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What a beautiful morning. I stretch my arms, waking my body to life. I look over to the end table and see another purple daisy inside a small vase, with a folded note resting against it. I squeal a little as I reach over to read Duke’s note: You are amazing and don’t you forget that.
I smile at his note, fold it up, and open the drawer, placing the note inside to add to my collection. For the past three weeks, he’s given me a daisy and a note every day. His previous notes have said, You are more important than you realize and Take a chance. I quickly wash up, get dressed, and head downstairs. Duke is sitting on the porch swing, so I head outside to join him.
I stop and quietly lean against the door frame and watch him sip his morning coffee, unaware that I’m spying on him. He looks deep in thought as he sips from his mug. His face looks content and pure, but holds a sense of urgency. He glances at the ocean and watches the waves crash along the rocky shores. As he stares out into the open ocean, he raises his mug to his mouth to take a sip, but instead misses it completely and spills coffee onto his shirt. He looks down at his stained shirt, “Shit. Come on, man, you can’t even sip coffee without making a mess?”
I laugh at his outburst and he raises his head, clearly embarrassed.
“You’ve been spying on me?”
“I couldn’t help it. You looked so peaceful and I didn’t want to bother you.”
He stands up and walks inside the house, “You’ll never be a bother to me.”
I follow him into the kitchen and get a wet towel to wipe the coffee off his shirt. I offer it to him but he shakes his head, “Don’t bother. I’ll just throw it in the wash and grab another one.”
He takes off his shirt, revealing his smooth, muscular chest and I immediately blush, looking away. Oh hell. He heads up the stairs to go change as I try to regulate my breathing and calm down. His half-naked body threw me for loop and shit, was I not prepared. I pour myself a cup of coffee and allow the warmth to heat up my body. God, this tastes good.
I stand in the kitchen, drink my coffee, and look out at the ocean’s waves. They are peaceful but aggressive at the same time. The seagulls dip into the water, grabbing whatever food they can find.
“Hey.”
I jump at the sound of Duke’s voice, “Shit, you scared me.”
He laughs at my fright and I slap him on the arm.
“Now we’re even.”
I stick my tongue out at him and he laughs it off. He sits on the kitchen barstool, “So, we’ve been cooped up in here for the past few weeks. I was thinking that maybe we can head into town and check out the local shops. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
I finish my coffee and wash out the mug, “Do you think it’ll be safe for us to venture out?”
He nods, “Positive. I spoke to Davis last night and there’s still no sign of him. It’s been over two months, Raya. I doubt he would show his face.”
I can’t shake away this bad feeling, “I know Derrick and he won’t give up that easily, Duke.”
He hops off the barstool and walks up to me, placing his hands on my arms, “We can’t live in hiding for the rest of our lives. If we do, then what’s the point, Raya? It’s not really living, is it?”
I breathe out loud, “I guess you’re right. I just can’t shake this feeling.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.
We drive the short distance into town and my anticipation gets the best of me. As we turn onto the main road, we pass by a few local restaurants, a jewelry store, a souvenir shop, a hardware store, and a small grocery store. The little town is cute and quaint. Everyone seems to be friendly and made of pure kindness.
Duke looks at me, “Are you ready for your surprise?”
I grin, “Of course!”
He smirks and pulls into a parking spot along the curb before jumping out of the car and rushing to my door to let me out. We begin our stroll down the block and come upon a store where he stops and gestures for me to step inside.
As I walk in, I gasp. My eyes are fixated on rows of shelves filled with books. The store smells like fresh paperbacks right out of the box. Tears fill my eyes as I gaze around the layers of books.
He whispers in my ear, “Do you like it?”
I turn to face him as a tear slips down my cheek, “I love it! Thank you!”
