Complete Indelible Love Series

by Cee, DW

  “Hello, Laney. What brings you here at this hour?” Crushed to see a glamorous and smug Kate answering Donovan’s door, I stuttered my way to asking about Donovan. “He’s getting dressed. Give him a moment.” She didn’t ask me in. She had me stand outside as I heard footsteps racing to the door.

  “Delaney, what a nice surprise.” Donovan, who was buttoning up his shirt, looked pleased to see me, but was also somewhat preoccupied.

  “I’m sorry to barge in on you at your home. Jake gave me your address and I wanted to...”

  “Would you like to come in,” Kate invited me into Donovan’s home as though it was her own. As she stood next to Donovan in his home, at the front door, I was beyond devastated and embarrassed. Devastated that she was in his house at this time of night, and embarrassed that I’d intruded on their evening.

  Was I crazy to want to confess my feelings to him? Why did Jake and Emily have to encourage me to talk to him? Obviously, they didn’t know him as well as I thought they did. He was home, with his former girlfriend, at this late hour. There was no chance in hell that he thought of me as anything but a little sister.

  But, I wanted to see him one last time. I wanted to talk to him one more time. I wanted to feel his affection for even a brief second, one last time.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor. I came by to...never mind. It’s not important. I’ll get going.”

  “Wait, Delaney.” He caught up to me as I approached my car. “Kate’s leaving soon. I’ll stop by and we’ll talk?”

  “You don’t have to. It was nothing important.”

  He slowly pushed away my overgrown bangs and tucked them behind my ear. Perhaps that was the last image I’d have of him, and the very last sense of intimacy with that gesture. So very flippantly, my heart wanted to do what Emily and Jake had convinced me to do tonight, and tell him how much of my heart he unwittingly held.

  “I have your graduation present, and I want to see your face when I hand it to you. Wait up for me? It might be a bit late to ring your doorbell, so wait for me on the swing on your front porch. I should be there soon.”

  That was the same swing where we were to meet when I asked him to marry me. Ten years later, he finally remembered and was obliging to my request.

  “All right.” I answered with renewed hope and unspeakable cheer. Regardless of his intention for meeting me tonight, regardless of his feelings for me, I’d reveal my heart and let him decide what to do with it.

  Hurriedly, I sat on the swing hanging from my porch. This was my favorite place to be as a little girl, and swinging back and forth waiting for Donovan, took me back to the happy days of my youth. All kinds of nostalgic feelings traipsed through my mind and heart and a renewed happiness I hadn’t felt in years engulfed me.

  My future was beginning now.

  The wait would not be much longer...

  No different from Cinderella when her clock struck midnight, my life reverted to reality, and I was that same young woman whose tender heart got ensnared in this game of hope.

  It was almost four in the morning, and for the second time in my life, I waited for this absent man to answer my love. No longer could I feel my fingers and toes, and little dots of water illuminated my head in this dark night. The searing pain that burned a hole in my heart numbed the shivers I experienced. Devastation continued.

  This was a fitting end to a one-sided romance all conjured up in my head. I’d leave today and forget this man who never remembered me when it counted. Who was I kidding? He never remembered me at all.

  May 30, 2013 Time to Say Goodbye...

  Today was it.

  Graduation done.

  Mom and Dad rejoiced at the announcement of my summa cum laude accolade and medical school acceptance.

  A new year abroad started in a few hours.

  And most importantly, this was my chance to let go.

  “Mom, please don’t cry. I’ll be back in a year, I promise. I’m not going to London to live; I’m going just to visit. You can come visit me there whenever you want. We can see each other anytime.”

  “You’re making a serious scene, Mom. Laney will be back sooner than you know it.” My brother was a bit exasperated with Mom as we were eating a late breakfast together. “In fact, why don’t you go with her and stay there for a few months, if it’s that hard for you to separate from her?”

  “Should I, Henry? Should I buy a ticket right now and fly to London with her?”

