Flowers for Lilah (Seth Clearwater)

twenty five

"Not the apples!" I cry out, jump up in bed, wincing when a pain in the bridge of my nose, between my eyes, hit me.

        What the hell....

        "You're okay," I hear and I blink a few times as my eyes dart around in the darkness. What was going on? My eyes slowly adjust, I realize that I am in my room at my cottage. In our bed, Seth is sitting up with me, concerned.

        "What the hell did I just say?" I groan, rubbing my eyes.

        "You've been saying the most random stuff all night," Seth lays back down, and pulls the covers over himself, already half asleep. We had gotten back late last night from our camping trip, Seth was trying to catch up on as much sleep as possible before he returned to patrol tomorrow. Sam had given him a rare two weeks off for our trip, unable to deny Seth's lovable face.

        "Weird," I join him, laying my head down on top his chest, finding my normal (and favorite) sleeping position. I yawn and close my eyes, "I wonder why," I whisper, already half asleep, "Probly nervous..."

        Seth stirs a bit, slurring in slumber, "Don't be, baby, I would do it all over again."

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        I take the last sip of my tea, feeling it's contents scald the back of my throat. The white china was shaking in my hand before I dumped it in our kitchen sink. I had been nervous all morning. My hands shaking and the butterflies in my stomach were more like elephants.

        Seth on the other hand, was completely at ease. Like his first day back to Patrol since our little get-away wasn't a big deal at all. Seth and I hadn't planned to go camping, up until about an hour before we left. I knew what would happen when we went over to Emily's this fine Saturday morning, we would be bombarded. Kim would be so angry with me that I didn't tell her that I was going to disappear for a few days. Once the idea popped in our head, I barely had time to tell my Nana and Papa while I scavenged their garage for a tent.

        Seth trots into the room, nothing but a fluffy blue towel held up at his waist by his hand, he leans forward and pecks me lightly on the lips, and I realize he had rushes out of the shower and was not even remotely dry.

        "Seth!" I screech, pushing him away playfully as little water droplets from his shower fell onto me.

        "You're nervous," He comments, leaning against the kitchen counter with me, and raising an eyebrow.

        "You feel it?" I grimace, I had hoped he wouldn't be able to feel my anxiety, but he always seemed to. Sometimes we were so in-synch, I joked that our heart beats had synchronized.

        "Relax," He was exasperated, "Kim will get over it,"

        I sigh, looking out the window at the frost that thinly coated everything, like diamonds had been sprinkled on our lawn and all the flowers planted in front of our cottage, leading up to the flower shop. I knew as soon as Seth was phased, our secret would be out.

        "Is there still hot water in the shower?" I sigh, thinking about how amazing a warm shower would feel against my back.

        "Yeah, I still have to wash out my shampoo," Seth shakes his sudsy hair, it's evident he cut his shower short just to check on me and my internal ruminating. "Join me, lah lah?" he reaches out a hand towards me, and his towel falls gingerly onto the creaky wood floor, as I giggle and grasp his warm hand.

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        "How dare you show your face here," A shrill voice screeches as I jump out of our car. I cringe at the interrogation I had been anticipating. I slam the door of the car behind me, as keep my head down towards my beat up sneakers as I walk to the entrance of the Uly household. "Get up here little lady!" Another voice chides me.

        "Bye babe!" Seth calls to me, and I mentally curse him as he avoids my eyes and runs into the woods. Literally runs.

        "Coward," I mutter, rolling my eyes. Then lift them up where Kim and Emily were waiting expectantly on the porch. Kim looked flushed with emotion, while Emily simply looked exhausted, a sleeping baby in one arm, while a young toddler clinged onto her jean leg. I cursed myself sheepishly.  Emily had always called me for a occasional sitter for her oldest one Liam, but ever since her new baby girl, she had relied on me pretty often to help her out. I normally stopped by every day, even if it was one where Emily didn't text me, because I knew she was struggling to juggle two young children. I'm sure she had accumulated gray hairs in my absence.

        "Thanks for telling me that you were going on some romantic getaway!" Kim crosses her arms when we cross through the threshold to Emily's house. "You just disappeared, no calls, no texts-"

        "I know, I know, I know," I bend down to pick up Liam and bounce him on my hip, grunting at his weight, following Emily into the dinning room so we could all sit around the table and talk, without straining Emily's arms with the baby. She looked practically asleep. "I know you hate me right now but it was so last minute, by the time we left town I barely even was packed-"

        "So leave later-" Kim begins.

        "Welcome back, Lil," Emily shoots kim a 'behave' look, making Kim roll her eyes. "We missed you, and you don't owe us an apology, it's about time you and Seth do something special for yourselves."

        "Since you'll never get married," She snorts, referring to the length of time Seth and I had been engaged, an eon compared to Emily and Kim's quick engagements. Emily wasted no time with kids, Kim had said she wanted to wait for a while. Emily shakes her head at that comment, but my heart leaps as my eyes shoot down.

        "Uh-"

        I'm cut off by the patio door leading out to the woods behind Sam's house slams open forcefully, making the baby stir and Emily softly coo as the walls of the small home rattle, "CONGRATTTTTUUUULLLLLAAATTTIIOOOONS!" A voice bellows, followed by a, "Finally!" I cringe as Jared and Paul squeeze through the door, Paul engulfing me in a gigantic hug and squeezing me. "I Knew it! Ask Jared!"

        "He knew it," Jared agrees, and claps me on the back, "Welcome back, L."

        "Knew what?" Kim demands, confused.

        The patio door opens once more to be followed by smiling Sam, and an embarrassed looking Seth, who's face is bright red. My baby looks so cute that I stand up and curl into his side, trying to make him feel better.

        "Em, did you hear the news?" Sam nods towards her, taking little Grace from Emily's hands.

        "What news?" Kim pulls his arm towards her, she hated not knowing secrets.

        "This is going to be bad," I hiss to Seth as he rubs my side to calm me down, "I'm here, Lil."

        "You don't know yet?" Paul asks Kim in surprise, "I would've thought she told you first-"

        "I was just getting to that," I interject, anticipating what was going to come.

        "For the love of God, Sam, someone just say it," Emily raises her voice, rubbing her eyes, the lack of sleep was really getting to her.

        "I ran back as fast as I could," Quil's breathless voice peaks in through the patio door, before he stops right in front of Seth and I, "You guys got married?!"