A/N: Hey. I've just realized that this is the story I've been meaning to write ever since the beginning. It's coming rather easily. I'm glad you're reading :)
Well, I am super mad. (this has nothing to do with the story) but I got permanant marker on my NEW pair of pants by accident and I tried to clean it off with something that said it could clean laundry but then it only made my NEW pants all spotty and bleached. CRAP CRAP CRAP MY PANTS!
Grr... alright, I haven't really had much of a chance to write lately and I've been doing this at all different times, with little bits scattered about on different pages in my purple composition notebook.
But here it is, finally. I hope you enjoy! :P
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Even standing alone in the dark, while the girl spoke with Jesse in a strained voice inside, a slow grin crept across my face. It was him. It was Jesse. FINALLY. After all this time I'd lived thinking there was no hope I come to discover that Jesse is ALIVE. Sure, he hasn't the slightest clue who I am or where I came from, but at least he's here, right? It just proves that we were meant to be together. It was fate. Someone up there loves me!
I could've screamed, I swear. I'd never been so happy in my life. This is probably why he left, to come back here, I bet. My heart was thudding dangerously fast, I was so happy I was trembling.
God, could this really be him? Was I dreaming? If so, I never wanted to wake up. I wouldn't let myself wake up. This was too perfect to ever leave.
I took a deep breath and slumped back against one of the thick adobe pillars that supported the de Silva's grand home. I looked up, and even in the deep darkness of the night, you could still make out the outline of the house, which seemed bigger than any home in Carmel even, and that was saying a lot. I can only imagined what it looked like compared to the other houses of this era.
I was standing inside this huge courtyard like the one at my school, with a big, bubbling marble fountain in the center as well. There were big, flourishing flower beds trimming the walls and there were quite a few thick, oak doors that led into various rooms. One of them happened to be open and I caught sight of a lavishing crystal chandelier that hung over a giant woven rug. It blended just the right shades of orange and brown that it fit perfectly with the whole picturesque home. The whole place looked like it came straight from a Diego Rivera painting.
It looked so inviting and serene, so empty and dark, that I couldn't help but take a step inside only to be welcomed by a huge, hanging portrait of what looked to be like the entire de Silva family. I gasped at the precise details that made up Jesse's smooth black hair and the same milky black eyes that stared down at me in a friendly way.
There was an old man, stern and regal-looking man in the same pirate-y cowboyish attire that Jesse donned, who I assumed was Jesse's father. Holding his hand was a tall, elegant looking woman who sat upright and tried hard to look cold and serious, but you could see a sort of softness in her eyes. Behind them stood five girls, all raven-haired and with Jesse's same onxy eyes, presumably his sisters.
I recognized the girl who looked the oldest as the girl who I first saw when I got here, the one who thought I was a hooker or something and then proceeded to run for her life. Yeah, she was Jesse's sister. And now she was in talking to him in there telling him about who knows what. But then a thought hit me: What if she warned him to stay away from me?
Oh, God, I wouldn't let her do that. I turned around, trying to run back to stop her from ruining my chances at having Jesse but apparently she had the same idea. As soon as I turned around, I ran smack into her and she fell to the floor. I would have been alright, if she hadn't dragged me down with her by the arm.
"Hijo de la gran puta!" She shrieked and muttered what sounded like a heap of other Spanish curses, only to clap her hand over her mouth shortly afterwords, her eyes wide.
She stood up hastily, brushing imaginary clouds of dirt from her skirt. "What are you doing here?" The girl said as she shook her head. Her curls whipped around her face in all directions. "What do you want with my brother?" I extended a hand and she reluctantly helped me up.
"I don't *want* anything, believe me. I don't even know how I got here." Honestly, I didn't. She was treating me like some sort of criminal when I was just lost. I calmly explained this to her but she wouldn't hear any of it.
She didn't let go of my arm but instead pulled me outside and shoot the door behind us as quietly as she could. Then, looking at me directly in the eyes, she whispered, "Are you Susannah?"
"Uh, yeah," I shifted my feet uncomfortably. Usually I'm not one to get nervous at all. But you should've seen this girl, she was pretty damn intimidating for a chick in a hoop-skirt, I tell you. What with those scary, somewhat-arched eyebrows and Spanish cursing and everything.
