Shout

Chapter Twenty Six - It Feels Good To Be Wooed For a Change

I threw dress after dress out of my suitcase as I groaned in frustration. My suitcases were completely unpacked and surrounding me. I was in a sea of failed dress options.

Avery popped her head in through the door and scanned the room around her. She gave me a flustered smile, "Can I help?"

"Please!" I replied as I huffed.

She began to walk around the room, picking clothes up and refolding them neatly, her arms full of bundles of my clothing.

"I'm sorry, are you cleaning up right now?"

"You know I can't think properly in the middle of a mess, Olivia!" Avery exclaimed.

"Is that why you walked in here? You have a problem," I stated in amusement.

"I know," She wailed before gently placing my clothes back into their suitcases.

Avery and I were packing for our move, which would likely take place in a few days if Avery could narrow down Nathan's commitments. He was our designated truck driver. Both our rooms were currently littered with suitcases and bags of our belongings. I think the clutter was beginning to drive Avery insane.

She pulled out a black a-line dress that reached a few inches above the knee and threw it at me. "This would be cute."

I jumped up and took the dress into my closet to change. When I emerged, my room looked spotless - everything immaculately placed back into the suitcases they belonged in. Avery gestured to the black booties on the floor and I slid them on my feet.

"When do you need me to drop you off?" Avery asked.

I glanced at her, "In a few minutes if you don't mind? I wanted to grab some flowers first."

She grinned at me and I laughed at the goofy expression on her face, "What?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about how much you've changed since you met Alexander."

"I haven't changed. I'd always get flowers for a friend's parent's birthday party. Remember when I came to Margaret's birthday? Before I knew about their obsession with inscriptions."

She gave a dry look, "You know what I mean. You seem happier. More you than you've ever seemed. I think Alexander's really good for you."

I smiled at her teasingly, "Don't make me mess up this room again."

"Would you look at that. Time flies when you're being shoved out the door," She rushed me tugging my arm.

I stood in front of a cozy bungalow. The lawn was filled with all types of flowers and gnomes, the outside of the house was fitted with stones of different shades of grey, and there were string lights that decorated the garden, weaving through all the bushes and trees. The lawn wasn't manicured like all the lawns I had grown accustomed to growing up. The grass was a little long and there were weeds that popped up in unknown, natural places. There was only one way to describe it, and that was that it felt like a home.

I noticed two motorcycles on the driveway and recognized one as Bryan's. I recalled Alexander mentioning how he became close to Bryan in the cancer ward. Maybe the families had grown close that way as well.

I tugged my dress a little straighter and clutched the bouquet of wild flowers a little tighter before ringing the doorbell.

Not a moment later, the door swung open and Alexander greeted me in a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants. I watched as his large hand gripped the door frame with one hand and the open door with the other. His t-shirt looked so snug on him that I could make out the intricate patterns of his torso and boy was he in shape. My gaze moved towards his face to see the warm smile and the lighthearted eyes that had always drew me in. I think a part of me knew they would always draw me in.