Chapter 15: My Time

A year went by. I was at home on a lazy afternoon playing PlayStation. The doorbell rang. I put the game on hold and opened the green gate and the wood door. It was Daphne. She was in tears.

We sat in a white sofa in front of the living room's glass table.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

"I saw Lance kissing a girl in a coffee shop," she said, sobbing. I tried to comfort her, but she continued to cry.

"Don't worry, you'll find someone better,” I assured her.

I let her to cry on my shoulder and hugged her warmly. Even while she was crying, she looked beautiful.

"But I have no desire to find a better guy. All I want is him," she whined like a child. I couldn't say I blamed her. We were both teenagers at the time.

I replied, "forget about him because he has definitely forgotten about you He has moved on. Okay?" I was about to scream at her.

She didn't stop crying. She complained, "It's a lot simpler to say than to do. What would you do if this happened to you? Oh, I'm sure it never happens to you! You'd never experienced it because you'd never had any problems with girls!”

"Daphne, that is not true,” I told her in a serious tone.

"It’s true!” She yelled. “Girls are chasing you down. You've dated them all, but you've never taken them seriously."

I looked down at the floor and then at her and said, "However, it isn't the point. My point is that you should forget about him.”

“You were right,” she said in between sobs.

"Look, I've got an idea." I proposed that we go to 7/11.

We stopped by 7/11. I purchased a variety of ice cream flavors for her. We ate them all as soon as we went inside my house, till we were completely stuffed.

Daphne licked a chocolate ice cream cone. "This is very tasty!" She exclaimed, Cookies and Cream, Banoffee Pie, Blueberry Cheesecake, Cappuccino, Mango Graham, and Oreo were among the desserts she finished. S'mores and Sea Salt Caramel were the ones I ate.

"You are the sweetest guy I know," she remarked as she kissed and cuddled me on the sofa. The next thing I knew, we were making out.

We kissed passionately on the lips and explored each other's bodies with our hands. Daphne's tongue had a sweet taste. Her skin smelled of lilacs. My lips brushed against her swan-like neck.

"Are you in love with me, Alex?" Daphne asked, her voice soft and lusty.

I told her straight up, "Yes, I do. I've loved you since I saw you in the school courtyard reading that Kurt Vonnegut novel."

She gave me a hungry and greedy kiss and smiled.

What we did at the time didn't help Daphne's predicament. Lance was not easily forgotten. But at the at least, I was able to make her happy for a while.

I'd do anything to show to Daphne that I could be a better boyfriend now that Lance was no longer in her life.

When I was in high school, Daphne and I started dating. I had been courting her for about a year. I made paintings of her, wrote poems for her, and visited her at her home with flowers and sweets. I used to put it in her locker at school on occasion. She had repeatedly turned me down. Because I was her best friend, she stated that she did not want me to be her boyfriend. But I persisted in pursuing her until she had completely forgotten about her first love, Lance. She finally said her sweet yes to me when she forgot about him and grew tired of being alone. I was the luckiest and happiest guy on the planet.

As lovers, we had a great time. We ate candlelit dinners in restaurants that were fairly priced. We went to our favorite park near our school for picnics. We also went to that park late at night to look at the stars while holding hands. We went to see our favorite local and international rock bands perform live. We visited museums as well as libraries. We rode our bikes all over town. We visited coffee shops and tasted delectable pastries and coffees.

At my house, we played video games together (because I was the only one who had video games at home). We sat on a couch, hugged each other, and watched movies at my house or hers. We prepared delectable dinners for each other (she was a better cook than I am. Her specialty was spaghetti. I loved eating her spaghetti).

We went to the shopping and exchanged gifts. We went mountain hiking. We went swimming on gorgeous beaches. We exercised at our favorite mall's gym (we went to yoga classes together). In another gym, we also played badminton.

When we weren't outside, she taught me how to make sushi in her house, and I taught her how to draw landscapes and nature in mine.

