“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re my best friend, doodle. You’re not imposing.” She bopped me on the nose, making me smile softly. Even after two years of friendship, her touches never failed to send a flutter through me.
After a little more back-and-forth with my thoughts, I sighed. I didn’t see any other options. There was no way I could’ve stayed in that house tonight, or maybe ever. I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I didn’t have the energy to figure it out.
We said our goodbyes and I only shed a few more tears after Drea and Blair hugged me goodbye. Blair told me if I needed someone to talk to, she was there when I was ready. I appreciated the gesture and thanked her. She had lost both of her parents and her grandmother, so she understood what it was like. I knew I could talk to her before this, but it was nice to hear it again.
In the car, I fidgeted with my dress and tried not to cry. The thoughts of losing my dad were warring with the fact that I was going to be staying the night with Daisy. We’d been friends for two years, and our bond had gotten stronger the more we learned about each other.
She started coming into the store about four years ago, and I had noticed her from the second she walked into the store. Her bright stunning smile took my breath away. I was too scared to go up to her. Every time I welcomed her in the store, I got a bright smile, but no response.
When Drea told me she was deaf and used sign language, it all started to make sense, and I was embarrassed. I was nervous to talk to her, but I was always that way around pretty women. But a beautiful femme? Forget about it.
Drea said she was really friendly and since I wouldn’t have to worry about stuttering or nothing coming out, I decided to be brave and go for it.
“Hi, welcome to Open Book. My name is Kaia and I’m the manager here,” was the first thing I’d wanted to say to her. What came out was “Your eyes are green.” Very smooth, I know.
The whole walk over to her, I had practiced what I was going to say, but as soon as she looked up at me and smiled, my brain had to rewire itself. Green was my favorite color, and her eyes were the most gorgeous shade of forest green I’d ever seen. They took me by surprise, and when she smiled, I couldn’t think.
She gave me a quizzical look, but her smile never faltered. “They are. Thank you for noticing. Your eyes are brown. Like a Hershey’s kiss.” That made me blush, and it took me a while to recover.
“Well, I’m sorry to bother you, I just wanted to introduce myself. Drea, the owner, said she came over a while ago, and she told me you sign. My dad is deaf, so I grew up learning it. Not that you needed to know any of that. Anyway, my name is Kaia.”
She nodded, her smile never leaving. “Well, hi, Kaia. I’m Daisy, like the flower. Yes, I met Drea. She was very sweet.”
Seeing my name spelled out by her fingers gave me confusing feelings, but I brushed them away. She was a stranger, and I had no idea if she even liked women.
“Again, I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m the manager, so if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come find me.”
“I will. Thanks again. It was nice meeting you, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.” I waved goodbye and returned to the register.
In the two years since I first walked up to her, we had become inseparable. All around, she was the best person I knew. She was creative and smart and such a ball of sunshine all the time, but she never let people walk all over her or treat her differently because of her disability.
She was the strongest woman I knew, and she had helped me over the years become a stronger person just by knowing her. She taught me that while I can be a good person, what I want matters too, and I shouldn’t let people take advantage of me.
As someone with a disability, she knew first hand how someone could underestimate you just by how you looked. Because I was sweetand wanted to be helpful, some people, including my friends, thought they could take advantage of me, and I let them because I was too nice. Since meeting Daisy, I’ve learned that I can stand my ground and still be a good friend.
And I could admit, in a platonic way, she was easy to look at.Veryeasy to look at. Okay, so she was the most perfect human to ever exist.
But none of that mattered. Of course we hung out all the time, almost daily. She was my best friend, and I always wanted to spend time with her. I just hadn’t really ever spent the night with her.
Since my dad got sick right after we met, I didn’t like leaving him alone at night. I wanted to be there just in case something happened, so we never had sleepovers.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I did know that sleeping in the same house as Daisy wasn’t going to be easy.
Luckily, she had two bedrooms, and if I could just keep my thoughts to myself and get some sleep, I might survive the night. I just had to figure out my next move tomorrow. Then I’d be out of her house and everything would be just fine.
She turned off the engine, causing my thoughts to stop spiraling. This was it. I’d be fine. Probably.
“I’ll just be a second.” I smiled softly and got out of the car. I turned back around before I shut the door. “Thank you.”
“Take your time. I’ll be right here.”
I nodded and retreated into the house that once held laughter and love. The house that would never be the same again.
The first steps inside were slow and shaky. I kept expecting to see him sitting in his chair watching the news with the captions on, or his favorite weird sci-fi show I never understood. All I saw when I walked into the house were memories and silence.
I walked over to his chair and ran my hands along the arms and across the top. He’d never sit in this chair again. He’d never talk about the news and I’d never roll my eyes, hating politics. I’d never hear his laugh. The most obnoxious laugh that always made me laugh with him. I wiped the tears away as I walked to my room, thinking about the past and the future that was forever changed.
