Fortuitous {WLW}

Chapter One: Home Sweet Home

Saylor's POV:

Five hours... five hours was the amount of time it took me to travel from the place I had known as home for the last eight years to the place that holds all the people that feel like home.

I got a job offer that would bring me back to Hillcrest and I didn't think twice when I accepted it. I missed Hillcrest; away from the hustle and bustle that was the metropolitan area and it's beautiful scenery.

Hillcrest wasn't very much as a small town, but the people that reside there make up for it's size with some of the friendliest people I've ever encountered and a strong sense of community.

I missed knowing every road like the back of my hand, going into places and knowing everyone there, as well as visiting mom and pop shops, diners, and boutiques. I missed Hillcrest the minute I left, but I had to go to college and eventually landed a job in the city I was going to school at.

I never planned to be away for long, but four years turned to five, five turned to six, six to seven, and now eight.

I had been away for far too long and I was missing a lot. I was hardly around when my sister met her husband, got engaged, got married, and had her three little ones. I wanted to be part of her life as well as theirs and watch them grow up, but the distance has made that hard.

I missed my parents as well. They are the two most loving and supportive parents a girl could ask for, dropping everything at a drop of a dime for me without any complaints. I missed their home, the home they raised me in and created my fondest memories, all of them including my best friend, Hadley.

I think I may have missed Hadley the most out of everything in Hillcrest. She was truly my partner in crime and we did everything together.

When I joined dance, she joined dance. I joined cheer, she joined cheer. I did pageants, she did pageants. We were even crowed royalty for Hillcrest Fest, a yearly event that our town hosted to strengthen the community.

I left Hillcrest, but she stayed and planted her roots. Hadley got a job at the most popular boutique in town, completely revamping it along side the owner and got engaged to her high school sweetheart, which made coming home an even easier decision. I wanted to be here for her, especially as her maid of honor. I didn't want to be hours away or plan things through a phone call, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

I pull into the familiar town, Main Street having tiny shops, boutiques, my parent's restaurant, and the coffee shop that my friends and I single handily kept in business during our high school career.

Everything is flourishing now, with many new faces and a spike in residence. It's hard to believe this quiet and quaint place ever seemed like a speck on the state's map to some.

I pull into my parent's residential neighborhood, my older neighbors instantly remembering my car and politely waving as I drive by. My heart warms at the sight of my family home, instantly putting my car into park and running into the home without any of my stuff.

I open the door, the signature clean linen smell comforting my system. I swear, it always smelt like my mom was cleaning or doing laundry, which is crazy to me how the house has maintained this scent after so many years.

"Saylor?" My mom asks as she walks around the corner.

My mom has aged beautifully. Her brown wavy hair only has a few grays, her wrinkles barely prominent, and her skin still glowing for 56 years old. It makes me feel relieved that I look like her and that hopefully I'll be able to age as gracefully as her.

"Mom!" I exclaim, quickly running into her loving arms.

"Hey, what about me?" My dad asks as he enters my peripheral.