Dandelions

“Come on Jarome! Don’t be like that! Make a wish!” Elise pleaded with a wide smile on her lips as she sat with her legs underneath her on the soft picnic blanket. The year was 1995, and on this particular day in Edmunton, the sun was hidden behind big pillow like clouds, and the humidity was thick.

Jarome did nothing but smile softly at his best friend, who was holding out a green stem, composed with hundreds of the seed heads that took on the image of a fuzzy, cotton ball that parachuted from its green body like stock.

The two eighteen year olds, were outside where they liked it best, it was no where special but to them it was place that held more meaning to the two of them more than anyone else would understand. They were in Jarome’s mother’s backyard; behind the tall elm trees where a deserted field lay.

When they were younger, Elise, and Jarome would chase each other into the empty area and play a variety of child like games to kill time during the summer months. The two were often accompanied by Elise’s brother, Miles, and with him the fun only intensified, but when they were alone was when their relationship grew to new heights of friendship neither of them knew was possible.

When tag just didn’t seem fun, or when it was just too humid to run around, the two would pick dandelions. They would compete to see who could pick the dandelion with the longest stem. Then blow the tiny seed heads into the air and see who could catch the most. Their childish games built their relationship into something of its own and neither of them could have wanted it any other way.

“How do you know that myth is real, Elise?” Jarome asked as he lay on his side glancing up at the petite girl who sat beside him; her wild, medium brown, hair was blowing in the slight wind that was softly blowing. Elise had just finished explaining a folk tale about dandelions, and how they have been said to make your wishes come true once you send the tiny, seeds into the air.

“How do you know it’s not, Jarome?” Elise questioned back, as she looked at Jarome with her wide, olive green eyes. He only shook his head with a slight chuckle before reaching over and plucking the green stock out of Elise’s gentle hand and smashing the delicate flower in his palm. Sending seeds into the air and causing Elise’s jaw to fall ajar.

“That wasn’t nice, Jarome!” Elise exclaimed as she punched his shoulder.

He only laughed before saying, “It’s not real, Elise. We’ve been around dandelions all of our lives and none of that shit you hear about them is true. Stop being such a child.”

“Sorry we can’t all be as mature as you, mister hockey star,” Elise said rolling her eyes, before she stood up in search of more of the fragile, flower, “and besides, do you even know any other legends aside from that one?”

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” Jarome said as he turned over on his back and sighed.

“Well, basically dandelions also have been compared to the daisy petals, with that whole, “he loves me; he loves me not” scenario. If you blow the seed head and send all the seeds flying, he loves you, but if you blow it and some of the seeds remain, well, you might not be so lucky. They’re a device of love that is overshadowed by the overrated flowers like roses, Jarome.” Elise said as she plucked one from the ground.

“I’m sure they are, Elise, but please do not bore me with another one of those myths, and besides, if any head is going to be blown. It better be mine by your sister.” Jarome said with a laugh. Elise looked at him with a disgusted and annoyed face as he referenced to her twin sister, Aria, who he always seemed to have a thing for.

“Honestly, Elise, all I need is ten minutes with her.” Jarome said with a dreamy sigh as he bit his lower lip, and placed his hands behind his head.

Elise looked at him with one eyebrow raised before saying, “Ten minutes, really? That seems a bit long for a guy who can only last for five.”

“You wouldn’t know.” Jarome snapped back; looking up at the small girl who shared the same pale, tawny skin tone he had.

“No, but you’re ex-girlfriend would.” Elise said with a fake smile. Jarome had no comment, so he just cleared his throat, and changed the subject. Elise wasn’t too fond of his ex-girlfriend and he knew a subject change was for the best.

“The draft’s soon.” He said, his voice lowering an octave.

“I know, are you nervous?” Elise asked with a smile. She knew how much hockey meant to him. She knew when they were eight years old, skating at the ice rink. Jarome and her brother skated around with other neighborhood kids, playing hockey, and although they were playing for fun, the look in Jarome’s eyes was different. They held something strong and powerful that she hadn’t seen before. She wasn’t sure if hockey was going to be a career path of his, but she knew it was going to play a big part of his life, and here they sat mire ten years later, and he was headed to the NHL entry draft.