  “Mom, give me a week or two and we’ll see each other again? It’ll be crazy once I land, and I really would like to get my bearing as soon as possible. Mrs. Haines, Gram’s housekeeper, will help me once I get there.”

  “You call me daily!”

  “I will. I promise. I have to get going, Mom. I want to say good-bye to a few people before I leave.”

  “All right. I’ll miss you, my sweet child.” Mom’s tears started again.

  “Good-bye, Daddy.”

  “Good-bye Baby. You made me so damn proud today.” My dad kissed me on the forehead. “We will talk more about med school once you get to London. I love you.”

  “You can do your best to convince me.” I smiled. “Bye Mom. Bye Daddy.”

  “Damn. What will they do when you get married?” Doug moaned as he put the car in drive and got us away from our parents who were both crying. “Where to?” Doug volunteered to drive me to the airport, but he knew I had to make a couple of stops, first.

  “I need to say bye to Bee. Here’s her address.”

  Just like a professional driver, he drove me to Bee’s, but waited in the car.

  “What brings you here at this hour?” Bee yawned a great big yawn.

  “Bee. It’s almost 11:00am. Did you work all night?”

  “Yeah. I got to bed only an hour or so ago.” She yawned again. “Nice dress, by the way.”

  I was wearing another one of Bee’s creations. Her dresses were beautiful, but what made me feel beautiful was the knowledge that Donovan purchased them for me.

  “I came by to say good-bye.”

  “What the hell? Good-bye for what?”

  “I graduated today, and I leave for London in a few hours.”

  “You’re seriously going? I thought it was something you were thinking about for sometime later in the future. You’re leaving now?”

  “Yes, now.”

  “You’re pissing me off, Laney Reid. I thought we were friends.” Bee wasn’t kidding about being mad.

  “Don’t be mad. I tried to tell you a few times, but we kept getting interrupted and I...I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t cool. On the one hand, I wanted to tell you all about what was going on with me, but on the other hand, I thought since we just met, and since you’re so busy...I just felt kind of stupid explaining my life story to you.”

  “Did we not bond over your non-paying modeling gig?” She chuckled. “You even confessed to being in love with my nephew for half your life. Is that not close to bff status?” That made me chuckle.

  “We did, and I’m really sorry. But, I assume you come to London and Paris often?”

  “Not often, but I will be there in a couple of weeks. I have a buyer in London who wants to meet with me. This guy owns a chain of stores and is interested in possibly having my line in his stores.”

  “And I assume you’ll stay with your almost bff in her grandmother’s large home?”

  “You betcha! It’s going to cost me a fortune to ship out all the clothes ahead of time. Hey,” the light bulb went off in her head. “I can ship all the clothes to your place and you can hold them for me till I get there.”

  “Of course I will. Whatever you need, Bee. I’m happy to help you. You see,” I gave her a hug, “we’ll see each other even more after I move to Europe. You can always stay with me.”

  “You know, I think you have my blessing now to leave.”

  “I’ll miss you until we meet again in a couple of weeks. You have my number. Call
me and let me know what you need me to do for you.”

  “All right,” she hugged me back, tight. “I wish you a good trip.”

  With that good-bye done, I went off to Grandfather’s office—and of course, Jane and Donovan’s office as well. This visit, I dreaded. Though most likely we’d never run into one another, I didn’t even want that remote chance.

  After a warm conversation with Grandfather and Jane, they walked me to the elevator, and there I saw him one last time. Even after last night’s fiasco, I still longed to see him. I didn’t want my last memory of him, as a half-dressed, disheveled-looking man standing next to Kate. He was running a meeting with a conference room full of men and women, and all I could do was wave. I waved good-bye to the man who’d never see me for more than I was—a twenty-two-year-old college graduate, green to the world, inexperienced with life. This man ran in a cosmopolitan circle to which I didn’t belong.

  “You sure you want to leave?” Grandfather knew my heart’s desire. How, I did not know, but he knew.

  “Yes, Grandfather. I wish you and Gram good health,” I whispered to my grandfather.

