Chapter 3/Had To Have Her
Landon woke up to the sound of footsteps in the hall. "Mom," he yelled gruffly, half awake.
"Nope. Guess again." Emily pushed open the door and walked in. "Hey."
"Ever heard of knocking," he asked angrily.
She laughed and ruffled his hair.
He picked up a t-shirt, shorts, boxers, socks, and a towel and headed to the bathroom.
"Hey where are you going," she yelled towards the hall.
"The shower. I'll be out in a minute," he yelled back, rolling his eyes. As he stepped into the shower he realized something. This was the first time any girl besides Jamie, and his mother of course, had seen him wake up. He shuddered, more wonderful thoughts of waking up beside Jamie in the mornings popping into his head. Even Belinda hadn't been there in the morning. He striped off his clothes and stepped into the steamy shower, turning the water as hot as it would get. He needed to relax before he started talking about Jamie. It definitely was not easy. He turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping the towel around him and drying off. He slipped into his clean change of clothes and hurried to his room. He walked in and saw Emily, sitting on the side of his bed, the photo of him and Jamie at the wedding in her hands. He stepped up behind her, taking the photo from her. He gazed at Jamie, his heart pounding.
"She was…beautiful," Emily replied softly. She patted the bed, and he sat down next to her, gaining his composure.
"Where did we leave off," he murmured.
"You-you had just started taking acting classes."
"Oh yes, well like I said I was a terrible actor, and Jamie had to help me with my lines."
"Right."
"Well I guess I saw something in her. She was smart, talented, beautiful, funny, kind…everything a guy could possibly ask for. I just didn't see it until the night of the production. I remember the only thing I could focus on was how embarrassing it all was. Playing the lover of the school geek in front of all my jock/cheerleader friends. It seemed unbearable until…"
"Until what," she asked softly.
"Until Jamie came out. She was so beautiful that night. Her hair was all crimped and curled and her dress…it was violet-blue," he said closing hid eyes, smiling at the memory, still fresh in his mind. "She sang this song- Only Hope. It was…miraculous. Her voice was like and angel's. Then after that we kissed. It was part of the play of course, but it was still beautiful. I felt everything at the time. All the fireworks, music, sparklers, everything a kiss to your true soul mate requires. After that I still hung around her. Then one night, I got up the courage to ask her out. She turned me down. I figured heck, what does she owe a guy like me? She made a good choice. So then she told me…her Dad…he was too strict…he wouldn't let her date."
"Oh wow."
"Yes," he nodded. "She was his only thing left. All he wanted to do was make sure he kept it."
Emily and him sat there on the bed. Landon felt uncomfortable. It was an awkward moment, but they managed to pull out of it.
"So, what happened next," Emily asked, trying to sound cheerful.
"Well I went to her Dad to ask. There was only one problem."
"What?"
"He hated me."
For some reason Emily found this hilariously funny, and started cracking up. It was when she saw the look in Landon's eyes that the laughter faded, and her eyes became dull. "Go ahead," she encouraged him blushing.
"Ya, well he finally said yes. Jamie was thrilled. The thing she didn't know was what I had to do for him to agree."
"What was that?"
"Get down on my hands and knees and confess every sin I had ever committed before God."
"Oh wow," she replied, the astonishment shining in her eyes.
Landon turned away, expecting to see mock laughter, but instead he saw something else. Admiration. He smiled and continued. "So, before I took her out I bought her this new pink sweater. She looked fabulous in it," he said his eyes looking glassy.
"So where'd you go on your date?"
"Well…" he hesitated. He hated to tell Emily Jamie's list of plans and dreams, and all the memories, private memories, that they had shared, but he knew he had to, to make his tale complete. "Well see Jamie had this list- of things to do, dreams to make come true. All her wishes and goals. One of her goals was to get a tattoo," he laughed. "She couldn't do that, being the preacher's daughter, so we went to dinner, and later I took her took my car and put on one of those stick on ones." He couldn't bring himself to share the intimate details. Like how beautiful she had looked, sitting there, with the lake creating a glow off her hair, or how she had been positively shimmering and glowing with happiness.
"So what were the other goals," she asked anxiously.
"Well, she wanted to be in 2 places at once."
Emily looked confused. "How did you do that," she wondered aloud.
"I took her to the state line and had her put a foot on one side and a foot on the other. Pretty clever eh?"
"Yes, actually it is Landon. Very…thoughtful."
"Well we spent the rest of the night together. It was great, just talking, and having a good time."
"Well what else happened?"
"That's a tale for tomorrow. Remember, there's still 2 other goals."
"Ok. Can I come by tomorrow morning, about this time?"
"I can do better. Come by around 8 and we can catch dinner. I'll finish a little more about it."
"Cool. I like nothing more then going to dinner with close friends," she laughed, smiling.
They said goodbye, and Emily finally let Landon have time alone…time to collapse on his bed in tears.
