All For A Daisy

Chapter 22

Jake:

            Did I do the right thing? The question just kept repeating itself in my head like a broken record.

            Living with my brother was so much fun. But when I think about home, I think about how much I've left behind.

            I guess everything happens for a reason. Maybe the outcomes are for the better...or worse.

            Sometimes, you never even see it coming.

            I sat on the couch in my brother's living room, on the phone with Delilah. I was staring out the window, watching the clouds bring the heavy rain. The raindrops seemed permanently attached to the window. The water blurred the outside but it was definitely gray and dull. Not my kind of day.

            "Don't worry, Delilah. I'm doing just fine," I said on the phone.

            "Yeah, but I'm just worried about you. It's just a gut feeling," she replied.

            I took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't want you to worry. I am fine."

            "But how are you coping with the whole situation?"

            I pondered for a while as she waited for my response. "I'm fine about it," I said quietly.

            "Are you sure about that?"

            I nodded. "Sure, I guess."

            "You seem so unsure. That's why I'm so worried."

            I shrugged. "Well, when are you ever a hundred percent sure your over someone?"

            "When you don't feel anything when you hear their name or see them. When the spark dies or fades away."

            I chuckled. "You seem to know what to say all the time."

            She laughed. "I know."

            There was a long pause. I couldn't say anything. I stared at the weather outside. Super cloudy and grim. I leaned against the glass door and felt the shock of the cold on my skin.

            "What the hell is up with this weather?" she asked.

            "I know!" I exclaimed. "It's so cloudy in L.A. too."

            "I mean, it might be stormy now but it can't rain forever, right?"

            "That is true," I agreed.

            "Can I help you clear out the rain?" she asked.

            I wrinkled my eyebrows, confused. "What do you mean?"            

            "Well, open your door. I brought you a surprise."

            What in the world…?

            Then, the doorbell rang.

            I ran to the door. I turned the knob and swung the door open.

            And there she was.

            Damn, I did not see that coming.

            It seemed like forever since the last time I saw her. She seemed even more beautiful than the last time I saw her.

            In that moment, I was admitting to myself I was so far away from being over her. Everything, all the emotions just came crashing back into me, like there was never anything missing to begin with.

            I just stared at her in silence. Wow, I missed her so much.

            She was standing there, so still and motionless. Her eyes just stared into mine.

            "What are you doing here?" I asked. I was so happy to see her again, I couldn't help but smile.

            At the corner of my eye, I saw little blades of sunlight break from the clouds.

            She smiled weakly yet sweetly. A tear escaped from her eye. She had a special twinkle in her eye, a kind of shimmer that I’ve never seen before.

            Then, she leaned in and kissed me on the lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her close to me and it felt so right to finally be able to hold her like this.

            There was a wonderful tingly feeling when she met my lips. And the warmth of her lips just stayed there even after we parted lips.

            She took my hand and squeezed it. I felt something within her hand and mine.

            I looked down to find what I'd let go of before.

            The warmth of her breath hit my cheek as she whispered, "You dropped this."