Disclaimer: Same.
A/n: Sorry for not updating sooner, but I just got back to school after Spring Break and I'm just piled with work right now. Special thanks to AlwaysxAddicted for showing me how to update. Here's chapter fifteen, please read and review.
Why Did Destiny Choose This?
Chapter 15
And no more pain will be brought,
It was almost quiet in the room except for a few light sounds that seemed to echo off the walls and windows and into my mind where they nestled in the back of my thoughts. There was the gentle sound of the cool air seeping from the vents that were in various places of the room. It was chased with the small buzzing of the electricity that powered the air conditioner as if the two sounds were having a race with each other to see which sound would reach the ears of people first.
Then there was the very light sound of the ocean waves crashing into the shores only to be rushed back into the dark abyss of water. The cycle repeated itself over and over again. Sometimes the intensity of the waves exceeded what it was before, causing a loud crash to be heard, and sometimes it disintegrated into an extremely soft sound, almost like a whisper that you struggled to hear in a crowded room filled with chattering people.
Other than those two sounds, there was the light clanging of objects coming from beyond the white wooden door. Those sounds were what I assumed to be Lily doing some sort of house work. Perhaps it was her washing dishes and several pots or glasses or dishes ran into each other or it could be that she was sweeping the house and accidentally the handle of the broom ran into something.
I tossed about to find that there were no longer cool spots on the bed. I sighed in defeat and eventually shifted into the center of the bed where it was the least warm. I slightly pulled on the blanket so that it collected around my shoulders, and drifted down until it met with the mattress. The softness of the covers drifted over my forearms and to the top of my hands. Soon enough, I heard the hinges of the white door creak open. I opened my eyes to find Lily standing there poking her head in.
"Miley," She said cheerfully almost singing. "Get up." She said before fully opening the door and leaping onto the bed making it shake and quiver. I let out a drowsy groan and sat up rubbing the sleep away from my eyes.
"What time is it?" I asked while yawning half way through the sentence. Lily looked at the clock quickly and turned back to me.
"It's six thirty." She announced. I nodded and threw off the covers only to be met with a rush of cold air. I felt goose bumps rising on my arms and legs from the sudden impact of cold. I let out another yawn before swinging my legs around the bed until my feet dangled over the side. I leaned forward searching for my flip flops on the floor. The cold hardwood met my feet until at last I found a strap of a shoe. I slid it over and put on the sandal and got off the bed to find the other. A snap came from my knees as I was crouching down. Lily was on the other side of the bed folding over the sheets so that it was perfectly made and neat. Once I found the other shoe, I slipped it on before standing back up which caused my knees to crack again.
"Be right back." I announced as I slipped out of the room and across the hall to the bathroom quickly. After I was done I walked back into Lily's room to find that she was sitting in the center of her bed looking out into the ocean. Once she realized that I had walked back into the room, she turned around.
"Ready to go?" She asked with her head tilted back so that she could see me. I nodded and Lily gestured me to the door to her room. I walked out, and went down the hall; sliding my feet instead of actually walking.
From the window of the living room you could see that the sky farthest from the sun was blending into more of the sky. The sky was slowly darkening into more shades of blues and purples. I turned and remembered my dress from the wedding.
"I have to get my-" Lily cut me off and pulled up my dress that hung from a hanger off of my couch.
"Got it covered." She said with a small grin on her face showing that she was proud to have thought ahead. I smirked and took the dress draping it over my arm.
"How about my sho--" I started and before I could finish, Lily pulled up my heels from the floor. I gratefully took them. Lily walked over to her dining room table where she had put my clutch and phone, and handed them to me as she took her own keys and cell phone from the glass table causing a light tapping sound to be heard from the scraping of metal, plastic and glass. Lily walked out and down the hall to her front door. Clicks were heard as she turned the knobs on her locks. She held the door open for me as I walked down careful not to trip over my dress which was dangling close to the floor. I walked down the wooden doors and waited until Lily was done re-locking her door. She smiled when she was done and quickly stepped down with a small thud, thud, thud, as her feet hit the deck.
