Author: kharrison

Kaela

“Kaela Maricosa.” Father’s voice boomed throughout the house, causing Kaela to jump up from her desk.

Quickly she emerged from her room. “Yes, Father?” 

“Come to my office immediately. We have business to discuss.” His voice bounced off the marbled halls.

Rushing to the large oak doors separating her father’s home office from the rest of the estate, Kaela paused and took several deep breaths. She’d learned quickly that arriving in his presence winded and out of breath was considered unseemly and thus, expressed prohibited.

College couldn’t come soon enough.

Opening the door, Kaela pasted on a smile. “Father?”

“Kaela. Come in. We need to talk.”

“Yes, Father.” Settling gracefully into the large wingback leather chair situated across from her father’s large oak desk, she smoothed her dress across her lap.

He fingered his steeples and looked at her as if he were analyzing her. “Kaela, your mother has brought to my attention a few matters needing my consideration and guidance.”

Kaela waited quietly, while frantically going over what she could have possibly done wrong that would warrant an office visit.

“Are you considering attending a secondary educational institution?” His eyes narrowed as he spoke.

Kaela’s ramrod straight posture may have been the one thing keeping her from wilting into the chair.

“Yes, Father.” Her gaze focused down on the desk in front of her. Weren’t seniors supposed to do that?

“That will not be necessary.” His hand sharply cut through the air between them.

She couldn’t stop her mouth from dropping open.

“Close your mouth, girl. And listen.” He didn’t wait for her compliance. “There is no need to get all emotional about it. I am looking to correct your misassumptions. You will not be needing to attend any further education. In fact, that brings me to the other important matter I need to inform you of.”

“More?” Kaela nearly choked on the word.

“Such outbursts are unseemly. Get yourself under control. Immediately.” He barked. His fist slammed on the desk.

“Yes, Father.”

“Now, I am expecting to receive Stafford Walsh III in just a few minutes. You are to quietly sit in the corner and be as attractive as you can manage.”

Kaela glanced down at what she was wearing.

Her father must have caught the look. “Yes, your wardrobe is not ideal. I had supposed that you would have been keeping your appearance neat and comely, as expected of you. Go and change, then come back as soon as you can. Your late appearance to the meeting may prove to be more conducive to what I intend.”

Going back up to her room she mentally ran through her options. How exactly was her appearance essential for him to meet with a client?

She debated on how long to take changing and what to change into but in the end, she was back down at her father’s study door dressed in a pretty and modest yellow sundress in under 5 minutes.

Knocking, she held her breath. At his mild ‘enter’ she slowly opened the door.

Sitting in the chair she had recently vacated was a man only a few years older than herself. He turned toward her, no doubt wondering who would be interrupting their meeting. Her father motioned her to the chair in the corner he had previously spoken of.

“Pardon me.” She whispered and sat down.

Kaela didn’t listen as the two of them went back to discussing terms of some legal contract. It wasn’t until she heard the word union that her attention focused on the two men in front of her. The man sitting across from her imposing father was speaking.

“…My father has ordered me to ensure that decorum will be maintained and be an utmost priority in both public and private settings. I have also been instructed to obtain written and signed confirmation that all of my father’s requirements are met.”

“I can sign that now with ease.”

“From both parties.” Mr Walsh paused, glancing briefly over at her. “Today.”

Father nodded. “Kaela come over here and sign these papers, then return to your chair.”

Seeing no reason to not do as he said, she signed the several sheets of paper he placed in front of her before returning to her seat.

“I will return these to my father and we can proceed from there.” Mr Walsh rose. “Miss Maricosa can see me out.” He raised his hand in Kaela’s direction as if he wanted her to take it. She hesitated, glancing at her father. At his nod, she rose and took his hand.

Hers tingled at the contact.

Neither of them said a word as they navigated the halls to the foyer. It wasn’t until they reached the front door that he stopped.

“Do you have any idea what you just signed? You didn’t take the time to read any of them.” He asked her softly.

“No.” She shrugged. “But it couldn’t be much worse than here.”

At that, he squeezed the hand he was holding tighter. “What do you mean? Are you being mistreated?”

Kaela quickly shook her head. “No, no. I was informed today that my father will not allow me to go to college and it has been hard to wrap my head around. Yet, he still hasn’t told me why.”

“The papers.” Mr Walsh repeated, pausing to be sure she was listening. “You signed a betrothal agreement.”

“Betrothal. To who? I’m still in high school.”

His hesitation was much more noticeable this time. “To me.”

“You?” She stepped back. “No. How old are you?”

“I am a college freshman. We wouldn’t get married now. It would be in a few years.” He hurried to reassure her. “I knew that our fathers have been planning on this for a very long time and I wanted to meet and get to know you well before marriage was even close to happening.”

“And that’s why I can’t go to college.” Kaela’s shoulders slumped. At least he couldn’t be that much older than her.

“Not while under your father’s care, no. I, however, see no issue with you going to school.”

“Really?”

He glanced back in the direction of her father’s office. “Kaela, I believe that marriage is about two people caring enough about each other to support both of their dreams together. A partnership, not a tyrannical rule.”

“I believe I may come to like you, Mr Walsh.”

“Stafford, please.” He brushed a kiss on her hand. “I look forward to getting to know you and your dreams, Kaela.”

Mona

Mona groaned as the covers of her bed were thrown off of her.

“Get up.” Miriam said, folding her arms and standing over her as Mona attempted to blink her eyes awake.

“Why?” She groaned again, trying to pull her sheets back over her face to block out the fading sunlight. “I just finished studying for my data analysis class a few hours ago. I want to sleep.”

“Not a chance. You promised me we would go out. I’m holding you to that.”

“Tonight?” As Mona finished struggling to wake up, she was met with an interesting sight through the crack in the doorway. “Who are they?”

Miriam giggled. “Don’t worry about them. And yes, tonight.”

Mona ignored her and continued to peer around Miriam at the men surrounding Jason. “Are you taking up a collection? Because if you are, I am going to have to find somewhere else to stay.”

“No!” Miriam protested with a laugh. “Besides, my room isn’t big enough to keep that kind of collection. Jason brought them to hang out.”

“Hang out? Do I really take that long to get ready?”

