Delilah: A Short Story Read online

  Delilah

  A short story

  By Amanda Siegrist

  Copyright © 2017 Amanda Siegrist

  All Rights Reserved.

  This ebook may not be re-sold or re-distributed to another person unless consent is given by this author. If you wish to share this book, please purchase an additional copy. It may not be re-produced in any format for your own rights. If you did not purchase this book, please return to the retailer to purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All characters in this book are a product of the author’s imagination. Places, events, and locations mentioned either are created to help inspire the story or are real and used in a fictitious manner.

  I originally wrote Delilah for a contest on Wattpad for Target. They wanted a story based on a fairytale, but in modern day times. So I give you Delilah, loosely based off of Rapunzel.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Dating an On-liner

  Reunion

  Cheesiest Pick Up Line

  One Night Stand

  More Books

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  She brushed her hair behind her shoulder, cursing inside for not putting it into a braid or even a ponytail. Something, anything, to keep it from swirling around her face as she hustled to her appointment. Not that one could classify it as an appointment. More like a last minute call that demanded her attention.

  Not that she was complaining. Definitely not.

  She had been glued to her phone waiting for the call. And when it finally came, it had sent her into a tailspin, running around her apartment like she didn’t know what was going on.

  Hence, her hair flowing freely down her back getting in her way every time she took a step.

  Her hair wouldn’t be a problem soon. She would be home in no time. At home, her hair could do anything it wanted without bothering her in the least. The meeting had ended almost before it even started.

  Now she just wanted to flee the building, the high-rise that sent her in another tailspin. She wasn’t fond of heights, even when walls surrounded her. Just the thought she was close to the top floor in a building seventy-five stories high gave her the jitters. Of course, the meeting had to be in a building this tall.

  She couldn’t remember what caused the fear of heights.

  Perhaps it was the time she climbed a tree when she was six and fell helplessly to the ground when the branch broke underneath her. Broken arm. Terribly painful.

  Or maybe it was the time she played in the tree house with her best friend, Dalphina, across the street and the floor gave out. Yet again, falling from a tree and breaking her other arm. She was eight at the time. Thank goodness. She couldn’t imagine having two broken arms at the same time. They had figured out why Dalphina’s mom didn’t want them in the tree house. The structure wasn’t safe and needed to be fixed. But when your eight, you’re not listening to your parents, you’re outside trying to have fun.

  But neither incident had seemed to faze her. When she was twelve, she climbed onto the roof with Dalphina to ‘catch the rays’ as they liked to call it. While she didn’t fall down that time, the ladder had the misfortune to plunge helplessly to the ground. There went the opportunity to climb off the roof safely. They were stuck up on the roof for hours, the hot sun beating down on them. She was a red tomato by the time her parents returned home. Dalphina, of course, blessed with skin that tanned with ease didn’t have one red patch on her.

  After that, she didn’t care for heights. So perhaps, a combination of all three made her fearful of heights. Every time she moved high into the air, nothing good ever happened. It was a sign.

  Like today.

  Nothing good happened today. Maybe some people would consider it good. And deep down, she knew the news had been good.

  For her.

  For everyone else—well, not so good. She was now the most hated person in her family. But that really wasn’t new news to her. She was already accustomed to being ignored by her family. Did it really matter that they all hated her now?

  A little.

  Dwelling on that part would get her nowhere. She needed to escape from this building before something else bad happened. It was entirely possible.

  She had the worst luck in the world.

  The ground could to start to shake and swallow her whole. The heavens could decide to deliver a torrential downpour, causing a storm of the century, blowing the building down. Lightning could strike her with an electrifying bolt.

  And yes, she was foolish enough to think that all could occur while she attempted to escape from the building.

  She started to shuffle her feet on the floor with a quickened pace, her hair flowing like the wind behind her. That is, until she saw the elevator door start to rapidly close. She went into a full-blown run, squeezing between the doors before they completely shut.

  A soft hand reached out and scooped her hair into a widening arch.

  “Wouldn’t want this lovely hair to get caught. The door almost snatched it away from you.”

  She half-turned to the man standing next to her, and to her surprise, still holding a few strands of her long blonde hair.

  “Thank you. I didn’t have time to put it into a braid this morning. My hair likes to get in the way if I don’t.”

  “I like it just the way it is. Like I said, it’s lovely.” He offered her a sweet smile, then must’ve registered he was still holding her hair. The strands floated down to her back in a graceful wave as he let go. “Terribly sorry about that. I’m Duncan Wallace.”

  She looked at his outstretched hand and completely forgot why she had been running to the elevator in the first place. Without a shiver in sight, she took his hand. “I’m Delilah Thomas.”

  “Delilah. A lovely name to go with such beautiful hair.”

  For a moment, she almost thought he was going to kiss the back of her hand, anticipating the action with every breath in her body. Instead, he let go with a grin she didn’t understand.