"He's always talking about you," she mused, apparently over that little fiasco, while twisting a perfect black ringlet in her fingers. "Where did you come from anyway?"
I sighed. "Look, I'm not from anywhere near here and I don't have a place to stay. Are you really going to just throw me out on the street? Come on, have some compassion."
"She's right," Jesse's voice rang out from the dark. He walked up and rested an arm around his sister's shoulder. "Lucero, you cannot just kick her out like this. She has to stay somewhere. If not here, than where else?"
Lucero looked outraged. "No way," she said, her arms crossed stubbornly in front of her. "Jesse, what will mother think? We can't just have soem strange woman you met on the street take up board in our home! It's just not acceptable." Jesse made this irrisistibly cute little pout at her which caused her to roll her eyes and sigh in defeat. "Fine, I have an idea. We will find you something decent to wear, and you can stay here the rest of the night. In the morning, I will take you to my good friend Rosa's house and you can stay there until you figure out how to get home."
Despite the huge embarrassment factor, I smiled. "Thanks, you guys, I really appreciate it." God, I'd never felt so unwanted. I didn't really care where I stayed. I mean, if it was this huge problem for Jesse, I would go somewhere else. Heck, for Jesse, I'd live in a cave, or something.
"Alright," Lucero grumbled. "Come with me, my dresses should fit you. You can't possibly show up at Rosa's home looking like *that*." I glared at her, my hands on my hips. That little *bitch*.
She walked away, rolling her eyes. I began to follow her but as soon as she turned the corner, Jesse approached me, grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him. My heartbeat sped up merely upon feeling his soft fingers against my skin.
"Susannah," he said, a little smile playing upon his face. "I can't help but get the feeling that we've met before."
I cocked my head to the side, a little hurt, I must admit. What was he talking about? Was this a joke? "You mean you don't remember?"
"Remember what, querida?" He said, his eyebrows knitting together. I could only open my mouth to ask him if it was really a joke, but didn't get the chance to when Lucero's snotty voice rang out from the dark, demanding that I get to her room right now or she'd go to bed and let her mother find me in the morning.
I sighed, not really in the mood to feel the wrath of some over-protective nineteeth-century Spanish mother. I trudged reluctantly behind as Jesse led me into her room, where he waited outside the door politely. I shut the door and paced back and forth for a little bit while Lucero dug through some chests and big oak wardrobes until she pulled out a long, emerald green dress. Sure, it was a hoop-skirt but when in Rome... right?
She put it in my arms saying, "You can put this one on. It's too big for me so I just figured it would fit you." My mouth hung open. Did she just say what I thought she just said?!
I really would've taken a swing at her if I hadn't been distracted by the pure beauty of the gown she handed me. It was this really cute jade green, a black rose pattern about it with these tiny little pearls sewn into the bodice. The sleeves were ruffled slightly and they belled out a little, giving whoever wears it an angelic look.
I turned to Lucero, who was still standing by her window, crossing her arms in fron of her. "Uh, do you mind?"
She rolled her eyes and turned around, mumbling, "Dios, you think I'd actually like to see that...."
I slipped out of the rest of my clothes and into the dress. Turning around to face the bronze, old fashion mirror that hung on her wall and took a long, thoughtful look at myself. I didn't look like THAT big of a shamrock.
Kidding. Really. No, I must admit, I actually looked pretty good. It fit perfectly, brought out the green in my eyes, and even flattered my figure a little bit. All this from a hoop skirt! Who'd a thunk?
She turned back around and looked at me from head to toe, her inky black eyebrows raised high up. She clicked her tongue for a second, tapping her foot, then went into another chest, retrieving a pair of black heels.
I put them on, and then she smiled at me. "You look nice," She said simply, and I began to think that maybe there's a different side to Lucero. She might not be the heinous bitch she makes herself out to be, you know? We were the same age, so it was quite possible that we could get along….maybe.
I fixed my hair in the mirror and opened the door. Jesse immediately straightened up when he saw us. He ran his fingers though his hair, looking utterly adorable. "Wow," he breathed, his eyes wide. "You look beautiful."