Miriam was already nodding before Mona finished the sentence. Shrugging, Mona headed straight to the bathroom, not acknowledging anyone. It wasn’t until she got back to her room that she faced Miriam with a curious stare. “You aren’t trying to set me up so that you don’t have to keep dragging me away from my desk whenever the two of you want to go do anything, right?”

“I promise that I am not. As far as Jason trying, I don’t know. He didn’t say anything about asking a guy to date you for a long time.”

“Wait. What?” Mona threw up her hands. “Are you saying that Jason has tried in the past?”

At her nod, Miriam spun around and out of the doorway. “I think I will wait out here with them. Hurry quick. The dancing starts in less than 30 minutes and it is a 20 minute drive.”

Dancing?” Mona shrunk. “I hate dancing.”

It was Jason that looked over at her and smiled. “Hey Mona. Glad to see you’re alive.”

“I was studying.” She growled leaning in the doorway of her room.

“Was is past tense.” He perked up, nodding his head at me. Immediately the two guys turned their heads almost in comical unison to look at her as well. Mona blushed. Jason continued. “If you are done studying, then you can help me take these two fine friends of mine on a tour of the city tomorrow. They are new to the area.”

“Transferring in late?” She eyed the thinner blonde first. He wasn’t super skinny, like she would weigh more than him, but definitely trim and in shape. The other one was dark, dark everything. Dark black hair, dark brown eyes, dark blue shirt. She couldn’t see his pants because the couch he was sitting on was blocking her view but she was guessing that they were dark too.

The blonde shook his head. “I’m just dropping Trey off. He’s starting next semester.”

As Mona went to disappear back into her room she paused in the doorway, glancing back at Trey. “You know that coming early isn’t like getting a head start.”

“Maybe not from an educational standpoint but I’m sure there are plenty of social activities to occupy him while he hunts down a job.” Blondie said.

“And you are?”

“Harry.”

“Are you his interpreter? I admit, stony silence is a hard language to pick up.” She gave both of the newbies a flirty wink, smiling towards Trey.

All three guys chuckled but Mr Dark Mystery still didn’t speak up.

“Alright then. I’ll change and we can go.” Mona slammed her door and fought the urge to flop onto the bed. Opening up the opposite side of the closet she perused all the ‘fun’ clothes Miriam insisted she would need for going out. Since that very expensive shopping trip, the only going out that required any sort of dressing up was when Miriam ambushed her into a social event.

Emerging a few minutes later in a cute, flirty green dress and strappy sandals, Mona headed straight for the door. “Coming?” She called when she reached for the doorknob.

Both Trey and Harry stood almost automatically and quickly joined her out in the hallway. Jason was in less of a hurry as he continued to whisper in Miriam’s ear.

“So, are you two being forced into social activity as well or is that just me?” Mona slowed her pace as the three of them strolled down the hallway so that she could hook arms with both of them.

Trey seemed startled to find her standing there, and even more surprised that her hand was on his arm. Had he already forgotten her?

“Not exactly.” Trey answered, a slow smile spreading across his features as he focused completely on her face. “Jason has a way of being very persuasive.”

“In what way?” She couldn’t disguise her curiosity. Jason didn’t seem persuasive at all, then again he hadn’t really ever tried to convince her of anything.

Trey glanced back in the direction of her recently vacated apartment, probably looking for Jason, and then over at Harry. Mona purposely didn’t look away from Trey’s face, waiting. He cleared his throat and kept his eyes staring straight ahead toward the exit.

Harry laughed as we neared the front door. “Jason promised there would be lots of gorgeous college girls no matter where we went.”

“And that is what convinced the two of you to come out tonight? Pretty girls?” Mona sighed. 

Harry flashed a bright smile her way but she pointedly ignored it. He was looking more and more like a flirt than a friend or dancing buddy. She refocused on Trey who was still not looking at her.

Cocking her head to the side she caught Trey’s gaze by nudging his hip. She smiled brightly. “You coming for the pretty girls too, Trey?”

“I’m coming for you.” He finally held her gaze and didn’t look away.

“Me?”

His smile was worth the wait as it warmed her completely, heat tingling along her cheeks. “After meeting you, I don’t think I can let you out of my sight. Some other lucky loser would snatch you up in a heartbeat and I’d never get to dance with you.”

She softly squeezed his arm. “You only have to ask. I’d say yes.”

Kessa

“Kessa!”

Why was there never any way to go more than five minutes without Jen yelling her name? Little sisters could be so annoying. Taking a deep breath to keep from snapping back, even though this was the fifth time she had had to stop her homework to go find out what her four year old sister wanted.

“What Jen?”

“Leland is at the door!” Jen’s voice echoed through the house.

I stood to peek out my bedroom window overlooking the driveway. A silvery blue mustang was parked where mom’s van usually was.

“What?”

She slowly started walking down the hall to peer over the railing overlooking the entryway. Kessa could hear her sister’s giggles.

Standing just inside the open door was Leland Brolditern. He wasn’t one of the popular jocks at school but they definitely didn’t have a drop-by-unannounced kind of relationship. In fact, more often than not he seemed surprised they even knew each other.

“Oh, you.”

He looked up and smiled, giving a short wave.

As she descended the stairs she looked around, expecting their dad to be hovering nearby just as he did anytime a boy was at the door. “Where’s Dad?”

Jen looked up at her with wide innocent eyes. “Dunno.”

“So you opened the door without an adult, not knowing who it was?”

Jen shrugged and ran off. Kessa turned to face Leland.

“What brings you by?”

“Tonya.” He looked down the hallway Jen had fled down.

Stifling a groan, Kessa motioned him back toward the living room. Tonya had once been her best friend. They had done everything together. It was almost a year ago that she suddenly stopped. No texts, no phone calls, nothing. She wasn’t dead or anything. Just switched crowds.

Kessa had been left reeling at the sudden change. She had gone from being Tonya’s only and best friend to a stranger. Tonya had somehow managed to jump from one friend to about 50 overnight. That is where Leland came in. He was one of the 50. And since he was apparently observant he knew that I had once been her friend.

Maybe he forgot because he acted like it never happened but about a week after Tonya’s sudden life change he had stopped me in the hallways with concern etched into his eyes. He’d asked if I was ok and commented on how Tonya seemed so different.

