To talk in private, Vanessa and Darryl search for a secluded spot, away from prying eyes and ears. Vanessa led Darryl to the flower field, the place she had grown fond of since her arrival. As they strolled through the flower field, Darryl couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He couldn’t help but admire the way the flowers complemented Vanessa’s beauty. He should compliment her. The former Darryl would have complemented her, but the present situation made him reserved and quiet.
Despite her gloomy mood and frowning face, Darryl’s gaze remained fixed on her, as if he feared that blinking would take away the moment from him. He had missed her so much, the little time she was away made him realize how much she meant to him. He was captivated by her presence, and he never wanted to live a moment without her.
“On my way here, I rehearsed everything I will say when I meet you, but it seems like my words have failed me.” Darryl said as he stopped walking, his eyes remained on her.
“I didn’t prepare for your arrival.” Vanessa replied shyly, her gaze moved from his face to the flowers. Her heart was a whirlwind of emotions.
“You didn’t know I was coming to you. You didn’t. I will eventually find you, Vanessa. It is like you didn’t want me to find you.” Darryl said, his tone solemn and calm.
“I’m sorry for it…” Vanessa tried to apologize but Darryl stopped her before she could continue.
“I should be the one apologizing for putting you through this. I’m sorry for dragging you through my mess. To be honest, I knew Tania was up to no good, but I ended up getting you involved with her.” Darryl apologized, his eyes soft like those of a dove.
Vanessa remained quiet as she listened to Darryl’s apologies. She didn’t know how to react to her new feelings and Darryl’s unexpected visit was not helping her.
Without breaking eye contact, Darryl’s hands moved to her hand, taking it in his, pulling it up between them. As his fingers stroked hers, he was overwhelmed by his emotions. He was grateful, remorseful and hopeful at the same time.
His eyes moved from her face to her hands which were in his. He smiled as he spotted the ring on her fingers. Noticing that Darryl had seen the ring, Vanessa tried to take her hands from him, but he tightened his grip on her.
“Are you mad about the ring?” Darryl asked her, his eyes searching hers.
“What do you expect? You locked a fucking ring on my finger.” Vanessa rolled her eyes as she accused him. She did sound mad, causing Darryl to relax a little.
“Should I tell you the truth?” Darryl asked her as he continued to caress her hands.
“Tell me, I would like to hear it.” Vanessa answered, sarcasm laced in her voice.
“I’m not sorry about the ring. The thought of you going around with the ring on your finger gave me the assurance that I would find you one day. The ring is my special symbol, a sign that I will always be with you no matter where you go.” Darryl confessed.
“You can’t imagine how much I suffered because of the ring. The neighbors made me tell them about my husband all the time.” Vanessa blurted out, causing Darryl to smile at her confession.
“So… what did you tell them?” Darryl asked, hoping Vanessa had said sweet things about him.
“I told them my husband was dead,” Vanessa answered. Darryl gasped at Vanessa’s answer.
“You didn’t,” Darryl countered, a broad smile played on his lips.
“No, I didn’t,” Vanessa finally answered.
For a while now, Darryl hadn’t felt happiness and peace but the little time he had spent with Vanessa had made up for the time he was in anguish. Her smile, the way her eyes flickered around, the way she was avoiding his eyes, everything added to Darryl’s happiness.
Knowing Vanessa was the one who had brought joy into his life, he never wanted to leave her alone. He was ready to do anything to keep her close to him.
“How is Carolyn doing? I should have called her, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I didn’t want to get in contact with anyone that was close to you.” Vanessa said, changing the topic.
“Carolyn is worried about you. In fact, I have not told her about you yet, but I will when I’ve gotten enough of you for a day.” Darryl said, causing relief to wash over Vanessa.
“And about avoiding me, that was the worst punishment I have ever received in my life. Your absence tortured me, your absence tormented me, your absence broke me. I was lost with no direction in life. I had different thoughts and those thoughts drove me crazy.”
Before Darryl could finish his words, Vanessa closed the space between them, she lifted herself with the tip of her toes, leveling with Darryl’s height. Her lips crashed into his, dropping a quick peck on his lips.
Darryl’s eyes widened in shock as he realized what Vanessa had just done. Like he had been anticipating the moment, Darryl’s hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
“That won’t do, sweetheart.” Darryl whispered into her ears, making her feel a surge of electricity run through her spine.
“That was a mistake,” Vanessa lied as she tried to pull out of his grip.
“Then, this is not a mistake,” Darryl said before his lips landed on hers, devouring every inch of her mouth. He had been longing for this moment, and he would do everything to enjoy the moment.
Vanessa melted into the kiss, her hands wrapped around his neck, her fingers brushing through his messy curls. As their lips moved in sync, they enjoyed every second that passed as they kissed. It was like time had stopped, and they were the only ones still existing.
A coughing sound filled their ear, interrupting their kiss. With haste, Vanessa untangled herself from Darryl, adjusting herself, hoping the intruder didn’t see much.
“You should get a room instead of contaminating our innocent eyes.” Nicholas said as he watched them untangle from each other.
Curiosity mixed with a flicker of annoyance washed over Darryl as he saw the person that interrupted his time with Vanessa.
“This is Darryl, Darryl, this is Nicholas.” Vanessa introduced them to each other, but they refused to warm up and greet themselves, instead they glared at each other like they’d been enemies for a while.
“Darryl?” Vanessa called, trying to call him to order. Darryl composed himself, masking his irritated facial expression. He stretched out his hand forward, a gesture of greeting.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Darryl, Vanessa’s husband.” Darryl said firmly, his tone authoritative and calm at the same time.
“My pleasure,” Nicholas said as he took Darryl’s hand. “I’m Nicholas, her only friend in town.” He said with a confident smile.
“Thank you, but she won’t be needing your service anymore.” Darryl said, his tone icy as he pulled Vanessa closer to him, leading her off of the field.