When my parents were away, we made love a lot in my house. I sketched her completely naked. When Daphne was naked, she was sinfully beautiful. Her figure was beautifully slim. Her skin was flawless and fair.

Even after high school, our bond remained strong. We continued to see each other in college. We exchanged visits at our respective universities. My new friends found out that I was dating a lovely girl who was sweet and modest.

I adored her and was really proud of her accomplishments.

Things between us were going so wonderfully. I went to great lengths to make her pleased. She was happy when I gave her gifts. We were always delighted when we were together. Everything seemed to be in order. She was my sanctuary, my nirvana.

Daphne asked me this question when we were stargazing on my roof.

"Do you believe that the cosmos conspired to bring us together?"

"That's a deep question," I said.

"Just answer it," she urged.

"Yes, I believe that is true," I replied. “Why? Because I've done a lot of praying and used the law of attraction to attract you.”

"Really?" she questioned; her gaze fixed on my face.

"Yes," I said.

"However, I was previously drawn to you. Like on the first time we met, I thought: "This guy was very attractive. He resembles a Greek god.”

“Pft. Please, no.” I chuckled as I told her, "I'm not that handsome."

She confessed: "Yeah, it’s true. However, I used to believe that we were not a good match because you are wealthy and I am not. I was so ashamed of my station in life."

I answered her. "Well, love doesn't pass judgment on two people in love It makes no difference whether you are wealthy or poor. What matters is that you love each other."

Her head rested on my shoulder. I kissed her forehead. We then kissed each other on the lips.

Daphne cooked crispy fried fish for the two of us on a peaceful Sunday afternoon. This was a simple meal, but one of my favorites. I kissed her neck and embraced her back as she cooked.

"You're such a sweetheart, my darling. But let me concentrate on my cooking."

"You are right," I whispered in her ear. I stepped away from her and allow her to focus on her cooking. She giggled flirtatiously.

She placed her fried fish on the platter once she finished cooking. She sprayed the fish with lemon juice. For the two of us, she prepared the table. She took one meal for herself and handed me one fried fish and a cup of garlic rice.

We ate the fish and rice.

"Love, it's delicious!" I complimented.

Daphne told me, "Aw, thank you!"

I quipped, "You're ready to be my wife."

"Oh you," she exclaimed. She laughed.

“Love, do you want an orange juice?” She asked me.

“Oh, yes, love,” I told her.

She gave me a glass of orange juice.

“Thank you, my dear,” I said to her.

“Aw, you’re welcome,” she replied.

We sat on the couch to watch a movie after we had filled our stomachs with food. It was The Craft. The film was about four young women who dabbled in witchcraft. They cast these spells for personal gain and to exact revenge on those who had wronged them. Things became more complicated as they grew in power.

"This film is fantastic!" Daphne, my girl, exclaimed.

"It was a cult classic, no pun intended," I said, smirking at her.

"It's just so great," she added, kissing my forehead, "thank you for letting me watch it with you."

"Anything for my lovely lady," I boasted.

We watched a children's cartoon after watching The Craft. The Coffee Bunny is the title of the cartoon. It was about Margaret, a sixteen-year-old girl who was addicted to coffee. Margaret has dreams, whereas the majority of her peers are obsessed with fashion and boys.

She aspires to open her own coffee business. She begins to learn how to make various types of coffee and bake pastries. She brewed some coffee and distributed it to her parents, relatives, teachers, classmates, and friends. They all told her how delicious her coffee tasted.

She began selling coffee at a low price in her parents' home because she was still young and unable to open her own coffee business due to a lack of funds. Customers gave her a lot of money.

She had put money aside in order to establish her own business and operate a coffee shop. After two years, she started The Coffee Bunny, her own coffee business.

What's with the name? It's because when she was a kid, she had a plush bunny named Wimpo. Margaret enjoys bunnies in addition to coffee. She came up with the name by combining her favorite things.

It's a cute short cartoon showing how hard work and dedication pay off.

I told my beautiful Daphne, "You remind me of Margaret."

