See you again ✓

• 25 • Blooming like anemones •

Jamie's point of view

"Why anemones?" he asked me from the other side of the screen, arranging his cooking utensils after dinner.

"What do you mean?"

"Most women would have picked roses, but you chose anemones."

"I'm not just any woman, Collin," I replied playfully.

"I don't doubt that for a second. Come on, there's got to be a story behind it."

"You really can't let things go, can you?"

"Jamie?" he insisted.

"Alright, fine. It's because I've never managed to make them bloom. Happy now?"

We looked at each other on the screen, silent. He looked like he was still waiting for me to pursue my answer.

"Oh sorry...I mean...That's it?" he asked.

"That's it."

"You can't be serious?" he furrowed his eyebrows, in confusion.

"I'm dead serious."

He took my widened eyes and embarrassed look as confirmation and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Stop laughing! This is exactly the reason why I didn't want to talk about it. It's silly and not funny at all." I took the pillow next to me to hide my embarrassed face.

"It surely is silly and that's what makes it funnier. I expected everything but that," he pulled out a chair at the dining table.

"You probably expected a tragic story with lasting scars or a beautiful tale passed down through generations. Well let me tell you this sir, sometimes we love things for simple and silly reasons."

"I hope for my sake you're not loving me for some simple and silly reasons." he feigned a worried face.

"Simple? Yes. Silly? Definitely!" I replied with wrinkles.

"Oh God, I'm doomed. Let's hear it out. What are those reasons?"

"What?" I started reddening.

"What made you fall in love with me?" he reasserted.

"I thought I already figured out your psychological profile?"

"Jamie, I'm not asking you how you see me but what you love about me. There's a difference."

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" I hid my face again with the same early pillow.

"Jamie?" he played with my name.

"Hello? Collin? I think we have network issues...Do you hear me?" I feigned clicking all around my laptop.

"Haha, well done. I can do this all night long."

"Why so mean?" I pouted.

"Here is the plan: you tell me your reasons, I'll share mine."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

I blushed and put the pillow down. What was I supposed to say? I loved and adored him for so many reasons that words wouldn't be enough to express how I feel about him.

"...Well, you're surprising. Really surprising actually. I'm the type to plan everything in life and usually it goes exactly as I expect. But knowing you don't follow that rule intrigues me. It kind of...adds sparks to my life in a way."

"So I add sparks to your life," he repeated, leaning back in his chair with a smile. A proud one to be true. "That's something. What else?"

"What else? My God...Um...Besides the usual qualities like respect, handsomeness, kindness, humour and craziness..."

"Craziness?" he interrupted. "Says the one who loves anemones because she can't make it bloom."

"Okay I admit that one looks more like me," I laughed. "But if I'm the crazy one, who are you my fellow companion?"

"Your psychiatrist, dear. Now where were we?"

"To craziness."

"Your craziness more precisely!" he insisted a'd we both laughed at ourselves.

"So aside from all that - understanding and empathy," I pursued, "I'd say there's something unique about you. It's like an energy I can't explain. No matter what I do or where I go, it always brings me back to you. I love you for thousands simple reasons and for this connection we have."

Collin didn't say a word and that really was embarrassing. So embarrassing that I decided to break the unbearable silence wrapping us up.

"Won't you say something please?"

"I'm out of word, baby. I'm just out of word."

"Perhaps you can start by telling me your reasons now."

"I will. Next time we meet again," he replied with a smile.

"Wait...What? That's not fair! We had a deal!"

"And it still stands. I promised you reasons, but I never said I'd share them right now."

"That's very surprising from you."

"That's why you love me, remember?" he winked at my poor self.

"Yeah but right now I just kind of feel...dumb."

"Don't be. If it can help you feel better, what you just said doesn't leave me indifferent. You don't leave me indifferent, Jamie," he emphasized the you. "And every day away from you gives me strength to come back and show you what my words can't express."