If only you knew

Chapter Sixteen

This was it, this was the day she could go back to see Xavier, and ask him about this flower petal. She got all her stuff on a bus, and she sat down in a seat and waited to get to her real home.

After they were driving for a while she sat and thought about this flower petal, and she wasn't sure what the story was going to be. After a while, she had finally gotten back home. She unloaded the bus, and sat on her front porch. She was so excited to ask him about this flower petal before, but now she had this nervous feeling in her stomach.

Xavier walked up to her house, and asked why she hadn't come over. She said she was lost in her thoughts. She looked in her bag at the flower petal. He asked her what was wrong. She pulled out the petal, and asked if there was a flower with the letter that he gave her. Xavier took a deep breath, and said to follow him.

They went up to his room and he went to his desk drawer, and pulled out two flowers. Aletta looked at them, they were really pretty. He handed her one and said that he was going to put one in the letter, but he was scared to so he took it out and kept it in his desk. He gave it to her and said it was a peony; he said "they only grow in the spring; this is what was growing around our yards when we first met. Aletta didn't know what to say, and she let a few tears fall on her face. She asked him what the other one was for. Xavier held it up, and gave it to her. He said first I have to tell you something, before I tell you what it is for.

Aletta nodded and said ok. Xavier started "for a while now, I have felt a very strong emotion... love... for you." He held her hand, took a deep breath, and said "Aletta, I love you, more than anything in the world." She couldn't help but smile as tears started to escape from her eyes. Xavier said, "now this flower." She looked at it. He said "you have probably noticed that it is fake, this is because my love for you won't die until this flower does. Aletta looked at him and said "it is fake." Xavier said "this flower will never die, and neither will my love for you."

Aletta looked at him and said she loved him too, but it could never happen, because her parents told her never to talk to anyone and if she just suddenly had a boyfriend then it would show that she broke their biggest rule... Xavier cut her off and said come with me and took her to the middle of their yards.

She asked what they were doing out here... and he cut her off again. He said I will run away with you, we can live in your country and... Aletta cut him off, and said this is not going to work, I can't make you do that, and Xavier cut her off and said he doesn't care, now that he has finally told her, he will not lose her. She looked at him and said she would call her parents and tell them that she needs to stay longer so they can talk about this. He said they don't need to talk about it, because he is coming back with her. She said that she has extra work done there and she should stay here a little longer so they can talk. He said that was ok. So Aletta called her parents, and they gave her an extra week.

Aletta and Xavier were talking about what to do, and Xavier said let's do our first plan. Aletta wasn't sure what he was talking about. Xavier said he gets on the bus with her and when they get there, they say they met on the way there. Aletta said that was ok, and then they could pretend to get to know each other there in front of her parents and then they shouldn't have a problem, with them being together.

Aletta stopped and said that Xavier's parents wouldn't let him go. Then he said it was ok he had already talked it over with them. She was shocked and asked if they were ok with it, just like that? Xavier said that he explained to them that he would be fine, and also he told them that it would be a learning experience about another culture.

Aletta laughed and said ok. Xavier said that everything was handled, and they could finally be together. Aletta smiled and started to get up; Xavier asked where she was going, and she said that she had to go in and see her brother and sister for a while, and they could talk later.

Aletta went inside and Shanna asked her if Aletta wanted to play, and Aletta said that she would love to. Aletta and Shanna had a tea party and laughed and played for hours. Aletta said that Shanna should go to bed now, and Aletta was all alone. She whispered "I don't know how hard this will be, but I hope that we can make it work." Then she sat for a minute and said "hope... It's a funny thing how we can just hope, and think it will be alright."

*****

The next day she went outside and just laid in her yard just thinking, and not doing anything. Xavier saw her from his window and came out and asked if she wanted to talk. She sat up and said "come lay with me and just feel the energy out here, the sun is shining and it is beautiful."

He asked what was going on, and she said that he had his own life to live and she couldn't make him give up so much. Xavier sat down and said "I would rather lose a few opportunities than lose you." Aletta looked at him and said "You could do great things with your life." Xavier said that he could do better things with her. Aletta said he did not have to give up anything to be with her. He said that he would only be giving up the best thing for him, if he let her go. She said "I won't be able to say anything to change your mind right?"

He asked her why she wanted to change his mind. She said that she didn't want him to make any big decisions. He said the biggest thing he had to do so far was tell her how he felt. She said that it would get harder for them. He said now that she knows what he feels, it can only get easier.