Aye guys I'm BACK and so freaking late. Will I ever make it on time? The last weeks were pretty busy for me, but now the next chapter

Enjoy^^

A flying artist chapter 25: reconnect

Brooke and I walked holding hands now to the Two Whales diner. We stepped in and the smell of coffee and bacon came into my nose and I had to smile. "Take a booth, I have to use the bathroom and join you later." "Okay, don't take too long or else I ate anything." Brooke said and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. I stepped in the bathroom and sighed. After around 10 minutes I came back and saw that Brooke were sitting in a booth and were talking to Joyce who sat besides her and she looked worried.

I came to the booth and Joyce jumped up and started to hug me. "I am sorry for your loss, Daniel. Is there anything I can help you with?" While Joyce hugged me I looked at Brooke and and she apologizing at me. "I'm okay Joyce thank you." "You are not okay Daniel I see and know it. Chloe went throught this too, but at least you have someone who looks after you." I sighed and looked at Brooke. "Yeah, I am lucky that I have my Brooke. Okay I am hungry let's munch." I sat down and we ordered our food by Joyce.

As she walked away with our orders on her notepad, Brooke placed her elbows on the table and her chin in her palms and she looked at me. "What?" "Huh, nothing." Then my phone rang and I took the call.

"Hey Dad." "Thank god, you took the call. How are you Daniel?" "Well, as good as possible, now where Brooke is here it's better." "Oh she is with you. That's good." "Yeah, because you called her." "Are you mad at me for it?" "Not at all. It was good. I could not think straight back then. Now it's better." "That's good. Now I wanted to tell that next saturday is the funeral." "Okay I'll come. Ugh... can she come with me, if she got some time for it?" "For this question you deserve a beat, Daniel. Of course she can." " 'kay, thanks dad, so we are seeing us on saturday. Bye dad." "Alright, stay safe Daniel. Bye."

Brooke glanced at me. "So what's on saturday?" "Ugh... the funeral. So if you have some time, would you accompany me?" "Of course I do." I smiled at her. "Thanks, Brooke. I really appreciate it." "Come here." Brooke said and leaned over the table and I did the same until our lips met in the middle of the table and we kissed us short.

"Okay, my lovebirds the breakfast is here." Joyce said and she carried our plates and drinks and placed them in front of us. Brooke shrugged and smiled. "Sorry."

"Hey Daniel do you know who these girls are, back there? One of them could not stop talking about you. I guess she has an eye on you." Joyce said and pointed inconspicuous to a booth on the other side of the diner. Brooke raised an eyebrow and leaned aside to look at the booth and I turned around and looked at the booth too. And I saw three young girls sitting in the booth and chatting. I recognize one of them. "Ugh, Marie Collins..."

"Wait, why do you know her?" I turned back to face Brooke and she had a stern look at me. "You don't have to be jealous. It's simple-"
For the next minutes I told her exactly what happened yesterday at Blackwell.

"And who said I was jealous, I was just...curious." "Okay, if you say that." I said smiling and Brooke rolled her eyes.

After Brooke and I finished our breakfast we left the diner and as we walked past the table where Marie and her friends sat, she grabbed with one hand my butt and squeezed it slightly. We left the diner and started to stroll back to my appartment. "What was that for?" "What do you mean?" "You know exactly what I mean." "Oooh you mean this." With a twist she stepped infront of me and before I was able to stop I walked into her opened arms and she hugged me while she moved her arms down to my butt again. She smiled impish at me and gave me a quick kiss.

The rest of the day nothing much happened Brooke and I just sat at my bed cuddled close and I talked to her about my mother and some storys about her.

On sunday I drove her back to Seattle and stayed for dinner. After it I stood with Brooke by my car. She laid her head on my chest and hugged me. "Brooke?" "Huh?" "Thank you for everything this weekend. It was nice to get something of my heart." She looked up at me. "As I said. Thats why I'm here." Our forehead touched themself and we shared another kiss under the darkening sky. We said our goodbyes and said that I will come pick her up on friday after her last class of the college and drive together with her to my father and the funeral of my mother the next day.

Back in Arcadia Bay I managed to do at least something on my manga, but as Chloe told me some weeks later it was much darker than the previous chapters, but in some way it suited into the story of it. The young girl with the super power got separated from her parents and locked into a room in an under earth base from the goverment.

The week flew by until it was friday and a shadow came over my mood as I drove to Seattle to pick up Brooke from her college. I waited in front of the school in my car and my throughts drifted off while I closed my eyes and leaned back. I sighed deep and crossed my arms in front of my chest. Some minutes later the passenger's door opened and I was greeted with a kiss on my cheek.