He didn’t start hanging out with Kessa all of the sudden or anything. Just every once in a while he would check in on her to make sure she was good. He hadn’t checked in for a while now. Maybe his internal conscience had reminded him to check in on the loser girl who had lost her only friend.

“Why come to me?” She folded her arms. Talking about Tonya was still hard.

“She is acting off. Sometimes she looks around at us as if she thinks someone or something is missing.” He was looking straight at her with an intensity that made her want to squirm.

She waited.

“She saw you during lunch today and looked startled.” He continued, not looking away. “As if she was surprised to see you. It looked like she was ready to bolt over to you. Then she flipped her hair behind her shoulder and continued talking to Lisa.”

Kessa didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t tried talking to Tonya since she had decided to cut ties. When Kessa had gone up to her at school, Tonya acted as if she didn’t even know who she was. It was not a pain she wanted to willingly revisit.

“This isn’t exactly my favorite topic, Leland. Can you get to the point?”

He motioned for her to sit next to him on the couch. She did, reluctantly. “Kessa, I haven’t pushed you into anything during this past year because I care about you. I’d rather not bring up Tonya at all and say that I came over to simply be with you. Yet every time I have tried talking to you, to get to know you, all you hear is Tonya’s name and you shrink away.”

Kessa sat up straighter. “I didn’t mean to make you feel stuck in between us.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He ran a hand through his hair. “What I’m trying to say is that last year when Tonya disappeared from your side I really wanted you to know you had a friend in me but I had the misfortune of being from the group she ditched you for so I was always associated with her and the pain she caused.”

Letting the words sink in, Kessa couldn’t tear her eyes from him. “I don’t see you that way.” She faltered. “I mean, seeing you doesn’t remind me of Tonya.”

He shook his head. “You do. It does. And that’s ok. I realized a few days ago that I needed to come out and tell you how I feel. And with what happened to Tonya today at lunch I had a reason to come. Though now that I say it out loud I realize how dumb that sounds. I shouldn’t have waited for a Tonya reason to come see you.”

He didn’t wait for her to respond, reaching out and holding her hands between them.

“I like you, Kessa. You are strong, funny, and amazing. Would you go out with me?”

“I…yes?” Kessa wasn’t sure how Tonya acting strange at lunch translated into him asking her out but when he asked she had the strongest urge to hug him.

“Really?”

She nodded, feeling her smile grow bigger. “Yes.”

His intense gaze dropped down to their hands and he squeezed. “I think Tonya had some sort of head injury and literally forgot who you were.”

“What?”

“She keeps looking confused, complaining her head hurts and only seems to calm down when she sees you. Then she jumps back into the new Tonya from this last year.”

“How long has this been happening?” Kessa felt her hands start to shake.

“A few weeks. It wasn’t until today that I knew for sure that it was you that she was looking for when she’d get confused.”

“I don’t know what to do with that.” Kessa confessed.

“Me neither.” He shrugged, giving her a sheepish smile. “I’m hoping it doesn’t make you change your mind about that date.”

“No.” Kessa let out a breathy laugh. “Not at all.”

Zara

Glancing around the diner, Zara’s headache got worse. Nate wasn’t there. He had promised that he would be there on time this time and he wasn’t.

“One?” A waitress with a cheery grin came up to where she was standing by the door.

“Two.” Zara smiled tiredly.

“Do you want to wait here, at the counter, or at a booth?”

Zara refocused on the woman before her. Her name tag said Maggie. “A booth sounds heavenly. My friend should be arriving any minute. Medium height, shaggy brown curly hair and a devilish smile that he thinks will win him free pie. Could you send him over my way when he gets here?”

“Sure thing. We aren’t too busy so you can pick any booth. Can I get you anything while you wait for your friend?”

Zara glanced around. “Do you have hot chocolate?”

“The best.” Maggie nodded.

“I’ll take one of those.”

Shrugging off her coat and laying it over her purse on the bench, Zara plopped onto the vinyl seat and resisted laying her head on the table. She settled for slouching and leaning her head back against the seat. Her eyes slowly closed.

It was only a few minutes later that she heard the vinyl of the seat across from her moan as someone sat down.

“Finally.” She moaned. “You promised not to be late this time.”

“Please forgive me. I’m usually so punctual.”

Zara’s eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice. “You aren’t Nate.”

“No.” His smile widened. “I must admit I was surprised to be shown to your table. I was hoping that maybe it was just my day. My day could use a little lift. But by the way you are looking at me I can tell I am going to be kicked out.”

“I…no.” Zara shook her head once. “Please don’t get up.”

“Are you not waiting for someone?” His confusion was reflected on his face.

Zara checked her watch. “Yes, I am. And if history is any indication, he isn’t going to show up.”

“I would say that it is most unfortunate for you and for him, but rather fortunate for me. I never would have met you if he had shown up on time.”

“And why do you think meeting me is fortunate? I could be some annoying, clingy woman who won’t take no for an answer.” She smiled, relaxing back into her seat.

He must have taken it as a sign that he too could relax across from her. “I do still have the added bonus that you know nothing about me so you wouldn’t be able to stalk me.”

“That might stunt our conversation a little but I think I can work around it.” Zara paused. “No actually. I take it back. It would be impossible for me to talk about myself and not learn anything about you.”

He chuckled. “I might be persuaded to divulge a thing or two.”

“Like your name?”

He leaned onto the table. “You first.”

Zara laughed. “I’m glad the waitress mistook you for Nate. I’ve had a headache all day and now I don’t.”

“I’ve heard that laughter is a medicine for all sorts of ailments.” He cocked an eye at her and gave an exaggerated wink.

“Not something I’ve ever really had much belief in.” Zara confessed with a shrug.

Maggie popped up just then. “Here’s your hot chocolate. I added a little whipped cream because you seemed to need it.” She looked over at Zara’s new friend. “Could I get you anything? Pie, perhaps?”

“Your pot roast and another hot chocolate, please.” He smiled at Maggie without even looking at the menu.

Zara smiled. “You seem pretty confident about your choice. Have you been here before?”

“No. My father has though. And he goes on constantly about the pot roast. I promised him that I would try it.” He shrugged.

