The Alchemy [Taia (happy) AU]

Part 8

Hi I literally forgot it's Sunday 😭
It's midnight too rn LMAO

hope you're not all asleep 🫣🫣🫣

anyway 🫣🫣🫣

7k words for you to enjoy (:

***

A few days into July, Kaia walked downstairs to find a big cardboard box on the kitchen table with multiple "FRAGILE" stickers on all of its sides.

"What's that?" She asked her dad who was boiling some water in the kettle to make some tea.

"Oh, you got a package, and it's heavy! What have you ordered?"

Kaia frowned as she took a closer look at the box, flipping it over to find a return address. "I haven't ordered anything. It's probably just— oh."

She found the sticker with her parents' address on the back and next to the delivery address, in much smaller print, she saw the return address Her old address back in London.

"Right... I'm going to take this upstairs!" She said, picking it up in both hands.

It wasn't as heavy as her father claimed but she could tell the box was filled to its full capacity.

"Do you want a cuppa first, darling?"

"Oh, no worries, Dad. I have to pack for my trip anyway," she said and took the stairs two at a time. She closed her bedroom door behind her and put the box down on the rug.

She sat criss-cross applesauce in front of the package but didn't open it. She just stared at it. For a while.

She could guess what was inside, based on what she had left in London, anyway. She didn't really think about the day she would get all of these things back. But this was just the final confirmation that everything truly was over. Seven years of her life gone, just like that.

With shaky fingers, she picked up her keys and used the sharpest one to cut through the tape and open the top.

The first thing she found was a framed picture she had in their room of herself as a toddler with her older sister Layla and their mother. Kaia picked it up, brushed her thumb over the glass and gently placed it on her bedside table.

Right next to it was a little envelope. It was blank on both sides but there was a note inside and she recognised her ex's handwriting immediately.

I don't know why but sending you this box was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It just means this is all real and it's been hard coming to terms with that. But I figured you'd probably want all your favourite books back eventually. And you can't live without your favourite mug, can you?
I'll always care about you, Kaia.
Take care x
Andy

Kaia's hand started shaking as she read the note once again and then a third time until her version blurred with forming tears. She wasn't hurt, maybe not exactly sad either. It was something more akin to nostalgia. She'll always care a great deal about Andy too.

Sure enough, the box was full of sweaters and hats and books she had left at their old flat. And of course, her favourite mug, and other miscellaneous items she had collected over the years.

Somewhere in the mix of things though, she spotted a band t-shirt that got mixed up in there. One she had never owned or even seen before. It wasn't Andy's either. She was pretty certain her ex never listened to The Cure. Kaia did but she didn't have a t-shirt with their logo on it.