"Do you want me to help you carry something?" She offered as her feet hit the pavement with a small click sound. I nodded and handed her my shoes and clutch. She took them and started walking out of the gates as I followed close behind. There was a slight warm breeze as a car rushed by. The end of my dress fluttered slightly from the motion of the wind.
"Thanks." I said over the rush of the cars. She smiled and nodded as if she was saying 'You're welcome.' When we got to the corner of the street we waited until there were no visible signs of cars on their way. Once the coast was clear, we crossed the street. There were some people in their cars that looked out their windows with odd expressions on their faces as if they were wondering what in the world was I doing with a dress in hand. Why are people so nosey? It's not like they're involved with anything.
There were only two more blocks before we reached my house. Each step that I took felt like another step towards my future. Remember to stay optimistic. Before I knew it, I was in front of my house. Lily had her own key to my house, and she began to find it. The jingling of the keys was heard as she tried to fit the key into the lock. With one swift motion, she opened the door.
There was a small rush of cool air and with it followed a light smell. It was the smell I knew to be home. I know it was weird how I felt my house had a certain smell, but there was. It wasn't like a distinctive scent or anything. You couldn't say that it smelled like flowers or food. It was just a scent. Like when you were a baby, and you still never acquired the ability to see yet, you could tell people apart only because of the scent that they carried. Well, it was almost the same, except it was my house that carried the scent instead of a person.
"Daddy, I'm home!" I yelled as I stepped in from outside.
"Alright bud." I heard my dad yell from somewhere in the house. I looked around to find that he was on his way down the stairs. Lily closed the door behind her.
"Hi, Mr. Stewart." Lily greeted.
"Hey Lily." He answered back. I placed my dress over the side of my couch relieving my arm from the tension. Lily placed my clutch on the coffee table and my shoes right next to it on the floor. I looked up and glanced at the clock that was on the microwave. It showed six forty-five. I was fifteen minutes early. "You guys are early." he announced as if he was reading my mind. "Dinner should be ready in about," he paused to check the time he had resting on the island in the center of the kitchen. "Half an hour."
"Okay." I answered. I turned around to see that Lily was still standing up.
"You know you can sit down." I said. I knew that other than acquiring the ability to remember things more, she also didn't like to be rude and sometimes she was too polite.
"Mm'kay." She said before plopping herself onto the couch. I sat down next to her.
"When, how should I bring it up?" I whispered to her. She looked at me.
"Miley, I told you. Don't worry about it okay? Just talk about it like any normal subject that you would talk about." She replied. I nodded and started biting at the corner of my mouth due to slight nerves. I knew that I really had to stop worrying, but it was hard. Almost as hard as trying to forget about him but of course not nearly as confusing or burdening.
"So dad, what're we having?" I asked trying to get my mind off asking my dad about moving.
"Uhh…Salad, Baked chili, and baked macaroni 'nd cheese." He said while peeking inside the oven.
"Miley I don't think I can come over for dinner any more." Lily said with a pout on her face.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Yea, why not? My cookin's not that bad, is it?" My dad asked while closing the oven door.
"Of course it's not bad! It's too good!" Lily explained. "Every time I come over, there're always these great comfort foods. It's seriously ruining my diet!" she said while slightly throwing her hands up in the air. I almost choked on my laughter.
"Lily, since when have you ever been on a diet?" I said in between fits of laughter. She could never give up her love for food.
"Since the last time I came over. Remember? I stayed over and then after dinner I couldn't change into my jeans the next day!" That was about two weeks from now. I remember that day fairly well.
"Lily, you accidentally put on the jeans I was giving away. They were from when I was fifteen." I said slightly chuckling. She dropped her mouth.
"But you said that they were mine and that I left them here!" She yelled. I laughed. "I was just kidding; I didn't think that you'd take it seriously." I said giggling. She pouted.
"That's not nice you know." Lily said while crossing her arms over her chest and looking away.
"I'm sorry Lily; you know I didn't mean anything by it." I said with a half smile on my face.
"I know." She smiled and turned back to me lightly hitting me on my arm.
"So you were seriously on a diet for two weeks?" I asked curiously.
