Chapter 7 - Michelle
I awoke to the sound of someone knocking on my room's door. I looked at the clock and realized I had to get going for work, but I had just wanted to lie in bed for a while. I didn't have the motivation to really get out there today. Especially after the uncertainty of what was happening between Brent and me.
I got up from the bed and went to the door and looked through the peephole, but there was no one on the other side. But there was something that had been left there for me - I just wasn't able to make out what it was.
I opened the door and saw a cart with a tall box on top of it. I opened the lid and almost dropped it after seeing what was inside.
It was a stunning bouquet of tulips that shone like a multicolored lantern of purple, red, yellow, and pink. I was so dazzled by the unexpected sight of the precisely arranged flowers that I lost my breath. I fumbled around the box and cart to find some kind of card but there was none to be found. There was no one around in the hallway either, so I wondered what was going on.
I brought in the bouquet and when I set it on down on the dresser, a small note fell out.
I recognized the handwriting immediately - Brent's. But it was the message written that made me fall back on the bed, laughing:
"I saved some from when I took that tumble at Alberts Gardens."
I let the belly laughs erupt until tears of joy streamed down my cheeks. It had been so long ago and I had forgotten all about it. It all happened during a field trip when Brent and I were back in high school.
I had taken the trip with my class to Alberts Gardens, a botanical garden that was a former estate garden featuring a lovely variety of wildflowers and annuals, and adorned with living sculptures cut out from shrubs between carefully constructed rockery.
I had been walking with my class when I heard a strange sound behind me, like a "psst" whispered trying to get my attention. But when I had turned around, along with my accompanying teacher, Ms. Teresa, there was no one to be seen. I had continued to walk with my class, enjoying the fragrance of the wildflowers that were wafted on the Spring breeze. Ms. Teresa had given the class a moment to explore the garden for ourselves, and so I took the chance to explore.
I had sat on a bench in front of the small brook that ran through the garden, and I had closed my eyes and just listened to the sound of the birds chirping. But my peace had been quickly disrupted as another couple had took their place beside me on the bench and began making out. I had shaken my head at them and stepped away back on to the path, continuing to explore the garden. Seeing that couple had made me miss Brent, since his class had not joined mine on the field trip.
I had followed the winding path to the periphery of the park, seeing fewer and fewer students along the way. I had been able to tell that a lot of them didn't really care about the beauty of the flowers around us, and were just happy to get away from class so they could kill time.
I had been all by myself as I reached an area of the garden which was full of flower beds of tulips. I had no longer felt so alone as I saw the fluorescent bulbs shine in the clear sunlight. That had been when I heard another "psst". I had looked around but saw only the tall tulips surrounding me. I had wondered if it were some kind of strange animal or bug making the sound.
Then, someone's hands had been clasped over my eyes, and I was unable to see. I involuntarily let out a shriek at the surprise, and the hands let go.
"Hey, didn't mean to scare you like that," had said the voice.
"Brent?" I had asked, turning around.
And there he had been, looking at me with a devilish look at that clever smile he had kept throughout all the years.
"You really freaked me out!" I had scolded him, and then had slapped his arm.
Brent had rubbed his arm in mock pain.
"Ow," he had said. "Well, maybe I deserved that."
Then, without warning, he had put his arm around my back and pulled me close to him.
"And you deserve one of these," he had said, lowering his voice, before kissing me.
I had closed my eyes and felt whatever annoyance I had at him for sneaking up on me disappear as our lips rocked against each other. Even then, he had been a fantastic kisser and I felt the early rush of our shared passion stir something inside me for him once more. I had been so happy to see him there, it was like the culmination of a nice trip away from school. But then I had remembered that Brent's class wasn't going on this field trip.
"How did you get here?" I had asked him.
"I drove," he had said, looking at me with those sexy eyes.
"You drove?" I had said, bewildered. "But you had class today."
Brent ran his hands up and down my back.
"Yeah, I had class. But I didn't go. I went here instead. Simple."
I had squeezed Brent's arm.
"Are you telling me you skipped class?" I had asked Brent. To me, it had seemed like an unthinkable thing to do at the time.
"Yeah," Brent had said. "What a good idea that was. Let's make out some more."
He had leaned in to kiss me but I put my hand out.
"Brent, you could get in trouble," I had said, somewhat worried.
"Trouble?" he had asked.
"Big trouble," I had said, still concerned.
"Don't worry about any trouble," Brent had said casually. "I'll just say that I enjoy flowers in case anyone around asks."
"Oh yeah?" I had questioned him. "OK, what are those?" I had pointed at the tulips behind us.
"Those..." Brent had trailed off. "Those are..."
"Yes," I had said, goading him on sarcastically, "it's a really tough one. Really rare."
"Those are..." he had trailed off again. "Those are kiss flowers," he had finally said, triumphantly.
"Kiss flowers?" I had asked, puzzled. "What are those?"
"When I see those flowers," he had said, "I gotta give you a kiss. And they're everywhere here, lucky for you."
