Underneath the Surface (On Hold)

14: Sunflowers

I had woken up on Tuesday morning with a very satisfied feeling, not knowing what had caused it at first. When I rolled out of bed and walked over to the upstairs bathroom, the memory of what had happened the night before came flooding back to me.

David and I had kissed.

He had kissed me.

I looked at myself in the mirror above the sink and couldn't stop from grinning at my reflection. Even though it hadn't been planned at all and it actually happened kind of sudden, it still felt like one of the best things that had ever happened to me.

While splashing water into my face and on my hair to try and tame it, I kept on grinning. I knew it was stupid and I felt like a little girl, but the feeling in my stomach hadn't left since last night.

After shaving the light stubble on my chin and above my upper lip, I went back to my room to put on some freshly washed clothes and took my phone off the charger. A few new messages popped up on the screen.

Phoebe: Im glad ur coming with on Friday

Phoebe: So I wont be the third wheel with Dean and Linds

David: Good morning! Have you slept well?

Although the messages Phoebe had sent caused my mood to drop for a second, David's message immediately brightened it up again. I decided to text her back later, wanting to reply to David more.

Me: Morning! I have :)

You?

I put my phone in the back pocket of my jeans when David didn't seem to be online at the moment and went downstairs to get some breakfast. Dad was already preparing his lunch when I entered the kitchen. He had dark bags under his eyes and smiled shortly at me, before turning towards the kitchen counter again.

"Morning!" I grinned at his back.

Dad turned around again, with a knife in his hands and a curious look on his face.

"Hi there. You seem to be in a good mood!"

I shrugged my shoulders and took a bowl from the cabinet near him.

"Guess I am," I replied.

Dad watched me fill the bowl with cereal and yoghurt with the curiosity turning into a look of entertainment.

"David seems like a nice guy," he stated, while continuing to prepare his sandwich with ham.

I felt my ears warm up, turned my back to him to go sit at the table and quickly took a bite to excuse myself from having to reply to him. He put his sandwich in a bag and turned towards me again.

"I was sorry to hear about his dad. Have you talked to him about mom?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

We both looked at each other in silence, this being one of those rare moments in which the conversation between us actually turned into something deeper. It felt nice, but also a bit weird at the same time.

"I'm glad you have someone to talk to," Dad smiled after a few seconds. "Do you want to join me to the graveyard today?"

I nodded again. It had been a while since I went to my mom's grave. At first, I had thought it was stupid to visit the dead so often, but after a while I noticed that it helped me keep the memory of her alive and that I could still somehow feel her presence.

Dad patted my back and then left for work, leaving me sitting alone in the kitchen.

A buzzing sound came from my phone, just as he closed the front door behind him. I took it out onto the table and felt my heart jump a little.