within the meadow √ h.s.

t w e n t y s e v e n

harry tossed and turned in his bed in iceland. he wanted to visit kirkjufell and view the intensity of aurora borealis and experience the rawness of the westfjords. harry hadn't been able to sleep well for a few months, and he didn't know why. when he found himself unable to get a blink of sleep he sat at the small desk to write to delilah.

he hadn't sent a letter in a few months since that one time he wasn't able to send it because the post office was too far from where he was staying, so instead he continued to write them and just held on to them hoping to send them out soon.

dear delilah,

it's another restless night and i'm beginning to give up on actually receiving that sleep i need. you told me that if you couldn't sleep you would make yourself a cup of tea and read your books until you fell asleep. i witnessed that a few times.

i remember one time i woke up and you had a half finished cold mug of tea sitting on your nightstand and there was a book in your hands gripped tightly. you looked so peaceful with your eyes closed and lips parted leaving you snoring softly. remember when i would tease you in the mornings for your snoring? you always got so annoyed. i miss it all.

sometimes i wish i never left because then i wouldn't have to write you these horrible letters and i would be able to make new memories with you instead of remember the old ones. but i know it was the right decision to go even though i get into little battles with my mind at times.

i really hope you and your boyfriend are doing good. i hope you two are so happy. i want you to be happy. you deserve to glow when you look at someone and have someone love you with their entire being.

i still love you and will always remember the charismatic soul you are. you've inspired me in so much with my ventures. delilah, you will always be my sunshine and your love will forever be rooted in my heart.

all the love,

harry

instead of making a cup of tea and reading a book, harry wrote to his sunshine. he knew it wouldn't help him move on like she had moved on from him, but he really didn't want to move on. he was perfectly okay with the one-sided love from across the world.

his time away was extended, and he wasn't sure when he would actually return. every time the thought of returning home popped up in his mind he felt scared. he imagined things would be drastically different.

delilah laid in bed with mila who was sleeping peacefully, but delilah stared at the ceiling. life had changed dramatically for her and she wasn't sure how to properly handle everything.

with a business of her very own being handed to her, and lenny leaving basically every belonging of his all to her, delilah had a lot on her hands. his house was now hers, and his life savings was hers, his beloved cafe that sparked a new hope for him and his wife was now hers.

she finally was able to close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep with a hopeful future to dream about.

she woke up early and decided to cook mila and herself breakfast. delilah had been making sure she ate healthy for the sake of the baby and taking the proper vitamins suggested by her doctor.

she decided that she should finally toss the rest of josiah's belongings out seeing as he never came back for them. he was really gone, and delilah was thriving.

mila rubbed her eyes and dragged her tired body into the kitchen, perking up at the smell of something delicious. the two ate their food and delilah told mila her plans for the day. with the offer of help, the two happily hopped in the car to pick up packing boxes.

delilah started with the closet. she ripped his clothes from the shelves while they fell on the floor for mila to toss in boxes. looking at how empty and clean the space seemed, delilah figured she should clean out a few of her things as well.

"wait! this is cute! don't toss this!" mila protested, holding up a peach colored dress with delicate white flower details and thin straps.

"i haven't even reached for that in years. you can't take it if you want it," delilah shrugged and looked through more of her clothes. mila held the dress up to her body and smiled triumphantly.

in the midst of going through her clothes hanging, she found a t shirt. an old rolling stones t shirt that she knew should be traveling the world with its owner. she smiled fondly as the memories of harry wearing the shirt swirled in her mind.

like the time she was trying to make breakfast for him in bed and he waltzed out wearing the shirt and hugged her from behind and rested his head on her back. that was the day they stayed in and watched the rain fall and harry just sketched.

"don't you dare throw that away, li," mila's demanding voice brought her back to earth. "anything you stare at for that long will not be tossed. what's the story behind it, hm?"

"it was harry's," delilah smiled. she brought the material to her chest and held it tightly, inhaling the lingering scent that remained even after all of those years.

"how long has he been gone?" mila remembered the curly haired boy that was madly in love with the girl in front of her, clearly digging up past feelings.

"a couple years. i miss him," she sighed. instead of hanging the shirt back up she peeled off the one she currently had on and replaced it with the fabric of the one she missed.

"it's been a while since you've spoken. you should call him," mila suggested.

"i wish i could, but when i smashed my phone i got a new number and lost his. besides, i don't think he would want to hear from me. he hasn't written me in a year or so, and the last phone call we had was probably last year," delilah felt the warmth from his shirt hanging on her. even after all of that time, they were friends that couldn't let go.

"damn, i wanted a romance novel worthy story," mila sensed delilah's mood change and tried to lighten it up.

she finished going through her closet and mila held on to a few things that she liked, saving her a trip to the mall. when delilah removed the drawers from the structure she saw all of josiah's clothes folded nicely. taking things out and tossing them in the box felt like delilah was granted that fresh slate she deserved as she saw everything clear out open up.

it wasn't until delilah went to put the drawers back that she felt something was off. she felt something stuck underneath the drawers and found taped envelopes. envelopes addressed to delilah.

she felt herself fuming as she ripped the tape from the base of the wood and looked at the dozens of letters that should have been in her hands. mila gasped and held her hands against her mouth, seeing what was unraveling in front of her.

delilah tore an envelope open and quickly opened the folded paper inside searching for the date that harry always wrote in the top right corner. she did this for all of the letters she found and compiled them into a single stack in chronological order. quickly, she ran into her closet and found the old shoebox that held the ones she held on to previously.

with all of them together, she held them against her chest and sobbed. mila held the girl with flooded eyes and held her tight because she knew no one else could do it for her, and delilah need to be held.

harry had been writing her for all of that time, yet delilah was fooled by the false love of josiah that blinded her and nearly walked her off of a cliff.

delilah had harry back. in her own little way, he was back and as she read each letter, word for word, she fell in love all over again and felt the bending of her bones and deep ache in her heart.

mila got a chance to read the letters, and the hope for a romance novel worthy story was restored.

within the meadow, the impending sorrow blew away temporarily, allowing a burning desire to resonate among the flowers to warm them in the chilly night.