“Yeah, a bit, I mean, what if I don’t get drafted.” Jarome was usually always sure of himself, but when he was with Elise, his barriers seemed to fall. She saw him at his most vulnerable and low moments, but oddly, he didn’t mind.

Elise began to laugh, Jarome didn’t sense any humor in the comment he had just made, but Elise was never one to take herself, or anyone else for that matter, too seriously, so he just waited for her reply.

“Are you serious, Jarome? Why wouldn’t you get drafted? I mean, I don’t know much about hockey aside from what you’ve taught me, but I know enough to know that you’re an amazing hockey player and there’s no way you’re not going to get drafted. I can’t believe you would even worry about that.” Elise exclaimed, still laughing. She not only knew how to make Jarome feel like a complete idiot, but how to make him see the good in him when he can hardly see it in himself.

“You can’t blame me for being a little worried though.” He said trying to make himself feel like less of an idiot.

“Yes, I can, and I am.” Elise said. Jarome just smiled and sat up. He sat next to his best friend with a satisfied smile on his face as he looked out into the horizon, a cluster of yellow dandelions stood out to him, since Elise had picked all of the ones with seed heads, as he looked out into the distance and he sighed.

“Can I tell you why dandelions mean so much to me?” Elise asked breaking the comfortable silence. Jarome nodded, knowing she was going to tell him anyway.

“They symbolize love. Well, to me at least. Did you ever notice that people give up on love as they get older? All little girls want to do is fall in love. Then when you’re a teenager, every guy you meet you think is ‘the one’. Then when you’re an adult and you have been hurt from so many breakups as a teen, you’re not interested in love anymore. You just don’t want to be alone, so you settle for someone you might even know isn’t your soul mate. I know so many adults that aren’t truly where they want to be. I just try to think about what they might have went through to make them settle for second best and maybe if they believed in fate; even if its coming from a stupid flower. Things would have happened differently, I’m not sure, but all I hope for is that doesn’t happen to me.” Elise said her voice near a whisper.

Jarome didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. He just let it sink in. Silence built up again but it was broken again by Elise.

“Just promise me, when you do get drafted, you won’t forget about me.” She whispered. She scooted close to Jarome and laid her head on his solid shoulder.

Jarome wrapped his arm around her frail shoulders, pulling her into his chest, before whispering back, “I won’t. I promise. I’ll wait for you.”

---
Seven years later

You know what hurts the most? The feeling of being replaced; It’s like no matter what you did, it wasn’t enough. And no matter what you do to try and capture someone’s heart or to even get that tiny gleam to shine in their eyes again, it doesn’t seem to work. And you’re suddenly left thinking that you’ll never be enough then a sudden sadness captures your heart that never really leaves.

It sticks around almost like a nagging bug that you can’t ignore, until you realize you just have to live with it instead of trying to get rid of it, and for Elise that’s her life. Not even the city life could pull her from her rut. Although the city was inviting, it was still not something Elise was used to, on account of her being a transplant from, Edmunton. Corporate offices towered above her and business flowed on the streets. The only thing that kept her feeling whole was her sister, and her job.

“Elise, you have to come. Please for me?” Aria nearly begged Elise who was occupied with her blackberry.

Aria was newly single and had just jumped back into the dating scene. As far as Elise was concerned, the guy her sister had recently met was anything but Aria’s type, but he had offered to take her to a Calgary Flames game as a first date, and he had an extra ticket. So, Aria was basically begging Elise to become a third wheel.

“I don’t know, Aria. It honestly doesn’t sound fun. The last time I was at a hockey game, I was fifteen, I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now.” Elise said as she tapped away at her blackberry as they waited for the crosswalk to signal them to go.

The two girls were walking back to the apartment they shared that was in the heart of the city, after a calm, Friday night out, and for Elise it was anything but successful and she wanted nothing more than to get home and lay beneath the plush covers of her bed.

