Page 6 of Midnight Lessons
Melvyn pauses in front of me, leaning on his cane with that familiar grumpy yet affectionate scowl. His face is more wrinkled, and his hair has gonecompletely white, but his sharp blue eyes still hold the same keen glint of observation. He's wearing his usual flannel shirt and faded jeans, looking every bit the stubborn old man who refuses to slow down despite the passage of time.
“Melvyn.” I greet him with a smile. “Still here, huh?”
He snorts, shaking his head. “Where else would I be? Someone's gotta keep an eye on this place, make sure it doesn't fall to ruin.” His gaze softens for a moment as he looks past me at the house. “Your folks would've wanted that.”
I swallow hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to respond. “Thanks for looking out for it. For them.”
He waves a hand dismissively as if it's no big deal. “Eh, don't mention it. So, you planning on sticking around this time, or is this another of your fly-by visits? Barely stayed two minutes after the funeral.”
I rub the back of my neck, feeling like the teenager who sneaked out of this house past curfew. “Planning to stay. Got a teaching position at the high school.”
Melvyn raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying my nonchalant act. “Teaching job, eh? So you coming back doesn’t have anything to do with a certain someone you left behind all those years ago?”
Shit, does everyone in this town know about Willow and me?
I wince at his bluntness, but it's not like I expected anything less. Melvyn has always been the type to cut through the bullshit. “It's complicated, Melvyn.”
“Life usually is,” he grumbles, shifting his weight on the cane. “But sometimes you gotta face the music, kid. You can't keep runnin’ forever.”
I nod, dropping my gaze to the ground, my thoughts a tangled mess. “I know. That's why I'm here. I need to make things right... if that's even possible.”
Melvyn studies me for a long moment as I lift my eyes to his again. Finally, he sighs. “What took you so long?”
I shrug. “She moved on. I thought she was better off without me.”
“Poppycock! Half-assed excuse if ever I heard one. You think she was better off with that idiot, Matthew Crane? Fool was false as they come and never appreciated what he had.”
My laugh is bitter. “I guess that makes two of us who didn’t appreciate her.” I frown as his words sink in. “Wait, what hehad?Willow’s not with him anymore?”
“Was she ever?” Melvyn asks mysteriously. “But to answer your question, no, she ain’t. Not for goin’ on a year now. Surprised you didn’t clock that she was alone at your parents’ funeral.”
“I didn’t see her at the funeral. I looked for her, but she didn’t come,” I reply, pissed off that she couldn’t put our differences aside to pay her respects to Mom and Dad. They loved Willow, and they were angry with me when I fucked everything up with her. Hell,Iwas angry with me.
“She was there,” Melvyn says. “Stood at the back and left right as the service ended. Guess she didn’t want to make things awkward for you.”
Shit. Willow was there? I’ve spent a year thinking she didn’t care enough to come.
Add it to the grovel list, Callahan. You’ve got a lot to make up for.
“I made a mess of everything, Melvyn. And wasted a lot of time,” I mutter, raking a frustrated hand through my hair.
“Well, if anyone can fix a mess, it's you, Owen. You just gotta be willin’ to put in the work.”
I nod, my resolve strengthening. “I'm willing. If she’ll have me.”
“Good,” he says, a satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Now, if you're serious about stickin’ around, you better come by for dinner sometime. Got a bottle of that whiskey your dad used to love. Figure it’s about time we crack it open.”
The mention of my dad and the whiskey hits me harder than I expected, but it's also a comforting thought. “I'd like that, Melvyn. Thanks.”
Melvyn nods. “Good to have you home, kid.” He turns to leave, but not before tossing one lastcomment over his shoulder. “And don’t screw it up this time, Owen. Second chances don’t come around too often.”
I watch him go, his form slowly disappearing down the driveway. Heading back inside, I decide to leave the unpacking for later.
I can’t truly settle here until Willow and I clear the air. Until I give her the apology she deserves. Six years, and I never stopped loving her. I know I did irreparable damage that day when she was eighteen, and I was nineteen. It’s haunted me ever since. If there's any chance of making things right, I have to try, even if it means facing the past I've been running from.
Does she still think about me the way I think about her? Still wonder what we could’ve been if I hadn’t fucked it all up?
As the evening sun filters through the window, turning the world golden, I hope returning to Midnight Falls will be my second chance with my first and only love.