Healing Hearts ✅

2. Stories

In the city I was usually woken up by honking cars and yelling pedestrians, here in the country I wake to the sounds of birds chirping and the wind blowing in lightly through my window.

I reach over for my phone and find a text from my best friend from back in New York.

FARKLEY: Miss you already

ME: Miss you too

I place my phone back on my nightstand and climb out of bed, the feeling of the hardwood floor underneath my feet unfamiliar as I pad over to one of my many boxes of clothing, pulling it open to find something to wear today.

"Morning sweetie" my mom smiles as she appears in my doorway. "You sleep okay?"

"Mhm" I smile softly as I find a yellow dress adorned with white polka dots, it's a modest length and has straps that cross in the back.

"What are your plans for today?" she asks curiously.

"Just unpacking a bit, gotta get ready for school" I add as she nods understandably.

"It'll be nice to get some normalcy."

"Yea" I reply softly, playing with the fabric of my dress between my fingers.

"You gonna be okay sweetie?" she asks me worriedly. It was the million dollar question, could I really move on? I had been absolutely shattered when my brother passed and though many have tried no one has been able to put me back together.

"I'll be fine" I assure my mother with a tight smile, "now can I get dressed?"

"Of course" she replies with reluctance before slipping out of my room.

~ 💟 ~

"Knock, knock" Lucas smiles as he leans against my doorway, a pair of jeans hanging off his hips and a t-shirt haphazardly buttoned.

"Hey" I smile as I turn from my desk that I was in the process of setting up. "I wasn't expecting you yet."

"Church got out a little early" he shrugs as he steps further into my room. "Nice place."

"Really?" I laugh, "I think it could use a hell of a lot of color."

"I see that" he gives, looking around at the bland walls. "What color were you thinking?"

"I don't know" I smile, "maybe a light yellow" I shrug.

"Country chic, perfect" he smiles. "So what do you need me for?" he asks as he looks around at the boxes covering my floor.

"You good with a hammer?"

"You can't hang stuff up before you paint city girl" he laughs, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Well" I exclaim, throwing my hands up, "I don't know then."

"Come on" he insists as he pulls out his keys. "I'll take you into town" he smiles making my heart flutter. His smile was beautiful, the kind of smile a person would talk about in a cheesy romance novel, it was perfectly imperfect.

"Okay" I give as I slip into a pair of white flats before following him down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" my dad questions as he looks over at us from his spot on the couch in the living room.

"Out" I shrug. "I'll be home in a little bit dad, don't worry."

"Riley" he exclaims but I'm already out the door.

"He's protective" Lucas observes as he unlocks his truck, allowing me to climb in beside him.

"Uh yea" I give, "but he has good reason" I add softly.

"That story again I presume?" he asks as I nod, running my fingers through my hair.

"The very one" I sigh as I lean my elbow on the space in front of the window.

"I'm becoming more and more intrigued Miss Matthews."

"I promise the reality is probably so much more depressing than you think."

"Depressing? Am I gonna have to keep an eye on you?"

"Only if you want" I reply smoothly. Was I seriously flirting with this boy? A boy I had met literally less than 24 hours ago, a boy I knew absolutely nothing about.

Luckily I'm saved from further embarrassment because we pull up to the shop a minute later. He pulls into the parking lot and shuts off the truck, looking over at me. "Alright, you ready?"

"Guess so" I smile, pulling open my door and following him around to the front of the truck before heading inside.

It's a small mom and pop hardware shop, something you'd never see in New York but seems perfectly in place here in the country. I'm looking around dazedly, catching a smile pulling at Lucas' lips. "What?" I question, my gaze catching his.

"Your face" he shrugs, "it's cute to see you take in everything" he admits making a blush fall onto my cheeks.

"Lucas" a feminine voice calls out, catching my attention as Lucas turns towards the gorgeous blonde making her way over to us.

"Hunter" he smiles, "how's it going?" he asks her curiously. Looking between them they seem to make perfect sense. I wonder if they're together.

"It's a slow day" she shrugs before her gaze falls onto me, "who's your friend?"

"Oh uh this is Riley, her family moved into Earl's place.

"Oh" she exclaims, "it's nice to meet you. I'm Maya."

"Maya Hunter" Lucas clarifies, "you should get to know each other, that way you'll have a friend on Monday" Lucas suggests.

"You go to Austin High?" she exclaims in excitement making me chuckle as I nod my head.

"Mhm, I'm a senior" I confirm.

"Yikes. Starting over for your last year." I nod solemnly.

"It's a long story" I sigh, running my fingers through my hair.

"She talks a lot about this story" Lucas informs Maya.

"Well maybe one day we'll earn it" Maya smiles, "but look as fun as Ranger Rick is sometimes, I know you aren't just on a random road trip so what brings you in?"

"Oh" I exclaim, remembering that I had a purpose for coming here. "Paint, I really need to brighten up my bedroom."

"She wants yellow" Lucas interjects as he leans his elbows onto the counter.

"Okay" Maya smiles, reaching under the counter and pulling out a book of paint colors. "Just pick the shade you want."

"Sounds easy enough" I smile, paging through the book as the door to the shop opens. Two boys walk in laughing and joking around but as their eyes land on Lucas a hush falls around the room.

"Friar" one of the boys says. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Just stopping in" he replies softly, averting his eyes to the ground.

"Mhm, make sure you find your way out" he adds as he walks over to Maya. "What's up baby?"

"Billy leave me alone" she snaps, stepping out of his reach.

"Tease" he mutters before walkng back to the other boy. "Catch you later baby" he shouts over his shoulder.

Lucas and the other boy lock eyes before he disappears out the door with the jerk. I look from the door to Lucas, confused. "What was that about?"

"Long story" he sighs.

"Maybe I'll earn it someday" I smile, making a smile pull back onto his own lips again.

"Maybe" he gives. "Story for story?"

"Story for story" I agree before looking back down at the book of colors. "I pick this one."

"Sunshine" Lucas reads, "sounds perfect to me."

"Agreed" Maya smiles and for the first time in a long time I feel genuinely happy. Maybe my parents were right, maybe this move would be good for me.