I blushed as he held his arm out, I slipped mine inside of his, and led me out to the back through a floral adorned archway. I looked over my shoulder and smiled at Lucero, who was chuckling a little. Actually, she was pretty cool not to go running to her mother to tell about me and Jesse.
We sat together on a little swinging bench, right smack in the middle of this gorgeous, blooming garden. Roses, Azaleas, Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Pansies and more bursted as the sun rose over the tiled roof of the pale orange house. It was perfect, being there with Jesse. I wanted nothing more than to stay there by Jesse's side forever. I didn't need Paul; not anymore.
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JESSE'S POV-
I couldn't help but let out an overwhelmed gasp when Susannah came out of that room, truly looking like an angel sent from heaven. A pale, ethereal glow radiated from her as she smiled at me, an innocent, bashful smile. Her eyes glittered, reflecting the bright green dress she was wearing.
I walked up to her, smiling shyly as she slipped her arm in mine. "Wow, y-you look beautiful," I said in a strangled voice, sounding like a stuttering fool and nothing like myself. This is what she did to me! Every time I was around her I became flushed, fumbled around for things, always tripping over my words. Why?
(a/n: notice how Jesse thinks of himself and how Suze sees him….)
I walked her into the backyard. It was the most beautiful place in the house, with exotic flowers and trees blooming all around. And in the center was a great, handcrafted swing my father had made for the girls. They loved it, always fawning over this new tree or the hummingbirds that had found a new home in our garden.The place seemed to have the same effect on Susannah that it had on all my sisters because she gasped and actually covered her mouth with one hand.
I sat down on the swing and she joined me after a few seconds. I sat down with one leg underneath me and she tried to as well, but kept grabbing fistfuls of the skirt and tossing them aside, frustrated, only to put it back and groan.
I chuckled, reaching out and pushing a piece of hair from her eyes. I just had this fascination with them. Her eyes, that is. They were such a deep, irresistible green that once I looked into them, I couldn't get them off of my mind. Their beauty almost took my breath away.
I took her hands in mine, running my thumb over her fingers softly. We smiled at each other until I said, "Susannah, even before you came here, I'd have dreams of you all the time."
She laughed a little then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I've missed you so much, Jesse," she said into my collar.
I held her tighter against my chest, my hands finding a place in the small of her back. "Susannah, it seems like there's this… unspoken attraction between us, though I've never met you before in my life."
I could see the utter confusion in her eyes as they became a little glossy. She wiped at them and said, in a hurt voice, "God, Jesse, are you really telling me that you don't remember *anything*?"
I laughed a little and went, "I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, querida." To my surprise, Susannah stood up suddenly, throwing my hands back into my lap. And like that, the moment was shattered.
"JESSE, HOW COULD YOU NOT REMEMBER?!" She was so loud, I had to put my fingers to my lips in an attempt to quiet her down, or she'd wake the whole house, I'm sure. "WAS IT REALLY THAT UNIMPORTANT?!"
"Susannah… what did I do wrong? What happened?" I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated. Then I took cautious steps closer and closer until I had her wrapped in a hug. Her breathing slowed as she hiccupped into my shoulder. I must say, I handled it pretty well. But I'd also had a lot of practice, having five sisters. They had these sorts of mood-swings all the time and I, being the older brother, was the natural person to comfort them besides our mother.
"It's… well, it really hurts me that everything has meant so much to me and you don't remember a thing that happened," she sniffled. "Now, I know you can't help it and everything but still, it's a big bummer, you know?"
I knitted my brow, confused. "Bummer?"
She shook her head, "Forget it," It was already well past dawn and the roosters were crowing, clucking their way around our feet. I could hear our servants beginning to wake and knew that Susannah and I only had a few more minutes to be alone.
She looked deep into my eyes, searching me. "Jesse, what did Paul do to you?" Her voice was on the verge of sobs, shaking a little. I felt a surge of anger rush through my veins, she sounded so hurt. I was fuming. Not only over the fact that someone could find it in them to hurt someone as innocent as Susannah, but over the possibility that there was another man in her life. The possibility that she didn't get the same feeling of intense fervor and emotion towards me than I did everytime I saw her.
Why was I even thinking thoughts like this? I'd barely met the girl only a few hours ago, and here I was with these feelings of great infatuation for her. I'd never felt like this toward anyone before. What was happening to me? Why was I feeling like this?
