Eleven

Jeanie arrived early to her apartment. The morning smell took her back in time. Her favorite flowers always smelled stronger on winter mornings and she was happy those jasmines were on the building´s garden. It made her feel like if she was at her childhood´s home, the place she loved over everything else, her favorite place, where she was never going to be again because it was also the darkest place from her past. The flowers´ essence took her to a happy place, until those thoughts became hazy with the moment she went away and the reason why she did it. She opened back her eyes like if she was coming out of a nightmare and fluttered her head to send away the shivers that were now controlling her entire body. She tried to focus on the present, on the positive things that were coming ahead. The contest was her priority and she wondered where Beth could be. She took the phone and dialed her number, but didn´t get an answer. On an inexplicable way, she remembered Reid. She spent some time without writing to him since he told her she should sign in at the contest, so she decided it wouldn´t harm to let him know she was fallowing his advice.

From: jeanie.d@gmail.com

To: r333@gmail.com

Hello! How are you? I´m sorry I haven´t written in a while. I was trying to avoid you to think I´m a little stalker obsessed with you. Is it working? :-/ I just couldn´t help the urge of telling you I´m submitting a story to the contest. It´s an unnamed story, but I´ll send it anyway because Ashley chose it. What do you think? Greetings,

J.

Jeanie sent it and realized she was holding her breath when she did it. The simple idea of making Reid laugh took her away from her own personal thoughts. She liked to think about him: the melting sound of his voice, the funny moans on his face, the simplicity of his cute laugh and the almost imperceptible spark of wisdom on his eyes… She closed her eyes trying to remember the last time they met, the way his expressions amazed her… She wanted to live on those eyes! The thought was interrupted by the phone´s sound. Beth was calling to tell her she was already at the post office and they should meet there. Jeanie yearned and decided to take the envelop with the story.

Reid smiled at the screen again; it was becoming a habit for him. That girl had some interesting way of making him feel better about himself. He could tell her the truth no matter how rough it was; she would handle it! Every time he needed an advice, she would give him some youth wisdom, the fresh kind of thinking from outside the box without measuring her sharpen tongue. She cared about him, but believed tough love was better. Her honesty was hurting sometimes, but that was all he needed to come down to earth every time he was rambling! Also, she was so light and easygoing that no matter how bad things were, she would give him a piece of her mind without judging. He felt he could be the same with her and never hesitated when doing it. She was stubborn and rebel, but was always making him laugh, which was something he unconsciously needed a lot after all what happened. He wasn´t ready to move on, but when they met, at least he decided it was the time to start trying. Then he started typing back:

From: r333@gmail.com

To: jeanie.d@gmail.com

I don´t think you´re a little stalker, I know it! But I´m flattered about it, so you don´t have anything to worry for ;-) I´m glad you followed my advice and decided to send a story to the contest. I´m sure you´ll win, even though it doesn´t have a title. Break a leg ;-)