More Than You Know

by Alexandria Rhodes

  “I guess I should give you this, huh?” he asked, handing me the key he had used just moments ago. “It’s your official welcome home.” The cool metal felt odd in my hands as I recognized the key. It had probably been mine.

  “Thanks, Ash, for everything.” We hugged again and he kissed my cheek before hopping on his motorcycle and speeding down the road back to his house.

  I spun around on my heels, taking in the outside of the house before heading back in. As I was about to walk inside, a house at the end of the street caught my eye. An all too familiar scene sat at the far end of the street. It was one that I had spent many of my days and nights at during the summer gossiping with Charlotte or sneaking around with Tyler. I looked at the driveway to see if I recognized any cars but there were none there. I groaned at the four bags of luggage that sat by the front door. I picked two up and walked into the house, heading straight for the kitchen. Olivia was sitting at the kitchen table checking her phone.

  “Hey, do I have time to take a quick shower?” she asked sniffing her armpits. “I’m worried that smell is coming from me and three hours of flying.”

  I laughed. “No, it’s not you. It’s the house. And sure, let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

  We opened the basement door and walked downstairs. I switched on the light and led her into the living room. She set her suitcase on the couch.

  “It’s perfect! I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here. I’m not ready to be insanely babied by my parents yet. Can’t wait to find my own place.”

  “Well you can always call this place your own. The bathroom is through here.” I led her into what would be her bedroom for the next couple of days and into the bathroom. It wasn’t much but it was plenty of room for one person.

  “Everything should work okay. I had Ashton turn on the water and all of that stuff a few days ago.”

  I turned the shower’s water knob and was pleasantly greeted with the water that came out, clear, if I might add.

  “Let me know if you need anything,” I added as I left her to shower.

  I treaded up the stairs and shut the door behind me, leaning against it and taking in my surroundings. As familiar as this house was to me it still seemed like I was a stranger in someone else’s home. I couldn’t wait for the moment I would get over that feeling.

  My mind kicked into overdrive, thinking of what I needed to do before Olivia got out of the shower. It was time to take inventory of the kitchen. As I walked down the hallway, memories came flooding back to me as I remembered mornings where I would run down this very hallway to find my dad putting his shoes on. I remembered morning breakfasts with my dad in the kitchen eating the same thing: peanut butter toast and a glass of milk. As I passed the living room, images of Christmas mornings filled my mind as I saw a younger version of myself excitedly tearing through the presents under the tree. I glanced at the recliner chair in the corner and could clearly picture my father sitting there watching football on Sunday afternoons.

  Even though I never took the time to understand the game, I enjoyed spending time with my dad as he watched football. I may not have been paying attention to the game, but just being there with him was time I wish I could have back. I shook my head, clearing away the memories, not ready to revisit them just yet.

  I walked into the kitchen opening the white, distressed cabinet doors. I was pleased to find our old set of dishes still stacked inside. I pulled them out, making a mental note to wash them when we got back from the store. I was finishing my list of items I would need from the store when Olivia walked in the kitchen her hair up in a messy, still wet, bun on top of her head.

  “I feel so much better.” She looked at my list. “Got everything written out you need?”

  “Yep! If you’re ready we can get going.”

  We walked out of the house, locking the door behind me, and climbed into my car.

  “I can’t believe you have one of these. Weren’t these made the year you were born?” she said, running her hand against the dashboard. “I mean, it has a cassette player for God’s sake.”

  “Hey, don’t hate the car.”

  “I didn’t mean anything personal.” She tapped the dashboard as though she was talking to it. “Just pointing out that this car has to be at least twenty years old.”

  After pulling into a spot at the store, we headed for the entrance. I winced at the thick Savannah air that hit me as I exited the car. It seemed to encompass and overwhelm me; something Savannah was known for. I grabbed a cart, and Olivia and I put our purses into the front of it and made our way towards the first aisle.