“I’ll have that too then.” Zara nodded.

After Maggie walked away, he smiled.

“Is that what brought you here? The pot roast?”

“Yes.” He glanced around as if suspicious of everyone else in the diner and smiled. “I promise I won’t tell.”

Zara stuck her hand out across the table with a bright grin. “I’m Zara.”

“No last name?”

“Hah.” Zara kept her hand out. “I don’t even know you.”

“Joel.” He took her hand and wiggled it.

They both burst out laughing before Zara covered her mouth to stifle it. Most of the diner was now looking their way “Sorry.” She said between giggles.

“So are we going to avoid talking about each other?”

“We can start with the basics.”

“Like what? What do you do for a living?” He shook his head.

Zara gave a mock glare. “No. We can start with what is your favorite movie? Or your favorite color? Or even what is a favorite childhood vacation of yours?”

“Dunkirk. Green. And hiking to as many waterfalls my parents could find and drive to in one summer. You?”

“You don’t waste much time.” Zara leaned back and sipped her hot chocolate. “I love water falls. Do you remember any of the places you went? How old were you?”

Maggie dropped off Joel’s hot chocolate and was gone again before Joel responded.

“The way I see it, if I can get to know you quickly enough we can move past the I’m-worried-you’re-a-psycho stage and get to the asking-you-out-on-a-date part of the evening.” He paused, eyes furrowed. “You weren’t waiting for your boyfriend or husband were you?” He glanced down at her left hand.

“I am single. Never been married. And I guess we can do our own private version of speed dating while we wait for our food.”

“And Nate won’t be a problem?

She shook her head sharply. “No.”

“Good. Oh and no, I was too young to know where we went. I only remember my feet hurting from all the hikes and still being amazed by how cool the waterfalls were; even after we had gone to so many of them. They were all so different. Now I am an avid secret waterfall chaser. Whenever I travel I hunt down whatever waterfalls are in the area and go hike to them.” He picked up his hot chocolate and motioned toward her with a grin. “Your turn. Movie, color, and vacation. Go.”

Meredith

 “Are they both asleep?” Tucker whispered as Meredith softly closed the door to the girl’s room. She quickly held a finger to her mouth to shush him as she turned back to finish closing the door. Once closed, she nodded with a soft sigh. Tucker leaned against the hallway wall next to her, making sure his groan wouldn’t be heard by the babies.

Meredith chuckled. “You look exhausted, Tuck. Did you have a long day?”

“Just as long as any other.” He flashed her a tired smile as he shrugged. Hand in hand they walked down the short hallway and into the small, slightly cluttered living room.

“Who knew having two kids under three would be so exhausting?” She moaned, dropping onto the couch.

When she looked back at Tucker she discovered that he hadn’t sat down next to her. Instead, he was still standing with his arm stretched out to her.

“A dance, my queen?”

Meredith sighed as she smiled up at him. It took a second to find the willpower to move but she finally convinced herself to reach out her arms and let him pull her up. Holding on to her, he slowly wrapped her into a warm bear hug. As her arms went around his neck, she laid her head on his shoulder and gave another long, weary sigh. He held her close and slowly her breathing calmed to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear.

Softly melded together, they began to sway from side to side. They rotated around the room, practically floating in each other’s arms, hearing their song shimmer in the air around them. Occasionally they would have to dodge around the toys the girls had left scattered throughout the house but didn’t mind.

“Married 8 years and still you are the best part of my life.” Tucker whispered in her ear.

She stood up on her tiptoes and whispered back with a contented half smile. “And you still step on my toes while making me laugh at the same time.”

“It’s a talent.” She could hear his pleased smirk. “I’m a natural comedic toe destroyer.”

She squeezed him tight and sighed. They continued to move and sway, not needing music or words. 

It was several minutes later that they slowly swayed to a stop and simply stood there holding each other once again. Meredith breathed softly into his shoulder, on the verge of laughing because of how good it felt to breathe while her husband held her.

Eventually she did chuckle into his shoulder as she sighed. “Tucker.”

“Yeah, Mere?”

She pulled back to look up into his face, slipping her hands around his waist and squeezing. “Thank you.”

His head canted to the side as his smile quirked to life. “For what? For dancing with you any chance I can? Or for being so devastatingly handsome?” After a pause, he grinned. “How do you know I’m not just being selfish?”

She shook her head and tugged at his hand. “Selfish or not about the dance, it’s not what I’m saying thank you for. I’ll happily dance with you every chance I get. I am saying thank you for making me feel special, for noticing that I am tired, for not commenting on how much of a mess the house is and for so much more. I could go on. This dance with you is a bonus, a perk.”

Tucker pulled her in for a tight hug. “You are my world, Mere. What kind of a husband and man would I be if I didn’t cherish you and make sure you know how incredible you are to me?” He drew her lips to his for a brief kiss before whispering. “Plus, I’ve heard from a reliable source that two beautiful but hellion angels ran rampant through this house and are responsible for this mess surrounding us, not you.”

With a wink he maneuvered her around so that as he sat down on the couch she ended up snuggled in his lap. Settling in, Meredith glanced around the room. 

“Those two are better mess makers than I ever thought possible. I can’t keep up.”

“I’ll help you clean up.” Tucker gave her a hug and kept his arms around her, not moving to stand.

“Really?” She sounded surprised. “But you are exhausted. I can do it tomorrow.”

He shrugged. “That would leave it all to you while both the girls are awake and making more messes faster than the ones you clean up. So if it makes you feel better, I’ll help on one condition.”

She laughed and leaned her head back against him. “How would having conditional help make me feel any better than unconditional help?”

With a wink he pulled out his hand that was holding her close to him, so that he could point to her nose. “Because you seem to think that this is your mess to clean up alone when those children belong to both of us.”

“And what condition are you proposing?”

“We snuggle first, for at least 15 minutes without even looking around or even thinking about what needs to be sorted and tidied.”

“Is the time negotiable? I know we both need to get to bed. We can’t spend the whole night cleaning.”

He was shaking his head before she even finished getting the question out. His voice deadpanned, though he was still smiling. “No. I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”

Meredith sprung away from him, whether the indignation was fake or real she wasn’t quite sure yet. She kinda softly whacked him on the shoulder. “Now I’m a terrorist?”

