Beyond the place of brokeness by Melissa Harrison (good books for high schoolers TXT) 📕

The buzzer went off ..5:30 am already... groaning Flaire half heartedly tries to turn off the annoying buzzer. reaching out to hit the snooze, the alarm clock slides off her night stand and onto the floor. She just wanted at least five more minutes of rest but that was useless, because not soon after, buttercup, her enormous, fluffy, always hungry but well fed kitty jumps up on the bed demanding her breakfast!  Oh well...Guess I have to start my day whether I like it or not. She reached down, grabbed her alarm, and tossed it on the stand.  Tousling the cats head playfully, she sleepily got out of her very oversized, comfortable, warm bed.  

Flaire went into her kitchen to prepare the cats food,then decided to read her devotions for the
day.. This whole devotion thing was very new to her...it captivated her to learn about a Love so big, and deep that it could look past every dirty place she's ever been. Her mind began to wonder what He saw in her. What value had she, after all the things she had done. She remembered where it was that He truly found her. In her desperation, in her torment. It was there, He came to rescue her from the pit she put herself in...the person she had become.....The smell of fresh coffee brewing brought her back to her senses...Boy, am I hungry! There's gotta be something in this fridge I can whip up...opening up the fridge, she found half a dozen eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, and some leftover potatoes she had cut up the day before. This will do just fine as she closed the door with a smile on her face and buttercup close behind. 

Today, she thought, is the first day of a new beginning in her life. It was only her and Buttercup, and what better way to start it then with a big hearty breakfast! ...It was never easy for her to be alone....She missed the way it felt to be in love....to be held...to be cared for. She immediately pushed the thought out of her mind because it was causing her
Heart to break. No..I refuse to be held down by this. not today. Today was a day for new beginnings. There, that's better...She put her hot plate of food down, went to get some of that wonderful smelling coffee, turned around to go back to the table, when guess who had already climbed up to try and partake of the freshly made hot and steamy
breakfast? ..no other then fluffy ole buttercup! 

"Buttercup! You chubby little lovebug! I Just fed you! .Your such a big mamabear! Flaire laughed as she carried her chubby kitty off the table.. she was grateful for that fat cat..Buttercup brought her many smiles, on her saddest days...After cleaning up and knowing  she would be alone on this day, she still wanted to put on her old summer dress.
She really only had worn it on special occasions , so it still looked rather new.  It was just a plain greenish colored summery dress with ruffles on the bottom, but she loved it non the less, and she loved the fact that it really brought out the green in her eyes, not to mentioned it looked great with her red hair. She held it close to her while looking in the mirror..Remembering fondly the last time she wore the dress..Pushing the memory aside, she decided to think about how blessed she was to have found a small cozy home in the middle of a field in the country...a field that was filled with wild flowers and beautiful shady trees, the kind where you could lay and watch the stars. walking over to her bay window she cracked it open just a bit to feel the fresh air on her skin. Immediately she got goosebumps. She forgot it was still early, so there was a slight coolness in the air. Gazing out into the open field, as the wind caressed her hair gently,She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the sky, filled with beautiful rays of sunlight. She loved feeling the hot rays of the sun against her face, it always made her warm inside..it was as if warm hands were holding her face gently..
Standing there like that, she started praying....Praying to the one who found her....who chose to love her, when she couldn't even love herself... To the one who IS Love..She prayed for a long time standing there like that. I just want a love that's passionate and endless..Pausing, she wondered if there even was such a thing she opened her eyes, and was surprised by the single tear trailing down her cheek. slowly wiping it away,She catches a quick glance of her reflection in the glass window, touching the reflection of herself, she remembers...Yes...there is such a love. She knows because Love has come for her. Love has found her, and Love will have His way in her. Looking out into the field, Flaire is drawn to the beautiful flowers swaying in front of her. Suddenly, all she wanted to do is feel the flowers beneath her feet, and the wind in her hair, so she rushes out to the middle of the field barefoot, joy filling her heart with every step she takes..She dances, and twirls, laughs and ........suddenly stops, completely out of breath, raises her arms, falls to her back, looks up into the sky and thanks Jesus for such a beautiful breakthrough. Completely unaware of the amount of time she's spent basking in His presence, she gets up to go back to the house, only to catch a  glimpse of someone watching her behind a tree in the distance..What the? Who IS that and why is he watching me? Quickly she gets up and starts for the house but curiosity gets the best of her... Determined not to be afraid, she stands where she's at and stares him down, hands on hips, as this 5 foot 1 woman tries to look intimidating, she shouts, Who are you?! And why are you watching me! 

