Against the Odds

Part 4 | Memory

My heart still felt as if it was running a marathon when I walked into my apartment and locked the door.

Madison glanced up when the door closed, but her eyes were trained on my empty hands in confusion. "Where are the groceries?"

I didn't want to lie to my best friend, but I also didn't want to rehash this afternoon's events right at the moment. Deciding to tell her about it later, I replied to her question. "I forgot my wallet at home. I'll go tomorrow after work for sure."

I wasn't the best liar and Madison knew that. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Wanting to get out of her perceptive gaze, I gave her a wide, genuine smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm better than I've been in a while, actually." With that, I walked to my room and closed the door. My eyes caught the picture that was on my bedside table. It was of James and I.

The photo was taken three years ago at a local fair. The descending sun was in the background along with the many rides, but we were the centre of attention. My back was leaned on his chest and his arms were wrapped around my waist, holding me close to him. We were facing each other, laughing.

I went and sat on my bed, picking up the photo.

"Come on, James! Let's just go on one more ride." I dragged him through the crowds of people at the summer fair. His hand was in mine as I made my way towards the giant teacups.

"Babe, it's getting dark." He was groaning behind me and I turned to face him.

I put my hands on my hips and attempted to glare at him. "You make an excuse every year when I want to go on the teacups."

He playfully rolled his eyes at me. "That's because the fact that I get dizzy easily doesn't change every year." He reached for my hands again to bring me near him. "You wanted to take a picture before we left, right? Then let's take one."

The reminder made me perk up, but I tried to keep the excitement off of my features. I looked up at the sky instead. "If you want a picture, you better take it fast. There's not going to be enough light for one soon."

James let out a low chuckle while shaking his head. "I'll be right back." He placed a swift kiss on my cheek and then jogged to a woman a few feet away from us. A couple of words were exchanged before she nodded and they both started to head towards me with two toddlers in tow, who I assumed were her children.

When she was close enough, she asked us whose phone we wanted the picture on. I handed her mine with a smile, which she reciprocated. I went to stand by James, my arms limp by my side but a grin directed to the camera.

"Come on, are you seriously still mad at me?" James tried to take a peek at my face, but I kept all my focus on the camera.

"Yes, I am." Not really. But I was too stubborn to admit it.

Suddenly, James put his arms around me and began to tickle my stomach. Laughter erupted from within me as his hands continued the torture on my abdomen. "Are you mad at me now?" The twinkle in his eyes was evident, knowing that he broke my resolve. I couldn't answer his question due to the abundance of laughs that were coming out of me.

A couple of poses later, the woman handed the phone back to me. "Aren't you two quite the pair." Her words brought a blush to my cheeks. We thanked her for the pictures and then she left. James tucked me into his side, his hand running up and down my arm. I beamed as I scrolled through the photos. His familiar embrace always made me feel safe and secure. The smile stayed put in place for the whole journey back home.

I stared at the picture for a few more seconds before taking it out of its frame.

I ripped it in half and threw it in the garbage.