From Me to You [Complete]

2

Michael's latest letter came in the mail on Friday. It was in a yellow envelope, and the words "From Me to You" were written across the seal. Ever since Michael found out that I like The Beatles he came up with clever ways to incorporate their song titles in his letters. Since it's appeared multiple times, it seems like this song is the one he's sticking with. His letter was full of excitement for the trip, making me wonder, not for the first time, what he thinks of me.

Amanda,

By the time you get this, it'll be so close to when we get to see each other again. Has it really been almost 3 years since you came to our house for one night? We played a lot of cards I remember. Do you still like Crazy 8s? Maybe we can play a couple rounds together.

I wonder what you'll think of our cottage. We renovated it last year, added a really nice guest bedroom, and of course my parents added their ensuite. We've never had so many people stay over before though. Where will you all sleep? I guess it's a good thing André isn't around, since that offers up one bedroom. He's still in Switzerland climbing mountains. At least, that's what I imagine he's doing while he's there.

What kind of things do you want to do at my cottage? We have six days to hang out together. You mentioned you don't get to go to the beach very often at home, which we will probably do every day. For some reason I still enjoy swimming in Lake Huron even though I've been swimming there my whole life. If you get tired of the beach though, I have a few ideas of what to do. We can go on some adventures together. If that's okay with you. Hopefully you'll like exploring as much as I do.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you what happened last week...

The rest of Michael's letter recounted what he was up to since we were last in contact, having moved on from his discussion about the trip. I shake my head and slide my eyes open. I still don't feel tired, more like wired. I swing my legs over the side of the couch and stand up in the darkness. My eyes are becoming accustomed to the light and I can see enough to get around the couch and up the three steps in the floor to the kitchen, my hands resting on the railing. A grunt from one of the bedrooms in the hallway freezes me mid-step. If anyone wakes up they will hopefully just think I'm heading toward the bathroom, or getting a glass of water, or...well, what am I doing? I put my foot on the cool tile floor.

I haven't changed out of the clothes that I wore today, and honestly they aren't uncomfortable. They might even be cooler to sleep in than my pyjamas. I'm wearing soccer shorts and a pink halter top which I "borrowed" from my sister –it's been two months and she still hasn't noticed. I have a ring on either hand, small hoop earrings in each ear, and a necklace with a small silver heart charm. My eyes are content in their monthly contacts, which I'm glad I put in last Friday. No glasses for me this trip! The only really unusual thing about my appearance is how loose my hair is in its bun, but that's just a downside of lying down for a while. I quickly undo it and put it back up properly, to distract myself from what I could be thinking about right now.

I can feel my pulse quickening as I run out of distractions for the moment. Breathing deeply to calm my heart, I take a few more steps until I'm standing at the beginning of the hallway. All of the doors leading off of the hallway have a nice contrasting blue paint job. However, in the dark they look more like black holes than doors. Two doors are immediately on my right, one that is currently occupied by two of Michael's brothers, Jean and Robert, since Jean's room is being used by my sister, and because it has the most space to fit two people. The second door on the right leads to the attic where the eldest Lyon son, André, normally sleeps when he's around. Right now Andy's in it. Further along the hallway is the Lyons' official guest room which my parents occupy –the nicest of all of the rooms except for Marc and Alice's at the end of the hall. Alice gave us all a quick tour when we arrived earlier, and I am a little jealous of how comfortable those beds look. On the other side, Jean's room is furthest down and unfortunately too small for two people who don't want to share a bed, so Ann sleeps in it alone. Since I'm the shortest in the group, I was voluntold to use the fold-out couch as my room for the week. I didn't think about how hard it would be to fall asleep when I accepted that arrangement. The room immediately to my left, however, is occupied by the one and only Michael Alexander Lyon. My heart speeds up once more as that sinks in.