The box has been sitting in the closet collecting dust for Sherwin doesn't even know how long. He had a vague memory of what was inside, memories he hasn't been ready to re-explore. He sets it on the bare frame of his bed still left to be taken apart.
Blowing off the dust reveals faded words in his old handwriting. He frowns, biting his lip. He didn't want to remember. It's been too long.
The lid is set aside. The letters, old and faded, still smell like cinnamon. He takes out the stack, fiddling with the red string tying them all together. He remembers the feeling of going to the post office to pick up his family's mail only to find a letter addressed to him.
The way he felt reading through it. The blush on his cheeks at the knowledge Jonathan decided to write to him- him! Now the thought of it makes him feel queasy. It's too soon, it will always be too soon.
And the last letter? The last letter he ever sent him? He never wants to look at it ever again. It hurts. Just thinking about it cuts open a wound that never quite healed even after four years.
"Hey, Sherwin, are you ready to go? It's gonna take a couple days to haul all of your stuff in the wagon-" Pru stops in the doorway, her gaze turning soft. She walks over and sits down beside him. "It's the anniversary huh?"
Sherwin nods, too scared to speak. He feels like if he does, all these tears he's been holding back would pour out.
Pru wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. "Yeah... yeah, I get it. Take all the time you need." she sighed tiredly pressing her face into his curls. "We have all the time in the world."
AN: The ending can be whatever you make of it.
I have to admit I really did want to come in, rewrite all the rest of the Javier episodes, finish this book and feel good about myself. Uh... then I realized past me might've set me up for failure and the episodes Javier is in aren't that... good? I mean, come on, they did that boy dirty.
So... I think this is the end of the book for now. Maybe I'll come back later to write a couple of drabbles to go with this, but I'm not making any promises.
I'm sorry I got yall's hopes up, but I don't know what to do with this story... and I'm just not passionate about this project.
Before I go, here's an idea on what I should've done for this story. If you want to write it yourself, feel free to! Just tag me in the first chapter so I can check it out.
What I could've done: Sherwin meets Jonathan when Jonathan and his family's circus comes to town. Jonathan and his family plan to settle down there for the next couple of years so that their son can have a normal life and friends for awhile. (Hence the title 'cowboy next door' being literal)
