As he listened to her he realized she was sad—sadder than he imagined. This was enough to bring him back into his body. Maven studied his expression coming around the bed. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t be upset about this. I know it’s hard, but you have to get over it and move on with your life.” Maven pursed her lips and gave a small nod. “I’m sorry, Maven.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Flynn interrupted. “Not your fault you have a shitty heart.” Flynn smirked. The rest of his family gathered around the bed. Maven looked at all of them. Nobody was crying, everybody was trying their hardest to keep it together for Henri. Henri’s mother kissed his forehead.

“I love you, Henri.” She backed away, letting Doug step into view.

“Love you, bud.” He patted Henri’s arm before taking off out of the room.

Aunt Janet stepped up along with his uncle. They each grabbed his hands. “You always were stubborn, even at a time like this.” His uncle joked. He cleared his throat extra loud and shook the emotions away.

“You remember all those talks we had kiddo. And you remember that I love you. We all do.” She kissed his forehead extra-long.

Henri smiled at everyone, pleased to see his entire family and Maven around him in a time like this. He wasn’t sure if it was the end, but there was an eerie presence in the room. “Don’t forget about Maven.” He looked at Flynn this time. “Don’t let her be miserable, any of you.”

Sandra and April snuck past their brother and kissed Henri on the cheek. They whispered I love you in his ear and stood beside their dad trying to hold it together.

“I promise I won’t let her be miserable. Although I might make her miserable if I come around too much.” Flynn grinned, looking over at Maven. She smiled.

“He’s my cousin and best friend. I swear he’s good company. Don’t be afraid to call him if you’re ever down. He owes it to me, so take advantage.” Everyone laughed.

Flynn looked around the room, not sure what was to happen next. “Why don’t we leave these two alone? We said our goodbyes. Besides, I don’t think he’s going anywhere just yet he still is handing out orders.”

Everyone cleared the room. Maven pushed the door shut and climbed up in bed again. Henri pulled her close. He closed his eyes, breathing in her hair. “It’s safe to say that I’m in love with you.”

“I love you too, Henri.” He pulled her hand to his chest, holding it there.

“I keep waiting for it to stop. And then I think how stupid that is because I would never know it.” He sighed.

Maven concentrated on the crashing of his heart into her palm, and slowly it lessened and lessened until she fell asleep. She woke every few minutes to be sure he was still next to her, his heart beating. And then she would close her eyes again.

Finally Henri’s heartbeats were nothing but a memory—for her or anyone.

Henri would forever be a memory, a great memory that she would carry with her forever.

***

There were people in the world who chose to do the wrong thing. Arnold wasn’t one of them and he refused to turn into one because of Jake Summit. So when he heard the news that Henri passed away he rose to action. He went straight to the police station and told them the entire horrible story about what Jake did to Henri. And it felt good and it felt right.

He watched from his porch steps as the police pulled up in front of the Summit residence, and felt a big sense of relief watching them climb the stairs.

He swallowed down the obvious apprehension when Jake was arrested and lead to the back of the cop car. Yeah, he was afraid of telling on Jake Summit, but he was willing to deal with that in honor of Henri.

Jake needed to pay for what he did. And now it seemed he was going to.

 

FALL

THE CRISP LEAVES RACED across the pavement of the university. A car pulled into a parking spot coming to an effortless stop. Maven emerged from the back of her parent’s minivan, along with Nick, Maggie, and her mother.

Her dad surveyed her new college campus. Nick unhitched the U-haul’s door, sending it above his head with a rattle. “This place isn’t bad.” He looked around at all the young girls carrying up boxes of their own for the new school year.

Maven rolled her eyes. “Only you, Nick.” She helped her mother carry the light boxes up the long path to the dorms.

Maggie followed behind. She caught up with Maven, pulling at the corner of a frame in the box in her sister’s hand. “What is this?”

“A picture,” Maven insisted. “One that Henri painted. I am hanging it in my dorm.”

“It’s nice.” Maggie drifted back behind her sister, watching her happily head inside the dorm. Something she hadn’t seen in a long time since Jake Summit dumped her. She never thought something awful like losing someone you cared about would change things so. But they did, Maven was a new person. Henri fixed her.

***

Flynn dropped down by the water, pulling out his cell phone.

How’s college? Sorority Freak. He smirked, resting the phone on his knee.

He received a reply almost instantly.

Nice one. It’s great, just about settled in my room.

He looked at the water, everything motionless. A pale leaf fluttered from above and brushed against his nose. He batted it away.

Will you be around this summer?

Maven pulled the framed painting from the box. She took a seat at her desk, running her fingers across the glass. She smiled at the memory.

Of course. Portwood is a tradition.

Another leaf sailed eerily from the tree brushing into Flynn’s nose. He sighed, irritated, and stood up, surveying the tree. There were no more leaves left to bother him. With that in the back of his mind, he sat back down, resting his back against the trunk.

We will have to get together and share some Henri moments. I miss him. He replied, letting out another sigh.

Suddenly a rush of leaves swirled around him falling on his head. Flynn jumped.

“I don’t believe in ghosts, Henri,” Flynn said dryly, stuffing the phone into his pocket. “You got to do better than that if you want to convince me of such a thing.”

***

Maven told Flynn she had to finish up unpacking and flipped to the video on her phone, the one of Henri. She smiled at the sound of his voice, the flicker of life in his eyes. Happy to have that one constant reminder of him, not a day went by that she didn’t revisit it. So she could drift back into the greatest moments of her life, to that brown-eyed boy that made her laugh, that made her smile and happy. He had made her so happy.

“We just made a memory…” Henri’s voice echoed into the small dorm room.

Maven gasped as the painting Henri made her slipped off her desk and landed on the floor without breaking. She kneeled down and retrieved it, taking the hammer and nail out of her box to hang it in its rightful place on her wall, beside a picture of Henri and her from the night of the hop.

She touched the corner of the picture frame, admiring his handiwork.

For once she looked forward to what was to come.

“I love you, Henri.” She smiled.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holly Hood is a paranormal romance writer living in Ohio. She spends most of her time taking care of her four kids, and writing new book series.