With Love...

23 days, 5 hours, and 42 minutes

"I'll be back tomorrow?"

He nods again. "Breakfast in town?"

I cringe internally. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I cant, Theo."

"Why?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I groan.

I almost see him smirk as he tells me  "I have a lot of questions to ask."

"I can't because... because my label said I can't," I trail off and I hear him scoff as he stands up.

"Fine," he shakes his head. "I'll make something."

I look at him and nod. That's fine. I can do breakfast. I'm sure he can too.

- - -

Where the fuck is it.

I have used my journal every day since I came back home for the time being. I just carry it around, just in case. So I assumed it would be somewhere in my room. Only it's not. I cannot find it anywhere. I checked all the back pockets of my jeans. All of my sweatshirts. I even searched Kodys hiding place for things he finds and it's nowhere to be found.

If I keep looking around this frantically, I'm going to be late for breakfast at Theo's. And I'm not trying to mess this up. I give up my search even though it will drive me completely crazy that I won't have it. I gather my things, searching for a pair of shoes. I slide the flip flops onto my feet and trot down the stairs where I hear music pouring from the kitchen where my mom is.

I look around the room and the scene feels more familiar than usual. My mom is busy at the stove, cooking up eggs and bacon, which my dad has had every single morning for years. She's humming along to whatever music is playing, for a while it was my own, and a smile sits on her face. My dad sits at the small table that is in the middle of our kitchen sipping his piping hot cup of black coffee and reading the morning paper.

"Good morning guys," I hum and my dad looks up at me and smiles.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Going somewhere?" he asks me.

"She's headed over to the Ringnest's, dear. Remember? Theo is making breakfast," my mother chimes in before I even have a chance to open my mouth.

I nod slowly. "Well, that about covers it all. I'll be back when I can."

"Have fun, dear," my mother calls as I'm already halfway out the door.

I run across the long yard that connects to Theo's and hop the fence. My feet pound against the wooden steps and deck and before I can knock the door swings open and reveals Mia standing in front of me. She's a lot taller than the last time I saw her. her eyes are a bright blue now and she has freckles covering her face completely. She's incredibly tanned from the sun and she has a slight glow to her. Maybe it's the fact her cheeks are rosy.

I smile and her and I watch her mouth drop open. "Belle Graves!?!"

"Hi, Mia," I say to her and walk-in for a hug.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for calling you, Belle. I'm so used to seeing you on a stage or on TV that I forget you're the same girl my brother was practically in-"

"That's enough Mia," I hear Theo's deep voice cut through her words like a knife. I watch him fill the doorway behind her and slowly take him in completely. His hair is messy and he doesn't have a shirt on which makes it more distracting to focus on his face. He's wearing shorts that hang low on his hips and his feet are bare.

"Sorry," Mia mumbles and drags herself back inside.

Theo and I are left alone, looking at one another. I'm still outside on the porch and he's inside of the house. He looks at me differently than he did yesterday. More intrigued with my presence. He looks at me from head to toe before I clear my throat.

"Oh, um, you can come inside," He tells me and moves aside. I nod and step inside of the house and the air conditioning surrounds my body.

It almost feels like stepping back in time. His house has not changed a bit in three years. Maybe a few pictures have been swapped out and a blanket or two on the couch, but it is exactly as I remember it.

"My mom isn't home if that's what you're looking for," Theo draws out in that thick southern accent of his.

I snap out of my trance and look at him confused. "Oh, no, I wasn't. I mean i love your mom she's so sweet. I was just looking at the house."

"Looking at the house?" he questions.

I stare back twiddling my thumbs and nod.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I like noticing things. I noticed that the house looks the exact same. It's like I was here yesterday."

Theo let's throw words hang between us and I watch his jaw clench and unclench. Is he upset? Did I do something? Maybe it was something I said. All I did was mention the house. Maybe it was the yesterday comment. But what was so bad about that?

"Come on," he grumbles and walks away.

What did I do?