The guy, who was watching her quickly hides back behind the tree and tries to
think of what to do next, Never in his dreams did he ever think he would meet back up with the woman he fell in love with so many years ago.. sweat starts to form around
his brow. He was becoming very anxious because he hadn't thought that she would see him from such a distance. And now
he just didn't know what to do..He was in the SAME situation he was years before. But was determined THIS time to tell her how he feels.

In the meantime, Flaire is getting closer, and the closer she gets ,she realizes that it's the same guy , she knew years ago...How could this be?
.
She walks softly around the tree and comes face to face with the man, the same man she never thought to see again...

He jumps at first, startled at her presence, Both of them still not believing that they were in front of each other after so long... in shock , not knowing what to say or do she starts to back up then run away. As she runs she's flooded with emotions and memories, as if she was in another moment of time. He chases her, calling out her name...as he is running, he's distracted and amazed at how beautiful her red hair shines in the sun, and the way it looks as its tasseled in the wind. Driven by his need to not let her get away this time, he finally reaches her, surprised at her speed,grabs her arm, they lose balance, tumbling into the flowers in the middle of the field, both out of breath, but none the less in complete awe over the situation....

She takes a moment to catch her breath,fights his reach off, and looks in his
eyes .He looks back Into hers and reaches to fix a strand of hair that fell into her face and to pull out the flowers that were stuck in her hair, he's  surprised To find just how fast his heart is beating...He is drawn to something in her eyes, some kind of Life that lives within them,something that wasn't there before..all those years ago. and in that instant he knows he never wants the moment to end.

He also knows, but doesn't quite understand how, that she is the one..The one  meant just for him...But
most of all, he knows he wants to kiss her, he has never felt such passion and desire in his heart, almost a
need...


Meanwhile, taking notice of the longing in his eyes, and noticing her own heart skip a beat..Her mind starts to race, she has only ever felt this way once before, and it ended up badly..I want so badly to be able to be in love again..to
experience real love.. But I don't...I don't want to get hurt again..besides, she hasn't seen him in so long, she really doesn't want to rush things and ruin anything..She turns away, only to feel his hand touch her chin, He slowly turns her face back to him..as he reassures her that he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. 



They lay in that field together for hours, talking about everything, just like when they were teens..holding each other While watching the sun set . They hadn't realized how much time had passed until they felt the chill back in the air. Getting up, She states it's time for me to go home..

As he is walking her home, he wonders how he's going to ask her out on a date, and she thinks to herself, that
she definitely wouldn't mind seeing him again, and actually hopes he asks her out for a dinner. She realizes this is a crazy thought, especially after not seeing him for nearly 5 years...

They finally get to her house, they stand out in the moonlight facing each other, both nervous, and unsure of what to do next..Just as awkwardness gets the best of her, he quickly reaches out and stammers "How about dinner
Friday night?"

She was so excited that she said yes louder and quicker then she meant to and they both laughed, kissing her on the cheek, he turned and headed back home.  

Flaire lay in bed that night , cuddled up with buttercup, she really couldn't believe her day! Her heart was filled with so much happiness and excitement that she could barely get to sleep. As she was closing her eyes, she once again spoke to the One who had given her new Life.., the Only one who knew her heart more then anyone else....
Jesus.