Back Into Your Arms
Chapter 2
John's P.O.V
I don’t know what possessed me to take a cab all the way to Brooklyn that day, but I did.
I didn’t tell the guys; I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.
I just put on my best "get up" and hoped onto a cab.
I asked the driver to take me to a flower shop as I tried to not over think the situation.
How long had it been since I had since her face? 10 years? It had been too long, though others would have said it was too soon to see her again.
“This is the best flower shop in Brooklyn, you want me to wait for you or will you catch another cab?” the man asked me.
“I’ll be back, please wait for me” I said to him and hurried out. I walked into the store thinking that if it was really the best flower shop, they would have orange roses, and if they did, boy would they get a sweet review from me.
I looked around but to my disbelief, I didn't see any.
“Excuse me ma’am, do you have orange roses by any chance?”
The older woman looked up at me surprised.
“Orange roses? Well that’s a strange request, we have some in the garden on the roof, would you like those?”
I was impressed.
“Yes, please!”
She nodded and smiled and went upstairs for the roses.
I felt stupid getting Melody the roses, but I couldn’t show up empty handed.
With roses in hand, I got into the cab.
The taxi driver was watching some videos on YouTube. He looked at me with the roses in hand and smiled widely.
“See? The best in town! My mother in law owns the shop” the man said and laughed.
“Truly, I appreciate your help” I said to him and told him where I needed to go next.
He dropped me off at the front of the building. I paid him and thanked him one last time for his help.
Scared and nervous I walked into the building. I looked at the receptionist and smiled.
“I’m looking for Miss Mel Riley” I asked the lady, she looked at the roses first and then smiled at me.
“She just began class, and it’s two hours long…”
“Oh really?” I said a bit disappointed.
“Can I leave these for her?”
“Oh sure, you can leave them in her office, her office is that first door” the lady signaled to me and continued smiling too cheerfully.
I thanked her and walked to Melody's office. She had a single photo on her desk of her and a parrot and for some reason that offered me relief. I was glad she had no wedding photo.
I placed the roses on the table and headed back towards the receptionist’s desk.
She was already leaving.
“My shift ends right now, so I unfortunately can’t give her a message but you’re welcome to stay and wait for her”
“Thank you, um, I’ll see, you have a good day ma’am” I said to her and offered her a weak smile, she nodded and waved.
I was so nervous I could feel my hands shaking. I walked over to the main room. The walls were made out of glass so it was easy to see what was going on inside.
And there she was. I couldn’t hear her voice but just seeing her was enough. Smiling, happy.
Her hair was different than before, she obviously was not the 17-year-old I had last seen, her face looked mature but she was still as beautiful as she was back then.
I almost felt the blood drain to my feet when she looked my way. She was looking right at me, I was paralyzed, but she simply looked at me for a half second and then looked away.
I didn’t even notice time pass, but I sat there and watched her give her two-hour lecture. When class ended, I debated walking over to her to say hello. What was the use of it anyway?
But I wanted to hear her voice, I just wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. It was then that I received a message from Pat asking me where I was.
I couldn’t tell him, not yet. So I made up and excuse and sent the text.
I had gotten so caught up in the text that I had stopped paying attention to my surroundings. So when I looked up, and found her she looked over at me. It probably looked like I had been staring at her the whole time, she looked visibly upset.
All I did was just stare back, she began marching towards me with a bothered look on her face and for a moment, I was scared.
I thought she had recognized me, that she was angry.
So I began walking faster than I’ve ever walked out the door, but she was too fast. She grabbed me. She touched me.
For the first time in 10 years, I felt her touch.
An overwhelming feeling overcame me and I felt myself beginning to tear up. I couldn’t look at her, I pretended to look at the poster on the wall that mentioned the classes they offered.
“I’m sorry sir, but I couldn’t help but see you staring at me during my whole lecture. May I help you with something? Would you like to enroll in my next class or are you a stalker? A spy?”
Her voice, so familiar yet so foreign to my ears.
But she had called me sir. She didn’t recognize me. I had hoped for too much. I had to make up and excuse and quick but seeing her, being with her, made me lose all my abilities to speak the English language clearly.
“I’m- I’m sorry, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable…I was just observing how you give the class to see if well…I should sign up myself…I just didn’t want to speak with you because then I’d feel obligated to sign up.” I said to her.
The words just came out of my mouth, I only hoped they had made sense and they must have because she nodded as if she understood me.
“Well you shouldn’t feel obligated to sign up but we are starting classes on Monday and I still have open seats, classes are 100 dollars per class, I only teach twice a week for a month, a total of 800 dollars but I do teach an array of recipes and techniques, if you take one of my pamphlets that are over here” she said signaling to the pamphlets on the display, “you can find more information”.
