A Spoonful Of Sugar [WILL BE TAKEN DOWN 2/1]

| Chapter 03

That good feeling left so quickly.

The moment Brian turned the car onto my childhood street, it faded away. Good emotions were replaced by memories I traded my hardest to forget. The radio stopped playing music. The wind barely moved the slender trees. It was like a grandfather clock trying to strike twelve, but the minute hand just wouldn't move.

On the block, there was the house on the corner where my ex-best friend probably still lived in. In between that house and my parents' was the cool kid, the bad boy, Mario...

Sometimes I wanted to forget that he was the guy I watched through my bedroom window.

I knew Brian noticed the looks on my face; I felt them change a million times per second. I had to be insane, right? How many times had I said I was okay with all of this, and yet, once the GPS on his cell phone 'you've arrived at your destination,' I was a ball of nerves?

Would it be wrong to just tell Brian to turn around now? To just run away with me?

The car stopped just in front of my old house. Its red brick exterior hadn't changed; it was exactly the same since I was six years old. The flowers under the front window were wilting, as was the little rose bush on the front lawn. My mother should have taken all of them down over a month ago, but like me... my mother held on to things and never let go.

With a split-second thought, I reminded myself of this trip. To let go. To move on.

I took in a deep breath as I stared down at my phone. Immediately, my thumb went to work. I opened Jun's text thread and sent him a message, are you almost here? I'm outside.

"Kay?" Brian stroked my back, gently smoothing out the folds in my sweater. "We're here."

I didn't pull my eyes away from my phone. I waited for an ellipse, a text bubble. Something. "I know," I said, chewing on my button lip.

Brian chuckled. "Okay?" He pushed hair behind my ear. "Would this be a good time to get out of the car?"

Frowning, I lifted my head. "Like, right now, right now?" I asked.

"Kay." He lifted his brows up high. "Come on."

My frown turned into a pout. "What?"

He sighed. It wasn't a big sigh, but enough that I leaned back in my seat. "Brian, I—"

Brian leaned against his seat, too. His head rolled to one side to look at me, his hand rubbed the back of his neck. Just looking at him made me happy, I had to smile.

So did he. "You can't just look at me and pretend that didn't just happen."

"What happened?" I tried to play oblivious.

"Uh, the glazed eyes lost thoughts, Kay." Brian tapped my nose. "Normally that happens, and you look happy afterward. Right now?" Brian looked at my phone and then at my parents' house outside the window. "You went someplace dark."