to get to the house that I remembered so vividly from my childhood. On the way, I took in the trees, the small town, and all the landmarks that I remembered from when I was younger.
I should have come back earlier, I knew that in my heart now. There was so much that I missed about this place, and it was hard to imagine that I’d been able to leave it behind for so long.
Finally, I pulled into the long driveway of the Allens’ house and turned off my car. It turned to a low hum and then to quiet beneath me, and I took a deep breath. It had been too long. I almost felt frightened to see what had changed about the place. I knew that it couldn’t all be the same and I would never ask for it to be. But any change would also feel like admitting that too much time had passed, and the realization made me feel guilty. Why had I never come back?
I exited the car, shutting and locking the door behind me and climbed up the wooden steps to the front deck of the house. I knocked. Once. Twice. Then waited for an answer.
I didn’t have to wait long.
There was a flurry of footsteps from inside, then Mrs. Allen opened the door, her face bright and flushed.
“Grayson!" She embraced me, pulling me tight to her chest. She smelled of baking, of Thanksgiving, of holiday cheer, of childhood. Besides looking a bit older, it didn’t seem like she’d changed much.
“Oh! I’m so glad to see you,” she said, stepping back and holding me by the shoulders so she could get a better look at me. “You’ve grown so much! Oh my, I remember you when you were this small.” She held her hand to her shin, miming the height of a toddler, and I laughed.
“Well, I couldn’t stay that way forever, now could I? At some point, I needed to reach that high shelf.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” She gave me a wide smile. “You are the same age as our Sebastian, after all. I should have expected you to change more, especially after so long, but it still shocked me just how much. Serenity!” she called, turning back into the house. “Serenity! Grayson is here. Oh, do come in, dear.” She ushered me into the house, closing the door behind me.
There was a voice from upstairs. “Just a minute, Mom!” Then, several seconds later, there was a pattering of feet and Serenity appeared at the top of the stairs. In white tights and a gray dress, she was more beautiful than I could have imagined. And as she looked at me with her soft smile, her cheeks flushed with pink from excitement, I knew that I was in trouble.
Chapter Three
Serenity
Grayson was much, much hotter than I remembered him.
During those thirteen years in which we’d been apart, he had changed a lot.
Somehow, he seemed even taller now. His hair was dark with a singular streak of silver that must have appeared recently or his vanity had gotten the better of him and he decided to dye it. His green eyes were more vibrant than ever and his skin seemed to sparkle with an inner light.
My stomach clenched and my heart beat faster in my chest. No wonder none of my past relationships had worked out; it was clear that the crush I had on Grayson had never, ever gone away.
“Oh,” was the only thing I managed to say, not quite able to force anything else from my mouth. “Grayson.”
“Didn’t you know I would be coming?” he teased, winking at me.
“I mean, I did.” I looked down at my feet, blushing. “It’s just been so long. You look so different.”
“Please, do come in,” my mother said, and Grayson brushed past her to ruffle my hair.
“Of course I’ve changed. But look at you—you were only eleven when I left. And now you’re a grown woman!” He said that, but did he really see me as such? I still had no way of knowing. I didn’t want him to see me as a child anymore. I wanted...a lot of things, even if though I knew that it was probably a bad idea. Childhood crushes never turned out to be how you might imagine them. But perhaps with Grayson….
“What, did you expect me not to grow at all?” I looked up at him with a sly smile, doing my best to put on a face that would hide