  “Thank you.” She felt utterly ridiculous repeating the same words, but had no idea what else to say.

  Most people would probably classify him as handsome, as they should. Classic face with striking features and eyes as blue as the ocean. Black hair, slightly spiked in the front, that despite not being blonde as most blue-eyed people displayed well, looked ruggedly good with his bright blue eyes. And for a moment, when his eyes turned a certain way, she almost thought they were purple. There was something different with this man than just his looks. His kindness, consideration, and sweet words that left his mouth were the qualities she found instantly handsome.

  She started to shift away, unsure of what to say and not wanting to feel any more awkward with him, but his deep voice stopped her movement.

  “I’ve never seen hair that long before. It’s truly amazing.” She saw his eyes shimmering with delight as he glanced at her. It made her have the strange urge to brush a few fingers through it to remove the tangles, if there were any. And having long hair, dangling almost to her butt, she most likely had a few tangles.

  Her mouth started to open. “Tha—t is very kind of you.” She would not repeat the words thank you again. “I’ve always loved long hair. My grandmother used to braid it with wonderful, unique designs. But at times my hair can be really annoying. Like today. It’s been flying around my head as I rush around.”

  “I know how those days go. Rushing always works my nerves. I don’t have the hair problem, though,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m glad to have saved the day. With you
r hair. I wouldn’t want to see it get caught on anything.”

  “I’ve had many mishaps. I’m sure I would’ve survived, but it was much appreciated.” She smiled inside for saying thanks—again—without actually saying the words.

  “So you keep it long like that because you just love long hair, or is there some other enchanting reason?”

  His warm smile told her that his question was sincere. There was no ridicule or disgust in his tone. Almost pure awe.

  “Well, I do love long hair. It’s taken me forever to grow it out and I would be terribly sad if I ever cut it.”

  And because she couldn’t help herself, she leaned closer to him. There was something about him that made her forget her usual shyness. To her delightful surprise, he leaned over as well, their bodies scant inches from each other.

  “Can you keep a secret?”

  His blue eyes sparkled with pleasure. “I can.”

  “It’s magical. And some of the magic just transferred to you for saving my hair from the evil elevator.”

  “I would have to say that I am a very lucky man then…to have met such a beautiful woman with magical powers.” He whispered the words close to her lips.

  Tingles of joy spread throughout her body as her eyes stayed enamored with his. She could feel the magic flowing between them. His lips so close to hers, called to her, pulled her in with a captivating whisper.

  Before his lips could connect with her, the elevator doors swished open. The spell broken. She jumped back from him, embarrassed by her silly words.

  “It was nice to meet you, Duncan. Have a wonderful day.” She fled the elevator, quite certain his voice followed her.

  Impossible.

  Why would a handsome, charming man be interested in little ol’ Delilah? She wasn’t anything special. She was a simple girl, living in her simple world.

  Chapter 2

  Duncan couldn’t believe his luck. He runs into the most enchanting woman he’s met in a long time and he let her slip away. The teasing banter back and forth had brought him out of his usual funk that he always managed to land himself in whenever he had to leave work early.

  He enjoyed the way her eyes lit up every time he complimented her hair. Otherwise, he probably would’ve kept his mouth shut. Focusing his attention on a woman did not fit into his life.

  Would there ever be a good time?

  Probably not. She had been delightful from the moment she rushed into the elevator. He couldn’t help himself.

  From her sweet blonde hair that shined like gold, to her tentative smiles that made his heart beat faster, to her lovely teasing that surprised him. Not much could surprise him. But that certainly did. He had loved every minute he spent with her.

  Then the doors rustled open, breaking the spell holding them mere inches apart. She ran. No amount of him shouting her name had gotten her to stop. He took that as a sign. It wasn’t meant to be.

  He pushed the charming Delilah from his mind and made his way to the parking garage. Within no time, he made it to his daughter’s school.

  “Hey, pumpkin. How was school?” he asked his eight-year-old little girl that was his everything. He couldn’t imagine his life without her by his side.

  “It was school, Dad. Not much to say.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her with tenderness. “Did something happen? What’s with the sad attitude?”

  “I just hate leaving early. The kids always look at me funny when I walk out.”

  “I know, pumpkin, I know. I’ve tried to get the appointments later in the day. I promise I do try. I know it hasn’t been easy, but you’re getting better. You need to get better. I can’t lose my little girl.”

  “I know, Daddy.” She looked at her watch. “You were actually three minutes late.”

  He laughed as he pulled back into traffic. Leave it to his little girl to notice the time. He had no idea where she got her punctuality from. Her mother, when she had been around, was never on time for anything. It wasn’t a surprise when she left that day four years ago and never came back. She had never wanted to be a mother in the first place. While it hurt his daughter to know her mother didn’t want her, he figured she was better off. She had been a terrible mother.

  He certainly made mistakes. He couldn’t say he was the best father in the world, but he tried. That was the difference. She never tried. Not once. Thinking of her never conquered up any sad feelings, only regret. Regret that his daughter would never know a mother’s love.

