129A/N: Yeah, I forgot to mention that this is also INSPIRED by a true story as well. If her pain may seem a bit strangely handled, just know I AM getting that part of the story from a real person, who will remain anonymous.
Technically Chapter 2.
Let me take a moment to tell you a little about my life-changing little binder. I've had it since grade school. It houses all my life notes, failed poems, fantasy stories of love, and any other things I felt worth writing down. Many of the pictures that decorated the front are of friends, celebrities, and various quotes of things that make me happy. Hayden's picture was the only unknown model from my years of Cosmo Girl that I had found attractive enough to want to keep around.
"It was actually raining that day," he admitted. "That was an indoor beach set."
"You're kidding?" I yanked the picture closer to see if I could spot any imperfections to the set. One would've never known.
We talked for hours, with him interrogating me on my every aspect of life and personality. It was like he was genuinely interested… or a really good actor.
Of course, it seemed way too soon that our flight was over. As we stepped off the plane and I waved goodbye to my perfect specimen of a man, tall and blond and in all muscular glory, I savored my last moments with him. My friends were never going to believe this one.
As we walked through the skinny airport hall off the plane, I clumsily handled my carry-ons. I tried to sneak some stares as often as I could spare them in our last moments together. After we exited out the door, I gave out a sigh and offered him a parting handshake.
"Okay…" I trailed off mournfully. "It's been fun…"
I think he could tell that I figured I would never see him again.
"I'll talk to you again soon," he assured me, patting his free hand on top of our handshake. As he walked away, I took a mental snapshot to cure my sad days for years to come.
As soon as he turned the corner, I seized my cell phone and couldn't get it working fast enough.
"Wake up, Sabby!" I blared into my phone as soon as I heard someone answer. Some incoherent mumbles followed. "You will not believe what just happened to me!"
As I walked through the gate, I realized that I didn't just come across the country with only carry-ons, and turned around to find where they were holding our luggage hostage.
"Elle, it's eight in the morning here," Sabrina groaned. "Can I 'not believe' it when I'm a little more rested?"
"Very funny, and I keep telling you ten hours of sleep is way more than enough. You are definitely going to want to hear this one. It involves a me and a very gorgeous man."
"You didn't say a very gorgeous man before," Sabrina suddenly sounded wide-awake. "You should have opened with that!"
My dear friend Sabby had been rooting for my fairy-tale ending since high school. She herself had gotten married straight out the graduation gate, and was considering children with Chad now, making me feel light years behind my bestie on the romantic-life time scale. I had vowed to give her my every potential love update as soon as it happened, and I had grown to depend on her for it.
"It was the same guy?" Sabrina exclaimed.
"SAME guy," I replied excitedly. I finally spotted the baggage claim, and in my excitement walked a little more hurried than usual to reach it.
"Sabby, we're talking the entire package, the model body, the perfectly platinum hair-"
"Oh, you have a fetish for the blondies."
"My God, do I ever. And girl, he had these lips like a pair of Temper-Pedic pillows. Eyes like the devil himself. A nose carved out of Italian marble."
"Why does the marble have to be Italian?"
"It just sounds nicer- stay with me here."
"Yes, continue."
"And he's funny, and gets my jokes, and isn't a fake. This guy had so much perfection oozing out of him, it was disgusting."
"Now I know someone is lying," Sabrina snorted.
"And he's a Yale graduate! So he's gotta be smart too-"
"Yeah, chicks dig the degree," I heard a voice to my left say. I jumped a mile high and couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp at Hayden standing next to me, smile on his face. I froze completely.
"We meet again," he nodded, then proceeded to grab a green suitcase of the rotating rack; safe to assume it was his. I stood in awkward, stunned silence, as Sabrina gabbed cluelessly in my ear.
"Ellie? Are you still alive? Elle? Hellooo?"
As I gawked at him with my mouth open and cheeks reddened, my mind quickly sifted through all the things I had just said for what was most embarrassing, whilst wondering if he had even heard any of it.
"I think Fate has a firm grip on us at the moment," Hayden went on, grabbing my suitcases from off the rack too. "I think right now it wants me to help you with your bags."
"How did you know that was my suitcase?" I blurted in surprise.
"I'm psychic," he declared and immediately laughed it off. "It has your name on it, dummy. Relax."
I chuckled half-heartedly and for some reason all I could think about was getting the hell away from him. I turned my head and took a step back so I could hiss frantically into my cell phone.
"Oh, my God, it's him again!"
"That's him?!" Sabrina screeched in my ear.
