Page 131 of The Casualty of Us
Everyone starts to chatter as bags are opened up and food is passed around, but I take a minute to just sit. Looking around at them all as something peaceful washes through me that has me wishing I could freeze this moment forever. The way almost all of my people are safely tucked away under one roof, happily sharing food and conversation with each other. That sense of home and family that comes from the people we choose to surround ourselves with…it’s everything, really.
A shoulder bumps mine, and I look up to see Ollie staring at me questioningly.
“You good?”
“Yeah.” I give him a small grin. “Just thinking about how I wish I could freeze today.”
“Don’t worry,” he snorts softly, lifting his brows. “We’ll have a lifetime of them.”
“Right.” I bump his shoulder back, picking up my chopsticks and plopping a Szechuan dumpling in my mouth before glancing at Hayes.
Finding him staring at the sushi in front of him with a confused look on his face.
Huh.
I swallow the dumpling and elbow him. “What’s wrong?” He looks up in surprise. “Do you not like it?”
“No.” He shakes his head, darting his eyes back down before swallowing visibly. “It’s really nice.” His gaze comes back to mine with something in it that has my brows falling. “It’s all really nice, O.”
“But—”
“Can I ask you something?”
I huff an irritated breath and turn to Talan. “What?”
“You were muttering something earlier like a crazy person that I want to ask you about.”
“God, man,” Ollie scoffs next to me, shooting him a reproachful look. “You really need to work on the way you word things.”
Talan actually does look a little sorry at that, his face turning apologetic as he looks to my parents, then me again. “Sorry, but I think it’s important.”
“What?” I frown at him.
“When you came down from your room earlier, you were muttering something about messages and peonies and rage.”
Shit.
Everyone’s eyes turn to me, and I swallow, internally berating myself for not making sure one of them wasn’t around before returning the knife to the kitchen.
At least he didn’t catch sight of that…or at least isn’t mentioning it if he did.
My mother lifts her brows at me as Hayes’s hand lands on my leg with a squeeze, and I blow out a short breath, figuring it can’t really hurt, and if they aren’t smart enough to figure it out themselves, then someone should tell them.
“Not peonies,” I start, noticing the way Mia is staring at me closely now. “Petunias. He drew petunias on the note that he left on Jack’s car.”
Ollie’s hand grabs mine under the table on my other side, and I squeeze it, knowing it’s more for him than me right now.
“Why?” Talan’s face turns bemused. “Are they your favorite or something?”
“No,” I snort softly at the idea of me ever liking flowers again. “They symbolize resentment and anger mainly.” He blinks at me, and I tack on awkwardly. “Also desire.” Hayes’s fingers give a little twitch on my thigh as Ollie’s hand tightens around mine, and I hurry with the rest of it. “The first bouquet in the car had rosemary in it. No self-respecting florists would have put that in there without specific instructions. It’s not a standard thing.” Mia’s eyes flare, and I see her start to put it together while finishing quickly. “I don’t know if the second note had anything but…” I trail off, not really knowing what else to say if they don’t get it by now and Talan’s pushes.
“You think they mean something?”
“I know they do.”
“How?”
“Hamlet,” Hayes interrupts quietly, drawing both our gazes and a soft confirmation from me.