The brisk, cold, wind blew Elise’s pin straight, hair and nipped at her pale, brown skin, causing countless number of goose bumps to creep up on her arms and her to pull her thin cardigan tightly around her body. The apartment was within five feet and it took everything in Elise’s body to not break out into a run for the door.

Once finally inside, the silence between the sisters was awkward and unusual. They never had awkward moments. So Elise knew she had to fix it.

She sighed before saying, “Fine. I’ll go.” Elise wanted nothing more than to see her sister happy, and if that meant sucking it up and being a third wheel then so be it.

Aria was almost shocked that her sister had agreed, but yet it didn’t surprise her. Aria knew with her Elise was a people pleaser.

“Oh my goodness, really? Thank you so much, Elise. I just didn’t want to turn him down on a free offer you know? Like, especially since this is one hell of a first date! Also, you would have been pissed at me if I didn’t tell you he had an extra ticket anyway.” Aria began her ramble that would most likely last till the end of the night, or until Elise put a stop to it.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Ari. When’s the game anyway?” Elise was quick to shut down their conversation. The quicker it was over, the quicker she could get to bed.

“Tomorrow night, at 7; Robert will be here to pick us up around 6:30, so be ready.” Aria replied, giving her sister quick information about their group outing.

“Okay, count me in, but for now, I’m definitely going to go get some rest.” Elise declared as she made a beeline for her bedroom.
Although Elise was beyond tired as she settled underneath the lavish covers of her bed, she couldn’t bring herself to fall asleep. It was in these moments when she felt feelings of loneliness. It was hard for her to explain, because she didn’t feel unloved, or unwanted, but more as if she was missing something.

There was a feeling that radiated in her chest when she was alone. Her mind would shrink away to the point where she was only hearing echoes of her own thoughts within the thickness of her skull. Nothing could solidify her as she felt defenseless and weak, but in the end, she shut her eyes anyway.

---

Much to Elise’s dismay, her Saturday went by surprising the faster than she had planned and before she knew it she was in the back of a SUV listening to her older sister by ten minutes chat away to her date, Robert.

Elise couldn’t deny that Robert was a good looking guy. Clean cut, shaven and polished to a tee, but still not the type of guy she usually saw her sister with, but she was going to let her have her fun anyway.

Beating traffic, the three of them pulled into the Pengrowth Saddledome arena in record time. Elise was busy on her blackberry as she walked into the stadium when she was slightly pulled by her blazer that sat neatly on her shoulders.

“Come on, put that thing away. Can you at least try to look like you’re having fun?” Aria pleaded her sister with a stern look. Elise looked at her sister with furrowed eyebrows. She wasn’t there to make Robert happy, she was there to please her sister, and then move on with her life.

“…But I’m not Ari. Don’t mind me. Go chat with Robert; I have emails that I need to tend to anyway.” Elise said as she softened her expression.

“Okay, but don’t look so sad okay? Perk up a bit, yeah?” Aria said as she pulled her sister in for a quick side hug. Elise shook her head in agreement and followed her sister and Robert to their designated seats. They were a few rows behind the glass, and Elise was fairly surprised with Robert was able to snag such great tickets.

When the game began, Elise wasn’t paying much attention, but Aria & Robert sure seemed to be having a good time as the hooted and hollered at players who zoomed past them on their skates. Elise sat with her blackberry, glancing up every few minutes or so before continuing to tap away at her phone.

It wasn’t until the third period when Elise decided put her phone away, and try to make the best of the last twenty minutes she had left of the game. She talked with her sister who brought her up to speed on what was happening. The game was tied and was going to end up being a heartbreaker for the opposing team who left the area with the L on their record.

Now that Elise was paying attention, she realized that it was really easy to get involved with the rest of the crowd as they cheered on the home team. Elise kept her eyes on the ice as she saw number twelve skate with the puck towards the goal. She saw a C embellished on his jersey and even with a helmet strapped on his head, and a visor covering the top part of his features, she could have sworn he looked familiar.

She squinted her eyes as she looked closer at the males face and then it clicked. It was Jarome, she knew it was him. It didn’t take much to recognize him, and the fact that many people wearing replica jerseys that said his last name on the back made it that much easier, but she turned to Aria to ask for conformation, just in case.