"How so?" She asked. She was curious.

"Like her, you're smart and hardworking," I said.

She gave me a kiss on the lips. I kissed her back.

Daphne and I went on a bike ride around a park. The park that we visited was lush with flowers and trees. There were chestnut trees, dogwood trees, sugar maple trees, red oak trees, hibiscus flowers, red roses, bougainvillea, tulips, and daffodils. Biking was one of Daphne's favorite pastimes. She enjoyed the feel of the wind on her face as she rode her bicycle. The lovely park view was enjoyed by both of us. We were in a state of bliss. Daphne's bright eyes and cheerful grins were visible. I grinned as well because I was infected by her joy.

I told Daphne, "You ride your bike so fast." I was on a blue bicycle.

She asked, "Oh, really?" She was on a pink bicycle.

“Yeah. How did you learn to ride a bicycle? "I told her.

She said, "My mother taught me." She asked, "How about you? How did you learn to ride a bike?”

I said, "I taught myself."

She exclaimed, "No kidding!"

"I didn't know how to ride a bike before," I admitted. “All of my friends can ride a bike. I was envious of them and frustrated with myself for not being able to play with them since I couldn't ride a bike. So I leaned the handlebar against the wall and began pedaling. I didn't fall because I was well-balanced. That's when I first learned to ride a bike."

Daphne said, "That's a fairly wise and bold thing to do."

Then I continued: "When I was able to do it, I was really pleased of myself. Since then, I've been riding my bike with my friends who also ride their bikes. We rode our bikes on the streets, even when there were several feral dogs chasing us."

When the vendor selling sherbets in cones passed by, we halted for a second.

"Let’s eat first," I offered to Daphne.

"All right, then! I love sherbets!” She exclaimed.

"You really like sweets," I observed.

She smiled broadly at me. She looked like a child because of that smile.

"How much does this cost, mister?" I asked the dark-skinned, small, and thin vendor.

The man vendor told me, "It's only nineteen cents each."

I told the vendor, "We'll buy two." I paid for two cones of ice cream.

"What flavors do you want, ma'am and sir?" The vendor asked.

"Ooh, I love the rainbow-colored one with sprinkles!" Daphne shrieked with delight.

I said, "I'll take the chocolate one."

"I'll be right up!" The vendor said, his voice light.

He then made the sherbets and took our orders.

The seller grinned as he handed us our sherbets and said, "Here you go, lovely couple."

We happily licked and ate our sherbets.

"You know, you remind me of myself and my wife when we were teenagers," the merchant added. We were inseparable and really sweet. Oh, to be in love and young. What a lovely, happy thing! We've had a solid love till today, when we're in our forties. Even though we had difficulties along the way, our love for one other remained unwavering. I wish you the best in your relationship."

Daphne and I both said, "Thank you, mister."

The vendor laughed heartily.

On September 14, 2014, I went to the Stone Temple Pilots concert with Daphne. I'm thrilled since I was with my beloved Daphne and I was able to watch my favorite band Stone Temple Pilots.

"To be honest, I only know their song Plush," Daphne admitted, "and I had viewed their music video on VH1 a few years ago."

"It's all right, love," I told her. "Their music is fantastic. Plus, we're both rock music fans. Stone Temple Pilots is an alternative rock and grunge band."

"Yeah, I know," Daphne said with a smile.

Stone Temple Pilots was a band that I adored. Especially Scott Weiland, their lead singer. He was a great singer with strong vocals. Depending on the atmosphere of the song, his voice could be gritty or melodic. His songs were often furious, sad, dark, and somber. When you're in a bad mood, it's easy to relate to. You know how angst feels when you're a teenager. You become enraged with your parents. You become enraged at school. You become frustrated with the system. You become enraged at the authorities. You get enraged over anything.

Stone Temple Pilots, or STP, featured songs about romantic love as well. Still Remains and Interstate Love Song are both love songs. Only Scott could turn the phrase "have a bath, I'll drink the water you leave" into something romantic.

