Hayley
Hayley woke up the next morning with an empty space by her side. She was disappointed in a way. She wanted to wake up with Lewis by her side. As she got out of bed she noticed a little white envelope tucked into her gown's pocket. A letter? She leaped up and grabbed her gown, pulling out the envelope. She opened it slowly and as neatly as possible. There was a coral coloured note folded precisely.
It read: Good morning Sleeping Beauty. I didn't want to wake you because you looked so content. I hope you didn't think I left; I'm downstairs making breakfast for you. Don't come down, I'll bring it up. I Love you.
She smiled broadly as she read it. She went to her dresser and brushed her hair to make herself more presentable, and then her door opened. Lewis walked in with a huge grin on his face with slightly tousled hair. He was carrying a silver tray. She put down her hairbrush and turned in her seat to face him. He put the tray down on her dresser and bent down, putting his arms on her chair. He stared at her; his eyes were as blue as the sky that morning. The contours of his biceps were showed off perfectly with the morning light shining lazily through the glass. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment and tilted forward. Lewis kissed her on the cheek and the forehead which made her laugh nervously.
“I see you got my note,” he said picking up the discarded envelope, “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed but I overslept a bit so I wrote a note.” He was such an ideal guy; she didn't know why she ever doubted him. Lewis made her her favourite, pancakes and chocolate sauce. There was a beautiful ruby-red rose placed delicately on the plate.
“Where did you find time for all of this?” She asked.
“I don't need time, I need you! I need you to be happy so I made you your favourite.” It was a cheesy reply but it was romantic so she went with it.
Hayley looked at the time, it was eight o'clock.
“Oh my gosh we're going to be late for school!” Lewis laughed and looked into her eyes,
“No, we aren't going…” Hayley looked at him, completely confused.
“It’s Saturday, Angel, and the term is over.” She blushed, her cheeks glowing crimson and gave a nervous, “Oh, right!” They spent all morning lying in bed, talking about anything and everything. She was lying on his chest, he played with her hair, twisting and twirling it. She loved that feeling.
“Wait a second!” She suddenly exclaimed and shot up.
“Did I do something wrong?!” Lewis asked, sounding puzzled.
“No, no not at all, actually if I'm right...” she got up and picked up the letter he had written her. Hayley scanned through the letter and as she read the last sentence her eyes sparkled with excitement. He got up and walked to where she stood. Lewis folded his arms around her waist and looked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. She stepped back into his arms and sniffed a few times.
“Hey, are you,” he turned her around to face him, Hayley tried to wipe away tears desperately, “why are you crying? Did I upset you?” He asked while holding her close to him.
“I don't know why I'm getting all emotional, I probably seem pathetic!” Hayley sobbed.
“No, no Angel you could never...” He reasoned.
“You said it, you actually said it, maybe not verbally but you said it!” She repeated over and over again.
“What did I say?” He was so puzzled, she was still clutching onto the letter.
“You said you love me!” She grabbed him and pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. He tucked her hair over her ear and whispered into it,
“Of course I do.”
Hayley had always liked Lewis. She never thought there one day would be a chance of them being together. She dated Jayson Rawling in grade nine. He was hunky; he had a strong build and a handsome face. He was a rugby player, much like Lewis. Jayson never really did love Hayley. He didn’t need love, he needed someone who would support him at every game and wear his oversized rugby jersey. Hayley eventually gave up. She realised that she was always the one putting in the effort, so she slacked off. She pretended to be completely heartbroken, not that she wasn’t upset, but she did overdramatize the break up to get closer to Lewis. He would walk her home every single afternoon. She loved his company and as far as she was concerned, he enjoyed hers just as much. He would come over for dinner every second night and he would even help her mum out with the cooking.
“Lewis is such a pleasant boy, Hayley. You should stick with him. He’s a good influence on you.” Hayley’s mum would say to her. Hayley would constantly look across the table and flashed her most radiant smile.
“A smile is the most attractive thing on a woman’s face.” Her mum reminded her.
By the time her parents had noticed he was still there, they didn't really mind, he was almost part of the family anyway and he knew his way around the house. Her parents never really made a fuss about boyfriends and now that she had another one their attitudes didn't really change. She had grown up with him but they never thought they would end up together. She was so ecstatic; she felt as if her parents were letting her run wild, she didn't have to worry about being caught with him at any time because they gave her privacy, like they knew she needed it.
She just wanted to stay in his arms, to never let go of him. He was hers, she couldn't believe it, he was really hers and she never wanted him to leave her. He left her house at about 5 that afternoon but promised he would be back soon. He gave her his hoodie to keep and wear for as long as she wanted. It smelled like him, a sweet but spicy or even musky smell. It was his deodorant that clung to it. She dearly loved that smell. She wore his hoodie to bed that night because it reminded her of spending the last in his strong arms.
That same dream she had awoken to the previous night had lurked its way back into her mind, forcing her to wake in fright. She didn't understand what it meant, he was always in it, standing in a strange lake, and she could never quite find him in the dark, murky lake. The water almost looked black and slimy. She didn't realize what it intended.
As it got late that afternoon, Hayley found herself missing him terribly. She decided she would surprise him by showing up at his house. She pulled on a plain white T-shirt and denim shorts and grabbed his hoodie as she shouted back into the house that she would be back later. She paced her steps; it wasn't too far that she had to walk to get to his house. She passed over a small wood bridge, faded and rotting with age. It crossed over a small river, or stream which had very dark and murky water running slowly downstream, it looked as if it was almost lifeless. It reminded her of her dream. She quickened her pace as she felt unsafe around it.
She was greeted with loud, nearly deafening shouting coming from the lawn in front of his house. She wrinkled her forehead, confused. He had such a lovely mother; this was such a change to what she had imagined. Ms Parker yelled from the front porch,
“...and don't come back until you decide to apologise!” He was walking away from the house as she yelled at him, his head hung. He looked upset, a totally different side to whenever he was with her.
She wasn't sure if she should have turned around and walked back but she longed to be with him, to make his eyes light up again. It was too late, he had already seen her. He looked ashamed and almost as if he didn't want to talk to her. She felt her heart sink, she must have shown it in her facial expression because he instantly grabbed her when he reached her and wrapped her up in his arms, clutching the back of his neck in one hand. Lewis squeezed her tightly.
“Are you alright?” Hayley whispered into his neck as she held him and ran her fingers through his dark hair.
“I'm fine, now that you are here. What made you come?” He asked softly.
“I wanted to surprise you.” She admitted looking up at him.
“Well you did more than surprise me, you just made my day.” He looked deeply into her eyes, that same spark gleamed in them.
