Page 9 of Finding Ash
“Yeah, yeah, I am.”
And we were still holding hands this entire time. I mean, how totally romance novel was that? Yeah, I had a bit of an obsession, borrowing them from the bookstore loaner shelves these past few months. But they filled me with suchhope that I’d find my forever, the one to claim my heart, so how could I not?
Had that very dream just come true?
If we were standing would my leg have popped as our lips touched?
Romance novel addiction had spawned an old romance movie marathon.
Or twelve…
Ugh, I’m such a sap.
But dreams of how wonderful life outside of the commune could be were real. So why couldn’t romance and true love be that way too?
“Come on,” Remy tugged my hand as he stood. “I’d like to take my boyfriend out to dinner.”
Boyfriend.I was someone’s boyfriend for the first time. What a wonderful feeling!
“Remy, look!” I pointed to the flower bed along the pathway. “There!”
Remy gasped, drew his phone out and took a picture. “The butterflies found us.”
“Yes, the butterflies found us. Hurry, send that to your mom.”
“Wait, one more.” Remy wrapped his arm around me, and with the butterfly fluttering on the pretty sunflowersbehind us, he snapped the most perfect picture ever. “Now I’ll send them both to her.”
“Can you send them to me too, please?” Remy kissed me again and fired off the texts, and my phone chimed seconds later. The smiles on our faces and the perfect monarch butterfly behind us said it all, and suddenly I had the overwhelming urge to learn all I could about the beautiful insects.
I set the picture of us as my screensaver and did a quick internet search, which only served to brighten this already perfect day:
A butterfly symbolizes transformation, change, and rebirth due to its metamorphosis from caterpillar to winged insect. It also represents freedom, joy, and beauty of life, reminding us to embrace change and find lightness in our experiences. In some cultures, butterflies are seen as messengers from the spiritual realm or symbols of love and romance.
Never had I been more thankful for Google than I was now. Butterflies represented the journey I’d embarked upon of new life, self-reflection, and potentially finding love.
I took a screenshot of that overview and saved it to memorize and draw from in times of question andconfusion. A reminder of what this life was all about. This entire day was cataloged in my brain and would forever be my happy place. While it felt like living in a dream, I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that there wouldn’t be tough days ahead. If life were easy we would never truly be living.
“Psst,” I grinned at Remy and showed him my phone screen. “Read this.”
His smile widened as he read it then handed my phone back. “See, I told you it was a sign. Come on, let’s hit the diner. I’m starving.”
As we stepped inside the Blue Star Diner, waves and happy greetings filled the air. I’d never felt more welcomed than I had since living in Foggy Basin. Most everyone knew me already, thanks to Kit and Nate, plus working at Nuts and Bolts introduced me to even more locals, but Remy was even newer than me. Hopefully they will be nice to him too. I didn’t want him to ever want to leave.
“Hey, aren’t you one of those gamer kids?” Evelyn, one of the busybodies Kit warned me about, said to Remy as we passed her table.
“Mind your manners, Evelyn,” Andrew, the owner of the diner, warned her.
She huffed, but Remy found the whole exchange hilarious.
“Yes, ma’am, I’m Remy, and I work for Queen Gaming. It’s nice to meet you.” Remy shook her hand, which settled her down, then we caught up with Andrew. Thankfully, he seated us at a table in the back.
“She means no harm but gets cross when she’s hangry.” Andrew’s warning only made Remy laugh harder. “Can I get you boys a drink?”
We each ordered a soda, and as soon as Andrew walked away, my phone buzzed.
Kit: What is this I’m hearing that you’re on a date?
Me: My first date! How exciting is that?
