Love Renewed (Love Trilogy)

by C. S. Janey

  "Do you want to believe him?"

  "I don't know. Well I do, but I don't, if you know what I mean. I don't want to think that I would even if he swore the truth on his life. It was so long ago, how can I be sure he was telling the truth when he said it wasn't what I thought? I am so confused, I am not sure what to feel. I thought I had resolved my feelings for him a long time ago."

  Anna nodded, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as if she was thinking about what to say. Not certain of when she should tell Charlotte about Trevin calling all those years ago, she decided this wasn't the right moment to bring that topic up.

  "I think you should give him a chance." When Charlotte looked up at her in surprise, she smiled. "You deserve to be happy and he obviously wants you still. It has been ten years; he's not the same man just like you're not the same woman. Now, go get Douglas since dinner is ready." She turned to the sink, ending the conversation.

  Charlotte looked her mother's back for just another moment, in utter confusion of the support for Trevin her mother had just admitted to, then turned away to do as told.

  Her feet tread lightly up the steps, her thoughts wandering to her mother and Trevin.

  She knew her mother just wanted her to be happy again, but she didn't understand why her mother would say to give Trevin a chance. She had been furious that Charlotte left town due to Trevin's apparent cheating at the time. Her mother would call her often to see how she was doing and to beseech her to come home. She hadn't understood when Charlotte had married Jack either and then it became even harder to get her to come home and visit.

  Charlotte had come home for her father's funeral but Trevin had not shown up to see her. Perhaps he had thought it would be disrespectful and Charlotte had been grateful for him making that choice even if he had actually wanted to see her. From his confession today, she was hard pressed to not believe he had felt that way and had never actually let her go like she figured he would have.

  I really need a hobby, she mused. She knew that letting Trevin take over her thoughts would be bad right now. She didn't know if she could trust him.

  "Douglas, it's time for dinner!" Announcing this as the door opened, Douglas looked up from the floor where he was coloring and then before she could catch his eye, he looked back down.

  Mumbling, he got up off the floor and trekked past Charlotte who had a concerned look on her face. Then, she just shook her head and followed him downstairs. She was going to have to see if her mother agreed with her that perhaps Douglas should be seen by a doctor.

  ~*~

  Trevin walked up the path that led through the woods behind his house, the wind blowing through the leaves of the tree like his thoughts whispered through his mind. The path was a private one yet many people walked along it during the day since the lake was just beyond the trees. He'd bought the house five years earlier when he'd decided to stay in town for good.

  He realized now that even then he'd been waiting for the day Charlotte would return, a purchase which could have turned into total foolishness if she hadn't.

  She did come back, though. That's all Trevin could think of at that moment. She was back and he had a chance to try again - at least that was his hope. His entire head was filled with thoughts of Charlotte, of their embrace earlier that day and the happiness he felt about her being back in town.

  Damn, he hadn't realized how much he had missed Charlotte. He had always missed her, but the amount just blew his mind; he couldn't get her out of his mind even though he had other important issues to deal with.

  She still fits into his arms as nicely as when they were younger. Her fullness surprised him though, but not unpleasantly. She was a woman full-grown and there was no denying that. She'd been a skinny little thing ten years ago and part of the reason he'd always called her Sprite. Her height plus her weight and the way she looked had just made the nickname perfect.

  He had wanted to devour her right there on the spot. He still wanted to, her taste still upon his mouth, her feel still imprinted upon his hands and their embrace burned into his brain.

  Trevin knew he was acting like a love sick puppy, but he couldn't stop himself. He had missed her: her joy when he'd surprise her with something she'd remarked upon wanting badly or the mischief that would suddenly appear in her eyes when she would pull him into an alcove and make him touch her privately in a public place; the moans she'd made when he'd roam his hands and mouth all over her body.

  Oh, yes. He was getting aroused just from thinking of Charlotte. It's amazing he hadn't torn off her clothes earlier, but he had wanted to desperately. He wondered if she remembered their frenzied lovemaking too; they'd never been able to get enough of each other it seemed.

  After she had moved away, Trevin frantically searched for her yet never had enough information to find her. As time went on it had become less and less likely. He had given up when it was clear she wasn't coming back and it still took him two years to begin dating. Nobody had ever been able to compare to Charlotte, however. He had never married and now he knew it was because he'd never given up hope completely.

  He wondered what she would think of that, when all the sudden he heard the sound of a branch snapping somewhere close to where he was standing.

  Snap!

  Trevin jumped, startled. He hadn't realized how deeply in thought he was. Looking around, he didn't see anything.

  "Hello? Who is there?" When there wasn't an immediate answer, he commented loudly, "I heard you, so you might as well come out and show yourself!"

  A figure came walking out of the trees and Trevin squinted to see who it was.

  As the person stepped onto the hiking path, the darkness of the evening made it so he could only see the outline of a woman. The summer dress clung to her body in a way that left little to the imagination.

  He could hear the laugh in her voice as she joked in a singsong voice, "Hey there sexy. Are you out here looking for trouble? That would be me!"

