Cherry
two
"Where are we going?" Roman asks, trucking through the tall grass.
"It's a secret." She says.
"We've known each other our entire lives, there are no secrets between us." He says, catching his breathe and she glances back at him, her eyebrow raised just slightly. It was a look that told him there is so much he would never know about this woman, and it left him intrigued. "How much further?"
"Just a little bit further! Now stop asking questions." She says as she grabs his hand and picks up her pace. His long legs make it easy to keep up with her.
They finally reach a small clearing where an abandoned cabin sits covered in ivy. "Isn't it beautiful?" She asks releasing his hand as they come to a stop at the bottom of the porch steps. "It's even cooler inside. It's like someone just left one day and never came back." Scarlett says before stepping up the stairs.
"How did you find it?" He asks following her up the stairs, watching where he steps closely to be sure he doesn't step on a loose board.
"I was just wandering and stumbled upon it. It's my favorite place to hide."
"It's kind of creepy." He says. The front door creaks open and he's shocked to see such an intact interior. She wasn't lying when she said it looked like someone just left. There was a brown leather couch seated in front of a wood burning stove. There's a small kitchenette with a small dining table and two chairs. Books were scattered across different surfaces. Besides the thick coat of dust covering everything, the place was amazing.
"Honestly, how did they get everything here though?"
"I have no idea. I've walked a mile in every direction and there's no roads. I looked at a map and there's a river about 3 miles opposite of the direction we came. So maybe they boated it in?"
"Maybe it's magic..." He teases as he picks up one of the books and blow the dust off, but the cover is too worn to read the title.
"It's amazing right?"
"Could use a good cleaning, but yeah, it is pretty cool." He responds and Scarlett beams.
"That's why I brought this." She says setting her backpack on the kitchen table and unzipping it to reveal a variety of cleaning tools.
"Ah, I get why you brought me now! You just needed someone to help do your dirty work."
"I...well, yeah. But it'd also be a really cool place for us to hang out! Summer vacation is coming up and we could be up here all the time." She says as she starts taking the cleaning supplies out of her backpack.
"Fine, I'll help. Only cause you're right."
"I know." She smiles wide.
"Babe, I know you're tired, but Mom's going to throw a fit if the house isn't spotless and appetizers are served by the time she gets here." Taylor says as Roman pours himself a mug of coffee.
"I know, but babe, if I don't get my coffee first, I'm going to throw a fit too." He teases, taking a long sip. She throws a towel at him and rolls her eyes.
"Fine, but don't dilly-dally!" She says before disappearing into the living room. Honestly though, the house is already clean, it's always clean. That's how Taylor liked it, so he can't figure out what she's fretting about.
"Get laundry going, would you?" She calls from the other room.
Roman rolls his eyes, but agrees. He finishes his coffee before going upstairs to collect the laundry.
Laundry is his least favorite chore, he thinks to himself as he begins checking his pant pockets before putting them in the wash. He retrieves the piece of paper from his pocket and gazes at the familiar scroll. It's been easy to forget about their short exchange at the market - Taylor has been planning this Thanksgiving dinner for weeks, it'll be their first time hosting, and her mother is very pristine, which meant everything has to be perfect. Which means Roman's had no time to think about anything but this dinner. But there he stands, staring down at her phone number, written neatly on a crumpled corner of a piece of paper. He reaches towards the garbage, trying to convince himself to just throw it away. She'd get the hint, right? But he just can't. Instead he folds it smaller as he walks into his bedroom and sets it inside the bedside table drawer. He puts her out of his mind for now, everything has to be perfect for Taylor.
"Oh, they're here!" Taylor exclaims while trying to put an earring in and a heel on at the same time. Roman chuckles and approaches her while he finishes adjusting his tie.
He places a hand on either shoulder, and kisses her firmly on the forehead. "It'll be okay, I'll let them in, you take a second to breathe." Taylor's shoulders visibly relax.
