Melodies of the Heart

Chapter 25

Levi

The storm that had been at Levi's back all day finally overtook him as he pulled into Pinewood Grove. He had no choice but to continue, but he had to slow down to avoid wiping out before he got to Main Street.

He'd texted Kassidy when he was about an hour outside of town to let her know that he was coming, but like most of the messages he sent her, she never replied. He couldn't blame her for it. If their roles were reversed he would have been just as mad.

Sometimes he was happy she didn't reply. He felt guilty enough leaving her, and being able to think she was moving on made that easier to bear.

But most of the time it only hurt. He thought leaving her was the best thing for her, but it hadn't taken him long to discover how wrong he could be.

And it wasn't just leaving Kassidy behind that had been a huge mistake. Leaving Pinewood Grove felt wrong the instant he rode out of town. The town had a charm, a magic to it that felt like home from the moment he'd trashed his bike right outside of Kassidy's bakery. He'd begun to fix himself while he'd been there, bit by bit, and then he left before he had the chance to be whole again.

He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Though the road was slick, he picked up speed when he got close to Main Street and didn't slow down until he saw the bakery.

They were long closed, but that wasn't going to stop him. He didn't even take the time to make sure his bike was steady and he took the few steps across the sidewalk as one long leap and then he pounded on Kassidy's front door.

"Kass," he called as he pounded his fist against the thick wooden door. "Kassidy!"

From inside, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Nerves crept all over him, nerves and anticipation. They'd been apart for two months, but he still remembered the way her hair shone in the sun, every freckle on her shoulders, and the way her face lit up when she smiled.

But when the door opened, it wasn't Kassidy on the other side. She was nowhere to be seen and instead her father was staring back at him.

"Um, hello Mr. Olsen. Sir," Levi said as he pulled off his helmet. "I was wondering if Kassidy was in."

"She's gone out," her dad told him. "On a date."

His words twisted Levi's heart and he had to fight not to show the pain that ripped through him.

"Oh," Levi said when he couldn't think of anything else to say. He was too late. She'd picked someone else and she'd moved on. He'd had his chance and he'd screwed it all up.

"But," her father said, his expression lifting some, "I don't think she's all that interested in the fellow. Maybe you should see how she's doing. They went down to that new place, Harvest House or something."

"Thank you," Levi said, and he really meant it. "I'll, uh, go check on her."

"Might be for the best," Mr. Olsen said before he shut the door again.

He should have walked, it wasn't all that far, but what was three minutes on the bike was nearly thirty by foot and he didn't want to wait a single second longer to find Kassidy and tell her everything that he should have said two months ago.

He was almost there when he saw a figure on the side of the road. It was right outside the park where they'd sat together until the early morning, watching the rain fall. Where she'd first told him she loved him and he was too scared, too stupid to say it back.