"Psh, no! Are you kidding me? You know I would never be able to even life for one day!" she said. My dad even laughed at this.
Afterwards Lily helped me to get my dress upstairs and into my Hannah closet that was still filled with my childhood clothes. I knew it was stupid for keeping them due to the fact that about thirty percent of the clothes I had didn't fit any more, but they helped me to remember who I used to be. I wasn't about to let it go like that. Then it hit me. It was just like what I had to do with Oliver. When I moved, I really didn't have to just forget about him. It would be like leaving my teenage years behind. Plus, blocking him out of my entire memory was something that was impossible, just because he was one of my best friends. I couldn't change that or deny it. I know I've probably been over this a million times before, but, I still had to think everything through as a constant reminder to myself; even if it took me forever to get. I sat down onto a nearby chair.
Lily was sitting on a step that led to the revolving part of the room. She had her elbow resting on a higher step and her head resting on her palm. The light scent of spices and cheese drifted upstairs and into the closet causing her stomach to growl. She placed her hand over her abdomen.
"Miley, any chance that dinner's ready by now?" She asked hungrily. Right on queue my dad's voice could be heard.
"Miles, dinner's ready!" he yelled loud enough to be heard from the closet.
"Okay dad, well be right there!" I yelled back. Lily smiled and jumped up from the step. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the closet and shut the doors quickly. After, she ran me downstairs which felt like I was literally being pulled down a flight of stairs. It was almost as if my feet couldn't keep up. I had stumbled down a few times before I felt the relieving hardwood floor that signaled that the stairs had ended and that I was now on the first floor. Lily rushed me over to the table before letting me go and sitting down.
My dad turned around with a red Dutch oven in both hands which were covered in oven mitts. He placed the vessel onto the table causing a small thud due to the impact of the iron and wood. He lifted the top of the pot to reveal an aroma of spices and other delicious scents. The container held a thick chili in it. You could see the shaped of meats and tomatoes peering over the surface.
Lily had her hands on the table; eager to start eating. A hungry smile was spread on her face. I rolled my eyes as I sat down next to Lily who started shaking her leg up and down under the table in anticipation.
As my dad set another dish onto the table another sound was heard. Cling! Sounded the casserole dish as it was set down. Mixed colors of brown, orange and yellow could be seem from the various kinds of cheeses spread on top of spiral shaped pasta.
There was a simple brown wicker basket, filled with cornbread with steam rising over the top. Colors varied from yellow, to orange, to brown. You could smell the sweet and yet, salty scent of the bread.
After, a wooden bowl of salad was placed onto the table. It contained assorted kinds of lettuce like Romaine and Iceberg. Some sort of dressing was flowing down from the top of the pile of greens, covering almost every leaf and piece.
"Okay guys, dig in." My dad said as he sat down into an empty chair after putting his apron (yes apron) onto another vacant chair. Lily followed orders and started putting food onto her plate like there was no tomorrow. I laughed slightly. As for me, I was a bit too nervous to eat. After a minute my dad started scooping some chili out by a ladle into a bright yellow clay bowl. There was a slight cling sound as Lily's metal spoon hit the bottom of her bowl of chili.
"Thank you so much Mr. Stewart. This is so good." She said after swallowing down some sort of warm food.
"Why thank ya Lily." He paused and looked over at me. "How's it Miles?" he asked.
"Miley, you haven't had anything." Lily said with an expression that said 'You have to eat something! Everything's so good! How could you resist!?'
"Miley, is 'ere somethin' wrong?" My dad asked. I shook my head.
"No dad." I said trying to sound as convincingly as I could.
"Okay bud, then eat somethin'." He said gesturing towards the table. I nodded and tucked a piece of hair that behind my ear. I reached my hand out for the serving spoon, and scooped a small bit of macaroni from the casserole dish while holding up a plate. The spoon hit the plate with a clink and soon enough the mass of food fell from the spoon onto the plate. I put the utensil down and placed the plate back in front of me. I picked up my fork and started stirring at the portion of food in front of me.
To be honest, I really wasn't in the mood to eat at all. My mind was too occupied to be concentrating on some sort of cooking; even if it did smell and look appetizing. I stirred the serving of food around the plate, staring down at it.
