Short Love Stories

She lives in the garden

I remember the first time I met Layla. It was May, it was raining, and the mud from our garden was running along the long entrance to our home. I had been staring out my window, eating the rain drops fall onto the once still layer of the pool. then I looked past our pool into the lush, vast land on our property, and I saw her. She had on tall, yellow rain boots, that's where a blur as she ran up the hill, Mud splashing rapidly as she ran. As she ran her hat was whisked off into a near by tree. She didn't seem to care and she kept running. I then realized she was running for my house. I ran down the stairs, and put on my coat and ran out to see who this strange girl was. When I went out to her I saw another figure following her close behind her, my own mother had seen the sight as well and ran to them.

They where both breathing hard, and covered in mud. My mothers eyes lit up when she was the mud covered woman with the raggedy, matted blonde hair. They embraced each other. The woman was almost in tears as she said,
"Anne, it's been so long. I didn't think you'd still be able to help me."
"I would never leave you out in the rain, Melissa. Now get inside before you freeze."
Melissa and her daughter ran up to the house. My mother scanned the horizon and said
"And before someone sees you."
"Who would be looking for these people, and who are they?" I asked.
"Never mind that Kent, all you need to know is Melissa and I, we where friends in our youth, and before I married your father, she has gotten stuck with a very bad man. She told me once she had the baby, and that once she could find a way out, she would get out. I told her I would help her. Now I'm taking up on that promise and it's now our family's job to keep them safe."

***
I mother had told me I was not to speak of Melissa and Layla living in our small cottage out the garden. Accept who would I tell, I was homeschooled, I played no sports, I read most of my life away, and my own father never paid attention to me when ever he was home from work. I hadn't seen Melissa and Layla sense that May Day, and I doubted they where still even there.
So while both my parents where away, and my lessons where over, I ventured out in to the garden cottage almost invisible with the over grown weeds. I saw the door was unlocked and I saw Candle flickers in the small, dirty window. So I slowly pushed the door open, and I saw her. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever lied eyes upon. Her long wavy blond hair was cascading down her shoulders, and her eyes. Her deep blue eyes were just mesmerizing. She turned the page of her book, and said, her eyes never leaving her book, "Don't just stand there, if you want to come in just come in." I did exactly as she told me. I pulled out the little stool next to hers. She finally looked at me and the way she moved, the way she would look at me, and the way she did anything was beautiful. I had just met this strange girl and something inside of me knew I need to be around her. I looked down at her book. It was pride and Prejudice.
"I love that books" I said I what our speaking.
"How old are you." She asked so innocent and curious, like a child.
"Sixteen, and you?"
"Oh," she giggled, "I'm Layla Tho- um last names don't matter do they? Well I'm Layla, I'm sixteen years old as well, but I just turned sixteen a few months ago before my da-" she stoped talking and looked down at her wrist and played with a charm bracelet and muttered suddenly less bold, "What's your name?"
I really only Intended to know her age not her life story.
"I'm Kent Lockwood."
"Nice to meet you Kent, thank you for letting my mother and I for the time being."
"What where you escaping from anyways?" I could not believe I had just said that, it was not just rude but invasive and it was proving that I seriously had no social skills.
"Kent Lockwood, you are extremely nosy. But you have nerve so I might as well let you bask in this life story of mine Considering I'll most likely be living in your garden a while."
That night and every night following, Layla and I sat at that little table talking, reading, then talking about our reading. And every night I spent with her the more I realized I loved her.
****
I remember the first time I told Layla I loved her. She and her mother had been living in my garden for two and a half years now. We had spent years together in the garden together, taking walks, reading, eating under the big oak tree where her hat had gotten stuck years before, and after all that time I knew I loved her. So I told her.
We where under the tree and Layla was rambling on about her newest favorite book, when I Just couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Lays, I have to tell you that I completely, madly, and truly in love with every single aspect of your being and sense the day you ran into my garden I've been in love with you and I always will." Layla, didn't do anything run into my kiss me so much passion and feeling that I couldn't believe what was happening.
"I've been waiting two years for you to say that Kent."