“Ari, is that…Jarome?” Elise asked pointing to number twelve as he flicked the puck over to a teammate. Aria nodded her head and looked at her sister oddly before saying, “Yeah, he’s a key player for the Flames. A bit underrated in the overall hockey world, but definitely a major player. You didn’t know he played for them?”

Elise shook her head, feeling almost embarrassed, but then she realized it was easy to treat hockey like a grain of salt if you didn’t associate with it, and she by no means watched hockey like most Canadians did.

“You should try to catch him after the game. He’ll definitely recognize you. He’ll probably be hounded by press, but once he sees you, you’ll be all he’s focused on.” Aria said as she eyed the ice. Elise couldn’t help but feel a flutter in pit of her stomach. The two hadn’t seen each other in quiet a few years and it would be a treat for both of them to finally meet up again to talk, catch up, and become acquainted again.

The clock was boiling down to the final minutes and Jarome had the puck. He skated past a few defenders before passing it to a teammate who shot the puck, zipping it past the goalie. The crowd erupted with cheer as the home team seemed to have this game in the bag.

As the final siren rang, the crowd broke out with more cheers of delight as the home team was able to give the fans what they paid for.

The arena began to clear out Elise stayed in her seat, sitting nervously, she wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to get past security to get to see Jarome.

“Just tell them you’re his sister. They’ll let you wait for him by the locker room. We’re going to go, but text me or something if you can’t get past security.” Aria told her sister. Elise shook her head in conformity and made her way towards the locker room.

Soon enough she was stopped by security that she told a large, fabricated lie to, but he agreed to let her wait for Jarome. Always one to take his time, Elise waited patiently.

Her heart raced as players soon filed out of the locker room, some giving her an odd look, while others seemed to not notice she was there. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest when she saw Jarome walk past her as if she was a stranger. She couldn’t blame him though, she did look totally different compared to the last time he saw her.

“So, you’re not even going to say hi?” She asked with a smile. Her heart was still racing and butterflies flew around in her stomach.

Jarome turned around slightly, before his eyes widened and he made a total 180. He didn’t say anything, which was very much like Jarome. He liked to let moments sink in. He just wrapped his arms around her petite frame, and pulled her close to him. She copied his embrace, and closed her eyes for a moment. It had been way too long.

“I don’t really know what to say, but you would wear that to a hockey game.” Jarome said in response to Elise’s cheetah print, silk, chiffon, romper, it showed a tasteful amount of cleavage, and a lot of leg, but she paired it off nicely with a pair of strappy heels and a dark blazer.

Elise rolled her eyes, before giving him a shove in the shoulder. “I had to go into the office today, okay? Jeez.”

“Wearing that? I’m surprised you have a job.” Jarome commented back, sure the two had grown older, and hadn’t seen much of each other for a while, but it seemed as if they were picking up right where they left off.

“I missed you, Jarome.” Elise said looking down at the ground. He cheeks turning hot. He pulled her into a hug again and let out a small laugh.

“I missed you too, probably more than I can really express at the moment.” He declared. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but he was making her cheeks hot.

“I don’t really know where to start, your hair…” Jarome said as he placed his hand gently on the top of her head. The last time he’d seen her, she had a head full of wild, curly locks and now he was looking at a long pin straight mane.

“What? You don’t like it? I thought I’d try something new. Don’t get me wrong I love my curly hair, but…” Elise was cut off by Jarome, “I love it, Elise. I really do. A bit sophisticated for you, but nothing you can’t handle, I guess.”

Elise rolled her eyes before saying, “Well, let’s talk about you, mister! I see someone hit puberty.”

Her comment backfired when he replied with, “Yeah, I’m glad you’re finally wearing bras now. I mean, I’ve heard of late bloomers but...” Jarome trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders and smile on his lips.

Elise couldn’t help but laugh, as she again rolled her eyes. The two continued to talk to each other, lightly touching base on what they had each done with their lives for the past seven years, but as time escaped them, they both realized they should be getting home.

