Serendipity [Fiction]

Jimy Williams was happy to see Florence alone. That was what he hoped for. He didn't want her flanked by her mean girls’ troop when she opened her locker.

He peeked from a corner as Florence opened her locker, reached for her books, and her eyes widened briefly as a folded white paper fell out of one of the books.

Will she smile and maybe blush when she reads his letter? His happy mood changed to sadness and self-deprecation when she scrunched her nose, crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it back into her locker before slamming it shut.

Her friends quickly swarmed in, looping their arms around hers and they all sashayed out of the locker room, giggling and chatting.

Jimy Williams wished he had the power to read Florence's mind at that time to know what she thought of his letter.

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A week later, he didn't need to read her mind to know. Her actions spoke louder. The mischievous Charles and his group of rascals, who derived satisfaction from needling him in class, waylaid him on his way home.

Perhaps he should have closed at the same time when the bell rang and most students left the school premises. He wanted to finish up his chemistry practicals ahead of his classmates. His usual path home was deserted and he liked the route because it helped him to reflect and sometimes hold conversations with himself. No one would see and tease him about it.

Startled out of his wits by Charles and his friends' bawl, Jimy gripped his bag to his chest and ran. “The scaredy-cat is running!” Charles yelled behind him. “Wait up. Don't make me catch you. Come on, boys.”

The three mischievous boys eventually caught up with an out-of-breath Jimy and tackled him to the ground. One of them snatched his bag and threw it to the dusty ground. Jimy grimaced, his round eyeglasses perched on his nose and gaped mouth at an awkward angle.

“Hey! Are you guys crazy?”

The boys turned. The sinister grin on Charles' face disappeared quickly and was replaced with calm and perhaps a little shame when he saw the horrifying look on Florence's face. Dressed in a lovely sundress fitted to her young, blossoming teenage body, she sat on her bicycle, one foot on the ground, her eyes taking in the scene before her.

Jimy glanced up at Charles and winced. The mischievous boy had a crush on Florence. He slowly got up and dusted himself.

“Uh, it's nothing, Florence. We're just having fun,” Charles explained, walking up to her, his hand stretched to touch the handlebar of her bicycle.

“Don't touch my bike. That doesn't look like fun to me,” she said, tipping her chin towards Jimy who picked up his bag and dusted it too.

Charles was going to say something when Florence cycled away from him towards Jimy. “Are you alright?” She asked.

It was the first time Jimy had a girl walk him home. They chatted and laughed all the way to his house like old friends. After that incident, Charles and his friends stayed away from him. Also, he never had the opportunity to talk with Florence again until high school ended.

Some years later….Jimy Williams was on his way to the coffee room when he glimpsed a slender, young lady dressed in a grey suit skirt and blazer, convincing his tech partner of ways their upcoming software launch could be better. It was a glass office. He paused and watched as the lady, using gestures, described how the event planning and decor would look like.

His partner, Damien, winked at him. The lady caught the look and turned. Her soft, amber eyes widened for a moment before her cheeks flushed.

Jimy Williams felt like he was back in high school, the awkward and gangly nerd who wanted the popular girl in school to be his friend. Perhaps he zoned out but the next thing he saw, Florence Everett stood in front of him, her hand stretched out for a handshake.

“Jimy,” she whispered with a surprise chuckle. “I can't believe my eyes.” He shook himself and hugged her instead. It was a pleasure to feel her sigh and relax into him.

Nine months later, as they stood before a priest proclaiming their love, they admitted that when she walked him home that afternoon after Charles’ assault, they knew they were meant to be together.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short story. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt word “proclaim your love”.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{Image credit: Engin Akyurt}