Guilty Love

1| Runville

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Runville

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Chapter 1: Runville (London's POV)

"London!" 

I stopped packing up my bag for today and looked down, through my bedroom window. "Charlie!" I grinned, waving down at the sixteen-year-old boy who recently became Runville's mailman. 

"You've got mail!" he called out. 

"Leave it in the mailbox for me, will you? I'll check it later!" I grabbed the black tote bag, pulling it over my shoulder, and grabbing my phone, heading downstairs. Dad was sitting in the living room on the lounge chair, reading the paper. "Morning," I mumbled, walking past the living room and into the kitchen, grabbing a muffin and a bottle of water, then heading to the medicine cabinet and grabbing his morning pills.

"Morning," he called back out when I entered the room again. 

I handed him the bottle of water and then took out a pill from each bottle in my hand. "Bottoms up, dad," I sighed. 

He clicked his tongue, setting the paper on his lap. "I wish you would just forget about these pills some mornings, London," he frowned, taking them one at a time from my hand and swallowing them down with a gulp. 

"Have I ever forgotten?" I chuckled. 

He shook his head while drinking some water. "But that only scares me," he exhaled, closing the bottle and setting it on the small table beside him. "You worry more about my heart condition than you worry about your future." 

"Family is my future, dad," I said absentmindedly while shuffling through my bag for the envelope. "Here. It's from Nana." I handed him the letter. 

"God, I can't believe your Nana still writes letters." 

I stood there, eating my muffin. "What does it say?" I asked. 

He skimmed over it and then folded it back up, putting it on the table. "She wants to visit your mother's grave," he cleared his throat. 

I stopped mid-bite, blinking a few times. "I'll book her flight then. Don't forget your afternoon medication, I'm leaving for work, okay?" 

He nodded, waving me bye. 

I waved back and then left the house locking the door behind me before I started walking to our bookstore. The Last Chapter. My mom and dad opened it up together when they got married. And a small bookstore in a town like Runville is enough to feed a family. They ran it together until I was born, then dad ran it by himself, and once mom passed and I graduated high school, I took it upon myself to keep the store running. With Dad's diagnosis and all the free time I had on my hands, it only made sense. 

I stopped by Black Marina Barista, the local café to grab a cup of coffee on my way, waiting in line behind the others. 

"Morning London," Mr. Kit said while walking past me, leaving the café and heading to work. He's the town's mechanic. 

"Morning," I smiled.