"It's him," I whispered to her, even though I knew he could hear me plainly.
"How much did he hear?!" Sabrina cried.
My eyes caught his.
"'Temper-Pedic pillows', huh?" Hayden smiled at me broadly.
"Everything," I replied to my phone. Sabrina gasped again.
"Oh, yeah," Hayden agreed. "Heard everything. Am quite flattered."
I nearly choked on a wad of embarrassment, my cheeks hotter than a fever. Hayden took a glance at his expensive-looking wristwatch.
"Really wish I could stay for a Starbucks, but I forgot about this thing I gotta do. I'm actually now running late for the thing. Call you, uh, maybe Wednesday?"
"Yeah, no," I waved him off, just wanting him to leave before I humiliated myself further. "I mean, sure."
"Sorry," he said, slinging his duffel over his shoulder. "You know, I wish I could help you with your bags, but I literally have got to run."
"Of course," I nodded, rushing our conversation to a finish. I sighed as I watched God's gift to womankind weave his way through the crowd to the nearest exit. I couldn't help thinking that this was exactly what I expected.
"Is he gone?" Sabby said in my ear. I had actually forgotten I was talking to her.
"Yeah, he's gone alright," I huffed as I fumbled with my luggage. "Even a glimpse of a chance I had with him has gone out the window."
"You don't know that. Give it a couple days before hope is lost forever."
"No joke: the boy literally just ran for the hills. He couldn't even think up a better excuse than 'I'm running late for a thing'."
"Have a little more faith."
I frowned as I said my goodbyes to her and promised to call back so I could devote two hands to pulling my luggage behind me. I gave a little though to what she said about having faith. Except faith was lost in my heart a long time ago. I only believed in luck now.
But somewhere in the dark, cobwebbed corners of my mind, I saved a little space for hope. The boy had said Wednesday, that he would call. Perhaps my heart shouldn't be hard on faith until at least then.
It was a Sunday the day I met Hayden. I kept myself distracted settling in when I got to my grandma's house. She was my late dad's mom, and her name was Eleanor too. She was pretty old, had poor hygiene, had a hunched back, and couldn't hear well. She was also a bottle redhead like me, but with much needed maintenance, as her white roots showed obviously through in several inches of roots. She was also untrusting of people and not fond of leaving her house. But I had such a love for her as I had for no other part of my strangely strung family- and even better, she had a heart for me too.
I spent all of Monday hanging out with her in the kitchen as she did the cliché grandma thing of making me my favorite cookies, then migrated to the living room and we watched game shows. I was particularly good at Wheel of Fortune.
As Tuesday came along, I began to discard my daydreaming thoughts of Hayden, and tried to focus on my life back in reality. I took a taxi to the creative arts college I had been accepted to prior to moving here, and spent most of the day signing papers and applying to classes. I took dinner on campus, and let myself come home late.
My cute little grandma took the liberty of making my bed up for me so that it would be ready with open blankets for me when I got home. When she heard the front door open, she woke up and got out of bed specifically to wish me good night.
It was a lovely moment, when I felt more at home here than I had ever been with my mom in California. After she went back to bed, I took to writing a bit, as I got the best ideas right before going to sleep.
That's when I heard some strange music coming from my purse, and it took me a moment to realize it was my phone. All my usual callers had personalized ringtones, so this strange standard ringtone signified it wasn't anyone I knew.
As soon as this processed I dove for the phone, immediately recognizing the number as Hayden's. My heart leapt to my throat and I was choking on a burst of excitement as I spat out a breathless:
"Yes, hello?"
"Wow, I didn't expect you to be up this late," Hayden said on the other end. His voice was that of angels. "Or did I wake you? Sorry if I did…"
"No, no! I was up already," I wheezed out.
"Well…" he coughed a bit to clear his throat. "I uh… Well, as you may see, it is midnight, so it is now technically Wednesday, which is when I said I'd call. Can't be too eager by calling before the three day rule, you know."
I smiled broadly, doing a rambunctious (but quiet as possible) little dance around my small room in pure and utter excitement that I couldn't contain.
"I hope I don't seem too eager," he added seriously. I immediately ceased and my face went serious to match.
"Oh no," I replied quickly. "Not at all. I'm really just glad you called me at all."
I almost slapped myself for saying that. Who sounded more pathetic now?
"Well, of course I'd call," he chuckled. "I can't risk it."
I took the bait.
"Risk what?" my voice went soft beyond my control.
"Missing out on you."
I bit my lip as my heart exploded in joy, and knew I was done for.
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Signed,
-RedRogue55