Brent had leaned in to kiss me once again and I mock slapped him away, before giving in to his lips gently gliding with mine. I had melted in his arms and savored the taste of him and his firm body keeping me close. We had kissed like that until I almost forgot where we were until another cool breeze brought along the scent of flowers in its tow.
"Why did you come here?" I had asked Brent, laying my head on his chest.
Brent had run his fingers through my hair.
"I wanted to see you," he had said softly.
"Really?" I had asked, looking up to Brent.
"Class was boring as hell today," he had said, casually. "But I wanted to see you. Really."
His words had made me blush.
"And, I wanted to see the flowers, too," he had said.
"Oh, you mean the world-renowned 'kiss flowers'?" I had asked sarcastically.
"Of course," he had said with a wink. "And also my little flower." He had pinched my cheek.
I batted his hand away playfully.
Brent had kissed me again and I had melted in his embrace but I heard footsteps nearing towards us.
"Who's that?" I had said, breaking our kiss.
"Nobody," Brent had said dismissively. "Don't worry about it."
I had found myself soon making out with Brent again, running my hands along his muscular shoulders and arms, but then I heard the distinctive clack-clack of Ms. Teresa's shoes on the stone path just leading up to the tulip garden.
My heart had begun to race as I realized we would soon be caught here. But I had worried more for Brent because he was still supposed to be at school and not cutting class.
"Brent," I had whispered with urgency, "Ms. Teresa's coming!"
Brent's eyes had widened and he looked side to side for an escape route, but there was nothing around us but tulips.
"Where are you going to go?" I had asked, frantically.
Brent had scanned around us again and then gave me a thumbs up. I had raised my shoulders and hands in confusion, wondering what he meant, just as I heard Ms. Teresa only steps away from reaching the bend in the path and seeing us both.
Brent had dove like an Olympics swimmer into the tulip bed behind us and he landed with a thud, just before the clicking of Ms. Teresa's shoes confirmed to me that she was right behind me.
"Michelle," Ms. Teresa had said, "what are you doing out here?"
"I'm just enjoying the kiss - I mean tulips," I had said, correcting myself in time..
Ms. Teresa gave me a suspicious look.
"All by yourself?" she had quizzed me.
"Yup," I had said. "They're really great. They're just tulips though."
"Were you expecting something else?" she had questioned.
"Nope," I had said, trying to sound nonchalant. "There's nothing else here, but tulips. That's for sure. Some great tulips."
Ms. Teresa had lowered her brow and looked around, as if searching for some kind of incriminating evidence. But as we had stood together awkwardly, she eventually gave up.
"OK," she had said. "Meet us on the bus in fifteen minutes."
"Yes, Ms. Teresa," I had said, sounding like a real keener.
Ms. Teresa had walked away and I noticed my heart had been pounding.
"Brent," I had said, whispering but not moving, "she's gone. You can come out now."
Brent had stood up slowly from the tulips and carefully walked back to me. Luckily it looked like there had been no damage to the garden. He really had dove in with a surprising amount of finesse, like a single rain drop slipping over a flower petal.
I had brushed off the dirt on his clothes, down his legs, his arms, and his stomach, and my hand had skimmed over the bulge in his pants. I had felt a twinge of warmth in my stomach as I ran over his crotch like that.
"I think that's everything," I had said, brushing my hands together to get any remaining dirt off.
"Really?" Brent had said, with a grin. "I think you missed a spot down there."
I had wagged my finger at him playfully.
"We only have fifteen minutes," I had said, "so I have to get going."
"That's right," Brent had said, "we only have fifteen minutes, so we better make the most of it."
He had wrapped both of his hands around my hips and pulled me towards him and kissed me again. I had wished that we could just stay like that until it was sunset. But as I had heard some students shouting in the distance, I knew that our time was limited.
"So what are those flowers called for real?" Brent had asked me, gazing deep into my eyes.
"Tulips," I had said. "I'm surprised you didn't already."
"Nah," Brent had said. "Don't know about flowers. But I got a new favorite one now, though. Tulips saved my ass."
I had playfully smacked Brent on his chest, and I felt my hand bounce off of it. Even back then he almost effortlessly had a powerful build.
"Do you have to go?" Brent had said.
"Yeah," I had said, "otherwise I'll get in trouble."
"You're already in trouble hanging out with me."
"That's true, but I don't need to get in even more trouble."
Brent had laughed and gave my sides a squeeze.
"Luckily Ms. Teresa didn't see me," he had said, "or I'd get suspended for cutting class. But even if I were, it would have been worth it."
He had given me a peck on the lips.
"Really?" I had said, bewildered. I still had trouble believing at the time that I deserved a guy like Brent's affection.
"Yeah," he had said. "I got to make out with you. I learned what a tulip is. I practiced my super spy skills." He had pointed to the flower bed in which he hid.
"Those were quite something," I had said.
"You sure you don't want to take a tumble in there together with me?" he had asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Brent!" I had said, shocked. I had realized my voice was perhaps too loud and would have brought Ms. Teresa back to check on me. "Brent!" I had hissed, this time more quietly.
