*Dave*

The holidays came faster than I expected because, with every passing day, I couldn’t help but think about Della. I kept standing in front of my mirror every night, rehearsing how I was going to confess to her. I still couldn’t come up with a final line to use, but regardless, I didn’t mind. I was still eager to see her.

My father and I headed to the airport together and flew to New Orleans. Throughout our flight, my dad seemed pretty ...