Page 14 of Until We Weren't
“I think about it all the fucking time,” Faith muttered.
She had some kind of thought of Destiny every day. And when she didn’t think about her, Destiny would show up in her dreams.
Faith went inside her tiny house and got a beer from the minifridge. She went back outside and sat in the chair on her little porch. The sun had set but the sky was still a dark red with streaks of orange.
She took a long drink of the beer and her thoughts wandered back to when she and Destiny first met. Faith had worked her way through college and graduated with a degree in horticulture. Her family had let her down for the last time when no one showed up for her graduation. A month before that she’d found out her girlfriend was sleeping with someone else on the nights they weren’t together.
Faith had vowed to herself then that this was her chance to start over. She wouldn’t depend on anyone for anything ever again. She worked as a florist for several years then became interested in landscaping. At thirty-four she’d started to work at Landscape Artists and loved her job. Not long after that Destiny came to work there as well.
They eventually worked on the same crew and there was something about Destiny that made Faith let her guard down. She was friendly, but she had a passion for the job that Faith could relate to. Destiny came from a corporate background and was used to being the boss, but not with Faith. She wanted to learn and had taken classes, but she was genuinely interested in Faith’s knowledge, her expertise, and her ideas.
A smile played at the corner of Faith’s mouth as she remembered Destiny’s excitement when they talked about how they would design a project if given the chance. Faith could feel the respect Destiny had for her work and her ideas, but it was more than that. In reality, they were falling more in love every day.
Destiny had an ease about her, and persistence. She asked Faith out several times before she finally said yes. Faith knew Destiny could see the pain in her heart, but it didn’t scare her away. She simply kept asking in her sweet gentle way until Faith could no longer refuse.
After that it didn’t take long until they were spending every evening together after work and most weekends.
Faith remembered one particular night when she knew Destiny would always be in her heart. They were lying in bed and Faith had her arms wrapped around Destiny. They had just made love and Faith’s hand was gently moving up and down Destiny’s back.
“I was drawn to you the first day I saw you,” Destiny said. “It wasn’t love at first sight or anything like that, but you had something that pulled me to you.” She raised her head and looked into Faith’s eyes.
Faith smiled and let her continue.
“That’s not completely true,” Destiny said, running her finger down Faith’s cheek. “I couldn’t stop staring at your eyes.” She smiled. “I love how they change color with the sun or when I kiss you like this.”
Faith felt her heart flutter then quickly reach a staccato beat as Destiny’s lips nibbled, pressed, and sucked hers. It felt like Destiny’s lips were making love to Faith’s just as their bodies had moments earlier. God, how she loved Destiny’s kisses.
Destiny pulled away and Faith groaned. “Please don’t tell me you kissed me like that just to see my eyes turn dark blue.”
Destiny smiled. “I kissed you like that because that’s when you let me into your heart. I can feel my love rush into your heart and you let it stay there.”
Faith sighed at the memory. Little did Destiny know, her love was still in Faith’s heart. Destiny saw past the hurt that lived in Faith’s heart. It had taken Faith a while to let Destiny in, but when she couldn’t keep her out any longer Destiny’s love did indeed rush into Faith’s heart. Once Faith stopped fighting it she found that Destiny’s love helped to soften the scars. The pain didn’t go away, it would always be a part of her, but Destiny’s love changed it somehow. It wasn’t as sharp, it didn’t cut quite so deep.
Faith once thought of her heart like dry cracked earth that needed water. Destiny’s love filled those spaces. It was the water that enabled Faith’s heart to love again. Years later, Destiny’s love was still there. It somehow survived in the desolate fractured expanse that was once again Faith’s heart.
Faith finished her beer and thought back to what Mark said. “Come on,” she said out loud. “She knows.” She took out her phone and scrolled through her pictures and videos. “I have proof.”
Destiny stared at her computer screen then scribbled into a notebook on her desk.
“What are you working on?” Monica asked.
“I’m making some notes about the office complex,” Destiny replied.
“Oh, that’s right,” Monica said. “You’re getting a tour this afternoon.”
“Yep,” Destiny said. “I want to get an idea of the layout of the buildings. It will seem much larger once I get there.”
“Are you taking Jake or Claire with you?” Monica asked.
“No, Jake is busy finishing up our lawn clients in east Austin. The rain a couple of days ago pushed him behind. Claire’s team is putting in flower beds at the apartment complex in Round Rock.”
“I could go with you if you need someone,” Monica offered.
Destiny looked up from her notes and smiled. “Thanks, Mon, but I can handle this myself.”
“Hey, Jake told me the other day that you used to work at an office complex like that one,” Monica said. “I’d forgotten all about your corporate life.”
Destiny sat back in her chair. “That seems like a lifetime ago, but yes, I did work at a big business park like that. My degree is in business and I worked as an analyst for ten years before I couldn’t stand the corporate grind any longer.”