Landon woke up to the sound of footsteps in the hall. "Mom," he yelled gruffly, half awake.
"Nope. Guess again." Emily pushed open the door and walked in. "Hey."
"Ever heard of knocking," he asked angrily.
She laughed and ruffled his hair.
He picked up a t-shirt, shorts, boxers, socks, and a towel and headed to the bathroom.
"Hey where are you going," she yelled towards the hall.
"The shower. I'll be out in a minute," he yelled back, rolling his eyes. As he stepped into the shower he realized something. This was the first time any girl besides Jamie, and his mother of course, had seen him wake up. He shuddered, more wonderful thoughts of waking up beside Jamie in the mornings popping into his head. Even Belinda hadn't been there in the morning. He striped off his clothes and stepped into the steamy shower, turning the water as hot as it would get. He needed to relax before he started talking about Jamie. It definitely was not easy. He turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping the towel around him and drying off. He slipped into his clean change of clothes and hurried to his room. He walked in and saw Emily, sitting on the side of his bed, the photo of him and Jamie at the wedding in her hands. He stepped up behind her, taking the photo from her. He gazed at Jamie, his heart pounding.
"She was…beautiful," Emily replied softly. She patted the bed, and he sat down next to her, gaining his composure.
"Where did we leave off," he murmured.
"You-you had just started taking acting classes."
"Oh yes, well like I said I was a terrible actor, and Jamie had to help me with my lines."
"Right."
"Well I guess I saw something in her. She was smart, talented, beautiful, funny, kind…everything a guy could possibly ask for. I just didn't see it until the night of the production. I remember the only thing I could focus on was how embarrassing it all was. Playing the lover of the school geek in front of all my jock/cheerleader friends. It seemed unbearable until…"
"Until what," she asked softly.
"Until Jamie came out. She was so beautiful that night. Her hair was all crimped and curled and her dress…it was violet-blue," he said closing hid eyes, smiling at the memory, still fresh in his mind. "She sang this song- Only Hope. It was…miraculous. Her voice was like and angel's. Then after that we kissed. It was part of the play of course, but it was still beautiful. I felt everything at the time. All the fireworks, music, sparklers, everything a kiss to your true soul mate requires. After that I still hung around her. Then one night, I got up the courage to ask her out. She turned me down. I figured heck, what does she owe a guy like me? She made a good choice. So then she told me…her Dad…he was too strict…he wouldn't let her date."
"Oh wow."
"Yes," he nodded. "She was his only thing left. All he wanted to do was make sure he kept it."
Emily and him sat there on the bed. Landon felt uncomfortable. It was an awkward moment, but they managed to pull out of it.
"So, what happened next," Emily asked, trying to sound cheerful.
"Well I went to her Dad to ask. There was only one problem."
"What?"
"He hated me."
For some reason Emily found this hilariously funny, and started cracking up. It was when she saw the look in Landon's eyes that the laughter faded, and her eyes became dull. "Go ahead," she encouraged him blushing.
"Ya, well he finally said yes. Jamie was thrilled. The thing she didn't know was what I had to do for him to agree."
"What was that?"
"Get down on my hands and knees and confess every sin I had ever committed before God."
"Oh wow," she replied, the astonishment shining in her eyes.
Landon turned away, expecting to see mock laughter, but instead he saw something else. Admiration. He smiled and continued. "So, before I took her out I bought her this new pink sweater. She looked fabulous in it," he said his eyes looking glassy.
"So where'd you go on your date?"
"Well…" he hesitated. He hated to tell Emily Jamie's list of plans and dreams, and all the memories, private memories, that they had shared, but he knew he had to, to make his tale complete. "Well see Jamie had this list- of things to do, dreams to make come true. All her wishes and goals. One of her goals was to get a tattoo," he laughed. "She couldn't do that, being the preacher's daughter, so we went to dinner, and later I took her took my car and put on one of those stick on ones." He couldn't bring himself to share the intimate details. Like how beautiful she had looked, sitting there, with the lake creating a glow off her hair, or how she had been positively shimmering and glowing with happiness.
"So what were the other goals," she asked anxiously.
"Well, she wanted to be in 2 places at once."
Emily looked confused. "How did you do that," she wondered aloud.
"I took her to the state line and had her put a foot on one side and a foot on the other. Pretty clever eh?"
"Yes, actually it is Landon. Very…thoughtful."
"Well we spent the rest of the night together. It was great, just talking, and having a good time."
"Well what else happened?"
"That's a tale for tomorrow. Remember, there's still 2 other goals."
"Ok. Can I come by tomorrow morning, about this time?"
"I can do better. Come by around 8 and we can catch dinner. I'll finish a little more about it."
"Cool. I like nothing more then going to dinner with close friends," she laughed, smiling.
They said goodbye, and Emily finally let Landon have time alone…time to collapse on his bed in tears.