A Short Story
Story based on the image shown — image is from Pixabay

A short story by Lynn Miclea

The sight of the beautiful leaves, with their brilliant fall colors, filled me with nostalgia. My mind drifted back to that sweet, handsome man I was seeing last autumn — Kyle. He was such a kind, caring man, and we were falling in love. I remembered how he always used to get me a surprise gift every week — my favorite flowers, candy, a sweet card … something that would bring a smile to my face. I smiled now, thinking of it.

As the days passed and the weather turned colder, he became a detective and joined the local police department. I was so proud of him and supported him however I could in his new position.

And then a series of home break-ins and murders began in the area. Kyle was afraid I would become a target if we were together, so to protect me, he pulled back and made himself scarce. I didn’t see much of him after that. Oh, how I missed him.

The murders ended, but there was no more Kyle. Had he forgotten me? Lost interest? Moved on? Found someone else? I didn’t know.

Now I looked out my window at the beautiful red and gold leaves. This time of year brought back heart-wrenching memories of the last time we were together. I loved him so much then. I still loved him.

And I loved autumn with the beautiful colors and the crispness in the air. I sipped on my warm spiced cinnamon apple cider. It tasted so good, bringing me warmth, as I drifted in my memories, lost in my yearning for Kyle.

BANG!

The loud noise made me jump. What was that?

It came from the back of the house. My heart pounding in my chest, I stared toward where the noise came from, but I didn’t see anything. Fear raced up my spine.

More banging on the back door. I had to get out. Now!

CRASH!

The window in the back room crashed in. NO!

Shaky, I quickly put the mug of cider down on the counter, grabbed my phone and a house key, and ran out the front door. I stumbled, quickly caught myself, and rushed forward, my heart racing.

I ran to the nearest large tree in the front yard, stepped behind it, and looked back at the house. The hairs on the back of my neck stood out. My hand trembling, I lifted my phone to call 911.

I heard another crash from inside the house. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. I leaned forward, straining to see.

There — I could see a man inside my house, wearing dark clothes.

Another figure suddenly raced across the back yard and ran behind the house. What was happening?

Then four uniformed police officers rushed down the sidewalk toward me. They raced across my front yard, going toward the house. They ran inside, their guns drawn.

Weak and woozy, I leaned against the tree.

Three minutes later, the police officers came out with a suspect in handcuffs. One officer patted down the suspect, read him his rights, and led him to a patrol car parked on the street one house down.

After securing the suspect in the patrol car, the police officers talked to each other, looking back at my house and around the area. What was going on?

But wait — I knew there was still one other man who had run behind the house.

That man now came out the front door and looked around the yard, searching. His eyes landed on me, and his eyes pierced into mine. Familiar eyes. I knew him.

I did a quick intake of breath. Kyle!

Kyle strode toward me, a familiar smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He approached me and his smile widened. “Hey, Valerie.”

I stared at him for a few moments. “Kyle … what are you …”

“Val, are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Val, I’m so sorry this happened to you, and I’m so sorry I needed to keep a distance all this time.” He shook his head. “Can we talk?”

“Yes, sure. But I don’t understand. What is happening?”

Kyle’s gaze ran over me, checking me all over, and I felt my body grow hot with his gaze, the heat rising in my face.

“First,” he said, his deep, warm voice so familiar. “Are you sure you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you?”

“I’m fine, just shaken up. I heard him breaking in at the back, and I ran out the front door.”

“Good.” He nodded, and then his face got serious. “That was the bad guy we’ve been trying to catch all this time. The one who was breaking into houses and killing people. Remember? He had gone out of the area for a bit, and we followed him, and then he came back here. We just tracked him to your house today. I was so worried, but I couldn’t contact you.”

“I understand.” I cleared my throat. “After all this time, I … um … thought maybe you forgot about me.”

“Oh, sweetie, never, not for a second. I needed to protect you and not have any contact. If I contacted you, there would have been a target on your back, and I couldn’t risk that.” He shook his head. “But me forget you? Never. You were the love of my life.” He smiled, a smile that lit up his handsome face and made my belly flip. “You still are.” He suddenly paused and peered into my eyes. “You’re still single, right?”

I chuckled. “Yes. You are the only one for me, Kyle. I always hoped you’d come back. I … I …”

Kyle stepped forward and held me tightly against him. I inhaled his familiar masculine scent and felt myself melt into his arms. Oh, how I missed him.

He pulled back and gazed at me. “Wait here.”

I watched as he met with the other cops. They spoke to each other for a few minutes. Then two of the officers began stringing up yellow crime-scene tape around my house. A third patrol car pulled up and parked, and two officers got out, joining the others.

Kyle came back to me.

“Val,” he murmured, taking my hands. “The danger from this guy is over. I don’t have to keep a distance anymore. I want to be back in your life. We can see each other again and pick up where we left off.” He paused. “If you still want me.”

“Oh god, yes,” I said, flying back into his warm embrace, feeling his arms wrap around me.

He pulled back, his gaze searching my face. Then he slowly moved forward, his soft lips pressing against mine, the kiss growing more passionate.

Finally, he pulled back and gave a short laugh. “Let me call my sergeant and tell him what’s happening. Since I know you, I’ll be pulled off this case. They’ll send another detective to handle this, and forensic techs need to go through your house and collect evidence. But I need to first talk to him. Okay?”

I nodded, and Kyle stepped away to make his phone call.

Five minutes later, he came back. “Okay, two detectives and a team of forensic techs are on the way. Don’t go in the house right now, okay?”

“Okay.”

“The detectives and the cops will need to talk to you and ask you questions.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. And I’ll help you take care of the house when this is all over. But it’s not safe to stay in the house the way it is now. Do you have another place to stay?” He squeezed my hands. “You can stay with me.”

I felt my body heat up. “I’d like that.”

“I’ll help you pack whatever you need to take.” He smiled. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“We sure do.” I licked my lips as I gazed into his eyes, my whole body yearning for him.

His lips found mine again, and I knew my life and my heart were back on track. I felt safe with him back in my life, despite what had just happened.

A few minutes later, I looked up into the trees at the colorful autumn leaves. Yes, autumn was definitely my favorite time of year.

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