Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
Willow
I was officially a fisherwoman.
Well, minus the actual catching of said fish.
Theo and I had been fishing buddies for the past few weeks, and before we knew it, the third weekend of July was a few days away. Which meant it was almost time to celebrate Harry and Molly’s anniversary. The more days that passed by, the more we leaned into the Alice in Wonderland theme when it came to the decorations, with bright colors and intense patterns. Theo’s property was looking less and less like his and more like a wild art exhibit. Which was exactly what the older couple wanted.
Well, Molly wanted that, and Harry wanted whatever it was that made Molly happy.
We even picked up a neon sign that read, “We’re all madly in love here.”
I stopped by Molly’s house to help her pick out a dress for the renewal of their vows. Their anniversary party was the talk of the town, it seemed. Pretty much everyone RSVP’d, which showed how much love that small town had for the Langfords. Nearly one hundred and fifty people would be on Theo’s property, and I already knew that my antisocial roommate was dreading hosting the event. Still, he was doing it because of his love for his grandparents.
Molly came out in a vibrant purple gown that looked remarkable on her. That was the fifth one she’d tried on that morning, and it was as if it were made for her body. I loved that each dress she tried on was colorful and out there. This one was dripping in ruffles, and it was beyond dramatic. Just like Molly.
“I think this is the dress,” she said, twirling around in it. For a moment, she looked like a high school girl getting ready for prom. The youthfulness of the woman in front of me was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“This is the dress. The only dress that is now allowed for your vow renewal.”
She clapped her hands together before she collapsed on the couch beside me. “Good, because I’m sick of trying on different things.” She patted my leg. “Oh. I’ve been meaning to ask you. I need someone to stand beside me during the ceremony. Would you be interested?”
My eyes widened as my hands flew to my chest. “I’d be honored. Yes, of course.”
“Wonderful. Theo is Harry’s best man. Peter is standing up as a groomsman, too. Hopefully, the boys don’t bicker too much. Speaking of…how have things been with Theo? Last I heard, he didn’t accept your apology.”
“You’d be surprised to know they are going quite well. We’ve been fishing together and whatnot.”
“So he apologized for being rude?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?”
“Well…he let me read his books.”
Molly narrowed her eyes toward me and moved in closer. She placed her hands on my shoulders. “Sweetheart. I love my grandson, but at the end of the day, he is still a man who makes silly man mistakes. And we forgive those mistakes when apologies are made. So if he has yet to formally apologize for how he treated you, then you have to inform him that your growing friendship cannot grow any more until he offers you his sincerest apologies.”
“How many times have you and Harry had to apologize to one another over the past sixty years?”
“Oh, thousands,” she said, waving the question off as if that were a given. She smiled, looking down toward her bedroom, where Harry was resting. “But we said I love you a million times more. It’s not always about the mistakes made in relationships, friendships included. We are human. We are flawed. But it’s about the amount of time each side admits their mistakes and owns up to them, and then they work hard to never make the same mistakes over again. That’s what matters most. Theo hurt your feelings. Don’t let him think your heart is one that can be so easily played with. Let him know you’re still hurt by what he’s done.”
I laughed nervously. Conflict made me uncomfortable. “How am I supposed to bring that up after so much time has passed, though? What am I even supposed to say?”
“Oh, sweetheart. As a woman who has told off men her whole life, I will tell you exactly what to say. Now, pull out a pen and paper.” She crossed her legs and leaned in toward me. “You’ll want to take notes.”
“You owe me a big, fat, juicy apology,” I spat out toward Theo that afternoon as he waited by the dock with me. My arms were crossed, my nose scrunched, and I had on my game face of control. Molly said I needed a stern and powerful approach. I’d practiced my game face in the mirror for the past two hours.
Theo arched an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth slightly smirked.
I almost folded right then and there. His confusion was annoyingly attractive.
“An apology?” he questioned. “What for?”
“For how rude you were to me before we started fishing together. For how you said awful things to me. For how you called me fake. For how you left me and took the pizza. How you rejected my apology. For how you made me cry.”
He blinked at me a few times. “I didn’t make you cry.”
“Yes, you did. I just cried alone in my room so you couldn’t hear me.”
His bottom lip quivered for a second, and he stepped toward me. “Willow, I’m sor—”
“No!” I said, holding my hand up to pause his advancements. “I don’t want the apology now because you haven’t had enough time to sit on how you’ve made me feel. So well…sit on it. Think about it. And then come to me later on with the apology when you’ve sat in the guilt and suffering. Let that simmer, then come to me when you’re ready to be friends.”
He parted his mouth to speak, but I turned around in my flip-flops and walked away, shaking my butt back and forth as I did.
I didn’t know why, but Molly said a hip-shake exit made for the best apologies.
