Darlin' [Jay Gatsby - Discontinued]

Chapter 4 - The Invitation

04.| Chapter 4

"I will - we, we will be there"

Beautiful premature twilight twists throughout the sky, fog and mist hovers on the fresh grass outside the Carraway home. Clouds rolling in across the sky, bright stars twirling behind the curtain of clouds. Fresh imprints of tyre tracks roll along the floor, bending and breaking some of the dewy grass. A cold wind rustles the leaves, and unsettles the ground twirling around the Caraway home in a flurry.

Sitting comfortably in her living room, the fire roaring, engulfing the room with a warm heat, flushing Rose's cheeks, for a few hours she sits, with a towel pressed against her cheek, the purple rag encasing cubes of ice, keeping the swelling down. She clasps a worn, hardback Shakespearean Novel in her other hand, her eyes scanning the browning pages intently. A light pink shawl wrapping around her shoulders, Rose sighs, closing her eyes gently, the headache worsening, the pounding settling in her temples and centre forehead. Rose reaches over to the table in front of her, placing the book down gently and rising to her feet, she gently makes her way over to the front door, opening it and stepping out.

The twilight night casts a romantic lullaby across the world, the stars twinkling with fever, clouds disappearing from the vast stretch of black, with remnants of a dark purple. With no sign of Nick, an unsettling feeling twists at her heart, the absence of her brother, worrying, her eyes straining to peer into the twilight.

Her eyes widen a fraction, spotting someone tall and well dressed, standing at the end of the well kept, wooden dock across her pastoral cottage, the man, she realises, seems to be searching for something he once lost. Slowly walking out of the safety of her home, Rose plants her feet in the ground, tightening the shawl wrapping around her shoulders, her free hand lifts to fiddle with the chain of the necklace around her neck, the word 'Darlin' written in cursive, still sitting sweetly atop her breast bone.

Tentatively walking across the grass, the man becomes more visible and yet unfortunately, the fog obstructs Rose from gazing at the mans face. Setting her hand down onto the wooden railing once she reaches the dock, she clears her throat from the thick lump of a strange tongue tied feeling. "Excuse me?" She yells, the man in front of her turns around swiftly, not expecting to be shaken from his thoughts.

Although Rose could not see the man, the stranger could see her, even though she was still a faint mirage, it was clear to this man, this woman was her Darlin', and that shook him to his very core, after hearing wind, she had ventured over to the Buchanan's, this man had found himself standing at the docks, longing for her across the bay.

"You haven't happened to have seen my brother have you? Nick Carraway?" Rose announces loudly, seeing she has the mans attention. The man gapes completely surprised, his mouth flopping open and shut like a fish out of water, his face flushes, his hands begin to sweat, he begins discreetly wiping them on his pants, he panics. He's not ready. Everything isn't perfect yet. His five year plan has not been put undoubtedly in place yet.