I stood up, and began walking around aimlessly, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't possibly be falling in love with her... not so soon, could I? I couldn't let myself, because, well, my parents hold the final decision on who I marry and I highly doubt that they will allow me to wed a girl who appeared mysteriously in my bedroom one night.
As I began to turn around, a bright red budding rose caught my eye. It was the only one that had bloomed so far in the great bush full of pale green buds. A smile broke out on my face as I took out a small knife I carried, and sliced the rose, stem and all, from the bush.
It was beautiful, just like my querida, Heaven on earth.
SUZE'S POV--
I stood up, wondering what Jesse could be doing so quietly back there when he walked up behind me. He came up, putting his chin right on my shoulder as he pushed my hair away gently. And slowly, I could see as he pulled a deep crimson rose from behind his back, clasping the long stem between his fingers. His lips brushed softly against my ear as he whispered, "A rose for a rose." And kissed my neck softly.
I closed my eyes and inhailed sharply, my breath dangerously jagged. With a crooked smile, I turned around and faced him, opening my mouth, ready to confess my complete and undying love for him, but his eyes were wide with horror, and I was afraid that A. I'd somehow missed a huge chunk of Spinach as I was brushing my teeth last night B. There was a huge and oozing zit right between my eyes or C. Jesse'd realized what a complete LOSER I am and was trying to think of an excuse to leave without hurting my feelings.
But it turned out to be none of those because I followed Jesse's gaze, and saw Lucero, running toward us and holding her skirt up out of the mud with her hands. "Mother woke up," She panted, "and she can't see you two together like this. Come, Susannah, we must leave quickly."
She gripped my wrist tightly and pulled me deep into a forest path. We inadvertently kicked up clouds of dust beneath our feet as we ran, and held our skirts up like true girls, trying to stay spotless and not tarnish our new dresses. Once we were a safe distance from the great de Silva mansion, Lucero stepped in front of me and, when I tried to get around her, refused to move out of the way.
"Susannah," she sighed. "What do you want with my brother, huh? Did you meet him when he went to San Fransisco with my father? He... he really likes you, more than you can know."
I blushed, "It's a really, really long story, Lucero and the chances that you'll believe me are, like, nil."
She was clearly confused by my modern lingo, but seemed to get the message. "No," she shook her head. "I'd really like to know." I sighed, figuring that she was bound to find out sooner or later. So I told her everything. Everything from Paul to the mysterious dreams I'd been having lately that ultimately led me here.
She listened quietly the whole time, nodding and commenting in all the right spots and, when I was finally done, she was smiling. "It's just like Jesse to do that," she laughed. "He's always been a hopeless romantic."
I smiled, "You know, Lucero, you're not that bad."
PAUL'S POV:
I was chatting with Kelly Prescott, her girlfriends, and the rest of the guys at lunch, just minding my business, leaning up against the monkey bars. Jason tossed me a bag of chips and I opened them eagerly, tossing a few into my mouth. Suze wasn't at school that day, but I figured she just wasn't feeling well. I mean, she hadn't looked all that great last night.
I'd turned around to talk to Kelly's pal, Angie, and she was grinning broadly at a joke I'd just told when I'd heard snickers echoing from the group and Jason tapping me on the shoulder. I spun around and made a face. Suze's friend, Cee Cee, was running toward me frantically, her violet eyes wide in alarm. It was more than embarassing, didn't this chick know that I couldn't be seen with girls like her? Not in public, anyway....
She kneeled over in front of me and then put both of her hands on my shoulders. The guy's laughter only grew louder. I coughed, "Uh, Cee Cee, right? What is it?" Alex and Jeff began making rather rude comments about her abnormally pale skin, and Cee Cee only rolled her eyes at them.
"Paul," she said, her breathe heavy. "This isn't a joke…. Suze's parents…. They woke up this morning, went into Suze's room, and she was just lying there, barely breathing. They don't know what's wrong, just rushed her to the hospital. Her brother, David, just told me."
I felt the blood drain from my face: colorless. The dull thudding sound of my books against the floor. The laughter grew quieter and I froze.
Suze. Was. Hurt.
A/N: Whoa. I felt that was longer than usual... yes? Well, I hope you liked it, PLEASE REVIEW! :) Love ya.
