I'd Give Up The World For You

Daisy didn't know what had gone down between Leo and Juliet Gallagher but it had to be bad for her to be petty enough to make him the villain in her novel. The woman couldn't have possibly predicted it blowing up like this but it was still a jerk move. 

Maybe they had dated and things ended badly. She kind of doubted that though considering how doting Leo was when they didn't even have a label on them. 

She didn't want to upset him further by asking but she really did want to know. He must really hate the woman. After they left the theater she noticed what looked like little bloody puncture marks on his arms. That must have been from him digging his fingernails in earlier when he was crossing his arms so tightly over his chest in a self-protective gesture. 

There had to be something Daisy could do to cheer him up. He brooded all the way back toward his apartment building. She didn't know how to deal with him when he acted like this. Especially since the behavior didn't end that night. 

Leo was very quiet and seemed lost in his own head over the next several days. He spent almost all of his time at her place lying on the couch with an arm draped over his eyes. 

It was weird seeing him like this since he was normally in a pretty good mood around her. Inspiration finally struck on Friday but she wouldn't be able to implement it until the following morning when they had time. 

She went to pick him up from his place around 10 AM once she was awake, fed, and dressed. He had dark circles under his eyes and the smile he gave her was half-hearted. "Hey, Daisy."

"Hey yourself. I have a plan for today but you need to tell me everything you know about making homemade jam," she told him as she took him by the hand and dragged him to her car. 

He really did look terrible. As if his very soul had left him. But when he heard the words 'homemade jam' he perked up slightly. "We're making jam?"

"Not only that! We're making bread too. And a lot of it so you can make yourself a week's worth of sandwiches to bring for lunch at work. I don't know how many flavors you know how to make but I'm willing to go all out if you are."

"All sorts! Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, grape, pomegranate. I know how to preserve apples, figs, and so on too. Back on the farm we had to preserve everything so it wouldn't go bad so I have years of experience!" 

Daisy blinked at him. "You lived on a farm?"

When would he have had time to do that if he was a military kid? Didn't military families always live on base?

A misty, faraway sort of smile appeared on his face. "Yeah. It was a lot of work but the fresh food was delicious and I learned a lot there. It was one of the best places I ever lived." 

Leo seemed happier talking about the farm than he had in days but it was still somehow tinged with sadness. Why did always seem sad even when he was happy? He said she made him happy but did that mean she made him sad too or was he just a horribly depressed person and nothing could fix that?

Daisy didn't know what to do with a depressed person. Especially one whose only source of happiness seemed to be her. She felt rather helpless but the least she could do was try and bring a little life back into him by making his favorite food. Hers usually made her feel better.

"That's really cool," she said, unsure what else to say. "I'd love to live on a farm. I bet the fruits and vegetables are amazing."

He nodded fervently and began telling her all about all of the jams and preserves he used to make. He said 'we' a lot without specifying who it was and she was willing to bet he was referring to the family he never talked about.

Leo continued talking quite a bit more than usual about the jam-making process and what ingredients they would need to make multiple flavors the rest of the way to the store. He went around eagerly pulling the necessary items off the shelves as he continued giving her step-by-step instructions. She had never seen him so animated. 

It was actually kind of cute. His eyes lit up in a way she had never seen before and somehow he seemed much lighter doing something familiar with good memories associated with it. 

Daisy followed his instructions easily enough when they got back to her place and he helped her knead the bread dough like he had done it a million times before. Which he probably had considering it was one of his favorite foods. 

She knew how to make homemade cinnamon rolls but it took so long and when she was in a bad mood she didn't feel like spending hours waiting for dough to rise. But if this guy knew how to make his own jam he must have experience making bread too. 

While the dough rose they focused on making jams. The kitchen got incredibly messy and she used all the pots and most of the bowls she owned in the process but she couldn't deny she was having fun. 

Learning how to make new foods was one of her favorite things to do. She didn't mind how much effort it took as long as the end result was good. Besides, the process wasn't so bad either aside from how many dishes it used up. 

"Once the jam is done we have to wait a few hours for it to set. At least some of the bread should still be warm then since we made so many loaves that can't bake all at the same time. It's best when it's warm," Leo informed her. 

"You know an awful lot about this stuff," Daisy said, impressed. 

"I learned from the best."

He had said the exact same thing about making omelets. Was he talking about his mother? She was afraid to ask since his bad mood from the past several days had finally dissipated. 

They finished as much as they could for the food before setting various timers and finding other things to do. Daisy got to work on a scarf she was knitting while Leo sat beside her and leaned against the back of the couch with his eyes closed. 

That didn't look terribly comfortable for his neck. She would have suggested he use the bed if he wanted to take a nap if not for the weird connotation. 

They had slept together in it several times now even if all those times but one consisted only of actual sleep since she was sick. She didn't want him getting any ideas. The last thing he needed right now was more disappointment. 

Daisy finished the scarf she was working on while the second loaf of bread was in the oven. It was multicolored with block chunks of pink, gray, green, tan, and maroon. Cute and quirky. She wouldn't mind wearing something like this with the right outfit. 

She pulled out her yarn basket and dug around to see what was left so she could potentially start another one. She noticed she had an unused ball of yarn the color of Leo's hair.

She had never seen him wear a scarf. He could probably use one. Would making him one help cheer him up further? She supposed it wouldn't hurt to ask at the very least. If he didn't want one she could add her next creation to her ever-growing donation bag. 

"This is kind of random but what's your favorite color? I was thinking about making you a scarf," Daisy said. 

Leo opened his eyes and glanced at her in surprise before giving her a soft smile. "I would love that. My favorite color is turquoise."

"Turquoise? Not red?"

He let out a small laugh. "I do love red but there's a specific sentimental reason behind it. From an aesthetic standpoint my favorite is turquoise. It reminds me of the sea on a clear day."

Huh. He must really like the ocean. "Have you ever lived near the beach then?"

"Yes. My original home was by the sea. I could clearly see it out my bedroom window. It was beautiful. I haven't seen it in a very, very long time but I still remember how it would change color."

Leo sounded wistful talking about it. He must have really love it there. Leaving it to move all those times must have been hard. Daisy didn't have any place she had ever considered home so she couldn't understand completely but knew how much moving sucked. 

Ohio was pretty far from the ocean.. She supposed there were lakes here but that wouldn't be the same.