BACK TO YOU

nineteen. home

Lennox took a step back, tilting her head to the side as a divot formed between her eyebrows. Her eyes, the color of melted chocolate, scanned the array of pictures that hung on the wall before her.

She took a step, but a pair of hands landed on her hips, stopping her from rearranging the photos… again.

“They're perfect.”

A smile tugged at her lips as she melted back into his embrace, a light hum leaving her as his arms circled her waist and his chin rested against her shoulder.

“Really?” She asked, her eyes still trailing over the photos.

“Really.” He hummed, kissing her cheek. “Especially that one.” He raised his hand, his finger pointing at the photo of him on the sailboat, it was taken from a short distance – the girl had been on the dock when she snapped it.

She laughed, throwing her head back against him, his own laughter mingling with hers over the hushed murmur of the crowd as people made their way around the expanse of the room.

All marveling at the photos that the students had worked all summer on, there was an air of pride that swelled. It filled the room, from the photographers to the observers.

“I love that sound.” He mumbled, his nose tucked into her neck, gently pressing a kiss into her skin.

“Seriously,” Steven groaned as he approached the two. “You're in public.” The couple chuckled, looking up at the boy, but Conrad didn't let the girl out of his embrace.

“Leave them alone.” Laurel scolded, lightly hitting his shoulder as she, Susannah and Belly joined them.

“Yeah, Stevie, leave us alone.” Lennox narrowed her eyes at him, a smile tipping her lips up.

“Angel, your photos are amazing.” Susannah grinned as she took a step closer to the wall. “These are breathtaking.”

Lennox stepped forward, Conrad letting his arms fall from her sides. “This one is my favorite.” She pointed at the photo in the middle, it was the centerpiece of her entire collection. In the picture, two people could be seen walking down the beach, away from the camera. Their hair had been swept up in the wind, the articles of clothes that hung loose whipping in the breeze. And the sun had just started to set, casting a warm, golden glow over the entire thing.

“Is that us?” Laurel asked, her face softening as she took in the photo. 

“Yeah.” Lennox nodded. “My favorite people.”

“I'm offended.” They all turned, the girl smiling up at Jeremiah.

“You’re here!” Lennox grinned, wrapping her arms around him. “Where have you been?”

“Around.” He shrugged, patting her back a little before they pulled apart. “And I thought I was your favorite.” He smirked.

“Whatever.” She mumbled, shoving him a little and the others chuckled at the two. And the rest of the night had been much of the same.

They had spent most of the day milling around the gallery. Lennox had made the rounds, talking to a few of the friends she had made in class. Though, she spent most of her time with Callie, boasting about how amazing the girl was when a person showed interest in her photos.

And she finished out the night sipping on a glass of champagne, lingering by her wall of photos. A smile tugged at her lips, pride feeling her chest with a warmth she had grown to enjoy in the past several hours.

She had just raised her glass to her lips when someone stopped at her side, but she didn't look up. A lot of people had stopped at her side and complimented her work, and this one wasn't much different.

“These are amazing.”

It was the voice that had her stopping, her entire body freezing for a moment as the voice registered. And when it landed, a pit unraveled in her stomach.

She turned, her eyes cast upon the man that stood before her in a designer three-piece-suite, a gold watch glittering around his wrist.

“You're talented.” He added, his eyes scanning every picture that hung there. “I always wondered what you were doing with that camera, you never showed me any of your photos.”

“Dad?” She mumbled, her eyes wide. It had been months – maybe even a year – since she had seen him. He was always off at work, leaving her home alone. Never spending more than three hours in his house at a time. “Why… how… what…?”

He sighed, turning to face the girl. “Susannah called. She's a spitfire.” He mused, his tone light but Lennox just looked up at him with wide eyes. “She told me I wasn't being fair to you, then she told me about this and I had to see it. And I wanted to see you. To apologize.”

“That's a long list.” She mumbled, her hands shaking a little.

“I know it-”

“Len?” Conrad came to a stop next to his girlfriend, his eyes moving from her to her dad. “Mr. St. James.”

“Conrad.” He nodded his head, smiling small at the boy.

“Are you okay?” Conrad asked, his voice soft as he gently caressed her arm.

“I'm fine.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you, but I'm okay.” He nodded and left the two to talk, but he stayed close enough to keep an eye on her

“Boyfriend?” Charles raised an eyebrow at the girl.

“Yeah.” She nodded and he chuckled.

“I always knew it.” He mused. “That boy always looked at you like you were the sun.”