“Only if you take the kid’s side. Complete, destructive terrorists.” He laughed. “Aw come on. You have to agree though that they are cute little terrors.”

“I don’t have to agree with anything. You called me a terrorist. And they are adorable. I love them.” She crossed her arms and leaned away but didn’t get up.

He nodded. “I agree. And they are terrors. Just say yes. You know you want the snuggle time.”

“You know me too well.”

He twisted her around until she was facing him once again. “I’ll throw in a foot rub.”

“Oh fine.” She fake groaned. “If you insist. Snuggling and foot rub.”

Hazel

“Not that one.”

Pausing in my perusing, I look at the man who must be the one trying to give his opinion on my shopping choices.

I’ll admit it, he is cute with a smart vibe emanating from his casual attire. He looks very put together in his blue plaid button down and light blue jeans. The green in the plaid draws attention to his equally green eyes, making both pop.

“That shirt you have been holding up for the past minute will look too frumpy on you. I wouldn’t even waste your time.”

I humph. “For one, I try on everything that catches my eye before I determine whether I’d consider buying it. And two, who makes you an expert on how clothes would look on me?”

I watch as his eyes glance quickly down at what I am wearing. Knowing what he saw, I blush. There is a reason I am shopping for clothes.

“Sawyer!” At the sudden noise, the man in front of me stops with a grimace and glances towards the dressing room. “Sawyer!” She yells again.

“Sounds like your girlfriend needs you.” I chuckle.

He rolls his eyes. “My sister can wait two seconds.” Striding over, he stretches out his hand. “I’m Sawyer.”

“You know, I kind of guessed that already.” I cock my head to the side with a smile as I shake his hand.

“And you are…” He prompts.

“Sawyer!” This time a small sprite of a teenager comes storming out of the dressing room, almost running me over.

Hands on her hips she stands between Sawyer and me. “You didn’t answer me.”

“Lilah, I wasn’t going to holler through the store as you were.”

Instantly Lilah spins around to face me. “You can help me!” She squeals, grabbing my hand, hauling me in the direction of the dressing room.

Startled as I am, I allow myself to be steered to the dressing room she had just vacated.

When I look back, Sawyer shoots me a look of apology. When we reach the room I find a variety of dresses hanging all over the walls.

“Help.” Lilah sighs.

Mind whirling, I take in the variety of dresses, from sun dresses to maxi dresses to a few formal dresses. “Ummm.” I glance at Sawyer and he gives me a grin that makes my toes curl and my stomach leap. “I guess my first question would be what are you looking for?”

“A dress.” Lilah’s shoulders slump, as if my question tells her how unhelpful I am going to be.

“Yes, I already gathered that. But what I am asking is what purpose is the dress serving. Are you looking to go to prom?” I point to the formal ones. “Or are you wanting to look cute at a beach party? Or is it an everyday sort of dress that you can wear?”

Instantly Lilah brightens. “School mostly. I am giving a speech on Friday. So I want formal but not too much and cool enough that I don’t look like a deadbeat dud”

“Do you mind if I take a few of these out so we can look at your options?” I gather up all the dresses that wouldn’t work.

Lilah called out so the whole store could hear her again. “I like her Sawyer. Where did you find her?”

Sawyer groans. “Lilah, she isn’t a lost puppy. I didn’t find her and you can’t keep her. She came here to shop for herself, not you.”

I can practically hear her pouting. “Aww come on. The girls you date are never this nice. Why can’t you go out with her?”

“With how nosy and pesky you are being right now, I doubt she’d go on a date with me.”

I ignore them both and finish clearing out almost half the dresses that are cluttering up the space. Then I spread out the rest so they are all hanging up.

“Have you tried all of these on?” I ask her, refusing to look over at Sawyer. I was beginning to wish he would ask me out. 

“Not all of them. I tried the green one but I hadn’t gotten to the others yet.” Lilah smiles weakly, shrugging.

“How about this; you try on each dress and we can talk about what you like and don’t like about each one. It’ll help you narrow it down.” 

With an eager nod Lilah grabs the first dress and closes the door with a grin.

Sawyer flashes me a half grin. “You can escape and continue shopping while she’s distracted. I can help her figure out a dress.”

“Sometimes girls just need another girl to talk to while they are trying things on. And you don’t qualify.” I sit down on one of the chairs set outside the dressing room. Sawyer sits in the one right next to me. “How did you get roped into taking your sister dress shopping?”

“I’m here for the weekend and mom had work. And for some reason Lilah likes dragging me shopping.” He shrugs. “I don’t mind.”

“Here for the weekend? From where?”

“I’m at school a few hours north, studying microbiology. I come home most every weekend if I can manage it.”

Lilah pops out with a pink floral maxi on. “Ta da!” She gives a spin.

“Do you like it?” I ask.

She nods.

“Do you love it?”

Again she nods, still twirling.

“Anything wrong with it?”

Turning this way and that in front of the mirror Lilah looks like she’s thinking hard. “I’m not sure I want a dress that goes all the way to the floor.” She giggles. “But it makes me feel and look so grown up!”

“Ok so keep that one and try on another.” I suggest. 

Lilah grabs a deep purple skater dress and disappears.

Sawyer turns his head to look at me. “You are a marvel.”

“Why? Because I am willing to help your sister?”

“No. Because you are letting her help herself instead of telling her which dress she should get.”

Sawyer leans back in his seat as I shrug. “You found me out.”

Lilah and I go through several more dresses while Sawyer and I chat between dress changes. Surprisingly I learn more about him then I usually do when on an actual date. He also somehow manages to learn that I am going to school online so that I could stay in town to be near my dad who suffers from intense anxiety. 

By the time Lilah picks the one she wants, I am hoping Sawyer would at least ask for my number. I don’t want this to be the last time I talk to him.

“Well, I guess I’ll get back to my shopping.” Giving them some space, I move back to the racks as they move to go pay. I catch a glimpse of Lilah glaring at Sawyer.

Out of the corner of my eye I watch them pay for her dress while I browse through the racks. When I see Lilah prance to the door my shoulders slump a little. However Sawyer makes his way over to me, and my heart begins thudding, thumping, and twisting in my chest all at once.

