what the hell happened. We were like glue, totally inseparable. I dropped her off the morning of the wedding, she had her dress in hand, and she ran into the church with a smile on her face, all the girls waiting for her, all of them giggling. Sure, I won't lie, I had cold feet, but I don't think I ever really doubted anything. Well, no, maybe I did, but regardless, she was the one who never made it down the aisle. She just wasn't there."
"I don't think it's you. Even when Zach called and told me, I didn't think it was you."
I listened as the shutter of her camera went off again and looked in her direction. She was still taking pictures of me as we walked slowly down the street.
"You don't?"