“Actually, I could use a ride. My sister had a date, and I tagged along as a third wheel. So they’re probably boning as we speak, but I’d rather not interrupt.” Elise joked with a laugh. It was easy for her to be comfortable with Jarome; it was easy for her to be herself.

“Damn, Aria is just, never available for me. That disappoints me.” Jarome said as he guided Elise who had a disgusted look on her face, as he guided her to his SUV.

On the ride to Elise’s apartment the two continued to laugh, and chat as if time hadn’t bridged such a huge gap between the two. They had an unending bond between them, and reminisced on times when they were younger.

As they got closer to Elise’s apartment, Jarome found the moment to pitch the idea of them seeing each other again. “Are you asking me out on a date Jarome?” Elise said with a raise of her eyebrow. She wanted to act like it didn’t faze her, but it hard on account of the butterflies in her stomach.

“Well, if you want to call it that, but I just don’t want us to lose touch, and we still have a lot to catch up on; so, why not? I’m not busy tomorrow if you’re down to do something.” He declared more than asked. Elise wasn’t sure what Jarome was up to, because he was sending quite a few mixed signals, and she needed a minute to let this all sink in.

“Well, I have to work a bit tomorrow, so how about Monday night? After work you can come pick me up, how does that sound?” Elise asked with a convincing tone to which Jarome agreed. As they exchanged numbers, and said their goodbyes, Elise was on cloud nine. She had her best friend back, she wasn’t sure if this was the thing she was missing or not but she knew and nothing felt better.

---

“Do you remember when we used to go out and catch night crawlers and fireflies? I swear we did that every night of summer until we were like…sixteen.” Elise declared as she took a sip of her lemon water. Jarome sat on the opposite side of the table and shook his head in agreement.

The two sat at a swank restaurant where they both nibbled on appetizers and talked to no end. They discussed Elise’s job, and Jarome’s career and they even got on the topic of past relationships, but it quickly tensed up the conversation so the subject was quickly changed.

The two didn’t want any hard feelings to develop between them so they made sure to keep the conversation as light and calm as possible.

As they were reminiscing about the times they shared as children, their conversation was halted when they both heard a high pitched voice that both of them recognized.

“Oh my god, Jarome; is that you? Oh my god!” A dark haired woman engulfed Jarome in a large hug he wasn’t expecting. She began talking a mile a minute, asking him how he had been and what he had been doing. Elise just rolled her eyes as the brunette girl acted as if she hadn’t seen her.

It was Nikki Westcott; the three of them went way back to grade school and even then Elise didn’t care for her. During high school Jarome and Nikki were even an item, which disgusted Elise on a level that was nearly unspeakable.

Elise hadn’t seen her since her high school days, and wasn’t too keen on seeing her now. It was an odd coincidence seeing her at the same restaurant as them, but knowing Nikki she probably had a tracker follow Jarome wherever he went. It might seem a little drastic, but Elise wouldn’t put it past her.

“Hello, Nikki. Nice seeing you too.” Elise said attempting to play nice with a roll of her eyes as she sipped her water.

“Oh hi, Elise.” Nikki kept her conversation short, and Elise didn’t mind, she’d rather not to talk to her. Nikki continued to talk to Jarome who glanced over the table at Elise and gave her an apologetic look.

“So, quick question before I go, Jarome, what made you bring her? I mean, honestly?” Nikki lowered her voice and leaned closer to Jarome, hoping Elise hadn’t heard her.

Before Jarome could reply, Elise responded for him, “I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk about me like I’m not here, Nikki.”

Elise wasn’t looking for an argument, but if that’s what Nikki wanted one, she was going to give it to her. Nikki fired back with a “witty” comeback, and the two began to spat back and forth. Jarome sat between the two girls waiting to intervene.

“Nikki, I will always cherish the misconceptions I had about you, and I definitely enjoy how you’re trying to bring up things that happened in the past like that’s even relevant to the conversation. They always say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but as we’re all suffering for you opening your mouth, I don’t suppose that’s a problem for you.”