“I couldn’t leave.” Sawyer blurts when he is close enough. “Could I get your number? And your name?” He smiles. “I’d like to ask you out on a date.”

Tami

Tami sighed.

It had been two years already and she still hadn’t been allowed to leave her penthouse, luxurious as it was. Glancing down at the tablet resting on the table she fought the impulse to smash it. However, it was her only bit of anything to occupy her; other than the piles of books her father was constantly bringing to enrich her education.

“Where are you?” She whispered. Her father always came to resupply the kitchen every Friday morning since he had locked her in here, like clockwork. Yet, he was late. Her only link to the outside world was that tablet and all it showed was the news. At least that was all it was supposed to.

About 5 months into her ‘quarantine’ she had managed to tap into the surveillance cameras of the surrounding 10 blocks. None of this helped now.

“Two days late.” She mumbled. “Two days and I don’t have much to ration. Dad, where are you?”

By Monday, Tami was panicking more.  So many things could be wrong. What if he had been in an accident or hit his head and forgot she existed? Or he could have been kidnapped. The endless list of possible reasons for his absence continued to spin in her thoughts.

With a deep breath she powered on the tablet. Glancing at the time she rolled her shoulders and smiled. It was her favorite time of day. Evan was going to be walking to work.

The first time she had seen him it was his smile as he passed one of the traffic cameras that had caught her attention. He looked so happy at a time when everyone else was scowling because they had to get to work.

Two minutes later he strolled onto the screen. Tami smiled.

“One day.” She laughed. “Someday I will be free of this place and I am going to meet you and learn your real name.”

Wherever he worked was not within her radius but every weekday, without fail he would walk into view for about 5 minutes and then continue on his way.

Over the last year and a half she felt like she had come to know him as she watched him help out fellow pedestrians, wave to storefront owners, smile and laugh on the phone and more. Over time she had given them all names, all of the regulars. But Evan remained her favorite.

Tami once again sighed and glared over at the door. The high point of her day was past. Now she just had to endure the rest of it. Moving into the kitchen she took careful inventory of all she had.

If something had happened to her father, how long would it be before someone came looking in this place? How long could she last?

She didn’t even know if the penthouse was in his name.

Luckily, she had gotten all of her binge eating out of her system when she had first been locked in. She’d figured that if she didn’t have anything to do she might as well eat. That hadn’t lasted long. She’d felt like a nauseous sick blob for days at a time.

So now she had a decent stockpile of food. And as long as the utilities stayed on she should be able to stretch what she had for a month at least. She might not feel stuffed or even full but she would have enough to not die. In the midst of her emergency inventory the thought occurred to her that the utilities might get shut off and she would be without water.

Immediately she set about filling up every spare container she had with water, even the tub. She was not going to die.

As a last ditch wish she moved to the front door and tried the knob. It was as locked as it ever was.

She hadn’t tried to truly get out in a very long time. It was useless. If it came to it she would find a way out. Dying wasn’t an option.

Next, she made her way to the window to gaze down at the rest of the world moving past her below. She was too high up to get down from here, even if she could manage to break the window.

If she wasn’t in a penthouse she could bang on the walls with the hopes that a neighbor would get irritated enough to report her. Then someone would have to take care of it. But no. She had no neighbors. Only windows on all four outside walls. Windows that were thick enough to keep her in. Just like the door.

She paced the living room as she lay out her options, none of them very good. It really came down to hitting something against the floor until whoever lived below her did something about it or if she could somehow manage to get the front door open.

By nightfall her legs were tired and she was stressed.

When the door clicked open she nearly fainted as she ran to find her father taking off his hat and coat.

“Where have you been?” She cried. She wanted to scream but her father wasn’t very tolerant of emotional outbursts.

He ignored her as he carried in bags of groceries and dropped them on the counter. He still hadn’t said a word.

“Dad?” Tami reluctantly followed him into the kitchen. “What’s going on? Where were you?”

“Things have become complicated, Tamara.” He didn’t look at her nor did he pause in his unloading of her food.

Tami folded her arms. “In what way?”

“I no longer have the funds necessary to see you cared for in the way I would like. You will be required to work at my offices to earn your own wages. After this month you will no longer live here and will be required to acquire your own suitable accommodations.”

“I get to leave?” Tami staggered back.

“Yes. And work.” He scowled, not necessarily at her though.

“What’s wrong with working?”

He ran his hand through his hair several times before he answered. “You deserve more than that. You deserve to live a life of luxury where you are not required to do anything.”

“Is that why you have kept me here?” Tami kept her tone even.

“I will be back on Friday as usual.” He glanced around, not commenting on the jars of water and nodded. He didn’t like messes.

She moved in front of him. “When do I start?”

He growled. “We will talk of this later.”

“On Friday?”

He didn’t answer as he opened the front door and walked out onto the elevator.

“When?” She stomped her foot.

The door closed and silence reigned once again. Yet this time she smiled. In less than a month she would not be stuck in her prison. She would have a job and she could have a life and figure out what would make her happy.

And at the first opportunity she was going to meet Evan.

Gemma

To my dear Eli,

Hello, my love. It has been far too long since I was in your arms and I miss you. I loathe not being by your side.

I made apple pie for you today. I knew you’d appreciate it, as you always did. I can still hear your chuckle when I would set it on the table in front of you. Our children sure did enjoy it too.

Now, I sit here at the desk you made for me for our 5th anniversary and smile at all the memories that fill me with such pleasant joy. I long to be back in your arms again, even if it was just one more time. In fact, I can almost feel you holding me every time I close my eyes.

It has been what seems like an eternity since I lost you. After 43 years by your side, and you by mine, being without you at all is far too long. You have and will always be my love, my partner, my friend. I pray for our children to find, give, and cultivate the same kind of enduring love that we had and what I still hold for you inn my heart. It wasn’t always easy loving a stubborn man like you. And looking back, I know there was never a time I didn’t love you.

There are so many memories I still hold of you so close to my heart.

Now, I know you are not wondering why I am writing you today. You never were one to forget a day, especially our anniversary. Yet, this is the first time I have had to celebrate it without you here. I missed seeing your smile turn warm as you see me walk into the kitchen in the morning. I ached when our daughter brought me flowers this afternoon. You were always so good at giving me flowers. Even if they were from the field down the way or snuck from our neighbors garden.

