“Do you remember why you’ve left in the first place?” Jacob asked me as we stood behind the counter of the coffee shop. Taylor and Bryan had already left and Paige had been fast asleep on the couch in the corner.
“Because of her.” I whispered as if I didn’t want her to awake. Jacob nodded in agreement. “But, why’d you ask that? Surely you knew.” I asked him, yet, he remained silent and continued staring at her.
“So much for a girl you hardly knew.” Of course, he was right. The first time I’ve met her was basically when this all began. She hadn’t exactly been a childhood friend or a relative, but, it didn’t exactly stop me from doing what I did. From basically kidnapping her to having my car burn to ashes under the bridge. A lot has happened and I didn’t exactly need to explain the story to Jacob for him to understand. He has always been the one to see through people.
A few weeks ago, he looked at me with pity and I thought it was because he had pitied my life. Now, I’ve realized that he pitied the way I’ve been living it. Wastefully.
“You’ve really fallen for this one, hey?” Jacob asked and I simply responded with a smile.
“I see.” He punched my arm playfully – sentiment shared across guys, meaning either ‘things will work out’ or ‘you’ve done well’. In this case, I wasn’t sure if it had been the latter or not, yet I’ve decided not to question knowing that it had been possibly both.
“Daiman, do you need me to organize it?”
Organize what? My heart sank when I finally realized what he was asking – the funeral. I’ve pushed the very principal so far out of my thoughts that the thought of the funeral hadn’t even occurred to me.
“Yeah.” I said while staring over at Paige. “I need to see Gordon. There’s something I need to see to.”
“I see. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“It’s the only thing I’m really sure about right now. I have to do this.”
“Anything for love. You’ve really changed.”
Sighing, I walked over to Paige and ran my fingers across her cheek gently, earning a soft smile from her. Cold. I thought to myself as I took my jacket off and rested it over her. “Anything for love.”
|||
That morning I woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and biscuits. Paige was behind the the counter, emptying the sugar jar into a single mug – hers, of course. My jacket flung over her shoulders and her feet bare over the cold tiles.
“We’re looking awfully close to a couple, don’t you think?”
“We aren’t one?” She asked, slightly startled.
“Well, not officially.”
“Oh. In that case, I claim you.”
“Wait, you what?” I said with a chuckle. Sometimes I wasn’t sure whether she had been joking or not.
“I said,” she dragged it out, suggesting how slow she thought I was, “I. Claim. You.”
“You claim me. As what exactly?” I asked coyly as she began walking over to me and by the time she answered my question, she had been already sitting on lap, facing towards me.
“Tell me, does this answer your question?” She asked as she placed her hand my cheek and gently placed her lips onto mine. Electricity. That was the only way I could have adequately described it.
By the time she pulled away, I felt myself staring at her wistfully, as if I was robbed of the touch of her lips. “I’m more then glad to be claimed by you, Ms Witherstone.” How my words didn’t flail about had been a mystery to me.
She smiled as she missed my forehead,”You’ve never had the choice, waiter boy.”
“Cute, but corny.” Taylor’s voice rang through the silence causing us both to whimper slightly. Paige hopped up and pulled my jacket tighter onto herself in a poor attempt to hide herself.
“Taylor, how… how did you get in without us noticing the door bell?”
She laughed as she walked over to grab her apron, “You weren’t exactly paying attention, waiter boy.“
“Please don’t.” I begged of her. I could already feel my cheeks and ears going into a hot flush.
“You’re are both blushing.”
“Can it, Taylor. “ Paige bit out slightly embarrassed. She had been remarkable and all yet, she remained a child and she seemed determined to prove that every day.
She simply continued laughing as she skipped over to her usual space behind the counter and began polishing the inside of the coffee mugs. It seemed like a scene out of a western movie where the bar tender would polish the glasses for the day expertly, with flawless rhythm – then spit into the glass spiteful to finish off with. But not Taylor, no. More then anyone, she loved her work.
“I’m going to the back.” Paige said as she pulled the hood of my jacket low down over face. “Me too.” I followed suite as I grabbed the coffee she made.
“Now, now. You kids be safe, okay?”
“Taylor, shut the hell up.”
YOU ARE READING
Stargazing: Changing Our Stars
Romance"Life has always been precious. Many of us never truly understand just how precious it is. Paige, you something else. You long for the smaller things in life- the stars, the warmth of the sun and even the gentleness of the wind." ...