"Hey, Daniel. How are doing?" "Hi honey. I haven't slept that much last night, but besides from that I am good. And how about you?" "A bit stressed, but this is kind of normal for me. Do you want me to drive today? That you can rest a bit." "It's okay I'll make it."

We drove to Brooke's parents and stayed for a late luch. Then I put her bag for this weekend in my car. I were going to step into my car as Brooke put a hand on my shoulder. "Let me drive. You can barely open your eyes. Sleep a bit while I drive. I wake you up when we are there." "Uh yeah that would be better, thank you."

We changed the seats and Brooke started to drive. I tried to lean back into the passenger seat and closed my eyes. We left Seattle and the radio played quietly my favorite CD in the background. But I could not get any sleep, my mind was to busy.

I sighed and opened my eyes to see that Brooked looked worried at me. "Ugh. I can't sleep." "I have an idea. Why don't you lie down and your head in my lap. I bet this is much more comfortable as the seat." I looked at Brooke and saw a slight blush on her cheeks. "Are you sure? That sounds not really safe, if something happens." "Ah fuck the safety. Try it. Come here."

I put off my seatbelt and laid across the both seats and as told my head into Brooke's lap. She looked down at me and smiled. I closed my eyes again and enjoyed the warmth of her. From time to time she put one of her hands on my head and went slowly with her fingers through my hair. I don't know how long I needed but at some time I drifted off into a slumber.

I felt a soft sensation on my lips which woke me slowly up. I grumbled a bit. "I am sorry to wake you up, but we are at your parents house." Brooke's hand rested on my cheek and her thumb careesed over one of my eyes. She leaned again down to me and placed another gentle kiss on my lips.

I smiled into the kiss. "Thank you." "For you always." Slowly I got up and yawned. After some moments we got out of the car and took our bags with us. I stood in front of the door and searched in my pokets for the key as the door opened and my father stood there.

"Daniel, good to see you." He came close to me and hugged me tight. "Hey dad." I mumbled into his shoulder. We were standing so for a while until he broke the hug and put his hands on my shoulders. "How are you?" "Well..." "It's okay. At first come in. We can talk later." He stepped aside and I walked past him. While I walked in I heard my father talking to Brooke.

"Thank you for taking care of him. It is really hard for him. Like it's for me and his sister. You are a good girlfriend." "I love him and this is the least I can do."

I dropped my bag besides the sofa and sat down, as I heard a door got opened and someone rushed out of it and I got caught in a huge hug from my sister Lydia. "Hey sis." "Dan...iel." she managed to say between some sobs. "Shhhh. It's okay." I said while I patted her head.

Brooke and my father came in too and settled down to after some minutes Lydia calmed down and stopped hugging me, but was still leaning her head on my chest and I instantly felt a gaze on me. I looked over to Brooke and it was her gaze. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Are you really jealous of my sister?

And at this point she seemed to realise her dumb thought and quietly facepalmed herself. This evening we tried to distract us by talking about nothing serious. It worked at least a bit until we went to bed early. Brooke and I were lying in my bed close to another. I were staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Daniel let's sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be exhausting enough. Huh." "You don't have to say that to me!" I said offended. A short silence followed this. "Ugh sorry. That wasn't intended." "It's okay, I know it." Brooke put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer that my head rested on her shoulder. I closed my eyes an enjoyed her calming presence and scent. After some moments under her caressing I fell asleep.

The next morning we had a short breakfast and spend the most time by getting us ready for the funeral. I wore a simple blacksuit and Brooke bought a black knee-lenght dress and as it is her style some black leggins with matching sneakers.

Around lunchtime we went to the graveyard and I intoduced Brooke to the rest of my family. I liked to have done it under better circumstances. The ceremony started and we sat down in the chapel in the frist row as nearest relatives. The mourning speaker hold a speech for a half hour then the urn were carried to the grave and we could say goodbye. After my father and sister I stepped in front of the grave together with Brooke. I lowered my head as Brooke whispered to me. "Do you want to be alone for a while?"

I don't looked at her and thought for a while. "Please-" Brooke started to turn around while I said it. "-no. I need you with me." She leaned her shoulder against mine and our hands touched themself and she took mine and intertwined our fingers. Moments of silence came, but words were spoken in my mind and I promised my mother something.

I lifted my head and wiped some tears away, then I turned to Brooke kissed her forehead and whispered to her. "Thank you my love." She smiled at me. My father let me and my sister the first shovel of earth for the grave. After it we hugged us all for a few moments and calmed us. After we broke the hug we joined the rest of our family and went together to a restaurant and ate diner together.

For the next hours we chatted with the family members. Slowly the first parts of the family left and soon there were just my father, my sister, Brooke and myself. So we decided to leave an go back to the house. We walked in and Brooke and I sat down at the couch. My father sat in his armchair and looked at me. "Are you okay Daniel?" I sighed deep. "Yeah kind of. Do you mind if we leave to my room." "Not at all, Daniel. Come to me, if you need something." "Thanks, dad." I took Brooke's hand in mine and guided her to my room.