As I sit here thinking of all we have been through, my thoughts drift back to when we were children. Do you remember when we first met? I had only known of you for a week when you made a lasting impression. The new boy in town. Even my sister had twittered on about how handsome you looked when she saw you moving your family’s furniture into the house.

We never talked about how we met, not after that day. But I still remember, Eli. What were you thinking, hiding up in that big ol’ tree throwing apples at me?

There I was, in my brand new green gingham dress I’d made for my fifteenth birthday, sitting on the fence, hoping the boys walking by would notice me.

You must have noticed me, so my objective had been met but I was too furious with you at the time to realize. Every time a boy came close, I had sat up straight and pretty for them. None of them noticed me though. Any time any one of those boys would start to look in my direction they were clubbed in the head by an apple.

I still can’t believe none of them seemed interested in climbing up and walloping you good. No, they would take one glance at me and just kept walking.

Every time I glared up at that big apple tree I couldn’t find you up there among all the branches. Maybe they thought it was me throwing those apples.

Yet, no matter how much I hollered at you to come down and face me, you wouldn’t. Instead, all I heard was your laugh floatin’ down on the breeze. I suppose I can admit now that I was drawn to that laugh of yours, so carefree and fearless. Mind you, I would have climbed up there and dragged you down to the ground so I could give you a proper piece of my mind, if I hadn’t been wearing that dress.

When you finally did come down I was ready to scream at you. You didn’t pause for even a second. No, you did not. You strode right up to me, kissed me senseless so I could barely breathe and said ‘I don’t want any of those other boys to notice you even for a second. And now, you won’t ever forget me either. I’m going to marry you one day. Gemma Anne Dawler.’

You held my hand that day. And walked me home too.

And not once did I forget you or that darn apple tree. Why do you think I made you apple pie every year? I never said it out loud but I still think you knew why. You smiled at me like you knew. Or maybe that was just your smile whenever you looked at me.

Today, as I watch our grandchildren play outside together, I can see you in each of them. The way your eyes sparkled merrily whenever you were playing pranks, your laughter, your mannerisms, and most of all; your smile.

I treasure every moment I have with them, feeling closer to you when I am with our darling children and their sweet babies.

I take comfort that even though you are gone, I still have your hugs when my boys come to visit me. I still see your pranks come alive as our children play tricks on each other. What a wonderful life and legacy we have made together. You have made such a beautiful impact on so many lives, all because you sat up in that apple tree and chucked apples at everyone except me. For that, I will always be eternally grateful.

Happy Anniversary my love; my Eli.

Mariah

“…man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Pastor Ryland intoned, beaming at the two love birds in front of him.

Mariah turned to her new husband and blushed as he drew her in for a kiss.

Their kiss felt deeper, as if it held more meaning, and Mariah melted into it.

“Who knew so much could change in less than 48 hours.” Bryce whispered as they broke their first married kiss.

She couldn’t bear the distance and pulled him back in for a quick peck.

In their bubble of newly wedded bliss they were oblivious of the empty chapel and the decided lack of well wishers. There hadn’t been time.

As they climbed into his waiting black Audi, Mariah giggled.

“Where to, Mrs Lorssen?” Bryce gave her another kiss.

“Mrs Lorssen has a nice ring to it.”

He leaned in close and smiled an inch from her face, his lips temptingly close to hers. “And where does Mrs Lorssen want to eat?”

She looked down at her wedding dress. It wasn’t a big grand poofy dress but she felt conspicuous in all white. “In this?”

His smile kicked up a notch. “What’s wrong with what you’re wearing? I’m proud to have such a wonderful, beautiful bride seen on my arm. Then everyone will know we are married.”

“Aren’t the rings to tell people we are married?” She laughed. “I can’t wear a wedding dress for the rest of our lives.”

“Why not?”

They both laughed and gave each other a short kiss. “Back to important things. I vote to go somewhere that has yummy cheesy fries.”

“Done.”

After a few minutes of quiet hand holding as they drove, Mariah squeezed his hand. “I haven’t seen where you live. Is that bad?”

Bryce stopped at a red light and looked over at her with concern. “You sound upset. Are you worried I live in a dump?”

Her heart lightened at his smile. “I guess I just realized how fast this all has happened. I haven’t even told my parents. I haven’t even met your parents.” Her eyes went round as she grabbed his knee. “You do have parents, right?”

“Yes Mariah, I have parents. And they are alive and well up in Maine.”

She sank in her seat. “Your mom is going to hate me. Is that why you haven’t told me about her? Does she know about me?”

“Mariah. My mother knew about you about five minutes after I met you.”

She cut him off. “That was only two days ago. She IS going to hate me.”

“I made you sound pretty wonderful.” He paused and Mariah’s breathing hitched at the silence. “Mariah, don’t be mad. I may have told my mother that I had found the one I was going to marry after that first time.”

“No!” She nearly fainted. A strained laugh bubbled out instead.

“Let’s take it one step at a time.” His calm tone kept her from a full-on panic.  “Food first. Then we can tour each other’s apartments to decide where we are going to move in. I’m open to either one. As long as you live there with me I’ll be blissfully happy.”

“Then we tackle parents.” Mariah nodded. With a plan laid out, it didn’t seem so overwhelming.

“Not literally I hope. My parents wouldn’t be too thrilled to be tackled by a daughter in law they had never met.” Bryce flashed her a charming smile.

“Ha ha Bryce. I was not saying literally. Although if you want to try to tackle my dad I would love to see you try it. He is built like a rock.” She leaned in to whisper. “But he gives the best hugs.”

“I think we should stick with a phone call today and then focus on what sort of honeymoon we want to have. We didn’t really give ourselves the time to plan one and I want to do a real one.”

Mariah laid her head on his shoulder as he continued to drive. “I knew I married you for a reason.”

“Because I want a honeymoon?” He laughed.

She kissed his cheek. “No. Because you are so level headed. I have been panicking about 5 different things all at once and you haven’t even twitched your eye in concern.”