“Elise, I’m honestly sorry if I offended you, but really if you stop telling lies about me, I’ll stop telling the truth about you.”

“Oh, Nikki, I’m not offended by what you’re saying I’m just glad you’re stringing words into sentences now and you’re refreshing us all with your unique point of view.”

As Nikki fell silent, Jarome took this chance to speak up. “Nikki, I think it’s time that you should go.” Before Nikki could respond, Elise continued to speak.

“No, no. Nikki, you stay. I’ll leave,” Elise stood up from her chair grabbing her coat and headed towards the door, “I see you’ve set aside a special time to humiliate yourself in public, and I’m sure Jarome could use some company.”

“Wow, Elise. I’m glad you’re so quick on your feet, but I don’t understand why you’re so feisty with me when all I tried to do was make friends with you. I’ve already apologized for being a bit catty earlier, but why can’t we just put that behind us?” Nikki asked with a small smile on her lips. Elise just rolled her eyes and continued towards the door.

“Oh honey, don’t try so hard, I couldn’t like you any less than I already do, so I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Elise walked out of the door and towards the bus stop.

As her heels clicked on the pavement and the cold air nipped at her skin, she heard her name being called behind her. She wasn’t sure why he had come after her, but she knew she didn’t want to talk to him after what had just happened. She was embarrassed by her behavior and she didn’t need him around to sugarcoat it.

“Elise, please. Don’t let her ruin our night. We still have a lot of catching up to do. Don’t leave like this.”

“I don’t really have anything to say Jarome, but I can’t stay. I have work in the morning, and this is the last thing I need to be worried about at this point.” Elise responded in a low voice as she pulled her coat tighter around her small frame.

“Well, at least let me give you a ride home. I feel terrible. She completely ruined out night, please Elise. Don’t make me beg.” Jarome said, he was already begging but he couldn’t let her go. He didn’t know when he would see her again and letting her leave would lead to an awkward next meeting.

“That won’t be necessary. Really Jarome, its fine; go eat with Nikki.” She finished as she turned to look at him. She forced a small smile. Jarome didn’t say anything as he turned away and silently walked back towards the restaurant.

For the rest of that night, Elise’s mind was blank. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She was left again feeling empty; emptiness settled in her chest. She was unclear on how a night that had started out so great to ended so unhappy.

This situation reminded her of how she felt many years ago, when Jarome had left her. They both had so many things to say to each other. So many things to express that hadn’t been expressed, but in the end feelings were left unsaid and their connection began to fade. She had to learn on her own that things change, and friends leave, but life didn’t stop for anyone, but to her, she was willing to put her life on hold for Jarome and wait for him like he said he would do for her.

The uncertainty made her heart ache; She was basically willing to pour her heart to a guy that she wasn’t sure shared the same feelings she had. She knew that even through her uncertainty her thought process went on and the only way to put a stop to it was to shut her eyes and keep the thoughts of her mind harbored in back of her head.

---

The next morning she was awaken by hard knock on the door. She groaned as she lain beneath the huge comforter of her bed, way too comfortable to move. Hopefully Aria would get up to get it, but as the knocks continued she knew she would have no such luck.

Elise sat up glancing at the clock which shone a glowing six am and looking out of her bay window to see that the sun was barely rising. She slipped on her slippers, and her robe, and pulled her hair into a haphazard up-do, before making her way to the front door of her apartment.

She opened the door to see Jarome looking down at the ground as he held a bouquet of flowers. She didn’t say anything, but felt her cheeks heat up as she knew he was seeing her not looking her best.

“It hurts for me to look at you,” Jarome began, as he continued to look at the ground, “It hurts my eyes, my mind, and my heart. But my eyes can’t help but fix themselves on you. You are perfect. You’re everything I want and will never have; I mean, it is you’re decision, not mine. I don’t know, I think it would work if we tried, I honestly do. With every fiber of my being I believe in us. Even though, there is no “us” to consider. But from what I can tell, you don’t feel the same. Or maybe you do. Maybe I’m reading the signs all wrong. So please, I’m begging, please just tell me. I won’t take it personal if you don’t feel the same as me, but I undoubtedly will be elated if you do. Just tell me with words what you feel. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve waited too long and I can’t let you slip away again. I can see myself falling for you, so please, catch me before I do. You can fix this. You can put my feet back on the ground.”

