Written in the Stars (18 page)

All I could hear was the fear inside, telling me to turn and run the other way, but what I was feeling was a lot stronger than the fear. It was love, and I wasn’t strong enough to fight it any longer.

“I’m in love with you too,” I replied in just above a whisper.

He still had the same intensity in his eyes as he held me tightly to him. His hand, which had once held my hand to his heart, now caressed my right cheek. Our eyes were locked in an unbreakable gaze, until he slowly brought his lips to mine. Even though this wasn’t our first kiss, the love behind it made it feel like it was.

Nothing else mattered as I danced with Geoff under the light of our moon and the stars that I hoped held our story within them. It felt good to finally embrace his love instead of fearing it.

I awoke to a light fog surrounding me, still wearing my satin dress and alone on the cloud-like cot on which I had fallen asleep in Geoff’s arm only hours ago.

“
You once said that you always wondered what it would feel like to sleep on a cloud. This is the closest I could bring you.”
Geoff words from last night brought a smile to my face. I wrapped the blanket around me and walked towards the voices I heard mumbling close by.

I turned the corner at the exact same time Geoff was rounding it, and everything that was on the tray he was carrying was now scattered all over the floor.

“I actually made that this time.” He sulked.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it up.”

“Not even close.” He smiled at me. “Why don’t you go freshen up while I attempt to cook for you again, and meet me on our cloud in, let’s say, about an hour?”

“You don’t have to cook for me. Coffee is all I really need.”

“I want to cook for you.”

“But didn’t you say that if I ate something you cooked, I’d probably never talk to again?” I teased him.

“Yes, I believe I did,” he replied. “And that’s why I took a quick cooking lesson.”

“You took a cooking lesson just for me?”

“Yeah.” He actually looked a little embarrassed.

“You, Mr. Mancini,” I said as I closed the gap between us and rested my hands on his muscular chest. “Are way too good to me.”

“You may want to save that comment for after you’ve tasted my cooking,” he replied.

“Okay.” I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a good-morning kiss. “I’ll see you in an hour.” I was hoping I would be able to leave him in the same numbing state in which he had left me more than once.

“An hour.” His words fumbled out of his mouth.

Oh yeah, numb from head to toe.
I had a proud smile on my face as I walked away.

* * * * *

Why is it that time seems to fly when you’re having fun, and stops when you least want it to, or in my case, when I had to patiently wait for an hour to pass before I could see the one person who made time stand still.

“Sophie.” My dad lightly tapped on the balcony’s glass door.

“Hey.” I tuned and smiled at him.

“I hope you don’t mind me just walking in, but you didn’t answer when I knocked on your room door.”

“I didn’t hear you.” I stood up.

“I’m not sure if you realize this, but it seems that most of your shorts are missing.” He pointed at the front pockets that were hanging down.

“That’s the way they’re supposed to be,” I replied.

“Are they Erin’s?”

“No. I bought them in Paris last week,” I answered.

“Oh.” He looked baffled. “Next time, you might want to buy a whole pair, and maybe a little longer in length.”

“They’re shorts, Dad. They’re supposed to be short.”

“Not that short.” He shook his head.

“Speaking of Paris, I got you a present back at Nonna’s.” I changed the subject.

“Will I like it?”

“As much as I liked the one you brought back for me.” I smiled.

“You didn’t like your picture?” He looked surprised.

“I like it, but it’s not a car.”

“A car from Paris is something you shouldn’t hold your breath on,” he teased me.

“Funny.” I rolled my eyes.

“The captain said we should arrive at the island later this afternoon. Are you ready for this?” he asked.

“Am I ready for what?”

“To lay your mom to rest?”

“About that.” I sat back down. “Doesn’t it feel like we’ll be leaving her behind?”

“Not really,” he answered.

“It does for me.” I looked out across the ocean.

“Sophie, your mom is in our hearts, and our memories are not in that urn.”

“I know.”

“This is something she wanted.” He grabbed my hand.

“She didn’t want to die.” I got teary eyed.

For a few uncomfortable moments, my dad just stared at me. Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel the sadness radiating off of him.

“I never knew you were so angry,” he said.

I kept my attention focused on the water, since I didn’t want him to see me cry. I guess I did a better job at hiding my true feelings than I thought I did.

“Sophie, if you go through life holding onto the anger in your heart, then your life will be nothing but pain. You have to let it go otherwise you’re just letting life pass you by.”

“I’m trying.”

“I know you are, and I also know you’re loved more than you can imagine,” he said. There was that “love” word again. I guess when love happens it happens quickly and with so much force that there’s no fighting it. “Well, I do believe there is a very anxious young man upstairs waiting for you.” He pulled me up and looked me over once again. “Any chance I can get you to change into jeans?”

“No.” I smiled.

“Fine, but when you’re not looking, I’m burning those shorts.” He hugged me. “Now go be loved.”

“You sound like a hippie.”

“I have some great stories from my hippie days.” He perked up.

“And I’m looking forward to never hearing them,” I teased him.

“You’ll hear them. Even if I have to tie you to a chair, you will hear all of them.” He smirked.

“Great.”

“Now, be a good girl and let love in.” He pushed me towards the door. “Let love shine, feel the love, not the pain. Go with love.”

“I got it!” I shouted, and then hugged him. “I’ll start with you. I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, baby girl.”

* * * * *

It was like
déjà vu
when I reached the top of the stairs and saw Geoff standing across the deck, next to our cloud-like cot with what looked like a feast. However, this time, he didn’t wait for me to walk over to him; instead, he came to me. I was thrown off guard when he wrapped his right arm around my lower waist, grabbed the back of my neck with his left hand, and passionately kissed me.