"Dad," I began as I pushed the plate away slightly. "I don't think I'm really hungry." He looked up at me.
"Are ya alright bud?" He asked with some food in his mouth. I nodded.
"I'm fine; just don't really feel like eating anything." I said in a quiet voice.
"Is everything okay Miles?" My dad asked. I nodded while looking down at the table where my forearms rested. I could see from the corner of my eye that Lily knew why I was acting this way. She finished chewing and put her fork down.
"Miley, do you wanna talk about it?" she asked. I looked at her and tilted the corner of my mouth. I let out a deep sigh.
"No, I mean…yea." I started. Oh joy, here it comes. I turned my direction to my dad whose eyes showed concern.
"Dad, there's something that I want to tell you about. Something…that I want to do, or go, rather."
"Sure Miles, what is it?" My dad said putting down his silverware onto the plate. He laced his fingers making a little dome on top of the table.
"I've been thinking about this, and uhmm…" I trailed off. "I think I want to be a little bit more…independent." I said while clutching my fists under the table, expecting the worst. My dad started laughing. I looked at him with an unsure look. Does he understand what I'm trying to say?
"Okay Miles, then…" My tilted his head to the right and pursed his lips together as if he was thinking of something. "I'll let you pay yer own rent, how 'bout that?" he said with a grin on his face.
"No dad, I don't think you understand what I'm saying." Great, now I have to explain. "I mean, I want to move…out of the house; just me." I felt my heart beat a little faster and an uneasy feeling in my chest. I saw my dad look down at his hands and back up again as if he didn't know what to say. There was silence.
"I knew this day would come sooner 'r later." He said finally. "And I guess yer old 'nough t' take care of yerself. Sure, why not? I mean it's not like I e'pected you to stay 'ere forever."
"Daddy, you know I'm not trying to get away or anything, right? It's just that--" I got cut off. "I know, I know. You don't have to worry 'bout things like that. I understand, I'm not like that…" He paused to take a long, deep breath. "So, 'ere to?" He asked referring to where I wanted to move to. "I hear there's some apartments open down the road by Lily-" I stopped him.
"No, I mean I'm sure they're nice and all, but my whole purpose for moving is to be more independent. If I'm too close, then it's like I haven't really moved at all." He nodded in understanding.
"Okay then, 'ere do you plan to go?" He asked. Lily shifted feeling a bit awkward. I took in a deep breath and paused for a second.
"Europe, but it's not really that far if you think about it." I said quickly hoping that he wouldn't catch the first part of what I said. He looked at me in disbelief.
"You're kiddin', right?" he said which only confirmed my fears. I lightly shook my head while looking down at the table afraid to look up. I bit down onto the inside of my mouth.
"No…I'm not…" I whispered. I looked up finally to see that my dad had picked up his spoon and was stirring chili in the bowl.
"Miley, why Europe?" my dad asked not looking up from his bowl.
"'Cause it's farther away. I mean, the farther away it is, the faster I can be able to learn to be independent and less reliant of others. There's a reason for my decisions dad, I've thought everything through." I tried to explain. My dad looked up from his food.
"Is there another reason behind everything Miles?" He questioned. I lightly shook my head hoping that he wouldn't know that I was lying to him. Please believe me. Please believe me.
"Are you sure?" He asked again.
"Yep." I said trying as hard as I could not to sound nervous.
The questioning traveled on and on, and I myself don't even know what my dad had decided on. All I know was that the rest of the night was extremely stressful and complicated. The only thing that I actually remembered was Lily leaving because she had work the next day, and my dad asking me more questions. Then I left the dinner table and going into my bedroom exhausted. That was the end of that, even if I didn't understand what was going on. Soon after going into my room, I fell into my half-sleep; still thinking about what exactly what was going on…
A/n: Okay, so there was your chapter. I made an attempt to make it a little bit longer to make up for my lateness, but it really was only two pages longer, and it's really bad. I'm sorry if I don't end up updating soon because I have lots of things to do as I've mentioned before. So please review, and I'll try as hard as I can to put in my part of the deal. 'Till next time, peace.