I dropped myself at my bed and Brooke stood at the edge of it and looked at me. "So, Daniel. I have one question." "Huh?! And the question is?" "Uh... at the funeral you had a smile on your face for some moments. Could you tell me why?" "Had I? When exactly?" "While we stood at the grave." "Ohhh! There... Uhm... It was nothing..." "Daniel, don't lie to me..." Brooke looked serious at me. "Okay okay. I just promised my mother something. But I don't remember that I smiled during this." "And what do you promised?" "I...ughm...no. It's a secret." "Come on spill it. you can tell it to me." "Nah it's embarrassing right now." Brooke sighed and seemed to give up on trying to push it out of me.

"Hey Brooke soon it's gonna be dark. You want to go to the park and relax a bit?" She nodded and hold out her hand. "Sounds good. Let's go." I took her hand and she helped me up. "But first I have to pack my bag. A blanket, something to drink and others. You like to go down and take something to drink?" "I'm on it." "Thanks. I'll come down in some minutes." Brooke left the room and I started to pack my bag with everything we and I needed and went down to the living room where Brooke waited with a six pack beer and a bottle of soda.

"Dad. Brooke and I are going out for a while. Don't wait for us." "Okay Daniel, stay safe you both." We left the house amd were heading directly to the park, but slowly strolling holding hands. 40 minutes later we arrived at the park and the sun was set some moments ago. There was just a bit rest light on the sky. I searched for a good place to settle down and found it in no time. I put the blanket on the ground while Brooke smiled at me. "It's funny that you always take a place under or near a tree."

"Huh, really? Maybe because I am not used to it to have such a nice company. So I have at least something." "Tse, cheesy." "Ah come on you like it." Brooke rolled her eyes. "Ah...I don't deny it."

We sat down and as usual I leaned my back against the tree and Brooke sat next to me. "So do you have anything special in your mind to do?" "Not really. Let's see where the night goes. Have you seen the looks of my cousins on us? They mocked me long enough, that I never have a girlfriend and now I am the frist one. That really was priceless." "Yeah I wondered why they were looking at us for a long time, but now I know the reason. It's funny." Brooke said and kissed me on my cheek.

I took 2 cans of beer out of my bag and handed one to Brooke and we opened them. "Cheers." We both took a large gulp and laid down. Brooke rested her head on by chest. "Ahh my personal pillow." "You like it, huh." "Noo...I love it."

"Do you mind if I smoke a bit?" "No, but is that really necessary?" "Kind of...yes..." "Fine. Do it." "Thanks." I took out my 'equipment' rolled a joint and lit it. I took a deep drag and hold it for some seconds, then I blew the smoke into the night sky. We layed there for a while in silence occasionally sipping at our beer.

"Daniel?' "Huh? What's up?" "Can I?" "What?" "Ughm...take a drag." "Are you sure?" Brooke nodded at me. "But...with shotgun, please." I smiled at her. "Okay. Let's sit straight. We both got up and Brooke sat cross legged opposite from me while I rolled a new joint.

"Have I said that you are looking really sexy in that dress?" "I...uhm...no. Thank you." "It's true. And now prepare..." I lit the joint inhaled and then Brooke put her hands on my cheeks and pulled me closer. She pressed her lips onto mine and I exhaled the smoke slowly into her mouth. As I was done I leaned back and watched her fighting against the cough. Some minutes later she wanted to try drag on the joint on her own and to my surprise she did not cough. So we passed us the joint until it was gone. Then we laid down on our backs again and cuddled.

There were an half hour of silence between us, but a good kind of silence.

"So Daniel. What did you promised to your mother?" I smiled into the night. "Nice try, but I am not that stoned. Brooke believe me that it is a good kind of secret. When the day comes I think it's okay to tell you, I'll do it." "Damnit." Brooke said and snickered after it.

The next hours we talked about our lives so far and the time flew by until it was 4 in the night. All cans of beer and the soda bottle were empty, so we started to go back to the house in the night. Trying not to wake up my father and sister we went into my room and cuddled under my blanket and fell asleep the way I loved the most.

The rest of the weekend were pretty awesome. The last day we played some games together and forgot for some time about the past week. On sunday evening I drove Brooke back to Seattle and then I drove back to Arcadia and continued working on my manga with some fresh ideas.

End notes: Alright guys enough sad things (for now *wink*) The next chapter starts with a massive time skip, but as you are used to it from me there will be a summary. And if you are curious about the promise you have to wait some chapters ^^

So now see you at the next chapter

- Flo