One More Chance

Chapter 17

Dedicated For SomethingsOff because of the weird conversations we have

So sorry I haven’t updated in ages. I think it’s been about a month now! So sorry! I have actually been pretty busy with a magazine article and I’m also co-writing another book with my bestie so yeah…

Anyways, I’m not near finishing this book, so I should probably get a move on!

Chapter 17

Days passed slyly, creeping past my knowledge and soon flowers were sprouting on trees, lighting the scenery with pastelly old lady shades mixing with the vibrant emerald shades of the grass. Bees returned with their familiar buzz, people started revealing more skin and the earth became hard again. Families had picnics in the grass that was now longer. Soon, people started ditching their old friend coffee and demanded for slush and iced tea.

Every time I saw Jared, I gulped in fear of him mentioning Haze, but he never did. I had moved on from what happened between me and him and was still waiting for the day he would finally introduce James as his boyfriend.

I missed London at times. I missed the streetlights, bustling crowds and horns. But the sheep and sun was enough to replace those sorrowful moods into a care-free day, eating ice cream with three boys and a woman who become attached to my life.

I heard a hiss of laughter and turned to stare at Haze.

“What’s funny?” I glared.

He shook his head but his eyes were sly.

“Tell me!” I begged and he pointed towards his nose.

I felt my nose and wiped off a small amount of ice cream that had settled on it.

Josh was looking after the café for a while, as Rita, Haze and I were visiting a nearby farm for cheese. According to Rita, I had the best choice when it came to cheese and Haze was the person who always sorted out the financial part of the café’s business. Rita was just there so she could visit her friend who owned the dairy farm.

“Duckie, I needed to speak to you,” called Rita.

“Yeah?” I asked her. I crunched up the last bit of ice cream cone left. We had ended up buying ice creams from a van on our way back.

“The Summer Festival is coming and most years a television crew come to film parts of it for their news show. I was wondering if you could show your cookie skills,” said Rita.

“Su-“I was about to agree until I realized. Television crews. They could recognize me. Find me.

But I was not that famous. It had been a few months since I had left London. I was sure the story would have blown off.

“Was that a yes?” asked Rita.

“I…um…sure, yeah,” I said but I was still not 100% convinced.

What had I let myself in for?

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“You ugly bitch!” she hissed. “Ew, have you looked in the mirror?”

I trembled. I took a step back. I fell.

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I woke up in a jolt, my back sweaty. I remembered Janice, the girl who had bullied me to no ends during my stay in the care home. After my mummy passed away, all I had was myself.

I shook my head. The past was the past. It’s about moving on.

My throat felt dry and starched so I got up and went into the café in search of a drink. After I had poured myself the glass and walked out into the front driveway. The water did not seem too appealing anymore, so I took a sip and poured it out onto the grass. The wind was blowing through my soft night dress, but I felt warm. Hot. Too hot. My head was pounding and it bought back thoughts of hangovers.

Suddenly, the glass slipped from my hand and fell onto the pavement, shattering into tiny pieces. I knew that Jared would probably drive up and it could slit his tyres of I picked up the pieces.

A flash of pain and red. My fingers were bleeding from the glass.

Red. Crimson. The first time I saw blood. It was on her. Mummy. It had not been a cut, it was worse. A gash on her forehead, pouring with dark, almost black liquid. It was surprising how dark blood could be. They say it is red, but it is darker.

Especially when there is a lot of it.

The sight I saw on the woman I loved was nothing a four year old should have seen in her life.  I loved her. She was all I had.

“Vanessa? Is that you?” I heard Haze’s deep voice. My head was pounding too hard for me to consider what he was doing out there in the middle of the night. My hand was numb with pain and cold.

“What happened?” he wrapped an arm around me and led me into the café.

“Are you alright?” his face was right in front of me. Eyes concerned. I noticed how beautiful his eyes were; a pale golden colour with yellow. Lots of yellow, like summer. I couldn’t see his lips, except a glint of light pink reflection from the moonlight outside. I moved closer to him until our lips met. Softly. Lovingly. I breathed his soul in that kiss. That kiss; hard, but soft; fiery but cool; a split second but also forever. In that one kiss, I knew what was behind those hazel eyes, and it made my love for him grow even more...

Love?

Finally! I don’t want romance to be the main focus of this story, although I put it as the main category. But I do want them to get together sooner, because they are adults, and both of them are ready for a serious relationship.

Song Of The Chapter: Cross My Heart – The Veronicas

Book Of The Week: The Tenth Circle – Jodi Picoult

Wattpad Book Of The Week: Ten Reasons Not To Die  - Rice Lover