"I'm just joking," Brent had said. "Or not. I don't know, it depends how much time we have left out of those fifteen minutes. Maybe it could be a real quickie."
I had pushed Brent back gently with my two hands.
"You're so bad," I had said. We had not had sex yet in our relationship.
"So that's a yes?" he had asked, one eyebrow cocked.
"You're crazy," I had said. "You're sexy and you're crazy."
I had realized what I had I just said.
"Michelle," Brent had said mischievously, "I think we need to spend more time in this place."
"Don't get any ideas," I had said, dismissively.
"I got plenty of them right now," he had said.
"Save them," I had said.
"I definitely will," Brent had said, "I'll definitely be thinking about them."
I playfully smacked Brent's arm.
"Seriously, though," I had said, "I have to get going."
"OK, babe," Brent had said, "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
We had kissed one more time before I headed to the entrance of the garden to catch the bus. The whole bus ride home I had been unable to get Brent out of my mind. I had not been ready yet to have sex with him - especially in freaking Alberts Gardens. But I'd be lying if the idea of it didn't thrill me at the time. Still, it had turned me on knowing that I could have that effect on Brent. I had never thought of myself as a sexy person, back then. It was something I still struggled with now. But that time made it clear to me that I was, even though I didn't really see it or feel it myself.
I sat back on the bed, admiring the tulips in front of me that had me reminisce about the past. It was so thoughtful of Brent to put them together for me. Maybe he really had changed in some deep sense. My mind was drifting back again to those memories in the garden when the phone rang. I picked it up.
"Did you like the flowers?" said the voice on the receiver.
It was Brent.
"Yes," I said, my heart starting to race. "You remembered. All those years back. Alberts Gardens."
"How could I forget?" Brent asked. "I still have the bruises to show for it."
I remembered Brent taking a dive into the tulip bed and I laughed.
"You're lucky Ms. Teresa never caught you," I said.
"How would she have ever caught me with those moves I had? I disappeared like James Bond."
"I wouldn't say it was that graceful, but it was pretty smooth."
Brent chuckled and then sighed.
"We had a lot of good times together," Brent said, breaking the silence on the line.
"We did," I said.
"I want to do more of that with you," Brent said.
"What, making out in a tulip garden?" I said, sarcastically. I suddenly felt unready of taking things forward with him after it was seriously presented to me. It was like something I had imagined suddenly became real and I was unprepared to face it.
"That would be nice, actually," Brent said, "but it wasn't what I had in mind. I want to make up for last night."
I paused on the phone.
"I don't know, Brent," I said. I wasn't sure. I wanted to see him, but I just didn't know if my heart could handle it again. The possibility of being brought up and let down again.
"I do know," Brent said, assuredly. "I do know that I want to see you again. And that I want to spend time with you again."
"Really?" I said, without thinking. There it was - my doubt about myself and my chances again. It was lurking beneath the surface when it came to my love life.
"There's no doubt about it," Brent said. "No doubt at all."
I felt myself getting nervous again and was unable to speak. The reality of what could have been and what could be between us hit me hard. The chance that we might have lost was now returning and I didn't know if I was ready to grab on to it.
"Brent," I said. "I'm not sure."
"I'm sure," Brent said. "Just give it a try, again."
"I did," I said, curtly, "last night. And look how that went." I was clenching and relaxing my hand, trying to manage my anxiety. The truth is I was afraid of things failing with Brent again. Because if they did, then I don't know what I'd do anymore when it came to my relationships, or what meaning any future one would have for me.
"Yesterday, yeah..." Brent said. "It's true it wasn't my best moment. I didn't mean any of that to happen."
"I've heard that before," I said, the sarcasm flowing without even trying.
"No, I mean that," Brent said, with honesty in his voice.
"You didn't really show it yesterday," I said, annoyed.
"Yesterday I screwed up. It's true. But I want to make things work with you, Michelle."
I didn't say anything. He was such a high status businessman now. And, it's true, really handsome with great character. Maybe I should just let go of his behavior from our date.
"Forget about what I did the other day," Brent said. "I want to see you again."
"OK," I said, trying to put the past out of my mind.
"Tomorrow we're going out," Brent said.
"Where?" I asked.
"It's a surprise," Brent said.
"Oh no," I said, "no more crazy surprises."
"Were the tulips a nice surprise?" Brent asked, almost cutting me off.
"Yes..." I said. "They were."
"Then trust me," Brent said. "I'm the master of surprises. The good kind only, of course."
"Fine," I said. "Fine."
"Great," Brent said. "I'll share the details later."
"Alright," I said. "Bye."
I put down the phone and put my hand over my heart. It was still racing though finally it was beginning to slow down. I didn't know if I made a mistake. All I knew was that Brent convinced me enough to go out with him again. In some sense, I knew that I wanted to. One date with Brent was more exciting to me than the last years of my life combined. I just hoped we wouldn't push each other part again this time.