Nola

E is for Enough

It has been three weeks since I've seen or heard from Zeke. Three weeks since I've seen or heard from any of my friends. It's safe to say my heart is broken, but I did it to myself. Zeke did nothing wrong.

Zeke loves me. Loved. And I pushed him away. I couldn't see it. He waved his love for me right in my face and I still couldn't see it.

I'm stupid. Pathetic. Selfish. I've never hated myself as much as I do now.

I've done nothing but lock myself in my room when I can. Daddy eventually drags me out and forces me to do family things. Papa is worried about me. Everyone's worried about me.

I'm worried about me.

"Nola?" Dad asks as he knocks on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I reply.

"What are you doing?"

"Laying down," I reply as I roll my eyes.

He chuckles from the doorway.

"What's behind your back?" I ask as I notice he's holding his arm behind his back.

"Oh this?" Dad asks as he pulls a rose from behind his back.

He twirls it in his fingers. I jump up from my bed and snatch it from him.

"There's a note as well," he says with a giant smile plastered across his face.

"Thank you," I say as I close my bedroom door in his face.

"Your welcome," he shouts from the other side of the door.

I place the rose on my nightstand and open the note.

"13. I promise to forgive you..." The front of the card said.

On the back there was another message, "our spot at 10PM tonight <3 Zeke."

With a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon on my face I raced to find daddy. He and dad were cuddling on the couch together. I pull dad off of daddy.

"First stop that. Eww," I start. They roll their eyes and sit up. "Second, Zeke wants me to meet him at the park at 10 tonight. Is that okay?"

They both look at each other. Daddy looks like he wants to say no, but dad gives him the 'it's alright' look. Dad chuckles as daddy sighs.

"I guess," daddy finally says.

I squeal and jump on the two of them, engulfing them in the biggest hug I've ever given them.

--Zeke's POV--

I've been sitting in the park for two hours. The first hour I made sure I had everything for when Nola arrives. The second hour I've been going through what I'm going to tell her.

All of the sudden I feel a pair of small gentle hands cover my eyes. I recognize the giggle. Nola.

"Guess who.." she says.

"Umm...hmmm...mom?" I joke.

She giggles again and wraps her arms around my neck. I grab her arm and pull her in front of me and on my lap. She stares into my eyes.

"I'm so so-" Nola starts, but I crash my lips onto hers.

Screw my speech. I'll just show her how much I love her. Her lips are soft. She didn't hesitate once to kiss me back.

I lay her back onto the blanket without breaking the kiss. I won't tell her, well maybe she can tell, but this is my first kiss. I'm just going with the flow. No idea what I'm doing, but judging by her response I think I'm doing it alright.

Nola is my first kiss. And I want her to be my first everything. I want her to be my last. My one and only.

"I love you," I tell her as I part the kiss and stare into her beautiful eyes.

She smiles at me. I don't expect her to love me. I hope that she will, but I could wait a lifetime for her I say it and my love for her wouldn't change.

"Zeke," she smiles.

She then pulls me back into the kiss. I can't help but get wrapped up in the kiss. I start to grind against her. She doesn't stop me.

I stop myself and pull away. I lay down next to her and grab her hand as we both laugh and stare up at the stars. Now don't get me wrong, I'd love to make love to Nola, but I want it to be special.

I want us both to be ready. We may think we are, but we aren't. We still have some learning and growing to do.

I respect Nola. Even if she asked me to right now I wouldn't. I know her and I know she's not ready.

"Thanks for the roses," she says as she places her head on my chest. I wrap my arm around her and hold her tightly.

"You mean my promises?"

She giggles, "yes."

A brief silence falls upon us as we start to hear thunder. She curls up closer to me. I hold her tighter. I don't ever want to let go.

Mentally I will never let go of Nola. I love her. She's everything to me. I'd like to be everything for her. If she lets me and gives me the chance.

The thunder grows louder as the clouds slowly cover the stars. Our night is about to be rained on. Great.

"As much as I'd like to stay like this, my dads are going to...well they probably are worrying about me. And if it rains they'll send a search team out. Walk me home?"

"Of course," I reply as she stands up and helps me up. We blow out the candles and put everything back in my bag.

On the walk to her house it starts to downpour. We start to run to down her street. When we reach the front of her house I pull her into me tightly.

She wraps her arms around my neck as we lean our foreheads on each other's. Just as we were about to kiss the front porch lights turn on. Ezra and Fortune stand in the doorway with giant smiles.