“I don't… I don't want to talk about Conrad. I don't even really wanna talk to you at all. I've forgotten how.”

“I know and that's my fault.” He nodded, shifting on his feet a little then he took a steadying breath. “I'm proud of you.” She told her. “This is incredible. And you got here all on your own-”

“That's where you're wrong.” She cut him off. “I was never alone. Not really. I have my family. Susannah and Laurel, who were parents to me when mine chose to leave. I have siblings, Steven and Belly are amazing. Even when they're mad at me, I know they love me. Jeremiah is my best friend, who I'm pretty sure I would not survive without.

“And I have Conrad. He's been this… rock in my life. Always steady – with a few hitches along the way. But even when I wanted nothing more than to forget he existed, I knew that if I needed him, he'd be there. They all would.” She took a breath. “If I needed them to, I know they would do just about anything for me. Because that's what families do. But I guess you wouldn’t understand that.”

“Lennox-”

“You know, I appreciate you giving those pictures to Suze for me. And I admit it took me a few days to realize it, but there wasn't a stamp on the envelope. No address, no return address. It was blank.” She watched as he shifted on his feet. “How long have you been in town?”

He took a breath, his head hanging forward. “A few weeks. Had to finalize some things for the sale.”

She swallowed hard, nodding her head. “Yeah, I thought so.” She managed a smile as she looked up at him. “Well, thank you for coming. But I don't need you now, I have my family. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go meet them for dinner.”

With that she turned, holding her breath as her hands shook and the second she was close enough, Conrad closed his arms around her. She melted into him, letting out a shaky breath and he kissed her forehead.

“Come on, everyone's waiting.” She mumbled, stepping back and sliding her hand into his. But before she could take a step, Conrad pulled her to him. His free hand placed on the side of her neck, his thumb grazing the hollow of her throat.

“I love you.”

She smiled up at him, stretched up onto her toes. “I love you.” She hummed, pressing her mouth to his. She hummed as he deepened the kiss, this thumb sliding up and down the column of her throat. She giggled, a delighted sound, as she pulled back. “We should go before they get worried.”

He chuckled, pecking her lips once more before they left the gallery, their hands intertwined as they made their way to the red jeep that was parked by the curb. But he pulled her to a stop before they reached the car and her eyebrows pinched as she looked up at him.

“Everything okay?”

He smiled, tugging her closer to him as his other hand reached into his pocket. “Yeah, I just… I got you something. And I’ve been trying to give it to you all summer. Well, it was originally for your birthday, but I’m an idiot. Um…” He swallowed and her eyebrows creased a little. “Now, it’s more of a I’m proud of you gift. But, um, I saw it a couple months back and it made me think of you.”

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding a small, blue, velvet drawstring bag in his palm.

“Conrad?”

“Open it.” He nodded, holding it out to her and she took it, tugging the bag open before dumping it out in her hand. A silver chain puddled in her palm, her eyebrows pinched a little as she picked it up and the charm caught the light of a nearby street lamp.

“It’s beautiful.” She mumbled, her eyes watering as she looked at the dainty sun pendant that hung from the chain. He reached out, taking the chain in his hand before he unclasped it, her eyes met his as he leaned forward, clipping it around her neck before letting it rest against her skin.

“To me, you are the sun.” He smiled, his eyes moving from the small charm that rested on the hollow of her throat, to her beautiful brown eyes. “Please tell me those are good tears.”

“The best kind.” She nodded, reaching up onto her toes and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She pressed her lips against his and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he shuffled forward, pressing her back against the side of the jeep. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He mumbled, pressing another kiss to her lips before trailing kisses down the side of her neck before he pressed a kiss to the charm that rested against her throat.

And when they finally got to the house, a sense of warmth and belonging settled in Lennox's chest.

This was home. These people were her home.

But nothing lasts forever.

⚘‎ nova speaks┆and this concluds act one! we've reached the end of act one and it was a roller coaster!

i'm excited for act two, which, so far, has been really therapeutic for me to work on. i recently lost someone to cancer, it was my best friend's mom - who was like my mom.

because of this, a lot of what Lennox says and does has been very helpful for me. and i cried a lot working on the chapters to come. i think it helped me get some stuff out that i didn't realize i was holding back, so yeah.

now, while i have some chapters pre-written, i think i'm gonna take a little time before i start publishing them so i can focus a little more on my twisters fic as well as my gfx lotto

thank you for reading and i hope you have enjoyed this story as much i do, and i hope you're all looking forward to act two!!

with that said... any predictions for act two??