Page 86 of Barron's Second Chance
A soft knock at his door had him frowning in annoyance. Maybe if he stayed still, then whoever the fuck it was would disappear.
At the next soft knock, he sighed and rose heavily from the chair that he was seriously considering staying in all day.
Can't he fucking wallow in peace?
He leaned against the door and glanced through the peephole. Cursing, he fell back in shock before hurriedly fumbling with the lock.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he whispered as his hands were all fingers and thumbs against a lock he had deftly opened hundreds of times.
He quickly yanked his door open, almost hitting himself in the face as it suddenly jerked to a stop.
"Shit!" He swore again, trying to fumble with the security chain before realizing that he had to close the door first before he could slide it free.
"Barron?" Eden's melodic voice rose in what he swore was amusement.
"Uh, yeah," he cleared his throat. "Sorry, E, just a sec."
He closed the door and took a deep calming breath before determinedly sliding the chain across, finally freeing the door.
No matter how many times he saw her, he would never get over how beautiful Eden was. She had always been a stunner, even as a kid, but now as an adult - she was an absolute dream.
She wore tiny jean shorts that showcased her long, toned legs and a white tank top that beautifully contrasted her lightly tanned skin.
Her long, shiny hair was around her shoulders in a careless array of amber. The sun provided a backlight against her, causing Eden to shine like a glorious halo, an absolutely glowing vision.
She gave him a small smile, adjusting something in her arms. It was then he noticed the black and white shoebox she had tucked against her body. It looked vaguely familiar.
"Sorry to just show up like this," she started.
He realized that he was standing there gaping at her like a dimwit.
"Shit, sorry, come in," he urged, stepping aside. His arms itched to grab her and lift her inside himself.
He watched as she stepped into his space, her keen eyes raking over his apartment, taking in everything.
Eden's style was eclectic. Well, anything he considered remotely "girly" had been eclectic to him. She was all bold prints and quirky objects. She had made him promise that she'd have full rein in decorating their first home together, and he'd eagerly agreed. He remembered thinking he'd happily live in a sea of pink and inspirational word art as long as they were together.
Barron felt a tad self-conscious as he threw a critical eye over the room, attempting to view it through Eden's lens. He had his black armchair and a grey three-seater couch. Miss-matched pillows haphazardly lay about them. He had a small coffee table and TV cabinet with his 32-inch TV hanging above it. A bookshelf that was laden with crime fiction novels and a few picture frames.
And that was it. Simple, boring, and basic. That pretty much summed up his life until Eden burst through it again.
"Do you wanna sit?" He indicated his seating area.
Instead of answering, Eden brought forward the familiar shoebox and held it out to him.
'What's that?"
Eden grinned and tapped the lid. His eyes widened as he read the worn words taped to the front.
"Holy shit! Is that....?"
"Us in a box," she giggled. "I found it when I did a spring clean of my room."
Without thinking, he grabbed the box out of her hands, sinking onto his couch as he reverently lifted the lid.
A scene slipped into his mind of a fresh-faced Eden, blushing as he teased her over her cheesiness in keeping their memorabilia. Even though he saved her sleep shorts and T-shirt that she had left at his parent's house and a plethora of hair clips and headbands.
He immediately picked up a heavy shell-decorated frame, grinning at the familiar picture. He always thought that Eden had ripped this photo to shreds. Hell, he thought this whole box would've been lit on fire a long time ago. She might have unknowingly kept it stuffed somewhere in her room, but the fact that she hadn't gotten rid of it a long time ago gave him hope.