Well, I am super mad. (this has nothing to do with the story) but I got permanant marker on my NEW pair of pants by accident and I tried to clean it off with something that said it could clean laundry but then it only made my NEW pants all spotty and bleached. CRAP CRAP CRAP MY PANTS!
Grr... alright, I haven't really had much of a chance to write lately and I've been doing this at all different times, with little bits scattered about on different pages in my purple composition notebook.
But here it is, finally. I hope you enjoy! :P
____________________________________
Even standing alone in the dark, while the girl spoke with Jesse in a strained voice inside, a slow grin crept across my face. It was him. It was Jesse. FINALLY. After all this time I'd lived thinking there was no hope I come to discover that Jesse is ALIVE. Sure, he hasn't the slightest clue who I am or where I came from, but at least he's here, right? It just proves that we were meant to be together. It was fate. Someone up there loves me!
I could've screamed, I swear. I'd never been so happy in my life. This is probably why he left, to come back here, I bet. My heart was thudding dangerously fast, I was so happy I was trembling.
God, could this really be him? Was I dreaming? If so, I never wanted to wake up. I wouldn't let myself wake up. This was too perfect to ever leave.
I took a deep breath and slumped back against one of the thick adobe pillars that supported the de Silva's grand home. I looked up, and even in the deep darkness of the night, you could still make out the outline of the house, which seemed bigger than any home in Carmel even, and that was saying a lot. I can only imagined what it looked like compared to the other houses of this era.
I was standing inside this huge courtyard like the one at my school, with a big, bubbling marble fountain in the center as well. There were big, flourishing flower beds trimming the walls and there were quite a few thick, oak doors that led into various rooms. One of them happened to be open and I caught sight of a lavishing crystal chandelier that hung over a giant woven rug. It blended just the right shades of orange and brown that it fit perfectly with the whole picturesque home. The whole place looked like it came straight from a Diego Rivera painting.
It looked so inviting and serene, so empty and dark, that I couldn't help but take a step inside only to be welcomed by a huge, hanging portrait of what looked to be like the entire de Silva family. I gasped at the precise details that made up Jesse's smooth black hair and the same milky black eyes that stared down at me in a friendly way.
There was an old man, stern and regal-looking man in the same pirate-y cowboyish attire that Jesse donned, who I assumed was Jesse's father. Holding his hand was a tall, elegant looking woman who sat upright and tried hard to look cold and serious, but you could see a sort of softness in her eyes. Behind them stood five girls, all raven-haired and with Jesse's same onxy eyes, presumably his sisters.
I recognized the girl who looked the oldest as the girl who I first saw when I got here, the one who thought I was a hooker or something and then proceeded to run for her life. Yeah, she was Jesse's sister. And now she was in talking to him in there telling him about who knows what. But then a thought hit me: What if she warned him to stay away from me?
Oh, God, I wouldn't let her do that. I turned around, trying to run back to stop her from ruining my chances at having Jesse but apparently she had the same idea. As soon as I turned around, I ran smack into her and she fell to the floor. I would have been alright, if she hadn't dragged me down with her by the arm.
"Hijo de la gran puta!" She shrieked and muttered what sounded like a heap of other Spanish curses, only to clap her hand over her mouth shortly afterwords, her eyes wide.
She stood up hastily, brushing imaginary clouds of dirt from her skirt. "What are you doing here?" The girl said as she shook her head. Her curls whipped around her face in all directions. "What do you want with my brother?" I extended a hand and she reluctantly helped me up.
"I don't *want* anything, believe me. I don't even know how I got here." Honestly, I didn't. She was treating me like some sort of criminal when I was just lost. I calmly explained this to her but she wouldn't hear any of it.
She didn't let go of my arm but instead pulled me outside and shoot the door behind us as quietly as she could. Then, looking at me directly in the eyes, she whispered, "Are you Susannah?"
"Uh, yeah," I shifted my feet uncomfortably. Usually I'm not one to get nervous at all. But you should've seen this girl, she was pretty damn intimidating for a chick in a hoop-skirt, I tell you. What with those scary, somewhat-arched eyebrows and Spanish cursing and everything.