  I was hoping and praying that I wouldn’t run into anyone I used to know. Even though I had Olivia with me I was not in the mood for reminiscing and I knew I definitely looked like I had just flown hundreds of miles.

  While Olivia checked out the bread aisle, my mind was thinking about all of the unpacking I would need to do. My arms did the work—filling my cart as if I were on autopilot. However, I quickly found out that I should have been paying more attention because as soon as I turned into the dairy section, I collided with another cart.

  The force of the hit pushed me backwards, and I was stunned by the force of it. I slowly looked up from the cart to the person's face. His face was soft, almost baby-like; his eyes were a soft blue and his hair blonde. Timmy Patterson was standing in front of me.

  I’m sure that I looked weird just standing there staring at him so I shook my head slightly and spoke first.

  “I'm really sorry. I was completely zoned out!” I stammered, wanting to quickly get out of this situation.

  Timmy was the guy in high school who all of the girls wanted to be with. With his blue eyes and blonde hair, he was the “it” guy. He had been dumb but the girls didn’t have time to notice that as they were too busy staring at his good looks.

  “Don’t worry its fine. I should have been watching where I was going." He looked at me as if he was trying to figure out who I was. "My name’s Tim by the way," he said reaching out a hand.

  I took it slowly and cautiously. "Bryn," I said, not wanting to give him my last name.

  “You look kind of familiar. Have you always lived here?” he asked. Maybe he had noticed me in high school.

  “Really?” I asked, avoiding his question. “Well, I’ve got to get going. Lots to do,” I said, pushing my cart again, trying to get away with not answering the rest of his question.

  “Wait a second, weren’t you Charlotte Wilson’s best friend in high school?” he asked as I started to push my cart forward.

  Before I could come up with an answer, I was cut off by a tall, muscular guy walking up behind him, his arms full of boxes of sweets and cookies.

  “Hey, Tim, do you think the girls would care if we bought all of this?” The man laughed.

  I got a better look at him, and my mouth dropped. It was Jason Montgomery, Tyler’s best friend from high school and someone who would definitely recognize me without second guessing.

  “Bryn?” he asked as he dropped all of the contents into the cart Timmy was leaning on. Jason’s smile was wide as I’m sure memories came flooding back to him. We used to spend hours together. With him being Tyler’s friend and all of us growing up together, there seemed to be an invisible tie between us.

  “Oh my God, Jason!” I said, walking over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. He hugged me tighter, picking me up and spinning me around. Giggling as he put me back down, I wiped the stray hairs that fell from my ponytail away from my face.

  “It’s great to see you!”

  “Same to you, Little B. Are you going to be in Savannah for a while?” Little B was his nickname for me growing up.

  “Yeah,” I nodded.

  “For good?” he asked, his eyes hopeful.

  “For now, yes. I just got back literally three hours ago,” I said, checking my watch. “Ashton picked me up.”

  “Have you seen him?”

  I was about to qu
estion him as I wondered if he hadn’t heard who had picked me up before I realized he wasn’t talking about Ashton. He was talking about Tyler.

  “No, they don’t know I’m back. I didn’t even know they lived here.”

  “Not even Charlotte? She’s going to have a fit when she finds out you’ve been back a whole three hours without telling her.”

  I shrugged. “She doesn’t have to know everything.”

  He nodded and I wondered just how much he knew. How Charlotte had abandoned me, left me when I needed her the most.

  “Well, I think you should come over next Friday. We’re having a start-of-the-summer party at the house, you know, just like when we were younger. Bring Ashton; it’ll be a good time.”

  “You still have those parties?” I asked. The Wilsons had been throwing these summer parties since I was 14 years old. They had been a blast then, so I could imagine what they were like now, all of us being of age. Not that it had ever been an issue before.

  He motioned to the cart. “The one and only. We’re stocking up now. But to be honest, I’m using this time to take advantage to buy all of the goods that I can eat later.”

  “Sugar?” I asked, noticing all of the sweets in the cart. “You sure haven’t changed, Jay.”

