Help Me Believe

Feelings

After what feels like a few hours, Clyde and I relax our backs on the floor against the wall. "It's not everything and nearly not done, but I think we did good." I chuckle at him, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "We did good. Maybe we should eat?"

He nods, taking his stand. He pulls me to my feet whilst smiling brightly. "That sounds like a plan." I laugh at his silliness. "I brought some burgers and chips, and soda. You okay with that?" I nod. "Yes, that can work."

"Great. Let's get eating." I laugh once again as he pulls me along with him. "Hey. Dinner was surprisingly good." "I hear you Dais, I always used to buy there." "I remember." I look around the packed boxes. "Are we set for tomorrow?" "Looks like it, Daisy. We need just to make one pit stop tomorrow morning."

"Oh, that's fine, Clyde." He stands still before me, cuffing his fingers into my pockets. "I have a surprise for you." I shake my hands along with my head. "No, not that. I mean thank you, but you know how I feel about that?" He laughs, pulling me closer. "I know, but you'll love this."

I give him a look and raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. "Do you remember last week when I mentioned that I got a job offer?" "The one you told me about that pays better?" He nods.

"Yes. So, I called them. They've asked me if I'm willing to move down to Miami. The position starts on Monday so they wanted to know whether or not that's something I'm interested in. This will also give me the chance to buy the church and start prepping. I want you to help me?"

"Wow, that's fantastic Clyde, I'm so happy for you. Are you sure you want to accept that offer? I thought you loved New York City."

"Yeah. But this job offers more and I can't afford to stay anywhere else, plus, I already bought a house in Miami and I'm already in agreement with the church."

"Then that's great, really great Clyde. You deserve this job more than anyone."

"Daisy." I look upward at him. "Y-yes." He shutters. "There's something I have been meaning to talk to you about." I bite my lip. "What? What is it, Clyde? You know I can't wait until you tell me, you know you can tell me anything."

He sighs heavily. "I know Daisy, and I promise I will. This is probably going to sound ridiculous." "Clyde—" He continues talking, relaxing his palm on my face. "I love you, Daisy." My heart drops. "What? Y-you mean, like, romantically?" "Daisy—" Clyde breathes deeply, putting both hands on my shoulders.

"I love you, so much. You're the most important person to me, ever since you came into my life..." I swallow hard. "Clyde... we've been through this before." "I know, but we were kids, and I've always felt this way about this. I just never knew how to tell you." I keep my tongue, not trusting my words.

"I can't believe I'm saying this to you, and you must think I'm a crazy idiot, but I've never felt this way about anybody Daisy. Not ever. All this time spent, protecting you has made me realize some things. And I hope that someday you'll realize how much you mean to me. I promise I won't let you down, because nothing in this world matters more to me than you do. I've been meaning to tell you this for ages and I've tried to fight the feeling growing inside of me, but I couldn't. I'm so scared that if I don't say it now, I might lose you forever. I'm falling Daisy, so hard for you, and I don't think I can live without you anymore. I love you, Daisy, please, say something?"

My mind runs blank.

He loves me?

He loves – me?

I love him too.

I smile even wider.

He loves me too.

I giggle, covering my mouth with my fingertips. "I love you too, Clyde." His face lights up like it always does when I say those words to him. "Really?" He sounds hopeful. "Really." My reply comes out a little faster. "Thank You, God. I was so worried I'd gone insane. I've never been this attached to someone in my entire life. You're so special to me, I just can't seem to get enough of you. Please don't leave me, Daisy. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

I lean in close, placing my palms softly onto his cheeks, pressing my lips against his, and kissing him tenderly. It feels so familiar yet completely different at the same time. It's like he's the only thing I've ever known, like I'm finally home and finally safe.

I pull back after a few moments, resting my forehead against his, looking deep into his beautiful blue eyes. "I'm never leaving you, Clyde. Not ever." My whisper comes out soft. I hope he heard me. I chuckle in my head. Oh, gosh. He looks down at me and smiles softly, reaching down to wipe away the tears that have escaped my eyes.

I smile back at him and place my hand over his. "You know; I can't believe how lucky I am to have met you. And to think, you had to save me from drowning just so I could meet you and fall in love with you."

"Well... I have to save you, but you were the one who saved me, Daisy. I didn't realize it at the time, but I knew I had to. I couldn't bear seeing you getting hurt, so that's why I kept on saving you." He chuckles softly. "What do I always tell you?" "That I need God in my life. And you allowed me to do just that. Thank you, Clyde, thank you for saving me." He smiles sweetly down at me. "Anytime sunshine."

He pulls away, looking over at the boxes. "Ready for the great adventure?" I nod. "Yes. I'm ready. But first, we need some sleep, please. You woke me up way too soon this morning." He laughs, hugging me again, and pulling away. "Yes. I agree. Sleep."

"In our old room?" He nods whilst I follow him, his fingers remaining in mine. "Of course. Where else?" I chuckle...