"He's always talking about you," she mused, apparently over that little fiasco, while twisting a perfect black ringlet in her fingers. "Where did you come from anyway?"
I sighed. "Look, I'm not from anywhere near here and I don't have a place to stay. Are you really going to just throw me out on the street? Come on, have some compassion."
"She's right," Jesse's voice rang out from the dark. He walked up and rested an arm around his sister's shoulder. "Lucero, you cannot just kick her out like this. She has to stay somewhere. If not here, than where else?"
Lucero looked outraged. "No way," she said, her arms crossed stubbornly in front of her. "Jesse, what will mother think? We can't just have soem strange woman you met on the street take up board in our home! It's just not acceptable." Jesse made this irrisistibly cute little pout at her which caused her to roll her eyes and sigh in defeat. "Fine, I have an idea. We will find you something decent to wear, and you can stay here the rest of the night. In the morning, I will take you to my good friend Rosa's house and you can stay there until you figure out how to get home."
Despite the huge embarrassment factor, I smiled. "Thanks, you guys, I really appreciate it." God, I'd never felt so unwanted. I didn't really care where I stayed. I mean, if it was this huge problem for Jesse, I would go somewhere else. Heck, for Jesse, I'd live in a cave, or something.
"Alright," Lucero grumbled. "Come with me, my dresses should fit you. You can't possibly show up at Rosa's home looking like *that*." I glared at her, my hands on my hips. That little *bitch*.
She walked away, rolling her eyes. I began to follow her but as soon as she turned the corner, Jesse approached me, grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him. My heartbeat sped up merely upon feeling his soft fingers against my skin.
"Susannah," he said, a little smile playing upon his face. "I can't help but get the feeling that we've met before."
I cocked my head to the side, a little hurt, I must admit. What was he talking about? Was this a joke? "You mean you don't remember?"
"Remember what, querida?" He said, his eyebrows knitting together. I could only open my mouth to ask him if it was really a joke, but didn't get the chance to when Lucero's snotty voice rang out from the dark, demanding that I get to her room right now or she'd go to bed and let her mother find me in the morning.
I sighed, not really in the mood to feel the wrath of some over-protective nineteeth-century Spanish mother. I trudged reluctantly behind as Jesse led me into her room, where he waited outside the door politely. I shut the door and paced back and forth for a little bit while Lucero dug through some chests and big oak wardrobes until she pulled out a long, emerald green dress. Sure, it was a hoop-skirt but when in Rome... right?
She put it in my arms saying, "You can put this one on. It's too big for me so I just figured it would fit you." My mouth hung open. Did she just say what I thought she just said?!
I really would've taken a swing at her if I hadn't been distracted by the pure beauty of the gown she handed me. It was this really cute jade green, a black rose pattern about it with these tiny little pearls sewn into the bodice. The sleeves were ruffled slightly and they belled out a little, giving whoever wears it an angelic look.
I turned to Lucero, who was still standing by her window, crossing her arms in fron of her. "Uh, do you mind?"
She rolled her eyes and turned around, mumbling, "Dios, you think I'd actually like to see that...."
I slipped out of the rest of my clothes and into the dress. Turning around to face the bronze, old fashion mirror that hung on her wall and took a long, thoughtful look at myself. I didn't look like THAT big of a shamrock.
Kidding. Really. No, I must admit, I actually looked pretty good. It fit perfectly, brought out the green in my eyes, and even flattered my figure a little bit. All this from a hoop skirt! Who'd a thunk?
She turned back around and looked at me from head to toe, her inky black eyebrows raised high up. She clicked her tongue for a second, tapping her foot, then went into another chest, retrieving a pair of black heels.
I put them on, and then she smiled at me. "You look nice," She said simply, and I began to think that maybe there's a different side to Lucero. She might not be the heinous bitch she makes herself out to be, you know? We were the same age, so it was quite possible that we could get along….maybe.
I fixed my hair in the mirror and opened the door. Jesse immediately straightened up when he saw us. He ran his fingers though his hair, looking utterly adorable. "Wow," he breathed, his eyes wide. "You look beautiful."
I blushed as he held his arm out, I slipped mine inside of his, and led me out to the back through a floral adorned archway. I looked over my shoulder and smiled at Lucero, who was chuckling a little. Actually, she was pretty cool not to go running to her mother to tell about me and Jesse.
