Rainbows after Hurricane

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Song of the chapter/ Photograph by Ed Sheeran

Five Years Ago...

It is a fine summer morning with the warmth of sun passing over the town, through the hills and into the forests, illuminating people's lives with its light and vivifying the environment. The sun is streaming through the window, brightening the room with its radiant glow where Dianna Taylor is standing near her bed, clutching her phone in her hand as she paces back and forth, dialing her stupid brother.

On the third ring, a voice speaks from the other line, reducing some of the tension off her body that's starting to build. "Hello."

                    "Where the hell are you, Zach?" Dianna screams, throwing a red crop top into her suitcase and flops down onto the bed with a sigh.

                   "Hello to you too, little sister." Zach chastises and she can almost see him rolling eyes through the phone.

                   "Little sister, my ass." She huffs. "Do you know what time is it? I am leaving in three hours and you don't even care." She says, hurt.

                   "You know that's bullshit." He argues through the other line. "You are the only girl I care the most."

A ghost of a smile appears in her face. "Be careful Zach. If Ashley and mom hear you say that, they will murder you."

Zach's chuckles travels through the phone to her ears. "Well, everyone knows about it. So, I am not in any trouble."

                 "If you really care about me, then, where the hell are you? I have to reach an hour before my flight takes off."

                 "I know. I will be there in twenty minutes."

                 "Where are you?"

                 "I am with Asher. He wants to pick a gift for you so I am helping him." Zach replies. Dianna's heart starts racing upon hearing Asher's name. She still can't understand what kind of power does he held over her that every single time she hears his name, her heart goes straight into overdrive.

               "Hello? Dianna? Are you there? Don't tell me you hung up on me?" Zach says.

Dianna shakes her head and allows her heart to calm down. "Uh, yeah, I am here. So, Asher wants to buy me a gift, huh?" she says, hoping he won't dictate the slight change in her voice.

               "Yup." Zach replies. Dianna releases a breath of relief she has been holding unbeknown to her, worrying for a moment that Zach might find out the only secret she has been keeping from him. She has been keeping up this act for a very long time now. No one knows about her huge, deep crush on her brother's best friend Asher not even Asher himself.

Shaking the thoughts aside, she says, "What is he getting for me? No, actually don't tell me. I will see it myself."

Zach chuckles. "Alright. See you soon."

And, then, she disconnects the call.

Placing the phone on the bed next to the suitcase, she gets up from the bed and throws the last denim jacket—a gift from Ashley when she turned eighteen a month ago—and closes the suitcase, nearly complete with her packing.