  “Stay and tell him you love him,” Grandfather whispered. “You may be surprised at his answer.”

  I held onto Grandfather, longer than necessary, and decided it was time to make my escape. I didn’t need to break down in front of a group of strangers, and I didn’t need a confrontation with Donovan.

  “Bye,” was my last word before getting into the elevator. I stayed as long as I reasonably could—but he still didn’t come out to talk to me. There was only so much I could do without stripping my pride bare.

  “Let’s go.” I choked out.

  My brother looked concerned. “You all right?”

  I nodded yes and explained, “Just a little sad, but I’ll be OK.”

  A (New) Day

  The way I met Michael was like a scene out of a Hollywood movie with Audrey Hepburn and her leading man Gregory Peck. After a harried escape from my parents, my family, my...Donovan, I sat on a plane for almost eleven hours squished between a large man, who started the ride with some form of a meat sandwich with raw onions, and a young girl whose hearing was probably shot from the loud music blaring through the earbuds glued in her ears. I say it was a harried escape because I wanted to leave before Mom shed any more tears, before Dad convinced me to stay home, and before I lost the chutzpah, hutzpah—whatever the word was—to set up a new life in a new town. Yes, it was a new day for me. As the saying went, “Out with the old, in with the new.”

  I was restless for a challenge. It was good to get away from living life outside the idyllic Reid cul-de-sac. All my life, my parents provided a solid education for their children, took us on no-expense-spared family vacations, and allowed us to experience college life to the fullest. Though they weren’t crazy about me living in Japan as an exchange student, my parents allowed it. At twenty-two, it probably sounded obnoxious to travel through Europe for a year, but this was the life I envisioned after undergrad.

  “Excuse me,” I apologized as I ran my suitcase over a pair of shiny, just-got-polished, shoes. “Do your feet hurt? This suitcase probably weighs fifty pounds,” I exaggerated.

  A polished and dapper face smiled at me. “You can run over my shoes anytime.” Of course, he had the most brilliant accent. “I wanted to say hello to you on the plane, but didn’t have the guts to go over and introduce myself. Then, I waited for you at the exit, but somehow lost you. Who do I need to thank for this good fortune of getting my feet run over?”

  “Why would you be waiting for me?”

  “You walked by me on the plane and I couldn’t help noticing you. I hoped you’d want to get to know me as I’d like to get to know you.”

  I couldn’t come up with anything more unique than, “Oh!”

  “I’m Michael Bennington, by the way.”

  “Laney Reid.”

  “A true pleasure,” he answered as he took my hand that was resting by my side and kissed it.

  Between the rugged good looks and the melt-my-insides English accent, I was mesmerized like a schoolgirl. Why was this man interested in me and who was he?

  “Michael!” A girl called out—practically yelled out. “Let’s go. Finneas is waiting for us.”

  “Ruby, come here. Meet my new friend, Laney Reid.”

  “Hello,” she said politely, but was itching to leave the airport. “I’m usually not this rude but our driver is here and we really need to get going,” she gritted her teeth and tried her best not to yell at Michael some more.

  “We can leave if Laney here will catch a ride with us. Tell me you don’t have a ride home. Say that you’ll allow me to give you a lift to your place.”

  I didn’t know how to answer this Michael person. Though the thought of catching a cab or the Underground in an unfamiliar city was a daunting one, did I want to be in a car with a complete stranger who expressed a surprising interest in me?

  “Laney, I promise—my brother and I are not kidnappers, rapists, killers and the such. Some say my brother’s a good bloke and perhaps you and I could become best friends one day, but none of this can happen if we don’t get in that car. Finneas has the car parked in the double yellow lines right now, drinking the petrol. I’m sure the traffic warden’s hot on Finneas’ tail right now or our lift has been clamped and towed away—in which case, we need to take the Underground. What’s it gonna be?”

  I was so confused. She spoke English, but her English was different from my American English, that’s for sure. Seeing my hesitation, Michael decided for me, and grabbed my carry-on suitcase and walked with his sister.