“I can’t promise I’ll always react this well because I am not perfect but I am going to do my best to make you feel safe and protected with me so that you know I will be next to you, supporting you in fulfilling your dreams in the same way I know you will be standing next to me in the pursuit of mine.”

Mariah looked up into his eyes. “That was beautiful.”

He shrugged, glancing toward her with a slight blush making an appearance. “It’s what I grew up seeing from my parents and I want to have the same kind of relationship with my wife, with you. And I know that I won’t have the same marriage as them but I know that if I don’t put in the effort, there is no chance of it evercoming close.”

“Good point.” She nodded. “Cheesy fries? Are they still happening?”

“Yes, love.” He pointed ahead of them. “Just another minute. Have you ever been to Daryl’s Tacos?”

She shook her head. “I’ll admit that I don’t like going out to eat alone so I haven’t been out to eat much since moving here.”

“And you moved here how many months ago? 4?”

“A little less than 6 months. But it has felt longer because of work and not willing to go out alone. I don’t have very many friends.”

“Well, lucky for me that we happened to stop in at the same grocery store and were looking for the same sandwich.”

Mariah laughed as she pushed at him. “With only one left, I am glad you were willing to share it.”

“I’ll forever consider us sharing that sandwich as our first date.”

“I love you, Bryce.” Mariah once again leaned onto his shoulder.

“And I love you too, Mrs. Lorssen.”

Nyah

“This assignment is intended to show me that you are prepared for this class. That you know enough of the basics from your previous class and learning to not drown in the information we are going to take on this semester.” Professor Lange bellowed from the front of the classroom.

Nyah glanced down at the paper she had been handed, outlining the project. It seemed almost too complicated in its simplicity.

Professor Lange did not stop his monologue. “I have put up a list by each of the doors so that you can go look to see who your partner will be for this assignment on your way out. And since you are adults I expect you to find and contact your partners without taking up valuable class time. Furthermore, there will be no exceptions or partner swapping. There is no room for any special circumstances regarding who you are with. I will not be available to discuss it. However, I am happy to meet with anyone who has questions about the material. Now, let us get down to the real reason we are here. If you have all done your reading as you should have, then today’s lecture won’t be so overwhelming.” He moved to the podium and powered on the projector.

Again, Nyah looked down at the assignment that had just been thrown her way. It was more of a project than a mere assignment and this was her first semester and only the second college class that she had ever attended. She knew no one. How on earth was she supposed to find her partner if she didn’t know anyone?

She sucked in a breath and hurried to open her notebook and start taking notes. She had done the reading and the lecture still seemed overwhelming. Maybe she should have taken an easier class load so that she wouldn’t fail her first semester.

In the midst of her hurried note taking she barely noticed the time. It wasn’t until Professor Lange abruptly stopped and announced that class was over that she realized she had been taking notes for over an hour straight. Her hand cramped as soon as she thought it.

Packing her bag, Nyah hurried over to where people were gathered at the door. Maybe if she was lucky she’d find her partner before she left. She didn’t even make it to the paper before she heard her name being called. “Nyah Robertson?”

Looking around, she couldn’t see who was saying her name. 

“Nyah Robertson?”

“I’m over here.” She raised her hand. 

It was near impossible to figure out who was calling for her because as she neared, everyone was calling out their partner’s names.

“Nyah Robertson?”

“Everyone out.” Professor Lange bellowed from his podium down in front. “I have another class starting in five minutes.

Nyah still hadn’t seen who her partner was, even though she had heard him. At least, it had sounded like a guy.

It seemed as though everyone else had already figured out their partners as they rushed out the door. Instead of following and hoping her partner stuck around, she went over to the paper and took a picture of it. 

“Clever.” Lange called out again. “The only one to take a picture and go. Good luck.”

In her surprise at being so singled out and noticed, she merely smiled back and left.

Once out in the hall she moved over to a nearby empty bench to find her name.

She had been right in assuming most had already found their partners because they had all paired off, some already making an outline while others were walking away with their heads practically glued together.

“Are you Nyah Robertson?”

Looking up Nyah smiled. “Yes. Hello.”

The man’s biceps bulged against his short-sleeved shirt as he extended his hand. “Fantastic. Everett Tollern. You a freshman?”

She nodded. “Is it that obvious?”

“Not very, but I could see the signs. This is my sister’s first semester also. Shall we get started?”

Everett pulled out the assignment sheet and studied it.

“Wait, so if your sister is a freshman what does that make you?”

He laughed. “Her annoying older brother. I thought that would be an obvious connection.”

Nyah blushed but didn’t look away. “You know what I meant. Are you a junior, senior, or lifer?”

“Lifer?” He laughed again. “Do I look that old?”

“No. But you are being purposefully obtuse about it so I had to throw it in as a possibility even if it was just to nudge you into answering. Now I’ve narrowed it down to two without requiring an actual answer.”

“Then I shall give you none and see if you can ascertain it for yourself.” He bowed his head with a huge grin on his face. “Good luck.”

“I won’t need it.” Nyah smiled back. “You are stuck spending time with me because of our assignment. You won’t be able to avoid me.”

His smile warmed. “I think we might find that I won’t want to avoid you.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

“We’ll see about that after this weekend.” She grinned.

He reached out his hand and she stared at it. “Can I have your phone so I can put in my number? We are going to need to be able to communicate outside of class if we are going to complete this by Monday.”

“Oh sure.” She would have slapped her forehead but instead pulled her phone from her bag to hand to him.

He was quick as he typed in his number and it was back in her hands. Looking down, she saw he had even added a picture of him.

Everett stood. “Now, don’t forget to text me real quick so I have your number too.”

She nodded. “Where are you off to now?”

“Class.” He smiled, leaning in. “And no, I won’t make it any easier on you by telling you what class.”

“Aww he’s smarter than he looks.” She teased with a grin.

“A regular old genius here.” He winked. “Text me. Don’t forget.”

As he walked off she opened her messages and shot off a text to him so she wouldn’t forget. 

Nyah: Junior. You’re a junior.

The text back was almost immediate.

Everett: Interesting. You’ll have to tell me why you think that.

Nyah: I’m right.

Everett: I didn’t say that.

Nyah: You didn’t have to. We need to get started on our assignment. The library at 7?

Everett: It’s a date.