  He smiled. “Neither have you, B. We missed you.”

  We. “Missed you too.”

  “So you will be there, right?” he pressed again.

  “I’m not sure. But put your address in my phone and if I can make it, I’ll be there, I promise,” I assured him.

  “Still the old house, Bryn. Tyler’s parents sold it to him and Charlotte three years ago. Eva and I live there too, she’s my better half. You’ll have to meet her.”

  Shifting my feet and tightening my ponytail in the hair tie I smiled. “I’ll try to be there.”

  “You better.” He winked.

  We said our goodbyes, and after they had turned the opposite direction, I frantically searched for Olivia.

  “He’s here?” she asked as she looked around us. I had briefly tried to explain what had just happened without going into too much detail. Obviously, that had just confused her.

  “No, not Tyler. His best friend, Jason.”

  She placed the box of crackers in her hands into the cart and we started walking down the aisle, continuing our shopping. “Last time I ever leave you alone. I miss all of the good stuff!”

  “Trust me. You didn’t miss anything but an invitation to a party.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, a party huh? When is it and what should I wear?”

  We turned the corner and entered the boxed goods aisle. “Next week and I don’t think I’m going.”

  “I get it. But just consider going. Could be a lot of fun.”

  I grabbed a box of double stuffed Oreos. I have a feeling I am going to need these tonight.

  The rest of our shopping trip I was careful and aware at all times of my cart and was thankful to finally get the hell out of there to go home. I knew that by the time we pulled into my driveway Jason had probably contacted Charlotte or Tyler, letting them know I was back in town. Not that they would care.

  As we started to unload the many bags in my car, I realized that even with Olivia’s help we would be making at least five trips back and forth. I was exhausted just thinking about it.

  It took us around three hours before the living room and kitchen was cleaned up. The furniture that was there put in the places I wanted, but finally, we were done…downstairs. I still had the upstairs to complete, but I wasn’t ready to visit there yet.

  My stomach growled loudly and I could only imagine how late it was. I hadn’t eaten since we left New York and I was suddenly starving.

  As soon as I entered the kitchen I got to work. I pulled out the pot I would need for the water and the spaghetti noodles I had just bought. Pulling out the can of chopped tomatoes, I emptied it into a smaller pan, putting the heat on low. Then, I pulled out a baguette, slicing it in thick pieces for toasting in the oven, adding a homemade spread of garlic butter minutes later.

  “Look at you go,” Olivia said as she poured us each a glass of wine.

  I smiled. “When I stress, I cook or bake. At least this is healthier than the cookies I could have made.”

  “I wouldn’t have objected. Cookies for dinner? Sounds great to me!” She grabbed two plates out of the cabinet and set them at the table along with two forks and knives.

  “So Ashton is really hot,” she spontaneously added.

  I glared at her. “Really?”

  I never really looked at him like that. He was good looking and all, but to think of him as hot felt too far off of what my mind could handle.

  “You’ve been holding out on me, Woods. If these are how all of your guy friends look here, you have some explaining to do.”

  “Here, taste this.” I stuck out the spatula I had been using to mix the tomato sauce with. “And he has a girlfriend and from what I can tell, they’re serious. Don’t get any ideas.”

  She frowned as she took a taste.

  “What part are you frowning at? Me turning down the whole Ashton and Olivia possibility or the sauce?”

  “Is he engaged yet?”

  “Olivia!” I exclaimed. “That shouldn’t matter!” I hit her in the arm and returned to my sauce.

  “I’m just kidding. The sauce is good, by the way.”

  The timer went off and I pulled out the bread. We helped ourselves to platefuls of spaghetti and garlic bread and sat down at the table.

  “To us,” Olivia proposed, her glass raised up in the air.

  I clinked mine to hers and dug in.

