You Give Me Hope 2

by Sophia Smith

  “Ugh, this is so frustrating,” she said.

  “It’ll be okay babe. Once we get through this class, it’ll be so much easier,” Angela said.

  “Thanks babe. I’m just glad that I have support like you around,” she said with a smile.

  “Oh I’m glad too,” She said.

  The two of them worked through some of the worst periods of school together, where the homework overwhelmed them, and there was so much that they needed to do. Angela had a much cooler head when it came to this, probably because she’d done it before but Linda definitely had to get used to this. It was complex, and both of them felt like they were going crazy as they did this, but together, they worked on this.

  Of course, Linda was always excited for Fridays. That’s when they didn’t have classes, and when they woke up, they would give one another a kiss, both of them smiling.

  “I’m happy to spend another day with you that doesn't involve studying” Linda said.

  “You and me both. Want to go out for dinner tonight? I was thinking we could hit up Philippe’s over on South Street,” Angela offered.

  Linda knew about that place. It was one of those fancy uppity restaurants, but it was also quite romantic.

  “You sure we can swing that?” she asked.

  “Yeah, mom’s been sending me some money, and I know that Jenny said she’d take care of everything on your end, so it’s okay to live a little bit,” she said.

  Linda was surprised by that. She knew that Jenny cared a lot about her, but she was surprised by that.

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” she said.

  “Well, I’m glad, but first and foremost, we should probably get up and take care of the house. There is a lot that we need to do,” she said.

  They did have a lot to do. but, it was nice to have one another by their side, and there was definitely a lot of benefits to that. When they finally got up, they cooked breakfast together, making a nice, fluffy omelet. After that, they took all of the dirty clothes, heading down to the laundromat and taking care of the laundry for the week. It was kind of tedious and boring, and Linda and Angela both knew this but they had one another, and that’s inevitably what mattered.

  The two of them never wanted to do things alone. They were inseparable, and they never wanted to give that up. Linda would go with Angela to everything within reason. Whenever they had separate classes, they would always say they’d meet up afterwards. But, Angela definitely was the one who was always there whenever Linda came out of the classroom. They always spent time together, both of them loving the way the other person was always around them, and it made Linda feel happy and fuzzy inside. She never thought their relationship would become this, but they really were inseparable.

  Today was no exception. After they finished their cleaning, they both went over to the kitchen, cleaning up and getting lunch prepared.

  This was so normal for both of them, that they never wanted to let this go. It was almost like a ritual. Linda laughed at this for a second one day, causing Angela to look over at her with surprise.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Oh, it’s a bit stupid, but I’m really glad that we get to do all of this together,” she said.

  “It’s not stupid, I love it too,” She teased.

  “Yeah well, I think it’s a little dumb because…in all honesty, I hated doing this sort of thing with Thomas. He’d try to get me to stay over with him, and I never wanted to. I’m just…so damn happy that we have each other,” Linda admitted.

  “The feeling is mutual babe. I normally didn’t think that this would be fun with a second person, but here I am, spending time with you like this, and the truth is, I love it,” she said.

  “I love it too, and I don’t want this to end either,” she said.

  “Don’t worry babe, we’ll do everything together. I think we’re stuck like glue together. Anyways, you down for heading out there? I got us a table for 8 pm, but I’m not sure if that’ll work,” Angela added, changing the conversation back to dinner tonight.

  “Yeah, I think that’s reasonable,” Linda said.

  After they finished cleaning tonight, the two of them immediately left the house, heading out to where the restaurant was. It was a beautiful place, with the soft tones of music playing in the background. It was by reservation only, so when they got inside, they were quickly brought to a table.

  “Wow, this place is beautiful,” Linda said.

  “Isn’t it? I’ve wanted to go her before but…I wanted to wait for the right person to come along,” she said.

  “Well, you sure did,” Linda said.

  The two of them had dinner together, both of them talking about the little things while the waiter brought them wine, and helped them with their orders. It was one of the most romantic dinners, because the entire night they were whispering sweet nothings to one another, both of them realizing just how in love they were.

  Neither of them wanted to move away from this feeling. They wanted it to just overtake them, making them feel happy and satisfied as well. There was a lot of good in this world, and a lot of beauty out there, and Linda and Angela both knew that they had each other, and that they were going to be much happier too.

