Until Then (NaNoWrimo 2021)

Chapter 2

                                                                                       ****

"I will remember and recover, not forgive and forget"

Chapter 2

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

On and on it went and on and on Archer continued to listen. Every day since that day time continued to fly past him like this and every time he would wonder if life would ever give him the opportunity to feel the way he did back then. Everyone told him that it was just a phase, that he would grow out of it but years had gone by and yet here he was right back at the beginning, right where it all began in the city of Chicago.

Would it still be the same he wondered or was it just a thing of the moment? That was the lie he told himself in order to move on, in order to forget but he couldn't. Archer remembered every single moment, every single smile, and every single touch, he never forgot and that was what brought him here. He didn't believe in love at first sight but he didn't think it was lust either, what could it be he wondered but one thing he knew was that it was out of this world, a bond so deep neither of them could ever comprehend.

The clock struck a new hour and marked the beginning of his new life, with a newfound purpose he strode out of his room and walked over to the bathroom. Inside Archer found a sight that drew a laugh out of him and made his eyes glimmer with happiness.

"What's going on here?" He asked leaning his weight on the bathroom door as he stared at his four-year-old sister who had propped herself up on a stool so that she could reach the sink and stare at herself in the mirror.

"Look, I took a bath on-on my own." Amy stammered out a wide grin on her face as she spread her arms wide. The little girl had a towel three times her size wrapped around her head and wore her mother's bathrobe which was also double her frame and was currently rolling on the bathroom floor.

"I can see that." Archer managed to say as he tried to stop himself from laughing at how ridiculous she looked.

"You said that-that once I started school I would become a-a big girl so I woke up early today so that I could get ready on my own." Amy explained looking up at her brother with a proud grin on her face. Ever since they moved back into town and Amy had found out that she would be starting kindergarten she was full of excitement and had been counting down the days until this very moment.

Pushing away from the door Archer walked over and kneeled in front of her small frame.

"You did? I'm so proud of you, you're definitely a big girl now." Archer praised caressing her face and Amy's smile turned bigger and brighter. "But big girls have their own stuff which means you can't use mom's things anymore, you know she doesn't like it when you go through her stuff." Archer admonished lightly and her smile dropped.

"But-but I don't have one of my own." Amy stammered sadly.

"I know, I'll buy you your own set after school okay but you have to promise not to use mom's stuff anymore. You promise?"

"I promise." Amy swore hurriedly her smile back on her face and Archer chuckled.

"Okay, let's get you ready for school now." He said and then lifted her up and settled her on his hip as he marched out of the bathroom and into their room once more. Inside their room Archer sat her down on the edge of the bed while he rummaged through her closet for clothes to wear, a few minutes later he turned to her with a dress in each hand.

"What do you think, this one or this one?" Archer asked raising up the dress in his right hand which was a blue jean dress and then the one in his left hand which was a sunflower printed dress.