  Trevin groaned and she let out a peal of laughter.

  Shelby was standing in front of him, carrying a teddy bear he'd given her for her birthday this year, staring at him with a grin on her face.

  Right then, Trevin knew it was going to be a long night.

  ~*~

  Trevin really didn't want to deal with Shelby right now, but knew it was unavoidable.

  Scowling at her intrusion upon his private walk, which she couldn't even see due to the darkness of the evening, he turned on his heel and walked towards his house.

  Of course, she followed him, seemingly oblivious to his discontent he felt at her intrusion.

  When they were almost at his house, he could hear her giggling and mumbling to herself so he stopped and turned to face her. She was skipping, but she stopped once she saw him do the same.

  "What are you doing here Shelby? Is there something you need?"

  She blinked at him, her eyes widening as if his question caught her by surprise.

  "Isn't it obvious? I have come to see you Trevin! You are my friend!" Her smile was impish as she spread her arms wide, twirling in a full circle before standing before him again, the teddy bear cuddled against her chest.

  He realized that standing out here was probably a bad idea so he turned back towards the house. "Follow me inside, Shelby."

  She did follow him, getting right on his heels while blabbing his ears off with nonsensical chatter. The door slammed behind her, making him wince at the sudden noise in surrounding silence.

  Watching her flit around the kitchen was amusing, even if he felt bad for her. Opening the fridge, he took out a soda and offered her one. She shook her head, throwing him a smile before sitting at the table where he joined her after a moment.

  "Where is your friend, Shelby?"

  Her eyes rounded. "She's at home. I wanted to go out by myself so I could see you!"

  He had to grin at that. "You always were resourceful in finding me when I'm all alone."

  Sh
elby blushed, but the impish grin was still on her face. "You're a hard man to stay away from, Trevin." She stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "I really wish you could find someone to make you happy. You deserve it. I don't like to see you frown."

  "Aw, Shelby, you don't have to worry about me and my lack of a love life. I'm not unhappy at all." He had been unhappy for a while now, but she didn't need to know that.

  She smiled at him, brushing his cheek with the back of her hand. Her hand glided up his head until she ran her eyes through his hair, giggling like a little girl.

  Trevin let her because he hated the guilt he carried knowing he'd been the cause of her turning out this way. She wasn't all there in the head anymore and it was his entire fault.

  After Charlotte had caught them together and he'd yelled at her to get out, he had put Shelby out of his mind. Having gotten drunk and staying that way for well over a week, he didn't find out until two weeks after Charlotte left town that Shelby had gotten into an accident on the way home from his father’s house.

  Not paying attention as she crossed the street, she'd walked right in front of an oncoming car. The driver had stopped immediately and called 9-1-1, but Shelby had been thrown into a tree by the impact, her head slamming into it. Along with two broken legs, her traumatic head injury had caused permanent brain damage. She was in a coma for several months following the accident, followed by a lot of intense physical therapy. Mentally though, she was rendered a child and hadn't been the same since.

  Trevin had gone to the hospital and offered his assistance when she'd finally awakened after the accident. He had been close to apologizing when her mother had told him Shelby had no recollection of the accident, which meant her mother didn’t know about the argument either. All she knew was that Shelby had gone to his house that night and was hit while walking home. Unwilling to cause problems he wasn’t sure he could handle, Trevin hadn’t said anything about the trouble Shelby had caused before her accident.

  It was then and there that he had told Shelby that he would be her friend always, no matter what. He had stood by his word all these years, even when she wouldn’t leave his side – which usually tended to be at very inconvenient times, this evening being a perfect example.

  He just hoped Charlotte would give him a chance even with Shelby still around, but she couldn't possibly begrudge Shelby his friendship because of past events, could she?

  Frowning, Trevin realized he was sad because he didn't know what Charlotte would or wouldn't do. It had been ten years and she had definitely changed. Maybe he should tell her what had happened to Shelby and her current habit of hanging around him before Charlotte saw them together and got the wrong impression once again.

  Chapter Five

  Writer's block was being a pain this morning; the words Charlotte wanted to convey were stuck on the tips of her fingers but unwilling to be shared with her yet. She put on her running outfit, hoping a little fresh air and exercise would clear her mind enough to get work done.

  It didn't help that she hadn't heard from Trevin since she had told him to leave her house the other day. She knew that he had not left her alone completely; for when they would fight in the past, he would give her space while he took his. Then he would show up one day like everything was fine and apologize, rendering the argument irrelevant. He had always been so kind and thoughtful, which had made his betrayal that much more hurtful.

  Putting aside all thoughts aside so she could focus on the intended excursion outside, she grabbed her sunglasses and left the house.

  Closing the door as she stepped outside, Charlotte's hand came up to shield her face from the sun. The sky was a beautiful light blue this Saturday morning, with only a smattering of clouds visible. The sun was out in all its glory, high and bright in the sky rather than hiding behind the clouds as it had in recent days. The slightly cool breeze was the only hint of the seasons' changing; autumn was demanding attention now that summer was coming to an end.

