One Last Shot

chapter eleven: lilies

• • •
Tayla

I don't know why I ever thought life could be like the movies. You know the ones where the girl gets broken up with, her heart completely shattered in two pieces and feels like her life can't go on without that guy? She is depressed for like half the movie and then suddenly her best guy friend comes along and confesses he loves her since the day that met. Then the girl finally finds herself and lives happily ever after.

Yeah I wish that was happening rather than Patrick showing up and 'wanting to talk'. I'd take depressed for half the movie over that any day.

     As soon as I entered my door I headed straight towards my big windows in my living room, throwing my coat and bag down in the process. The window is my safe space. Anytime I feel stressed or panicked I head straight to that big glass wall. I frantically make my way in front of it and stop right in the middle. Taking a deep breath I raise both of my hands to press against the glass, the cold sending a shiver through my body. I glance down towards the side walk, focusing on the people walking, trying my best to keep my breathing slowed.

     I'm not usually like this. All panicked and freaked out, but seeing Patrick again keeps bringing this uncomfortable feeling into my nerves. On the outside, yeah I might seem pretty confident, but that's just in hopes to cover my body shaking. I don't know why it's so hard to see him again. I have spent the past few months doing everything in my power to heal from the heartbreak he caused me. Countless of times I took overtime at work, continuously traveling back to LA on my days off, and the days I did stay here I went out with Lindsey and partied till every bone in my body was filled with happiness. I got over him.

But why does it still hurt so bad?

     "Jesus midge for a guy dumping you he sure does show up quite a fucking lot." Noah says behind me. I take one last look deep breathe and turn to face him and it feels like my breath gets taken away all over again. He is busy shrugging off his coat, revealing his hoodie he changed into underneath. Knowing this man hurts my brain. On one hand he is completely uprooting my life, reporters following me with cameras, being on TV in front of my colleagues and patients, and even now my ex thinking we are together. All of this going on and really he is just a stranger I kissed randomly and drove me home!

     But god on the other hand...the other hand he is a tall insanely attractive guy who just happens to be a professional NBA basketball player with giant biceps that I am still able to see even while he wearing a thick hoodie and is standing in my apartment holding a beautiful bouquet of lilies as he stares right at me.

     "Midge? Everything good?" I hear the concern in his voice as he keeps staring at me while he stands in the same place by the door. He doesn't try to move closer to me which I'm grateful for. If he was any closer to me I think my breathing would be constricted all together and I know for a fact Noah would have no clue how to open up my closed airway.

     My eyes travel down his arm to stare at the flowers he is grasping in his right hand. The lilies are perfectly bloomed, the pistils in the middle sticking straight up, not a wilted petal in the whole bunch. They are perfect in every way. Any woman would be overjoyed to receive this from a guy. Probably run to get a vase the second their eyes landed on them.

     "Roses." I can't help but blurt out.

     Noah raises an eyebrow at me. "Come again?" He questions me.