We sat together on a little swinging bench, right smack in the middle of this gorgeous, blooming garden. Roses, Azaleas, Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Pansies and more bursted as the sun rose over the tiled roof of the pale orange house. It was perfect, being there with Jesse. I wanted nothing more than to stay there by Jesse's side forever. I didn't need Paul; not anymore.
___________________________
JESSE'S POV-
I couldn't help but let out an overwhelmed gasp when Susannah came out of that room, truly looking like an angel sent from heaven. A pale, ethereal glow radiated from her as she smiled at me, an innocent, bashful smile. Her eyes glittered, reflecting the bright green dress she was wearing.
I walked up to her, smiling shyly as she slipped her arm in mine. "Wow, y-you look beautiful," I said in a strangled voice, sounding like a stuttering fool and nothing like myself. This is what she did to me! Every time I was around her I became flushed, fumbled around for things, always tripping over my words. Why?
(a/n: notice how Jesse thinks of himself and how Suze sees him….)
I walked her into the backyard. It was the most beautiful place in the house, with exotic flowers and trees blooming all around. And in the center was a great, handcrafted swing my father had made for the girls. They loved it, always fawning over this new tree or the hummingbirds that had found a new home in our garden.The place seemed to have the same effect on Susannah that it had on all my sisters because she gasped and actually covered her mouth with one hand.
I sat down on the swing and she joined me after a few seconds. I sat down with one leg underneath me and she tried to as well, but kept grabbing fistfuls of the skirt and tossing them aside, frustrated, only to put it back and groan.
I chuckled, reaching out and pushing a piece of hair from her eyes. I just had this fascination with them. Her eyes, that is. They were such a deep, irresistible green that once I looked into them, I couldn't get them off of my mind. Their beauty almost took my breath away.
I took her hands in mine, running my thumb over her fingers softly. We smiled at each other until I said, "Susannah, even before you came here, I'd have dreams of you all the time."
She laughed a little then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I've missed you so much, Jesse," she said into my collar.
I held her tighter against my chest, my hands finding a place in the small of her back. "Susannah, it seems like there's this… unspoken attraction between us, though I've never met you before in my life."
I could see the utter confusion in her eyes as they became a little glossy. She wiped at them and said, in a hurt voice, "God, Jesse, are you really telling me that you don't remember *anything*?"
I laughed a little and went, "I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, querida." To my surprise, Susannah stood up suddenly, throwing my hands back into my lap. And like that, the moment was shattered.
"JESSE, HOW COULD YOU NOT REMEMBER?!" She was so loud, I had to put my fingers to my lips in an attempt to quiet her down, or she'd wake the whole house, I'm sure. "WAS IT REALLY THAT UNIMPORTANT?!"
"Susannah… what did I do wrong? What happened?" I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated. Then I took cautious steps closer and closer until I had her wrapped in a hug. Her breathing slowed as she hiccupped into my shoulder. I must say, I handled it pretty well. But I'd also had a lot of practice, having five sisters. They had these sorts of mood-swings all the time and I, being the older brother, was the natural person to comfort them besides our mother.
"It's… well, it really hurts me that everything has meant so much to me and you don't remember a thing that happened," she sniffled. "Now, I know you can't help it and everything but still, it's a big bummer, you know?"
I knitted my brow, confused. "Bummer?"
She shook her head, "Forget it," It was already well past dawn and the roosters were crowing, clucking their way around our feet. I could hear our servants beginning to wake and knew that Susannah and I only had a few more minutes to be alone.
She looked deep into my eyes, searching me. "Jesse, what did Paul do to you?" Her voice was on the verge of sobs, shaking a little. I felt a surge of anger rush through my veins, she sounded so hurt. I was fuming. Not only over the fact that someone could find it in them to hurt someone as innocent as Susannah, but over the possibility that there was another man in her life. The possibility that she didn't get the same feeling of intense fervor and emotion towards me than I did everytime I saw her.
Why was I even thinking thoughts like this? I'd barely met the girl only a few hours ago, and here I was with these feelings of great infatuation for her. I'd never felt like this toward anyone before. What was happening to me? Why was I feeling like this?