Elise was at a loss for words, she didn’t know what to say, she wasn’t sure if there was anything for her to say. So she just stood there and let him continue, “I remember, before the draft, you were telling me that you’d seen so many adults that we’re happy. That weren’t truly with their soul mates because they failed at love so many times before that they decided to just settle for second best. I don’t want you have to do that because of me, Elise. I don’t want to see you unhappy.” Now he was looking at her. His dark brown eyes connected with her olive green ones that were a puddle of tears waiting to flow down her cheeks.

She still didn’t say anything and deep inside Jarome, he felt his heart sink a little. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so he continued to ramble, “I know you like dandelions, so, I picked up this bouquet. I couldn’t find one with just all dandelions, but I got this one that had them in it. I’m not sure if you like it, but it’s for you.” Elise as she glanced at the bouquet to see yellow dandelions poking out gently and her stomach fluttered with butterflies to see he had remembered her favorite flower.

He was making circles with his words, but the silence was killing him. Sure spiteful words could hurt someone’s feelings but silence could break your heart, but there were also times when silence had the loudest voice. He just wasn’t sure what circumstances this situation had been categorized.

He continued to look at the ground, but looked up as she sighed, his heart did a flip flop in his chest, as she began to speak for the first time, “I don’t want to cry. If I let that one tear fall, I don’t think I will able to stop. All those memories of you haunt me. I wish I could simply erase them away but I still want to hang on to them. The sad thing is that I would do it all over. I would go through the pain of waiting knowing you weren’t coming back and the feelings of the subtle heartbreak all over again; for you.”

Jarome looked at her with hopeful eyes as she looked back at him. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t think she had to so she just stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. As she buried her face in his neck, she couldn’t help but let a few tears fall.

He heard her sniff her nose and quickly ended their embrace; he cupped her face with gentle hands, and wiped away the tears with his thumbs. They stood and looked at each other, both introduced into something they hadn’t experienced with each other before.

The silence was comfortable, so Elise took the chance to lean up and place a kiss on Jarome’s lips. It wasn’t passionate, or mind blowing. It was just a simple kiss that was supposed to happen. Their lips did not have any electricity fusing them together, because the kiss should have happened years prior. It was just a kiss to show them that it was meant to be.

“I know that we’ve only seen each other a total of two days, and we may have been giving off different signals, but we can take things slow.” Jarome said as he kissed her forehead.

“Jarome, I’ve know you all my life, I don’t think its really necessary for us to ‘take things slow’ unless you really insist, and I’ve been around to witness your past relationships so I don’t think anything would be too surprising; aside from the fact that, you’re kiss me, and loving on me now.” Elise said with a flirty smile.

“Yeah, you’re right. I could get used to loving on you. It’s been a fantasy of mine since I was ten.” Jarome said as he kissed her neck.

“Since you were ten? Well, how come I’m finding out now?” Elise asked, if they could have had a relationship earlier, she wasn’t sure why their feelings were never expressed.

“You were one of the guys then; timing wasn’t right, but now, timing is perfect. Everything is perfect, and I just want us to be together.” Jarome answered as he kissed her cheek.

Elise could exactly disagree with him so she just sealed it with a kiss. With Elise and Jarome, although their relationship was just beginning they both knew they had a lot to look forward to. They both knew that this type of relationship was one of the greatest bonds to be apart of.

It was a relationship that neither of them expected to be in. It was one that swept them both off their feet and challenged their every view. It was a relationship where they knew they were bound to becoming better people because of who they were when the other was around. It was the one that would make both of them wake up with a smile on their face no matter how corny it was. It was the one that made everything right when it was wrong. The one that would cause them to have physical pain to leave the other because leaving meant losing a part of their being, but neither of them could have it any other way, and they were ready for whatever their relationship had to offer.

For better, worse, and the indifferent, they were meant to be together.