  “Wait!” I chased after them.

  “Do you have more luggage?” I shook my head no. “Well, then come on. You heard my sis. She can be bloody ugly when she doesn’t get her way.”

  This probably wasn’t the best idea, but they both seemed like decent people, and I actually felt safe with Michael. We did what Ruby wanted us to do, and once we were comfortably ensconced in their car, Ruby relaxed and laughed.

  “I was a bit of a nag, wasn’t I?”

  “Mental, would be a better word. We just met Laney and she’s probably thinking we’re both nutcases for forcing her into this car. What brings you to London, Laney?” Michael asked over Ruby as she ended up sitting between us.

  “I’m going to live here for a year.”

  “Brill!” Michael showed a great big smile.

  “You come to live in a new place for a year with one hand luggage? Do you plan on buying loads of clothes?”

  “No, Ruby. The rest of my stuff has been shipped. I didn’t want to get lost in the Underground with a cartful of suitcases.”

  “Tell me your story, Laney. Why’s a stunning woman like yourself roaming around, alone, in this big city? Where are you from? Where are your parents? Are you married?”

  “Give her some time to breathe, you fool. She looks like a frightened bunny.”

  “I’m well, Ruby. Thanks for the concern.”

  “Bugger off, Rubes and let me talk to Laney. Why don’t you sit on the other side?” he whispered to her.

  I smiled at Michael and Ruby who started arguing in British English, and I understood maybe a third of what they were saying. It also made me happy to see these two because they reminded me so much of my brother and myself.

  “Why are you smiling, pretty lady?”

  “You and your sister remind me of me and my brother. I’m twenty-two and my brother is twenty-four. We have the same cantankerous relationship.”

  “We four are the same age,” Michael commented.

  “It must be destiny,” Ruby mimicked in a higher pitched voice.

  My phone rang just in time to stop the two from arguing again.

  “Hi Emily. Sorry I didn’t call when I landed. It’s been a little crazy here.”

  “Hi. How was your flight? Are you on your way to the flat or are you there already?�
�

  “I’ve made some friends and they’re giving me a ride to Gram’s. The flight was long, but fine.”

  “Friends? Already?”

  “I’ll explain later.”

  “What will you do today? Is the weather dreary?”

  “No, not at all, it’s a nice day here today. Once I get to the flat, I’ll get my bearings and maybe go explore a city a bit.”

  “Call me after you get settled?”

  “Definitely. I’ll call Mom and Dad tomorrow since I know it’s late over there.”

  I heard a muffled sound in the background and Emily said quietly, “Donovan is still here and he’d like to talk to you.”

  “Please tell him I had to go. I don’t think I can say good-bye.” My heart hurt again thinking about the man I wouldn’t see for a year.

  “Good-bye. Take care of yourself, OK? Talk to you soon?”

  “Yes and please give the twins a kiss for me.”

  “Will do.”

  Even before I hung up the phone, the questions came in a flurry. “Who’s Emily? I assume Gram is your grandmother; will you be staying with her? I also assume these twins belong to Emily? If you must answer only one of these questions, I need to know who this man is that you’re running away from.”

  On. The. Nose! But Michael didn’t need to know that. “Emily is my cousin’s wife and yes, she and Jake have the most beautiful twins. Here are pictures of them.” I scrolled through all the pictures that I had.

  “Wow! They are beautiful babies,” both siblings commented.

  “Gram is my English grandmother who has a home here, but currently lives in Los Angeles with her new husband and our family, and the man I’m ‘running from?’” I smiled. “He’s a family friend and I am not running from him. He’s someone who’s a tad bit upset with me because I didn’t say my good-byes to him before I left. I’ll talk to him when he gets over the snub.” I tried to make light of my situation.

  “So, he’s not my competition?”

  I laughed heartily this time. “There’s no one competing for my heart or hand. I am single, newly graduated, my entire family lives in Southern California, and I’m just fortunate enough to be able to take some time off and enjoy this beautiful country for a year.”