"Okay." She says, her blue eyes peaking out from underneath her long lashes. "You're the best." She says while taking a deep breath.
"I know!" He replies while walking downstairs to greet their company.
~
Taylor is fast asleep, laying above the covers with her shoes on, after getting successfully drunk on more than a few glasses of wine. Dinner went as well as it could. The food was perfect, and even Theresa, Taylor's mother, had nothing to complain about it. After dinner and dishes, they played a few games with their families before sending them on their way. Taylor was more than excited to retreat into bed, where she practically face planted.
Roman slips her shoes off and toss them to the floor at the foot of the bed. He then removes her earrings and place them on the table on her side. He pulls the heavy duvet over her still body before stripping himself of his dinner clothes, slipping into a pair of sweats and climbing into his side of the bed. Taylor snores softly, a sound she only makes when she's had to much to drink and he can't help but smile down at her.
Roman attempts to fall asleep, but too many thoughts are running through his mind. One big thought trumps them all, why did Scarlett want to see him? She's the one who chose to leave. In the five years that she's been gone, she hasn't once made an effort to contact him, so why now? He looks at the table next to him, trying to convince himself not to reach in, grab the piece of paper and go downstairs to call her. But as hard as he tries to convince himself not to, it's exactly what he does.
He dials and erases her number three times before finally hitting send. It's late now, she probably won't even answer. He tells himself, but after three rings she picks up.
"Hello?" Her voice is sleepy. He doesn't reply. "Roman, is that you?"
"Yeah."
"I was starting to think you weren't going to call..." She says.
"I wasn't going to." He responds. There's a long pause. "Why do want to meet?"
"It's just coffee, Ro." She says, and he can picture her rolling her eyes at him, and the little smirk she always did afterwards, and just like that he's hooked. He has too many questions that he needs answers to. If not for any other reason, than to get some closure.
"Okay." He finally say.
"Okay?"
"I'll get a coffee with you. The Ol' Brew off of Hansen Lane?"
"7:30, tomorrow?
"I'll see you then."
"It's a secret." She says.
"We've known each other our entire lives, there are no secrets between us." He says, catching his breathe and she glances back at him, her eyebrow raised just slightly. It was a look that told him there is so much he would never know about this woman, and it left him intrigued. "How much further?"
"Just a little bit further! Now stop asking questions." She says as she grabs his hand and picks up her pace. His long legs make it easy to keep up with her.
They finally reach a small clearing where an abandoned cabin sits covered in ivy. "Isn't it beautiful?" She asks releasing his hand as they come to a stop at the bottom of the porch steps. "It's even cooler inside. It's like someone just left one day and never came back." Scarlett says before stepping up the stairs.
"How did you find it?" He asks following her up the stairs, watching where he steps closely to be sure he doesn't step on a loose board.
"I was just wandering and stumbled upon it. It's my favorite place to hide."
"It's kind of creepy." He says. The front door creaks open and he's shocked to see such an intact interior. She wasn't lying when she said it looked like someone just left. There was a brown leather couch seated in front of a wood burning stove. There's a small kitchenette with a small dining table and two chairs. Books were scattered across different surfaces. Besides the thick coat of dust covering everything, the place was amazing.
"Honestly, how did they get everything here though?"
"I have no idea. I've walked a mile in every direction and there's no roads. I looked at a map and there's a river about 3 miles opposite of the direction we came. So maybe they boated it in?"
"Maybe it's magic..." He teases as he picks up one of the books and blow the dust off, but the cover is too worn to read the title.
"It's amazing right?"
"Could use a good cleaning, but yeah, it is pretty cool." He responds and Scarlett beams.
"That's why I brought this." She says setting her backpack on the kitchen table and unzipping it to reveal a variety of cleaning tools.
"Ah, I get why you brought me now! You just needed someone to help do your dirty work."
"I...well, yeah. But it'd also be a really cool place for us to hang out! Summer vacation is coming up and we could be up here all the time." She says as she starts taking the cleaning supplies out of her backpack.
