Redemption

Chapter 3

"Austin, my dear, how are you?"

"Doing good, ma'am,"

"That's good-is today the day?"

"Yes, ma'am," I respond and her eyebrows raise before her smile widens.

"Good, get inside then. And meet Rose, by the way, she's my sister's daughter. Rose, meet Austin, the brilliant boy we've been talking to you about. Rose couldn't wait to finally meet you, she's always asking when you'll finally come over." Rose's eyes widen and she's gives me a furtive glance before looking at her aunt.

"I've only asked three times, Aunty,"

"Ehn, three times is still quite a bit."

"Well-"

"It's okay, I'm sure Austin appreciates your eagerness to meet him," she teases. Rose pouts lightly before hopping into the car. Ty sits next to his mother in the passenger seat and that means Nova, Rose, and I sit at the back. That means I end up sitting right next to Rose. I don't recall ever being so aware of someone else's presence before. As we ride to Ms. Reynold's house, I try to not focus too much on the fact that Rose sits right by me, about an inch of space between us. At one point, on a turn, our legs touch and I blush, moving back and mumbling an apology. She mumbles one as well and I glance at her as her eyes dart towards me.

Even her eyes are pretty. I look away with the thought.

We get to Ms. Reynold's house and get out of her car. I look up at the house and pause, marveling at it. It's not huge like my place. It's not like some weird hybrid that stands out either. Her home is a good-sized home and it's somehow warm and inviting even from the outside. There's a little scarecrow at the front of the house, but instead of being a typical one, it's a plush dog tied to a stick. I can already guess it's Nova's idea. The dog also holds a welcome sign that has stickers on it.

"Welcome to our home, Austin! You finally made it!"

"Nova had us put up the scarecrow for you," Ty gestures to it. "She really wanted to give you a warm welcome." Nova jumps out of the car and comes around, grinning.

"How do you like it?" I stare at it for a while before asking.

"You did it for me?"

"Of course! We had to welcome you somehow." Welcome you. Words fail me as I look at the cursive handwriting. It might not be the best, but to know that it was done to welcome me hits home. "I can't take all the credit though. I did the stickers and got the dog, Mama and Ty helped me put it up, and Rose wrote it. She's got some fancy handwriting. She wanted to pitch in because she was excited to meet you." I hear her words, but I remain silent, just continuing to stare before moving towards the figure.

"Thank you," I finally say. I'm thankful for their thoughtful idea. No one has ever done this before. I let out a breath, noticing each sticker has a friendly greeting written on it. Even the dog has a warm smile. I reach out a hand, touching the smile and then the sign. A ragged breath leaves my mouth as my vision clouds.

I look over at everyone, my lips turning up. It's not a King smile that I give, but a true smile-it's my smile, and it's a bit shaky, but it's genuine. It's real.

"Thank you," really.

It takes a moment to notice that they're staring at me with a look of surprise. I realize belatedly that this wasn't the reaction they were anticipating.

"Ah, I just-I wasn't expecting this," I start, wiping my eyes and that old smile slips back into place as I explain myself. I hadn't meant to make things awkward. "Sorry." Silence is the response I receive and I notice how the twins' mom gets a look of concern. That has me flinching inwardly as my eyes flit to my feet.

"Sorry," I mutter. Maybe they hadn't meant it the way I took it. It touched my heart, but maybe this was just a little project for them and it didn't mean as much. I might just be taking this in a way they hadn't meant for. I feel tears sting my eyes for a different reason this time. Am I just projecting what I want this to mean unto this? My heart drops as I realize I must be making a fool of myself. This probably doesn't mean what I-

"Austin," I startle and look up to see Rose come to a stop in front of me. Her image is blurry and I look down so that she doesn't see how my eyes shine. But she lifts my head up with the gentlest of touches. Rose's doe eyes look into mine with such kindness and I find myself unable to look away.

"You're fine," she says softly as if knowing what I'm thinking. Her warm browns bore into my eyes in a way that unnerves, but also comforts me. It's like...it's like she sees me.

It's as if she's peering into me and hearing my thoughts, knowing how they're going downhill.

She sees me...and I've never felt seen before.

"You're fine, Austin," her voice is so gentle and I clench my jaw as my eyes mist up further. She only offers the kindest of smiles. "You're okay," I nod slowly at her words, fighting before a tear finally drops. My heart catches as she gently wipes it away and I'm not surprised when another tear follows. She wipes that one away as well, and she does the same with the next few.

That's the day Rose and I met.