  After an extra helping of spaghetti and the dishes were cleaned and waiting to dry, I looked at the clock on the wall and yawned. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

  It was only nine but I was already tired. Tomorrow was going to be a big day with all of our stuff coming in from New York and I needed to be awake for it.

  “Me too, babe,” Olivia said as she dried the last of her dishes and looked around. “Uh, where does this go?” she asked, holding up a coffee mug she had found in the dishwasher for tea she had made. Lida had left a note saying she had been here this morning and that the dishes in the dishwasher were indeed clean.

  I took the mug from her. “The mugs go here, above the coffee maker,” I said, opening the cabinet to put it inside, but I stopped. There in front sat my dad’s favorite coffee mug. I had gotten it for his birthday when I was nine and only when it was in the dishwasher did he not use it. I placed Olivia’s mug on the shelf above and closed the door along with my feelings.

  “Okay I’m going to bed. Night! Let me know if you need anything. I think I’m going to sleep down here. My mattress is currently somewhere in North Carolina and the floor doesn’t sound so great for some reason.”

  “Don’t blame ya. Wake me when you get up tomorrow! See you in the morning.” She winked before turning around walking downstairs.

  Finishing up my own dishes, I turned off the kitchen light and walked over to the hallway closet. I grabbed some blankets and started to make a bed on the couch.

  While I was checking the news on my phone, my Phone buzzed in my hand alerting me of a new text message. I couldn’t get on my laptop or watch TV yet, as the cable and Wi-Fi hadn’t been set up. Not recognizing the number I opened it hesitantly.

  I wish I would’ve known you were back in town, Jay just told me. I would have made sure to stop by. I miss you... – Charlotte.

  Shutting my phone off without replying, I pulled my blankets up closer to my chin and drifted off to sleep.

  Four

  ____________________

  Morning came all too soon with the sunlight streaming through the curtains. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. I cursed at myself for forgetting to shut the shades the night before. I stood up and stretched my sore muscles from sleeping on the couch. I grudgingly walked downstairs and woke a very reluctant Olivia. S
he rolled out of bed, falling onto the ground.

  “Definitely not how I want to wake up every morning,” she said, laughing. She rubbed her side and stood up.

  I took a deep breath in my fit of laughter trying to compose myself. “Maybe not for you. But that was hilarious for me. Thanks, Olivia.”

  “Yeah, yeah. What time is Ashton coming over?”

  “In about a half an hour. The moving guys won’t be here for another hour. So you have time to wake up and do whatever.”

  “Actually, I was thinking of going on a really quick run. Take a look around the neighborhood. Want to join me?”

  Since it was still early enough for the humidity and sun to not be too much to run in I agreed, needing to let my mind wander. Running had always been a passion of mine. It allowed me to clear my head and it relaxed me in a way.

  “That sounds good. Let me change into my running shorts and grab my music. Be ready in five?” I asked.

  I rummaged through the many suitcases surrounding me, trying to find my workout clothes. After I had changed into a pair of shorts and a black racerback tank top, I met Olivia in the living room and we walked out of the house, starting our running pace steady but strong as we hit the sidewalk.

  “Let’s go this way,” I said, pointing in the opposite direction that the Wilson’s house was.

  The neighborhood was more beautiful and rustic looking than I had remembered. The houses were all pretty old and most of them had beautiful architectural designs to them. The trees were covered in Spanish moss and hung above our heads as we ran, shielding us from the sun. Even with the break from the sun’s rays, we could only run for a good twenty minutes before we were both exhausted from the heat.

  “Oh my god. I need water!” Olivia exclaimed as we entered the house. “Please tell me the air conditioning is on full blast!”

  I laughed as she splashed cold water against her face at the kitchen sink.

  “Going to grab a shower really quick!”

  Knowing I only had ten minutes, I didn’t waste any time under the cold water. I washed my hair and body in minutes, happy to have the sweat off my skin. I changed into a similar outfit as my running one and headed downstairs, starting the coffee machine. I had just finished my breakfast cereal when I heard Ashton at the front door.