The Girl Who Carried the Sun

Nineteen

Nineteen
☢️☢️☢️

In the wee hours of dawn, Lily felt a soft peck on her head before the sheets moved, the bed dipped and all was quiet again. Somehow between sleep and dream, she reached across the bed for him, longing for the comfort he gave, but found his spot empty. Huffing a soft disappointed sigh, she dropped her arm and decided to continue sleeping... Until the bed gave a weak creak and he leaned in, taking her hand in his and whispering into her ears, "I'm heading out for a short walk. You sleep well. I'll be quick."

Eyes closed, Lily nodded and dropped his hand. He kissed her again on the head and moved away. He wore his sweats and headed out of the room, stopping briefly at the door to look back at her sleeping like an angel. He felt he could spend an entire lifetime watching her sleep, spend an entire life holding her, spend an entire lifetime loving her... He left before his heart drove him insane, but he thought about her mostly as he ran. No one needed him more than she did. And no one loved her more than he did. Slowly, very slowly he began to catch up with the desires of his heart and it frightened him out of his wits. She was bound to either make or break him apart.

He found her in bed the same way he left her, only to wake up after he'd showered. When she stretched out and opened her eyes, he was not in sight but it didn't feel so bad when she was right in the center of the room surrounded by things that carried his essence. She pulled the cover close to her nose and sniffed it a little... and smiled. They smelt just like him, woody and light with a strong masculine signature. She wanted him closer... to be with her, to feel his arms enclosed around her. She wondered where he could be.

She found him in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He heard her footsteps and turned when she reached the door.

"Good Morning." He smiled at her.

"Good morning. I slept for so long."

"I'm glad you did. You really need it. Come and have breakfast. It's time for me to leave for school. Would you like to stay back and rest or would you like to be at Che Dune's, or accompany me to school?"

"I'll stay back and prepare lunch."

"Che Dune's cooking for us. You don't have to make lunch."

"Then I wanna go with you," came her instant reply.

"Well, grab your nail polish then. We can't stay for too long now." He grinned at her.

Lily rushed up to her room and quickly returned to the kitchen for breakfast. Daniel found it quite impressive considering she usually took at least half an hour of make-up before anything.

At school, no one appeared happier than Pavei at the sight of Lily. He had been terribly worried for her since the accident, and so terribly sorry she'd lost both her parents so suddenly. He took her on a tour in each class room introducing her to all the curious kids and even offered to take her out fishing by the river whenever she saw fit. Lily, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised to see Sapunai teaching the kids too.

"I'm just helping out while I'm here," Sapunai told her. "If possible, I'll try pitching this school for some funds or any form of help to my organization."

Lily sat in Daniel's office as the boys taught. Since she hadn't much to do, she painted her nails, roamed around the school area for sometime, then came back to his office and arranged his shelf and table for him. All these while, the synchronous sound of children reciting lessons and rhymes floated in her ears, the little giggles and rapturous laughter of smaller kids became more significant, painting instant smiles on her face and filling up her heart with a newfound dose of happiness. As she listened more, Lily grew to understand more why Daniel had been so passionate about this school. These kids were so precious and so underprivileged. They deserved so much more.