azaleas [horan]

Surprise

A Z A L E A

I spent the rest of my day watching the tellie and eating. I hadn't talked to anyone since this morning. I spent hours sifting through the TV guide absentmindedly, but none of the programs appealed to me. During an infomercial about backwards robes, my phone began vibrating. A picture of drums came up on the screen and I instantly knew it was Josh. What did he want now? I sent him several texts throughout and he didn't reply. I may sound clingy but I'm just worrying. I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship.

"Hello?" I answered, annoyance clear in my harsh tone.

"Hey Az I-" I cut him off before he could continue his thought.

"What, so now you want to talk to me? You've been ignoring me, my texts and my calls all day. Every time you bumped into me, you ran away. What could you possibly want to say to me now?" I snapped.

"Azalea, I'm really sorry. I spent the whole day making sure things were perfect. You'll understand if you come to the window."

Even though I was beyond confused, my feet shuffled to the window in my room. The sun had set hours ago but there still seemed to be a glow outside. I looked closer and rubbed the condensation off the window with thr sleeve of my shirt. On the patio below were tons of candles lit and aligned along the grass. I gasped in amazement as Josh came into view, still holding the phone up to his ear.

"Do you like it?" I could see the smile on his face as the question left his lips.

"I love it! It's amazing!" He laughed into the phone and motioned me to come out from down below.

"Let me get fixed up and I'll be down in a bit."

"Love, you don't need to fix anything. You're absolutely beautiful," I blushed at his compliment and prayed he couldn't see from this distance.

"Can I change out of my pajamas first?" I laughed lightly. He mimicked my laugh before approving and hanging up.

I changed out of my lounge clothes in lightning speed. I brushed my hair before stumbling down the stairs to the yard.

He greeted me with outstretched arms and kissed me on the cheek, "I know I didn't ask you out officially, but I thought we could still consider this our first date."

As a response, I tightened our embrace and snuggled my face into the crook of his neck.

He released me and led me by the hand to the picnic blanket. He lied down first on the red checkered cloth before pulling me to the spot next to him.

"So you've been planning this all day? That's why you've been running off?"

"Yeah, I wanted this to be a nice surprise," He said sheepishly. I leaned forward and planted a brief kiss on his lips.

"And that's the picnic basket you bought after I bumped into you at the store?" I laughed at how everything had turned out. He nodded and smiled as he took my favorite foods out of the basket.

"But why did I see you come out of my dad's flat?"

"After I bumped into you at the market I knew you'd be home soon so I rushed here to ask your dad for permission to take you out," His shyness was evident as he looked down anxiously.

I shook my head and stared at my figeting hands, smiling. How cliché.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Here, love," He grabbed an object from behind him and set it in my arms. From the crinkle of the object's wrapper I realized that it was a bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers. Not just any flowers, either.

"Azaleas?" I giggled lightly, "My favorite! How on Earth did you know?"

"I had a feeling you liked those best," He leaned into me and shoved my shoulder with his before connecting our lips.

***

That's the end, everyone! I'm sorry I took so long to post this, it's been a tough few weeks for me. Thanks for all of your patience! I should be starting the next book soon! It's going to be about Niall and his whereabouts in Los Angeles. I'm going to call it "Aria" so keep an eye out for it!

I may edit this or just delete it, though. It had some cheesy moments and I spent my absence reading After! It's as amazing as people say and it makes mine look like total dog shit.

So, this is the end of "Azaleas". Let me know what you think in the comments!

I love you all,

Tiffany