Page 43 of Forbidden Desires

I follow the peppy shop assistant to the staff room and stop short when I see it.

An enormous basket filled with all sorts of chocolate treats.

Fucking Pete.

No one knows my sweet tooth better than him.

I stare at the basket, torn between irritation and something dangerously close to giddiness. My fingers twitch at my sides, itching to dig through the glossy wrapping and unearth every decadent treat inside.

For a moment I just stand there, glaring at it.

"Do you like it? Who sent it to you?" the shop assistant asks, her eyes wide with excitement. She doesn't wait for an answer before adding, "I thought it was the most romantic thing I've ever seen! I wish someone would send me a chocolate bouquet like that."

I force a smile and mutter something noncommittal, brushing past her toward the basket. My hands hover above it before I finally grab the card tucked into the side.

Babygirl,

A pretty blonde girl once told me chocolate fixes everything.

I know it might notreallyfix a broken heart, but maybe it can help heal a few hurts.

We're not going anywhere.

xoxo

P & D

The note is simple, Pete's handwriting messy but familiar. It makes my chest ache. Anger bubbles beneath the surface, a weak attempt to shield myself from the pain threatening to crack me wide open.

I crumple the note in my hand and toss it into the trash, ignoring the way my heart screams at the betrayal of such an act.

The basket itself I can't bring myself to abandon. Instead, I heft it into my arms, muttering a quick 'thanks' to the young girl before heading to my locker to put it away.

The rest of the day drags on. The heat of the furnaces and the rhythm of shaping molten glass offer some reprieve, but my mind keeps drifting back to the basket and what it means.

They didn't leave.

They're still here.

When I finally leave the studio and make my way home, the sight that greets me on my doorstep stops me dead in my tracks.

A large bouquet. Not just any bouquet. A towering, fragrant arrangement of flowers in every shade imaginable. Roses, lilies, daisies—blooms that should be impossible to get this time of year. They're almost too perfect to be real.

There's another card tucked into the center.

Sunshine,

As brilliant as these flowers might be, they don't come close to how beautiful and stunning you are.

We miss you.

D & P

My fingers tighten around the card, and I clench my jaw against the wave of emotion that threatens to drown me. How dare they?

How dare they act like this, sending me thoughtful gifts and sweet words, when they know exactly why I pushed them away.

And dammit, no matter how unreasonable it is, I feel even more angry that they're breaking through my defenses, especially when I'm most determined to keep them up.

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