I looked over at the pamphlets and quickly grabbed one.
I looked at it as if I were genuinely interested. Her stare was piercing into my soul, I had to leave quickly.
“Alright, thanks and sorry again about the misunderstanding, you have a good one” I said to her, turned around and hurried out the door. Once outside and far from the building, I was finally able to truly react.
I let out a huge sigh and put my hand to my heart. It was racing.
I wiped the sweat off my face and waved over a cab.
The encounter hadn’t gone the way I had planned. I had planned that day for 10 years and it had all gone wrong.
I got on the cab and went back to the apartment.
I had the urge to tell someone, it was killing me.
I had to tell at least Jared and fortunately he was the only one at the apartment when I got there.
“Jared I did something crazy”
“Did you-” he said giving me this look.
“Crazier than that” I replied already knowing what incident he was referring to.
“Then what?” he asked.
“I went to see Mel”
“YOU WHAT?” he said almost falling off his seat.
“I couldn’t stop myself, it’s been 10 years Jared”
“I know but STILL! What did she say? I mean, did she even know who you were?”
I shook my head.
“Of course not, she never did recover her memory back. She’s just as beautiful as she was back then, her cooking class is great…she’s great. She looks happy, I’m really glad she is, she deserves nothing less…”
“Okay, was that it? Nothing happened?”
I looked at Jared embarrassed.
“She probably thinks I was really creepy, I made myself look like a stalker…and to top it off, I bought her roses, orange roses too and left them for her on her desk…”
“You’re crazy, you know that right? She’s probably not even going to sleep tonight!” Jared said shaking his head.
“I don’t know; I guess I secretly hoped she would have remembered me…”
“You just can’t forget about her after all these years huh? I don’t blame you man but I really don’t think it’s good for you to continue this way. You need to move on, you’re 28 years old, she was your first love but it’s been a decade and she doesn’t even remember you, you’re a stranger to her…I don’t know bro, now I have a headache” Jared said to me as he massaged his forehead.
“I know you’re right but you know how stubborn I am but anyways thanks for hearing me out…and well don’t tell the others, I’ll tell them when I’m ready”
“Sure John, whatever is best for you”
I nodded and went straight to my room.
If she wasn’t going to sleep, she wasn’t going to be alone.
I couldn’t get her off my mind before, but seeing her again had only worsened my insomnia.
I don’t know what possessed me to take a cab all the way to Brooklyn that day, but I did.
I didn’t tell the guys; I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.
I just put on my best "get up" and hoped onto a cab.
I asked the driver to take me to a flower shop as I tried to not over think the situation.
How long had it been since I had since her face? 10 years? It had been too long, though others would have said it was too soon to see her again.
“This is the best flower shop in Brooklyn, you want me to wait for you or will you catch another cab?” the man asked me.
“I’ll be back, please wait for me” I said to him and hurried out. I walked into the store thinking that if it was really the best flower shop, they would have orange roses, and if they did, boy would they get a sweet review from me.
I looked around but to my disbelief, I didn't see any.
“Excuse me ma’am, do you have orange roses by any chance?”
The older woman looked up at me surprised.
“Orange roses? Well that’s a strange request, we have some in the garden on the roof, would you like those?”
I was impressed.
“Yes, please!”
She nodded and smiled and went upstairs for the roses.
I felt stupid getting Melody the roses, but I couldn’t show up empty handed.
With roses in hand, I got into the cab.
The taxi driver was watching some videos on YouTube. He looked at me with the roses in hand and smiled widely.
“See? The best in town! My mother in law owns the shop” the man said and laughed.
“Truly, I appreciate your help” I said to him and told him where I needed to go next.
He dropped me off at the front of the building. I paid him and thanked him one last time for his help.
Scared and nervous I walked into the building. I looked at the receptionist and smiled.
“I’m looking for Miss Mel Riley” I asked the lady, she looked at the roses first and then smiled at me.
“She just began class, and it’s two hours long…”
“Oh really?” I said a bit disappointed.
“Can I leave these for her?”
“Oh sure, you can leave them in her office, her office is that first door” the lady signaled to me and continued smiling too cheerfully.
I thanked her and walked to Melody's office. She had a single photo on her desk of her and a parrot and for some reason that offered me relief. I was glad she had no wedding photo.
I placed the roses on the table and headed back towards the receptionist’s desk.
She was already leaving.
“My shift ends right now, so I unfortunately can’t give her a message but you’re welcome to stay and wait for her”
“Thank you, um, I’ll see, you have a good day ma’am” I said to her and offered her a weak smile, she nodded and waved.
