SUGAR (bxb)

28. Thirty-Five Roses (Casey)

   I haven't left my apartment in a week.

   Most of the time I've spent lying in bed, under doctor's orders.

   The concussion I got as a result of the direct collision with the asphalt alley, turned out to be the most dangerous of my injuries. I had to fight constant onsets of vomiting and dizziness the first two days, then only slight vertigo and drowsiness. They are almost gone now, but one of the girls always stays with me to make sure I'm ok. I still move as little as possible.

   My cheek doesn't hurt anymore and the swelling has subsided, although, the ugly, purple bruise on half of my face startles me every time I look in the mirror.

   My 'extreme anxiety' is under control, thanks to the pills I have to take twice a day.

   But nothing could cure the pain in my heart.

   I cried for the whole first day at home. Then the tears stopped and I only gazed at the wall half of the second day.

   And then it happened.

   There was a knock at the front door and Emmy went to see who it was. She came back, holding a huge bouquet of white roses, brought by a delivery girl who had firmly refused to tell her who had sent them.

   There was a small note, tucked among the flowers. It said 'One for each hour of happiness'.

   I counted them. They were exactly thirty-five. I started to cry again. I knew who had written the note. It was exactly the number of the hours we spend with Avery alone, from Friday night till Sunday morning, the happiest hours in my life.

   I wasn't crying because I was sad. I cried with relief. He hadn't given up on me.

   Then it became a routine. Every day, exactly at twelve a.m., there was the familiar knock on the door and whoever girl was with me was answering it and coming back with a bunch of flowers.

   The second bouquet was of yellow roses. The note said 'One for each hour in which the sun was shining next to me".

  Then came one of pink roses and a message, saying 'One for each hour in which life was as sweet as cotton candy'.

   The fourth was a bunch of bright orange roses, accompanied by 'One for each hour in which time flew as a river of gold'.

   I got used to wake up, have quick breakfast and a shower, sit on the sofa, opposite the door and stare at it, waiting for the knock.

   Thirty-five blue roses came yesterday , the note saying 'One for each hour I spent, looking at the most beautiful eyes in the world'.

   It's almost twelve. I'm staring at the door again, squeezing Lilly's hand.

   Here's the knock. She stands up and glances at me over her shoulder, walking towards the door and smiling softly. The delivery girl is there, waving at me with a wide grin.

   The roses are blood red. Lilly hands them to me and I can't wait to open the small piece of paper.

   'One for each hour I was falling in love with you. Babe, I'm still your boyfriend. Please, call me when you're ready. I'll wait forever if that's how long it takes.'

   I hold the note between my trembling fingers and raise my eyes to Lilly.

   Am I ready? Can I talk to him without freaking out? Can I tell him everything, why I was so stressed, why I was scared of him, why I had this nervous breakdown?

   Lilly shakes her head, "You have to make this decision on your own, Casey. I can't tell you what to do. All I can say is that you needed this time alone to come back to normality. Now you can choose reasonably your next move."

   "I want to see him," I mumble.

   "Then call him," she encourages me. "He loves you. Isn't it obvious?"

   "I'm not sure I'm strong enough," I mutter, "and, besides, I look awful. Half of my face is like a Picasso painting."

   She laughs lightly, "I think, he'll like you even if you're all covered in mud."

   "Avery is different, right? He's not like... him." I still need a confirmation, a reassurance that I can trust him.

   "You know him better than me, honey," Lilly smiles, stroking my cheek. "What do you think?"

   "I think he's so perfect," I whisper dreamily, brushing the delicate red petals with the tips of my fingers, "but I'm not."

   "You don't need to be, Casey. You just have to be you."

   I nod and reach for my phone.

   I'm not ready to call, so I type a text message.

   "Ave, I'm still your boyfriend too. Can we talk?"

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A/N

Hello everyone at the end of Chapter 28.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤

There's light in the darkness. Do you think Avery handled the situation well? 💗

Do you like his idea to send his love in the form of roses?

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See you in the next chapter.

Love: Anny