  While he tried his hardest to be punctual, he had slip-ups as well. Work was tedious and consuming. Traffic could be horrendous. Or simply, he lost track of time. And his little munchkin always let him know.

  “The elevator was slow today.” He smiled, thinking about Delilah. The elevator hadn’t been slow enough, in his opinion. And he had wasted a few minutes running through the lobby trying to find her. He had wanted to ask her for her number. But Ellie, his daughter, didn’t need to know all of that.

  “I think you can think of a better excuse than that, Dad. Why was it slow?”

  Smart as a whip. He never could get anything by her. “I was talking to a woman. She had the longest hair I’ve ever seen. All the way down her back to her bottom.”

  Ellie’s eyes lit up. “Really? What color? Was it soft?” She waved a hand at him. “Forget I asked. You wouldn’t know that.”

  “I was a hero today. I saved her hair from being trapped in the elevator doors. It was very soft, silky, blonde hair.”

  “Daddy, you are a hero. You’re always my hero.”

  “And that’s all I ever aim for, pumpkin.” He grinned wide, glad to hear her say that. Life never went the way he planned, but if he was a hero in his daughter’s eyes, everything was perfect in the world.

  Especially right now with the way their world was turning.

  Cancer.

  His daughter was nearing the last treatments to battle her cancer. He hoped every time he took her to these appointments to fight off the beast that it chipped away at each bad cell. Because he refused to lose his little girl. And he wouldn’t. She was a fighter. She normally came out of each appointment looking beaten and bruised, but she was a fighter to the core.

  Besides these small moments of sadness, she normally was very upbeat and lighthearted about everything. It brought joy to his heart to see that. She wasn’t letting any part of her sickness bring her down. Except today. But days like this were few and far between.

  “I hate wearing this hat, Daddy. I want long hair, like the woman you met today.”

  He glanced at her with an encouraging smile. “You will. You’ll have the longest hair ever. It’ll start growing back as soon as we’re done with all these treatments. I promise.”

  “And you never break a promise. That’s one reason you’re my hero.”

  “And I never, ever will, pumpkin.” Definitely never. Her mother had broken many promises in the short time she had been in their lives. If there was one thing he vowed never to do, he’d never break a promise.

  Her hair would grow back. He’d make sure of it. And if it chose not to, well, he’d find a way to get her the long hair she wanted and deserved.

  The appointment went as it normally did. She received her treatment with a smile on her face. But the minute they got home, she looked tired and defeated. She retreated into her funk from earlier. She had even fooled the doctor and nurses with her upbeat attitude.

  He decided to make her favorite meal. Spaghetti with his special sauce he created from scratch. Anytime she smelled it cooking in the kitchen, she was on his heel like a kitten looking for attention. Not tonight. She stayed firmly on the couch, staring at the TV, but not really seeing it.

  He tried to get her to laugh as they ate, but she resisted his humor. At bedtime, instead of tucking her in with a simple kiss of goodnight and a story, he read her two stories. Both stories his own creations, of course. With a princess and a prince and a fire-breathing dragon as they battled wit
h tales of glory. Right before he switched off the light, he finally saw a hint of a smile.

  That simple smile made everything better. He hated seeing her so down and sad. But he knew things couldn’t always be sunshine and rainbows. Not when they had to deal with cancer.

  As he lay down in his own bed for the evening, his mind wandered to Delilah. His golden-haired beauty from the elevator. To think she slipped away from him so easily after the wonderful time they had. Short time, of course, but wonderful, nonetheless.

  He could still envision her long blonde hair, smooth to the touch. The way her eyes sparkled with laughter when she asked him to keep a secret. He had never met a woman with such carefree, loving humor. To experience such beauty again would be pure joy. The odds of seeing her were not in his favor. Unless she was just hired that day, he knew she didn’t work on the floor where she joined him in the elevator. Because he worked on that floor. He would never forget a woman like her. That meant she was a client.

  His mind raced with possibilities of why she was there. Who had she spoken to? The only saving grace was she wasn’t his client. If he ran into her again, a big if, he would be free to ask her out without any repercussions coming his way. The thought excited him. Made him ache for her each time he took a breath.

  He drifted off to sleep with dreams of a golden-haired beauty lying next to him, her hair fanned out lovingly as he brushed his fingers through her long locks. It ranked as one of his best dreams he ever had. And he wished for his dream to come true. For her magical hair to bring them back together.

  Chapter 3

  Delilah paced inside her apartment as she relayed the entire day to Dalphina. Every single minute of her day, including her elevator incident.

  “What? You just ran. Are you crazy? He sounded like a prince, whispering sweet words to you.”

  Delilah rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and he also could’ve been an ax murderer in disguise. I tell you that my grandmother left everything to me in her will, effectively making me the most hated person in my family, and you zoom right to the part about the guy.”