  After dinner that night, they walked around London. This soon became a tradition after that night, where they would spend their weekends dining at different places, and exploring London. It was a different pace from the life that they lead during the week, and all of this was paid for. If not, they could just be with one another and make it work.

  Neither of them knew what they would do after they finished schooling out here. They’d probably have to go back to the reality of America, but for now, they wanted to live the dream, because that’s what made them happy, and what made them both feel satisfied as well.

  For Angela, having Linda around like this made her feel happy and secure, and she didn’t want Linda to ever leave her. For Linda, she was always happy with the way Angela was around her, and the two of them were always happy and satisfied too.

  One weekend, they both agreed to go over to the beach that was just outside of London. They rented a car, and drove all the way to the beach that was about an hour away. It overlooked the ocean, and as they looked outside, both of them sighed.

  “This is just…wonderful,” Linda said.

  “It is. It’s so different from the life that I’ve been living. I’ve always wanted to go to the beach out here, and I’ve been invited out here before, but I didn’t want to go,” she said.

  “Why?” Linda asked. She thought that Angela had been out here before.

  “Because I…I was unsure of who to go with. I felt scared to actually pursue this, so I’m glad that…that I did tell you how I felt,” she said.

  “I’m glad that you came forth with how you’ve felt Angela. I feel like…we’re both so much better off, now. I’m just really happy you’re with me,” Linda replied.

  “Yeah, I am too. I like that I can see the ocean, spend my days with you, and just…experience true love. Really experience it. It’s weird, I never thought that my high school best friend would make me feel this way,” Angela said.

  “Sometimes, it pays to be in love Angela,” Linda said.

  “It does,” Angela replied.

  Linda moved in, kissing her softly as the two of them stood on the beach together. The way the ocean crashed against their feet, the way that their bodies felt next to one another, the way that their hands moved against one another, both of them grasping each other’s hands and touching it, it was the perfect moment, and for Angela, she never wanted this to go.

  They spent their day on the beach together, sitting on the side, exploring the coastline, going to the little sea cave that was off against one of the rocks, and looking around. Exploring and doing all of this together with the woman that she loved definitely made Linda feel happy, and for Angela, it was a dream come true.

  Neither of them expected this to be so good, but here the
y were, together forever, no matter what came about, and no matter what the odds may befall them. For a while, Angela didn’t want this to go, and there was definitely a lot of worry in her mind. If they ever changed, what would happen?

  But, she didn’t think it would ever change. They were together, and this was the life that they both wanted. No matter what others may say, this was the future they built for themselves, and the one that they wanted to have.

  For Linda, she knew that the woman that she loved was right here, and she wasn’t going to ever let this go. The two of them sat down, and the water hit their feet, they looked at one another, smiling.

  “This is the perfect moment,” Angela said.

  “It is. No matter what life throws at us, we’ll face it together,” Linda said.

  Angela extended her hand, moving it to intertwine with Linda’s. They sat on the beach, looking forward and counting stars, both of them speaking with animated expressions towards one another. They didn’t want any of this to end, and they’d stay this way forever.

  For Angela, she knew that she finally got what she wanted. The woman that she loved was right there with her. When she counted the stars, she saw one fly on by. She immediately touched Linda’s hand, pointing to it.

  “There it is,” she said.

  “I see it,” Linda said.

  “Make sure to make a wish,” Angela said.

  “I did. And I know that you probably did too,” Linda replied.

  In truth, they both wished for the one thing that they wanted to come true. That was, for the two of them to stay together, no matter what happened next. They’d make it, and there was always a future for both of them. Angela may be worried at times, and Linda did wonder what would happen after they got back to the states, but there was a lot of potential there and the two of them knew what their fate had in store for them.

  It would get better from here. They would have each other. While marriage wasn’t something neither of them thought much of yet, Angela wanted to pursue that eventually. It would happen once school was finished though, and they could go back.

  She finally had her best friend near her, and Linda was just happy to have her by her side too. No matter what, they’d have each other, and even though it was a bit scary, they were best friends, and because they were best friends, they knew they could face any struggles in their relationship, and in the future, together.