"Fine, I'll help. Only cause you're right."
"I know." She smiles wide.
~~~
"Babe, I know you're tired, but Mom's going to throw a fit if the house isn't spotless and appetizers are served by the time she gets here." Taylor says as Roman pours himself a mug of coffee.
"I know, but babe, if I don't get my coffee first, I'm going to throw a fit too." He teases, taking a long sip. She throws a towel at him and rolls her eyes.
"Fine, but don't dilly-dally!" She says before disappearing into the living room. Honestly though, the house is already clean, it's always clean. That's how Taylor liked it, so he can't figure out what she's fretting about.
"Get laundry going, would you?" She calls from the other room.
Roman rolls his eyes, but agrees. He finishes his coffee before going upstairs to collect the laundry.
Laundry is his least favorite chore, he thinks to himself as he begins checking his pant pockets before putting them in the wash. He retrieves the piece of paper from his pocket and gazes at the familiar scroll. It's been easy to forget about their short exchange at the market - Taylor has been planning this Thanksgiving dinner for weeks, it'll be their first time hosting, and her mother is very pristine, which meant everything has to be perfect. Which means Roman's had no time to think about anything but this dinner. But there he stands, staring down at her phone number, written neatly on a crumpled corner of a piece of paper. He reaches towards the garbage, trying to convince himself to just throw it away. She'd get the hint, right? But he just can't. Instead he folds it smaller as he walks into his bedroom and sets it inside the bedside table drawer. He puts her out of his mind for now, everything has to be perfect for Taylor.
"Oh, they're here!" Taylor exclaims while trying to put an earring in and a heel on at the same time. Roman chuckles and approaches her while he finishes adjusting his tie.
He places a hand on either shoulder, and kisses her firmly on the forehead. "It'll be okay, I'll let them in, you take a second to breathe." Taylor's shoulders visibly relax.
"Okay." She says, her blue eyes peaking out from underneath her long lashes. "You're the best." She says while taking a deep breath.
"I know!" He replies while walking downstairs to greet their company.
~
Taylor is fast asleep, laying above the covers with her shoes on, after getting successfully drunk on more than a few glasses of wine. Dinner went as well as it could. The food was perfect, and even Theresa, Taylor's mother, had nothing to complain about it. After dinner and dishes, they played a few games with their families before sending them on their way. Taylor was more than excited to retreat into bed, where she practically face planted.
Roman slips her shoes off and toss them to the floor at the foot of the bed. He then removes her earrings and place them on the table on her side. He pulls the heavy duvet over her still body before stripping himself of his dinner clothes, slipping into a pair of sweats and climbing into his side of the bed. Taylor snores softly, a sound she only makes when she's had to much to drink and he can't help but smile down at her.
Roman attempts to fall asleep, but too many thoughts are running through his mind. One big thought trumps them all, why did Scarlett want to see him? She's the one who chose to leave. In the five years that she's been gone, she hasn't once made an effort to contact him, so why now? He looks at the table next to him, trying to convince himself not to reach in, grab the piece of paper and go downstairs to call her. But as hard as he tries to convince himself not to, it's exactly what he does.
He dials and erases her number three times before finally hitting send. It's late now, she probably won't even answer. He tells himself, but after three rings she picks up.
"Hello?" Her voice is sleepy. He doesn't reply. "Roman, is that you?"
"Yeah."
"I was starting to think you weren't going to call..." She says.
"I wasn't going to." He responds. There's a long pause. "Why do want to meet?"
"It's just coffee, Ro." She says, and he can picture her rolling her eyes at him, and the little smirk she always did afterwards, and just like that he's hooked. He has too many questions that he needs answers to. If not for any other reason, than to get some closure.
"Okay." He finally say.
"Okay?"
"I'll get a coffee with you. The Ol' Brew off of Hansen Lane?"
"7:30, tomorrow?
"I'll see you then."