Page 127 of Nineteen Letters

He mentions nothing aboutusmoving back in together, but I get the feeling that’s what he’s implying. There’s a part of me that would entertain the idea, but like he just said, this is all new to us, and it’s far too soon to make any big decisions.

He kisses me lightly, then draws back. “I’ve been dying to do that all day,” he admits.

My fingers tangle in the front of his shirt as I drag him back in for another. I can see how the old me was obsessed with his lips. He’s an exceptional kisser.

Minutes pass, possibly longer, before we finally come up for air, and I immediately feel the loss when he removes his lips from mine.

Reaching forward, he opens the glovebox. “I have another letter for you,” he says, passing it to me, and my smile returns.

“Thank you.”

I give him one last kiss before exiting the car, and he stays in the driveway until I’m safely inside.

I come to a stop in the archway to the lounge room and see my parents sitting side by side, with their hands locked together, as they watch television. It’s an image I feel I’ve seen a thousand times, and again I’m wondering if it’s an actual memory or just something I’m conjuring up in my mind.

“Come sit with us, pumpkin,” my dad says, tapping the spot beside him.

I think back to what Braxton just said in the car, and although there’s a part of me that wants to join them, I decide against it.

“I’m tired. I’ve had a big day. I think I’ll just turn in for the night.”

“Okay. Goodnight, sweetheart,” my mum says.

“Night, pumpkin.”

“Goodnight.”

I jog up the stairs towards my bedroom, busting to read Braxton’s letter.

Letter sixteen…

Dearest Jemma,

The fourteenth of December 2009. It was a Monday, and six days before my twenty-first birthday. You’d spentthe night at my apartment but had left early because you had classes. I didn’t have to be at the university until midday.

I smiled when I walked out into the kitchen and found the note you’d left for me on the fridge. You did this often.

Morning, my handsome boyfriend,

I didn’t wake you, because you looked so peaceful. Instead, I lay there and stared at your gorgeous face for the longest time before finally dragging my arse out of bed. Text me when you get to campus. Rach and I are going to cook tonight, so bring Lucas with you.

Love you.

See you later,

Jem xx

I still have that note, along with every other one you left me. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away.

I had errands to run before my first class, so I got ready to head out. I grabbed my wallet from my bedside table, but my watch wasn’t there. After searching the drawers, under the bed, and the surrounding area with no luck, I flew into a panic. I turned the entire apartment upside down. I tried to retrace my steps from the night before—I was sure I’d left it where I always did—but it was nowhere to be found.

I woke Lucas, who wasn’t impressed. He’d been out with some girl the night before and hadn’t gotten home until the early hours of the morning.

“Have you seen my watch?”

“What?”

“My watch.”