Until the sun shines [h.s.]

Chapter 11- Life's good

Can we fall, one more time?
Stop the tape and rewind
Oh and if you walk away I know I'll fade
'Cause there is nobody else
It's gotta be you
Only you
It's gotta be you
Only you

-One Direction, Gotta be You

_______________________________
Sumire

I saw Charlie sitting on the dining table, knitting an orange scarf while the hot chocolate beside her brew warm. She saw me drool over the marshmallows bathing in chocolate and gestured over to the countertop where another of the mugs was kept- not sure if I'd gain my inspiration, but I was surely gaining a lot of pounds. I continually highlighted how grateful I was to find her and Lila and this house while we chatted some more.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are Lila's mom and dad? Are they away for job?" I sipped onto my hot chocolate, savouring each sip. Charlie put the knitting down and bought her hands together on the table, "They died a few months ago in a car accident. Technically, Lila's mother, my daughter died immediately. Lila's dad was struggling to find the nearest clinic and suffered concussion midway. The last I saw them was laying on the gravel floor, still hand-in-hand." The drink suddenly tasted sour and my mouth quickly dried up. There was a physical pain in my chest thinking about how brave this woman was, to see her family shattered and how brave of her it was to start over.

"After the incident, Lila was traumatised. I sensed there was no point in hiding it from her so I went ahead and told her anyway" Charlie hitched, "poor Delilah. She was too young to cry. But she knew she'd never have the motherly love or the dad jokes back. But she never made it hard for me. Even after I decided I'm taking her back with me, Lila didn't argue and happily accepted what happened. That's what breaks my heart to this day. She never cried once and never opened up to anyone. I was afraid that she might have lost her innocence too soon." At this point, I was on the verge of completely drowning in an ocean of my own delusional problems- what was I fretting about anyway when these girls have had so much to lose?

"I'm sorry Charlie." Was all that I mumbled as I lightly squeezed her hand. I was crying, again. "Sweetie don't you cry! That's one reason I allowed you in the house." I was confused by what Charlie just said. "I haven't seen Delilah this happy since the winter holidays she spent with Her parents and me. Sure I'm a friendly person, but not a dumb bimbo to let anyone into my house!" She laughed, and continued, "Sumire, you have an unheard voice of your own and your own pain. There's something in your past that brings you to who you are. Delilah and you complete each other's missing pieces- perhaps your pain might be more similar than you think."

"I- I don't know what to say. I don't want to build up fake hopes, but I can assure you I'm going to try and make Lila that happiest I can." I muttered because Charlie knew something about me- I couldn't deny the fact that I held a pain that made me the way I am. And the rest of the night, I cuddled beside Lila, holding onto her for life was going to get better with her around.

Harry

The morning was cold and hazy. The window had little dew racing down to the sill and the silhouette of the sun seemed well above the horizon. It was 8 am and I stood in front of the tall window, my hands tucked in the pocket of my long, mocha-brown and chequered cardigan. I'd just had a talk with Janice who let me know that she'd be arriving at the earliest of 8.30 and we'd begin our search after our breakfast together (which I insisted).

I plumped down on the cushiony bed as I brought the black coffee near my lips and sipped onto my morning heaven- I'd go crazy without coffee. "Hope I didn't take too long sir." Janice arrived at the sharpest of 8.30 on the clock. "Good morning. Breakfast, shall we?" I pressed the floor button and greeted the guest in the elevator.

The hotel restaurant was pretty ambient if I say so myself. Although the buffet had countless of my favourite delicacies, I didn't have much of an appetite; I helped myself to a croissant and some cheerios. "So Janice, some rules before we go on the expedition," I grabbed her attention while she was busy organising her assortments, "You have to be honest, funny and call me Harry."

The manager advised us raincoats and umbrellas since the weather was quite wet along with assigning us a black ford. It wasn't raining heavily but light drizzles covered the best of the city. According to the itinerary, we were to skim across the Keukenhof gardens while trying to 'lay low'. I figured a little fun wouldn't hurt considering the fact that Sumire would want to be caught As Slow As Possible. Janice looked up from her clipboard and informed, "It'll take us a little over 30 mins to reach there. Anything else that you need?"
"Apart from Sumire? Nothing." I replied as the early morning cast a sleepy spell on me.

It was bright 10.30 in the morning as I stretched after getting down from the vehicle; Today's weather was making me feel liberated and optimistic. I still don't know how I was going to pretend that this plan of mine wasn't stupid, but hope kept me strong that maybe, something would indeed happen. Janice walked over to the ticket counter while I sat basking in the most of the autumn sun, the warmth rejuvenating me.

There weren't many residential areas around the gardens, but half a mile or so away from here, were a few cottage looking houses lined up- precisely four of them, with only two looking like they had residents. After noticing a slight wave from Janice to join her, I let out a little, "here we go" jogging towards the main entrance to possibly the one reason I thought I'd find Sum here...