“I’ve always wanted to do that in real life.” I could hear the smile in his voice as he mumbled into my ear.

“You’ve always wanted to bum rush a girl and paralyze her with an amazing kiss?”

“Yes I have
.” He smiled.

“Then you nailed it
.”

“Can you walk?” he asked.

“Yes, I can walk. It wasn’t that amazing.” He raised his eyebrows at my reply. Completely by coincidence and at the worst moment, my first step was me tripping over the last stair, and stumbling into a prideful Geoff. 

“You were saying?” The grin on his face was nothing short of arrogance. 

“I tripped over the step.” I pointed down at it.

“Sure,” he teased me.

“I really did.”

“I believe you.” He grabbed my hand. “Safety precaution.” 

“Thanks.”

“Did I hear you say ‘bum rush’?” he asked as he led me to the cot.

“Yes.” I blushed.

“I thought so.”

My eyes widened when I saw a small feast next to our cot. Between the piles of pancakes, eggs, bagels, sausage, bacon, ham, boiled eggs, and more fruit than I eat in a year, I had a feeling this would be the only time I’d be eating today.

“You cooked all of this?” I asked.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” He sat down and patted the area next to him.

“Because, that is a lot of food to make in only an hour.”

“I may have had a little help, but I did most of the cooking.”

“Even the meats?”

“Yes, I even cooked the meats.” He eyed me.

“Oh.” I sat down.

“Are you doubting my mad cooking skills?”

“Just a little.”

“One day, Sophia Watters, you will realize what an amazing guy I am, and you will have nothing but faith in me.”

“I already know what an amazing guy you are, and I have a lot of faith in you, just not in your mad cooking skills that you only learned a few hours ago.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that one.” He smiled.

“To show just how much faith I have in you, I’m going to eat a little of everything.”

“That’s either very sweet or stupid of you,” he teased.

“I guess we’ll find out.”

Just as I was about to take my first bite of food, earlier events came flooding back to me, and I quickly became very aware that things between Geoff and me had changed. We had proclaimed our love for each other and I didn’t want to do or say anything that would make him second-guess anything. I suddenly became more nervous than I had ever been around him, and made sure to take tiny bites instead of my normal, as-much-as-my-mouth-could-hold bites. I had to show him I was girly enough to be his girlfriend.

“Is there something wrong with the food?” Geoff asked me.

“No. It’s actually really good.”

“So my mad cooking skills have impressed you?” He smiled.

“Very much so.”

“Does your dad like fishing?”

“Yes, I do believe he does.” I tried sounding proper.

“Do you think he would like to join me for some fishing today?”

“I think he would like that very much.”

“Are you okay?” Geoff looked confused.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Why do I ask?” he repeated. “Let me count the reasons. First, you said you liked the food, but all I see is that you keep pushing it around your plate, and taking bites small enough for a goldfish. Second, you’re talking to me as if I’m a parent that you are trying to impress, and third, you almost look terrified to be here.”

“I do not look terrified.” I glared at him.

“Yes you do.”

“Well, I’m not, and I’m not pushing around my food; I’m making sure it doesn’t touch. I’m taking small bites and talking proper because I’m no longer just Sophie. I’m the girl who’s dating Geoff Mann and I’m actually trying to prove that I’m girly enough to pull it off.”

He laughed at my reply. “I happen to like ‘just Sophie.’” He took my plate from me and pushed himself onto me to where I had no choice but to lie back as he positioned himself perfectly above me. “And I happen to think you’re very girly.” He moved in for a kiss.

“Whoops…I’m sorry…I’ll just leave.” My dad stumbled in right before Geoff could kiss me.

“Wait, Mr. Watters.” Geoff quickly jumped up and walked over to him. “We were just having some breakfast.”

“I didn’t know my daughter was on the menu,” my dad replied, and my mouth dropped.

“Dad,” I snapped.

“What?” He looked at me. “I told you those shorts were no good.”

“Dad!” I rushed over to them. “You can leave now.” 

Even though I knew my dad was somewhat joking, Geoff didn’t and it was hard not to laugh at the fear in his eyes.

“Mr. Watters, I apologize for offending you,” Geoff said. It wasn’t until Geoff’s face was bright red that my dad let him off the hook.

“I’m just joking.” My dad cracked a smile. “I trust my little girl.”

“Whew, you had me going.” Geoff started breathing again.

“Dad, I told you to break him in slowly, not kill him with the first shot.”

“Sorry, but the look on your face will keep me laughing for years to come,” my dad told Geoff. 

“I’m happy I could entertain you.” Geoff smiled.

“And I’m still hungry, so would you like to join us?” I asked my dad.

“No. I already ate.” He turned to walk back down the stairs.

“Mr. Watters.” Geoff stopped him.

“Son, you’ve kissed my daughter. You can call me Paul.” Geoff blushed again.

“Okay, Paul, can I interest you in an afternoon of deep-sea fishing?” Geoff asked, and my dad’s face lit up.

“Yes, you most certainly can.”

“Great. I’ll meet you in about an hour on the stern.”

“I’ll be there,” my dad said with a huge smile on his face.

“Thank you.” I kissed Geoff on the cheek.

“For what?”

“For making my dad’s day.”

“It’s the other way around. I haven’t been fishing in years,” he said.

“Either way, I haven’t seen my dad smile like that in years, so thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he replied. “You might want to put some jeans on.”

“You don’t like my shorts either?”

“No, I love your shorts; they’re just not good for fishing.”

“Oh, well, that’s an easy fix. I’m not going fishing,” I replied.

“You’re not?”

“Nope. I’m going to catch up on my tanning and leave the catching dinner
up to you two.”