I stood up, and began walking around aimlessly, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't possibly be falling in love with her... not so soon, could I? I couldn't let myself, because, well, my parents hold the final decision on who I marry and I highly doubt that they will allow me to wed a girl who appeared mysteriously in my bedroom one night.
As I began to turn around, a bright red budding rose caught my eye. It was the only one that had bloomed so far in the great bush full of pale green buds. A smile broke out on my face as I took out a small knife I carried, and sliced the rose, stem and all, from the bush.
It was beautiful, just like my querida, Heaven on earth.
SUZE'S POV--
I stood up, wondering what Jesse could be doing so quietly back there when he walked up behind me. He came up, putting his chin right on my shoulder as he pushed my hair away gently. And slowly, I could see as he pulled a deep crimson rose from behind his back, clasping the long stem between his fingers. His lips brushed softly against my ear as he whispered, "A rose for a rose." And kissed my neck softly.
I closed my eyes and inhailed sharply, my breath dangerously jagged. With a crooked smile, I turned around and faced him, opening my mouth, ready to confess my complete and undying love for him, but his eyes were wide with horror, and I was afraid that A. I'd somehow missed a huge chunk of Spinach as I was brushing my teeth last night B. There was a huge and oozing zit right between my eyes or C. Jesse'd realized what a complete LOSER I am and was trying to think of an excuse to leave without hurting my feelings.
But it turned out to be none of those because I followed Jesse's gaze, and saw Lucero, running toward us and holding her skirt up out of the mud with her hands. "Mother woke up," She panted, "and she can't see you two together like this. Come, Susannah, we must leave quickly."
She gripped my wrist tightly and pulled me deep into a forest path. We inadvertently kicked up clouds of dust beneath our feet as we ran, and held our skirts up like true girls, trying to stay spotless and not tarnish our new dresses. Once we were a safe distance from the great de Silva mansion, Lucero stepped in front of me and, when I tried to get around her, refused to move out of the way.
"Susannah," she sighed. "What do you want with my brother, huh? Did you meet him when he went to San Fransisco with my father? He... he really likes you, more than you can know."
I blushed, "It's a really, really long story, Lucero and the chances that you'll believe me are, like, nil."
She was clearly confused by my modern lingo, but seemed to get the message. "No," she shook her head. "I'd really like to know." I sighed, figuring that she was bound to find out sooner or later. So I told her everything. Everything from Paul to the mysterious dreams I'd been having lately that ultimately led me here.
She listened quietly the whole time, nodding and commenting in all the right spots and, when I was finally done, she was smiling. "It's just like Jesse to do that," she laughed. "He's always been a hopeless romantic."
I smiled, "You know, Lucero, you're not that bad."
PAUL'S POV:
I was chatting with Kelly Prescott, her girlfriends, and the rest of the guys at lunch, just minding my business, leaning up against the monkey bars. Jason tossed me a bag of chips and I opened them eagerly, tossing a few into my mouth. Suze wasn't at school that day, but I figured she just wasn't feeling well. I mean, she hadn't looked all that great last night.
I'd turned around to talk to Kelly's pal, Angie, and she was grinning broadly at a joke I'd just told when I'd heard snickers echoing from the group and Jason tapping me on the shoulder. I spun around and made a face. Suze's friend, Cee Cee, was running toward me frantically, her violet eyes wide in alarm. It was more than embarassing, didn't this chick know that I couldn't be seen with girls like her? Not in public, anyway....
She kneeled over in front of me and then put both of her hands on my shoulders. The guy's laughter only grew louder. I coughed, "Uh, Cee Cee, right? What is it?" Alex and Jeff began making rather rude comments about her abnormally pale skin, and Cee Cee only rolled her eyes at them.
"Paul," she said, her breathe heavy. "This isn't a joke…. Suze's parents…. They woke up this morning, went into Suze's room, and she was just lying there, barely breathing. They don't know what's wrong, just rushed her to the hospital. Her brother, David, just told me."
I felt the blood drain from my face: colorless. The dull thudding sound of my books against the floor. The laughter grew quieter and I froze.
Suze. Was. Hurt.
A/N: Whoa. I felt that was longer than usual... yes? Well, I hope you liked it, PLEASE REVIEW! :) Love ya.
