Ronan: To the Moon and Back

24. Heart Shaped Boxes

It's been a busy and exhausting week, according to Rae, so when Louis shows up at her door step, yet again, she doesn't turn him away. Not after he offers to help her with whatever she needs. Louis doesn't mean to snoop in Rae's room while she's downstairs dealing with yet another mysterious call she never shares the details of, (though he still hears enough to know it has something to do with money.) He was just doing as he was told, when he firmly insisted that he could help organize her used film rolls and label them correctly, after Rae nearly throws them across the room.

So it's not his fault when he stubs his toe on something sticking out from under her bed. The pain in his toe is almost not, more of a dull smack then a sharp pain, nowhere near the pain of when he stepped on a sea urchin before judges houses. He accidentally ends up kicking whatever it is out further from beneath the bed, staring down at a plain brown box only marked by a simple capital J. He had knocked off the top of it, now sitting at an angle, exposing little trinkets and papers. Curious- and if Louis were a cat he'd be dead- he kneels down, setting aside the film tube in his hand, pulling the box towards him.

He shouldn't, he really shouldn't, but he just can't help his eyes catching a Polaroid. It's a picture of Rae. She's sitting cross legged and holding a tiny black kitten up in the air, smiling at it like its the greatest gift she's gotten. Louis gently pushes it aside, picking up a concert ticket for Mumford and Sons, three years back. He continues on, shifting through and picking up things; a dried out flower, an film canister Louis thought was empty until he shook it, opening it, a necklace with a key charm falling into his hand. More ticket stubs for movies and shows, a mixed CD, cards from her birthday and Christmas and Valentines day. A little feather attached to a string, Louis assuming its a cats toy. A letter addressed to Lover, and a few more pictures.

The last one is of Rae and (whom Louis guesses) this J bloke kissing in the sunlight. Their noses are a little smashed together and Rae is smiling through the kiss, the corners of her mouth turned up. There's a hot curling in the pit of Louis' stomach while he continues to stare at the picture, and finally puts it down because he shouldn't be jealous of someone who clearly never cared for Rae. Who took her cat and ran off. Louis replaces the top, and gently shoves it back, until he hears it hit something else.

Cats supposedly have nine lives and what's it to him if he loses a metaphorical one, when he pulls out yet another box. It's smaller than the last, with a B marked on it. The contains in this box are less than the previous. There are more pictures and less ticket stubs, save for a ticket to that important Man U match two years ago. There's only one card and Louis decides not to read it, for the cover is filled with little hearts and butterflies. There aren't any kissing pictures, just ones with Rae and another boy laughing together while taking the pictures herself. Louis closes it, puts it back and pulls yet another box out.

It's white, covered in little doodles and if he didn't know any better, he'd think Zayn had gotten a hold of it. There's no letter marking it, the drawings are enough for Rae to know who's it is.

Louis gently pries the top off, setting it aside. The first thing he sees is an empty mini bottle of whiskey, resting on a pile of pictures. Pictures of a boy with tan skin and dark hair and a groomed beard. Pictures of him hugging two girls who resemble him; him holding a cute Yorkie; a picture of whom Louis thinks is the kids parents. Pictures of him kissing his girlfriend. Pictures of Rae's mother and him, of baby Ronan and him, and finally pictures of Rae herself. 

Louis pulls out colored tin foil with winner written on them, made to look like medals. There are candy wrappers and sticky notes and an old smoked out fag; and a joint. There's jewelry and a half empty bottle of cologne. Louis picks up a notebook, opening and flipping through pages on pages of drawings.