Caring for Dakota Knox

24

Tatum Hayes

I stepped into the shower, turning on the hot water and massaging the shampoo into my scalp. The water erased the mess of my face and I closed my eyes as the cooler water went down my skin. Stepping out of the shower, I reached for a towel, and as I tucked it in, I heard Dakota slipping into the bedroom. She had already showered and her skin looked silky and fresh. 

Sitting back on the bed, she had in her hands a box that we both knew well. All those memories exploded on the floor: bracelets tangled in necklaces, photos, letters, all bounced on the carpet. She gently started going through them as I got dressed. All of those things were still close to our hearts.

She stopped, and her fingers slid over the words written on a piece of rusted paper. She held it up with both her hands and smiled widely, taking a deep breath. It was a list of cities we had promised each other to visit one day.

"We used to dream about going to all these places... like no matter how the weather could have been like, we would have gone anyways, remember?" she laughed

"We thought that we would be just fine if we landed in Ushuaia with just a tank top and shorts" I laughed, too. 

She cocooned herself in a blanket and nestled up in a side of the bed, kept going through the stuff. She picked up a little notebook and flicked through the pages. My heart went cold.

"Oh, no, no! That's mine!" I shouted, trying to get it back. My attempt had been ruined right away, as she pushed me away, a small smile in her lips. She started reading out loud, but still not aware of the meaning of those words

"Tell me something about yourself, tell me something about the city you live in. Tell me something about the woman you might love. Tell me whatever comes to your mind when you remember our days lying beneath the sunlight. Tell me if you are still cold inside. Tell me if you want to go and visit every single spot in the map, as we planned one day. Tell me something about what you are doing with your life" her gaze faded at the raw text

"Tell me about your dreams, and what you want to do a year from now" I continued, knowing those words by heart "Tell me if you remember those two silly girls that used to hate each other, and fell in love during a heated summer, do you think they were real too? Tell me you are still there, and I'll be coming back for you".

"Tate" she cried and hugged me "this is nice, but too sad. I'm so sorry"

"Don't" I sobbed "I used to write a lot when we broke up. I wrote for years, every day. Sometimes I tried to tell myself that one day I would try to write something that actually could end up being read by you"

She glanced at the notebook and put it away, as she held me closer so we both could lay side by side on the bed. 

"Sorry" she repeated "you shouldn't feel bad for that, it was a bond that no one could have ever broken" 

I turned back to her, grabbing her waist to be closer "it's ok, I'm happy now"

"Really?" she asked

"Yes. And thank you" I added, as I draw her jawline with my finger "for being my date tonight. It was amazing"

Dakota grinned, as she glanced at her phone, that had been ringing for a minute.

"Are you going to answer that?" I asked, as the device consistently vibrated.

"Nope; I don't have to be always professional, Tates. And no, it's not some random girl I need to meet. It's my assistant, or Harmony, or the CEO. I don't usually have days off" She explained, closing her eyes as she got closer.

I smiled at her, but the sound was getting on my nerves, "I think you should just turn the thing off"

"Please, always keep in mind that my phone never goes off" She groaned, already tugging her phone from the night table, but still, she answered. It was her assistant, after all.

"It's Sunday night" Dakota reminded her, shaking her head "I'm not at home, I'm at my in law's for the night... hm, just tell him whatever, tomorrow I'll look after that" 

"Liar" I whispered, smirking at her words

"Yes, well, not everyone is Dakota Knox, so he will understand" she paused "Ok, thank you anyways"

Dakota released a short bark of laughter and shook her head, and I couldn't help but smile. I stared at her messy hair and perfect face, while she had a stupid smirk on her face. She folded her arms, "what?!"

"Nothing" I laughed "you don't look like Dakota Knox at all. You look like a teenage girl that lied to her teacher about homework and full of second guessing" 

" I beg you pardon?! Of course not. I just skipped working on a Sunday night, that's all!" she faked hurt "you have offended me now"

"I'm sure that's not strictly true" I said "and I have my ways to convince you, anyways" 

She raised and eyebrow and smirked, "Remind me to be offended more often, then" she murmured

"Hm?" I asked sarcastically, getting her out of her top and panties

"Nothing, right..." she breathed as my body lowered and my mouth hit her center "that's very--god, Tatum"

____

Despite our sleep deprivation, we managed to wake up with double the energy. Dakota had spent the whole morning setting up the car to get back into town. The newlyweds were already in their honeymoon, so we didn't have to stay for long.

The sun filtered through the buildings, casting shadows. We had to force ourselves back into the routine that we had consolidated over years of determination and hard work. I turned my head in the direction of our old town, and the memories that reunited us once again. It wasn't that cruel feeling anymore the one that kept us coming back. I smiled to myself, as Dakota focused on the road. If love was that moment, then we were fully into it. No turbulence could take that down.

Of course, I had some idea of what could come; the stuff we were supposed to talk about in order to grow into healthier human beings for the sake of our relationship, the doubt that we needed to let go of. Like a trail of stars in darkness, our love was big enough to open even more doors for us. We were safe, and together. We felt enough for each other, like nothing else could be wrong. Being alone again wasn't even a suggestion.

It was the little things that we accomplished afterwards the ones that made us even happier, like travelling and buying a house. We stopped asking each other too many questions, we trusted what we shared. We were well aware of the stuff we needed to do for ourselves. We had hope.

And we couldn't do without each other. 

So yes, it happened for real.