I was so nervous I could feel my hands shaking. I walked over to the main room. The walls were made out of glass so it was easy to see what was going on inside.
And there she was. I couldn’t hear her voice but just seeing her was enough. Smiling, happy.
Her hair was different than before, she obviously was not the 17-year-old I had last seen, her face looked mature but she was still as beautiful as she was back then.
I almost felt the blood drain to my feet when she looked my way. She was looking right at me, I was paralyzed, but she simply looked at me for a half second and then looked away.
I didn’t even notice time pass, but I sat there and watched her give her two-hour lecture. When class ended, I debated walking over to her to say hello. What was the use of it anyway?
But I wanted to hear her voice, I just wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. It was then that I received a message from Pat asking me where I was.
I couldn’t tell him, not yet. So I made up and excuse and sent the text.
I had gotten so caught up in the text that I had stopped paying attention to my surroundings. So when I looked up, and found her she looked over at me. It probably looked like I had been staring at her the whole time, she looked visibly upset.
All I did was just stare back, she began marching towards me with a bothered look on her face and for a moment, I was scared.
I thought she had recognized me, that she was angry.
So I began walking faster than I’ve ever walked out the door, but she was too fast. She grabbed me. She touched me.
For the first time in 10 years, I felt her touch.
An overwhelming feeling overcame me and I felt myself beginning to tear up. I couldn’t look at her, I pretended to look at the poster on the wall that mentioned the classes they offered.
“I’m sorry sir, but I couldn’t help but see you staring at me during my whole lecture. May I help you with something? Would you like to enroll in my next class or are you a stalker? A spy?”
Her voice, so familiar yet so foreign to my ears.
But she had called me sir. She didn’t recognize me. I had hoped for too much. I had to make up and excuse and quick but seeing her, being with her, made me lose all my abilities to speak the English language clearly.
“I’m- I’m sorry, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable…I was just observing how you give the class to see if well…I should sign up myself…I just didn’t want to speak with you because then I’d feel obligated to sign up.” I said to her.
The words just came out of my mouth, I only hoped they had made sense and they must have because she nodded as if she understood me.
“Well you shouldn’t feel obligated to sign up but we are starting classes on Monday and I still have open seats, classes are 100 dollars per class, I only teach twice a week for a month, a total of 800 dollars but I do teach an array of recipes and techniques, if you take one of my pamphlets that are over here” she said signaling to the pamphlets on the display, “you can find more information”.
I looked over at the pamphlets and quickly grabbed one.
I looked at it as if I were genuinely interested. Her stare was piercing into my soul, I had to leave quickly.
“Alright, thanks and sorry again about the misunderstanding, you have a good one” I said to her, turned around and hurried out the door. Once outside and far from the building, I was finally able to truly react.
I let out a huge sigh and put my hand to my heart. It was racing.
I wiped the sweat off my face and waved over a cab.
The encounter hadn’t gone the way I had planned. I had planned that day for 10 years and it had all gone wrong.
I got on the cab and went back to the apartment.
I had the urge to tell someone, it was killing me.
I had to tell at least Jared and fortunately he was the only one at the apartment when I got there.
“Jared I did something crazy”
“Did you-” he said giving me this look.
“Crazier than that” I replied already knowing what incident he was referring to.
“Then what?” he asked.
“I went to see Mel”
“YOU WHAT?” he said almost falling off his seat.
“I couldn’t stop myself, it’s been 10 years Jared”
“I know but STILL! What did she say? I mean, did she even know who you were?”
I shook my head.
“Of course not, she never did recover her memory back. She’s just as beautiful as she was back then, her cooking class is great…she’s great. She looks happy, I’m really glad she is, she deserves nothing less…”
“Okay, was that it? Nothing happened?”
I looked at Jared embarrassed.
“She probably thinks I was really creepy, I made myself look like a stalker…and to top it off, I bought her roses, orange roses too and left them for her on her desk…”
“You’re crazy, you know that right? She’s probably not even going to sleep tonight!” Jared said shaking his head.
“I don’t know; I guess I secretly hoped she would have remembered me…”
“You just can’t forget about her after all these years huh? I don’t blame you man but I really don’t think it’s good for you to continue this way. You need to move on, you’re 28 years old, she was your first love but it’s been a decade and she doesn’t even remember you, you’re a stranger to her…I don’t know bro, now I have a headache” Jared said to me as he massaged his forehead.
“I know you’re right but you know how stubborn I am but anyways thanks for hearing me out…and well don’t tell the others, I’ll tell them when I’m ready”
“Sure John, whatever is best for you”
I nodded and went straight to my room.
If she wasn’t going to sleep, she wasn’t going to be alone.
I couldn’t get her off my mind before, but seeing her again had only worsened my insomnia.