They also have songs dedicated to their loved ones. Scott's song A Song for Sleeping is about his son Noah. Wonderful is a song about his wife, Mary.

Stone Temple Pilots' tracks were among my favorites. Plush, Sour Girl, Sex Type Thing, Still Remains, Art School Girl, Glide, and many others were among my favorites. But Glide was my most favorite. The song seemed to speak directly to me. “There's nowhere to turn to nowhere. There's nowhere to run," the lyrics said, implying that I was the only one I could rely on at the darkest of times. In a nutshell, I should be self-sufficient.

Also, there are moments when you feel like you want to run away from your problem, but you can't. Because if you try to forget about your problem by smoking, drinking, or using drugs, your difficulties will resurface once you've sobered up. That is why we had to confront our issues head-on.

We've arrived for the Stone Temple Pilots show. It was a chilly night. There was too much traffic. The streets were clogged with automobiles. Fortunately, Daphne and I commuted by trike and arrived an hour early.

The front act was a soul band with a stunning and seductive female vocalist. The crowd was revved up despite the fact that they were not a rock band.

STP took the stage around five minutes after the opening performance. The crowd applauded them. STP performed their well-known classic tunes as well as songs from their new album. We bobbed our heads as we listened and sung along to their tunes. STP completely dominated the stage!

After the concert, we walked backstage to meet and greet the band. Daphne and I joined the crowd of VIP ticket holders and backstage access holders. We waited for our pictures with the band to be taken and for their autographs on our posters and CDs.

We smiled for the shots when it was our turn to be photographed with the band. On our STP caps, posters, shirts, and CDs, we also requested their autographs. Daphne's smile was so big as she stood next to Scott Weiland, I noticed. Obviously, I was fine with it. Scott Weiland was my idol.

When we exited the musical hall and into the streets, Daphne said, "Wow, I can't believe we actually met and interacted with the band! You were correct! Their music is great! Their performance is outstanding! I had a great experience! Thank you, my love!”

She kissed me on the cheek before kissing me on the lips.

"You're welcome, my love," I said, thanking Daphne for accompanying me to the concert. “It was a lot of fun! Even I am surprised we met STP. They are my heroes! For me, it's a dream come true."

“Yeah, and they were nice, too!” Daphne exclaimed. “I’m glad your dream came true,” Daphne said and smiled.

She was so sweet. I'm delighted I was able to make her happy tonight.

We went to the Cerulean Coast for Daphne's birthday. Our parents let us go together on the beach. That beach was stunning. The sea was a delicate pale blue, the sand was pure crystalline white, coconut and oak trees grew alongside the sea, and doves, seagulls, and sparrows flew merrily across the velvet night sky.

A telescope and a dark blue blanket with stars and the moon on it, as well as soft light blue pillows with white fluffy clouds on them, have been set. I also placed red wine goblets on opposite sides of the blanket, as well as pink rose petals all around it, because Daphne adored pink roses.

"Oh, thank you so much for bringing all of these!" Daphne exclaimed with delight. She hugged me before kissing me on the lips.

I said to Daphne, "Let's gaze at the stars."

"All right," Daphne agreed.

I said, "Ladies first."

She looked into the telescope. “Wow! That is the most brilliant star I have ever seen!” She exclaimed, She was awestruck by the star's brightness and beauty.

“I named that star after you,” I said.

She chuckled. "Yeah, right."

I said, "Let me show you something." Then I presented her with a certificate.

She slid it open. It said:

On February 14, 2016, the following star was named:

Daphne Rose

The star shines for you!

Right ascension: 9h 53m 51. 1s

Declination: -7. 3421°

It was named by: Alexander Pierce

"Love, thank you very much! This is the finest present I've ever received!” Daphne, my beloved, told me.

I told her, "You're welcome, my love."

On the blanket, we kissed and touched each other passionately.

After those unforgettable occasions that I remembered for a couple of years, we went on a variety of dates. We were in a happy and healthy relationship.