To: MichaelKingsley@gmail.com
From: WillowKingsley@gmail.com
Subject: Willow News Update
Hey Old Man,
Theo and I are on the path of friendship. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I’ve gone fishing with him a few times, but I haven’t caught any fish yet. Molly told me I shouldn’t fish with Theo again until he officially apologizes for being grumpy toward me before we built said friendship. I told Theo the same, so I’m not allowed to fish until he apologizes.
It’s been a few days, and I’m still waiting. And now I miss fishing. Who am I nowadays?
Anyway, I love you, Dad.
I’ll see you soon.
-Your Little Bird
PS Don’t worry. I’m okay.
To: WillowKingsley@gmail.com
From: MichaelKingsley@gmail.com
Subject: Dad News Update
Little Bird,
What do you mean he has to apologize to you? What the hell did he do? I’ll come kick his ass.
You know, I used to fish with your mom. She loved it, too. I miss those memories. I miss your mom. I miss you. Sorry, I know how hard it is for you to talk about her, but with the approaching week ahead, I can’t help but think about both of you. Gosh, I miss you. Call me on Saturday if you’re up for a talk. Even if you’re not, I can sit on the phone with you and listen.
I love you, Willow.
-Your Old Man
PS I’ll always worry. But I know you’ll be okay.
PSS No, really. I’ll kick his ass.
A few more days passed without any fishing or conversation from Theo. When he walked through the house, he’d give me a nod and no words before he went out on his boat for the evening. He’d drive me around town if I needed, but it was clear he took my “no friendship until you apologize” to heart. Unfortunately, the more time that passed, the more I doubted the idea that Theo would apologize.
It appeared he was fine without us having a friendship, and he moved as though he couldn’t care less about building any relationship with me. I didn’t know why, but that hurt me a bit. That was until I came back from spending a Saturday with Molly and Harry and walked into a dimmed house, lit only with fairy lights.
The whole day I tried my best to keep my mind off what date it was. My birthday. Molly and Harry knew of my birthday struggles, and they went out of their way not to wish me a happy birthday. I was grateful for that. All I wanted to do was get through the day without any reminders of my mother or Anna popping up in my mind. I wanted it to be just another Saturday. Nothing more, nothing less.
Though the dimmed house lit with fairy lights told me it was about to be the complete opposite of a normal day.
“Theo?” I called out, confused by the setup. I looked around and saw lights shaped like butterflies, all in different colors wrapped around the arched doorframe leading to the dining room.
“In here,” he replied, the noise coming from the dining room.
The second I stepped into the space, I gasped slightly, seeing even more butterflies and lights filling the space. They dangled from the ceiling, from the cabinets, and wrapped around the tables and chairs. Sitting in the middle of the table was a display filled with even more colorful butterflies. And against the wall? A banner that read, “Happy Birthday, Willow.”
My heart sat in my throat as I stood there, dumbfounded.
“What is…?” I started speaking, but my words fumbled against my tongue and they faded away as overwhelming emotions filled my chest. My eyes burned as I read the words on the banner.
Theo stood wearing a burgundy shirt paired with tan pants. His hands were in his front pockets, and an “almost” smile sat against his lips as he cleared his throat. He rocked back and forth in his brown shoes as he gestured toward me. “You left your ID on the coffee table a few weeks ago, and I saw your birthday was coming up. I figured this could be a good time to apologize. I’m sorry, Willow. I’m sorry for how I treated you when you first came here and how I treated you up until we started fishing together. I-I…” He paused, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, they were the calmest of blue, with so much gentleness to them that I almost choked on my next breath. “You just remind me of someone I once knew, and I think that’s hard for me. So this is my apology. Not that this will make up for the way I treated you, but I thought I’d throw you a birthday dinner.” He gestured toward the table. “I even cooked the forty-incher northern pike to…” His words faded as he took a step in my direction. “Why are you crying?”
I hadn’t even known the tears were falling down my face. I hadn’t even known that I was breaking so deeply on the inside that the result of my tarnished spirit was leaking from my eyes. I parted my lips to speak, and my voice cracked as I said, “I hate my birthday.”
Seconds after the words left my mouth, I began to sob uncontrollably, my body shaking as I covered my face with the palms of my hands. My knees began to buckle, yet before I could hit the wooden floors, Theo’s arms wrapped around my body, and he pulled me up. He held me in his arms as I fell apart against him, tugging on his shirt, trying to gasp for air when every breath felt like a struggle.
“I’m so-so-sorry,” I muttered, trying to choke out an apology for breaking so intensely, but Theo soothed me. He didn’t let go.
“Don’t apologize. Don’t try to explain. Don’t worry. I got you. You can break down here,” he said, his voice low and controlled. “I won’t let you go. I won’t let you fall.”
So I did as he said.
I fell apart.
I broke.
I shattered.
And he kept his word.
He didn’t let me fall.