  She smiled as the beauty of the day was exactly what she wanted and now hoping it would shine some light on the words she needed to finish the work that was due in just a few days. Her mother had taken Douglas out for the day to make it easier on her to work, something she was grateful for now that she wanted to go out for a bit.

  Putting on her sunglasses, she started off with a brisk walk that led her towards the main street of her hometown, Oakford. Charlotte studied her surroundings.

  The town of Oakford had not changed much since she was a child, let alone in the ten years since she'd left. She smiled at this realization as she picked up her pace to a jog. Most of the shops were owned by local families and nearly everyone she knew here believed in buying locally; bigger stores had offered to buy out land but the residents of Oakford were adamant in their words of disinterest.

  The 'big shots', as they were known around here, realized that the townsfolk were not going to give in, gave up and left the quiet little town alone. They made sure to spread around to anybody else who thought they would give it a shot that they were wasting their time trying to expand by placing big chain stores in Oakford.

  There were very few stoplights and pedestrians crossed the streets at will. Being hit by a car was very rare in this town and almost a non-occurrence; although the first time in two decades had apparently been a year after Charlotte had left - something she had noted with interest but not looked into further. A low speed limit and conscientious drivers was thought to be the reasons for the lack of accidents.

  The town was not sleepy, but the way of life was very laid back. Everybody who worked here had a Monday through Friday schedule unless they were jobs that required being open on the weekends, such as the grocery store and the gas station. With only a recent population count of two thousand and ninety-five, the town relied on tourism and people passing through for part of their revenue.

  A few people Charlotte recognized waved at her as she ran by. She flashed them a smile and a wave in return, the delight that she had returned written on their faces with smiles of their own. She would have to remember to come downtown again when she had time to stop and chat and catch up with the people she knew and those who had arrived when she'd not been here.

  Picking up the pace, she jogged past the main part of town and headed off down a trail that led towards the local lake. Inspection of the path as she jogged by exhibited a glorious span of trees; gold, red, purple and green leaves spun and floated in the air, descending to the Earth in what only could be described as an intricate dance with nature. She couldn't remember the last time she had really appreciated the beauty of the outdoors and promised herself she would do so more in the future.

  Slowing down as she reached the water, she came to a halt at the edge of the beach. The water lapped forward to the sand, not quite reaching her toes before receding back once again. Taking off her shoes and tossing them out of range to keep them from getting wet, she stepped into the water, deep enough to cover her feet and soothe them with its coolness. Then, she took out the hair tie that she had used to put her hair into a ponytail, shaking her head until her hair fell around her shoulders.

  Walking along the shore, the water sloshed over her feet, reminding her of how much she had truly missed the lake and yes, even this little town where she'd grown up. This lake had been her special spot though; it was her getaway spot from parents, from schoolwork and from drama. It was also the spot where she'd come to see Trevin before her parents had known they were dating, walking hand in hand and giddy about their budding relationship.

  As if her thoughts had conjured him up, she saw him coming towards her as she turned to exit the water.

  ~*~

  Trevin trudged along the path, reveling in the peace this path afforded him when he truly needed it. It was the one of the reasons he had bought the house nearby in the first place.

  He hadn't gone to see Charlotte nor called her because he wanted to give her the space she obviously desired. Knowing it was
probably a shock to see him again he didn't want to push her and after that kiss, he wanted to believe her feelings were still there right alongside his. She obviously found him as attractive as he found her and figured maybe she just needed some time, especially with her husband dying last year. He was exceptionally curious about this man she'd married though and hoped to eventually get her to talk about her marriage and what she'd been doing all these years.

  The path wound through the trees and eventually Trevin came upon the lake. As he started to turn around and go home, he saw Charlotte standing in the water facing away from the trees. Walking closer, he glimpsed her socks and shoes lying in the sand, noting that she must have ran from home to the lake since she was wearing a pair of stretchy leggings that showed off her shapely behind and trim legs, along with a t-shirt and a jacket in deference to the breezy weather.

  She hadn't spotted him walking towards her yet and he took this opportunity to admire her. Her dark brown hair was flowing free, straight and shiny as always; he'd always found her hair beautiful and would tell her so when they were younger, which would send her off on a rant about how she wished she had red or blond hair instead because nobody else found brown hair pretty.

  He would tell her she was being silly and that brown hair was the best; she would respond by calling him biased. They always ended up laughing though and it would follow with him kissing her to make sure she knew just how attractive she was to him.

  Thinking about how much he wished he could kiss her right now, he was almost upon her when she turned around and spied him coming towards her, arms coming up and crossing over her chest.

  Trevin stopped in his tracks. Trying to keep his face impassive at finding her on the beach near his house, he failed and his pleasure was obvious as he called out to her, smiling.

  "I knew I would find you here eventually. I just didn't know that day would come so soon."

  Charlotte scowled and trudged out of the water, walking right up to him and stopping to stand just shy of their bodies touching.