Let Me Count the Ways

Forget-me-not

 I opened my eyes slowly, squinting away from the bright light in my face. Persephone's room doesn't get this bright in the morning... I thought groggily. I blinked a few times and realized it wasn't sunlight in my face. It was the beam of a flashlight.

 "What the..."

 "Wake up, sleeping beauty!"

 I groaned and rolled over. Persephone was standing above me, flashlight in hand, annoying grin on her face. She was one of those morning people who could wake up at four in the morning and still be happy and awake. I hated her for it.

 "Lemme alone you-"

 "Be nice."

 "Avada Kedavra!" I exclaimed.

 Persephone laughed. "Come on, get up, I wanna see your mysterious notes!"

 "Fine." I mumbled. "Five minutes."

 "Oh no you don't!"

 To make a long story short, after a good ten minutes of Persephone pulling the covers, jumping on the bed, and trying to push me off, I finally gave in. We got up, ate a quick breakfast of cereal, said a fast goodbye and thank you to her parents, and we were on our way walking to my house.

 My house and Persephone's were actually quite close. We lived in completely different neighborhoods, but it was only about a fifteen minute walk. We talked the whole way about who the notes could possibly be from.

 "You have to read them, Seph!" I said for the hundreth time.

 "Fine, fine, fine." Persephone said. "But I don't want to wait that long."

 I rolled my eyes. "Persephone, look around you."

 That's when she noticed we were only two houses away from mine."Race you!"

 I won, easily. Cross country and track made that a possibility, because Persephone definitely wasn't slow. My house was white and quaint, complete with a white picket fence and a garden with tulips, roses, and forget-me-nots. Forget-me-nots were my favorite flowers. That had all been my mom's doing. She loved gardening; it was her passion. That's when I noticed it. The day's note.

 It was sitting on top of one of the forget-me-nots, barely noticable. It was written on light blue paper and sealed with a darker blue heart sticker. I sighed as I picked it up.

 Persephone squealed. "Is that a note?"

 "Yes."

 "Open it, open it!"

 "Wait until we get inside, Oh Goddess of the impatient ones."

 She rolled her eyes and hurried inside, saying a quick hello to my parents who were sleepily eating breakfast and drinking coffee in the kitchen, before pulling me back into my room. My room was at the end of a long hallway in our house. Not the biggest room, it had just enough space for my bed, my desk, and the large book shelf in the corner.

 Persephone flung herself onto my bed and I pulled the shoebox out from under it. It was light, as it was only filled with slips of paper and I had no trouble with it.

 I sat down on the bed next to Persephone. "Ready?"

 "Come on, Belle, open it already!"

 I smiled and carefully took off the stiicker, careful not to rip the paper. The message inside was written with dark blue ink.

 "Read it out loud!"

 "Okay, okay, calm down." I said, scanning the letter to make sure it wasn't too embarrassing and so I know what I was about to say. I couldn't help blushing. "It's a sonnet."

 "Like Shakespeare's?

 "Yes."

 "Read it!"

 "I think you should read it to yourself, Seph." I said, trying to dodge the embarrassment reading it outloud.

 "Fine." Persephone sulked.

 I read it once more before handing it over to Persephone.

  I, like the great poet Shakespeare once wrote,

 Ask you to allow me to count the ways.

 I could state my love for you with a quote

 But it's an inadequate form of praise.

 You're more beautiful than a summer day

 As sweet as honey from the honey bee

 Just as delicate as a bud in May

 The only girl I ever want to see.

 You put the stars and the planets to shame

 Your smile brighter than the New York skyline

 I can't help but smile when I hear your name

 I have wished and wished that you could be mine

 You are the center of my ev'ry thought

 I only ask that you forget-me-not

               Your Not So Secret Admirer <3

 I reluctantly handed the note over to Persephone. Her eyes got wider with every passing moment, her mouth hanging agape.

 I laughed. "Close your mouth, O Goddess of Love."