within the meadow √ h.s.

t w e n t y f i v e

one year later

delilah and josiah had decided to move him into her apartment. she refused to move into his because of the distance from the cafe and meadow. although she had become distant from the meadow, she needed a reason to avoid too much change.

delilah had tried to bring josiah to her favorite place, but he always found himself bored even though he would pretend to enjoy his time for delilah's sake. she appreciated his efforts, but instead just found herself going there less often.

harry had not been on a date, or near a relationship since delilah. he had travelled around half of the world and he stood by his promise to himself to keep the hope. he had drunken one night stands that he later regretted, but always woke up wishing it was delilah with her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat. he decided to stop calling after josiah answered one day and told him he should stop calling, but he always sent the postcards and letters. no one could stop those from coming.

"babe, i can't carry this up the steps," delilah panted feeling her arms shake as she attempted to carry the final box. josiah was quickly by her side and took the box out of her arms, kissing her head as he carried it the rest of the way.

delilah followed him through the door and watched as he set it down. they officially lived together and delilah felt happy.

she felt herself at peace with life, knowing that things were going to be great.

oh, how wrong she would be.

the two lovebirds danced around her small kitchen cooking dinner together. everything was perfect at that moment, and nothing could ruin it.

they ate while watching movies, then cuddled up and enjoyed the warmth of each other's bodies counteracting the cold of outside. when they went off to the bedroom they sealed the night with passion and lust, falling asleep with intertwined, bare bodies.

"i love you," he whispered into the girl with wild hair's ear as she drifted off to sleep.

"i love you, too," she tiredly mumbled, being taken by her dreams of the meadow and books.

it was delilah's day off and josiah took the day off from helping his father run the family's hardware store to unpack his belongings and make her apartment their apartment.

a day spent in loose t shirts was a day of bliss as the two laughed and loved with everything they had. despite delilah destroying her phone when a heavy box fell on top of it, their day could not be ruined.

they went out later that afternoon and picked up a new phone for delilah and made sure laura got her new number. laura liked josiah. she saw how happy delilah was and decided that was enough.

that night, as the wind blew through the meadow, it chilled the roots of the plants and carried sorrow that would soon be at hand.

delilah could handle a lot, and so she would. for not much longer.

+

lenny's age was taking a toll on him. he was seventy eight with painful memories weighing on him despite his lighthearted nature.

delilah began taking on more shifts and responsibilities concerning the cafe as lenny became sick quite often and was not able to come in. she would always run everything smoothly then visit lenny at his home with freshly made soup. she hated how time seemed to escape her so quickly after knowing lenny for years, and time kept ticking.

lenny's house was a bit of a mess and delilah knew that he couldn't find the strength to tidy up and helped out. then she sat next to him and they talked. they talked for hours about everything and nothing, and they were both so content. it was late when the doorbell rang and a man with a briefcase introduced himself before finding lenny in his room.

delilah bid her goodbyes and made sure the house was in good shape before setting off to go home. when she finally walked through the door she was exhausted. she kicked off her shoes and was quickly greeted by josiah who scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

he knew she had been working an excessive amount and felt more stressed than usual and wanted to help her. he had cleaned the apartment and done all of the laundry, anything to take even an ounce of weight off of her shoulders. in the six short months they had lived together they typically split the chores.

"why don't you take a shower before bed and feel fresh?" josiah suggested as he helped delilah take her sweater off. she yawned and nodded her head liking the sound of a hot shower.

"mm sounds great," she tiredly smiled. josiah kissed her forehead and told her he would heat up the shower just as she liked it. he found it strange that she liked scalding hot showers that he thought burned her soft skin, but set the temperature anyway.

"baby, it's ready," he called out. she dragged her feet to the bathroom and began undressing, and josiah had to force himself not to stare at her beautiful body with lust. he always loved how her thighs had dimples, and her lower abdomen had a little pouch. he loved the faint stretch marks detailing the skin on her breasts and bum like tiger stripes.

she stepped into the shower and sighed in contentment as josiah sat on the toilet lid asking about her day.

"a man showed up at lenny's house when i was getting ready to leave, so it was pretty late but i didn't recognize him. then again lenny has never really exposed a lot of his life," delilah's voice was muffled out by the water while she washed her hair.

"maybe it was an old friend," he shrugged. "but did lenny look okay? is he getting better?"

josiah knew that lenny wasn't too fond of him, but he loved delilah and knew that she loved lenny like family and always tried to get into his good graces.

"he was a little pale but had more energy than the other day and was talking my ear off," she said stepping out of the shower. josiah was quick to wrap a towel around her body and follow her back to the bedroom where she threw on one of his t shirts. he loved when she wore his shirts to bed, but he never said it out loud.

when she climbed into bed and picked up her book, josiah took off his clothes and remained in his boxers. he turned off the lamp on his side of the bed while delilah tried to read her book but became distracted. she had a desperate need to calm the heat within her that ached between her legs.

when her and josiah were on the same page he looked into her eyes as he crashed his hips into hers falling into a steady rhythm like her rapid heartbeat.

that night, a whirlwind blew through the meadow anticipating the storm arriving.