The sun soon rose through my emerald-painted window - signaling that it was time to help Asher with his little proposal, which also, unfortunately, meant I couldn't stay in bed and reminisce the night of the ill-fated Mona Lisa escapade. Asher stood at my door frame. The clock read 6:07 am - and it was also Valentine's Day.
"Too bright and early for you, Reena?" Asher asked, emitting a disgruntled sigh.
"Seems like you are the one having trouble staying awake... You know, Carm sleeps in until 3 every day. I don't know why you've got to have everything ready now." He raised his eyebrows - subsequently chuckling to himself.
"Are you kidding? We've got a long day ahead of us."
Oh, no.
~
At approximately 4:26 pm, it was finally done. The apartment was decorated with red and pink streamers, glasses topped with champagne, and "Your Song" by Elton John blaring through the new speakers Asher installed.
It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money, but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
That's also when a tired and weary Carmen stepped outside of her room. She wore some purple pajama pants and a tank-top that needed to be readjusted. She rubbed her blurry, mascara-smeared eyes.
"What's all this?" She spoke groggily, "This is my favorite song." Asher shot me a quick glance then ran up to her - leading her hand to the dining room table which was prepared with her favorite food: spaghetti and meatballs.
Her eyes widened. However, at this moment I knew I grew sick of the sappy shit and decided to leave the two lovebirds alone.
"I'm going to head to the Hardback... Maybe see if Rick needs an extra hand for the night," I gave them an intentional wink then grabbed my apron and walked outside - closing the door behind me. I then stood and listened for a bit through a crack in the wall.
"You didn't have to go all this way just to ask me to be your Valentine, Ash," I heard a muffled Carmen yell out with a hint of suppressed excitement.
"Um, about that..."
~
Within 5 minutes or so, I found myself walking down the pavement, kicking at the moss in the road - pondering over "Your Song" that will now find a home in my brain for the rest of the night. Hey, if Asher and Carmen can finally find their way back to each other, so can Rio and I, right? It's a damn cold night trying to figure out this life.
"Take me by the hand... take me somewhere new. I don't know who you are, but I'm with you," I muttered to myself as I stood at the entrance of THE HARDBACK CAFE- hoping he was there, knowing what he means to me.
When I walked in, I stood at the bar, already feeling weird that Asher wasn't there greeting me. I looked around the restaurant. I didn't actually want to pick up a shift - mostly was just looking for a place to get away.
That's when I noticed Rain. She was leaning on the countertop that overlooked the empty stage. There was a drink in front of her and one next to her - almost implying that someone was there, but not anymore. I ignored it and thought about going up to her and maybe asking how Rio was. At that moment was when she caught my leering stares.
"Amoreena! Come here," she said with a hand motion to an empty seat next to her. I walked over with a meek demeanor, feeling my heartbeat out of my chest. "How have you been?" I gave her a wooden smile.
"I've been better, and you? Is Aleka's Attic on tour these days?" She nodded her head, combing a piece of her thick, curly black hair behind her pierced ear.
"Here and there, yeah."
"Is Rio doing okay?" I suddenly blurt out. This wasn't like me. However, instead of overthinking it, I had to play it cool. She raised her eyebrows as she flattened her bohemian-style skirt.
"Look, if it's any consolation, what I said that night you came to watch our show still stands. That boy is falling to pieces without you," She said with a slight tilt to the head. She had to have been a few years younger than me - yet spoke so eloquently and witty.
"Rain, I don't know what's gotten into me... I swear my whole life all I've ever known are suppressed emotions. But, something about you and Rio opens me up like a book."
"Oh, hon. That's all Rio. I'm just saying it how it is." I smiled at that. "But, enough about oblivious men, I heard you're living in France?" I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure Rio has mentioned that he visited a little while ago."
"He did. I heard also that you guys went to see the Mona Lisa, that reminds me of that song 'Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,'" she spoke in a light tone. "That's Rio's favorite song as of right now, and I guess now I know why." I felt a twinge in my heart.
"Rain, it was nice to catch up with you, but I've got to get back home."
"Amoreena, wait!" I rushed out of the cafe - my mind full of a superfluous amount of emotion banging in my skull. I couldn't turn back.
Of course, in my luck, it started to rain. It was a cold, wet, and windy night. I whistled for a taxi to drive me to Flagler beach about an hour and a half away. It was the only place in which I could confront my intrusive thoughts.
The temperature at the beach was 10x colder, which obviously was a given. I paid for the taxi then sauntered through the wet sand, finding a dry spot under a palm tree to sit. I felt my head grow heavy, so I rested it on the sand - utilizing my winter coat as a pillow instead of a blanket. Unknowingly, my eyes began to close. I drifted off.
~
"Are you warm enough?" A familiar voice pierced my ears. I fluttered my eyes open at the glaring sun overcast on the ocean. I looked down to see I had a large blanket tucked in on my body, helping contain heat from after the storm from last night.
"Where am I-" I muttered groggily as I noticed I was face to face with Rio. Oh, I must've looked like a real mess. I sat up - looking him up and down. He wore a dark blue wool-knit sweater. Boy, did he always know to look comfy. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, you didn't know, but I was at the Hardback. I was there with Rain but took a quick bathroom break. As soon as I got out, I watched you flee the cafe... you worry me, Amoreena," he spoke softly.
"How many times do I got to tell you, I don't need saving."
"Just because you say you don't want to be saved, I knew deep inside that all you want is someone to take care of you. You take care of your sister, but never yourself. I was worried you were going to make a rash decision. So, I followed your taxi here," he explained as he sat down next to me underneath the swaying palm tree.
"You followed me here?" I scoffed, not yet fully aware of my circumstances.
"Amoreena, the storm was crazy last night. You were crazy to come here," he scolded me.
"You're crazy to have followed me here..." I spat back, not exactly comfortable with the idea that he stalked me all night without my knowing.
"I'm crazy about you," he spoke, gleaming his bright green eyes up at mine. "I can't handle seeing you hurt or sad, or anything of that matter. The second I met you I knew I had to protect you - you cared so much to where it got ripped out of you... that's why you refuse to show emotion - why you couldn't love me back-" I cut him off with a kiss.
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words... How wonderful life is while you're in the world.