Page 92 of The Casualty of Us
All I know is that somewhere in all the mostly fine it’s been, it became this.
“Really,” I sigh, feeling that spot in my chest that was just so happy start to twist with something else. “Leave it alone.”
Leave it alone, Ollie. Please leave it—
“Unbelievable,” he shakes his head with clear frustration. “The one thing I asked both of you not to do. You could have literally picked anyone else, and it wouldn’t have mattered whathappened with them. Have you even figured shit out with him yet? Did you forgive him? What happens when—”
“And wouldn’t it be nice for me to be able to figure out my own feelings about it without having to consider yours for once?”
I want to snatch the words from the air as soon as they leave my lips, but it’s too late. They land in a wave of shock quickly followed by hurt and then anger on my twin’s face.
“I’m sorry.” My whisper is weak even to my own ears, and it has me sitting up with my heart jerking into a panic, scared that— “What’s that?”
I stare at the pretty bouquet of red roses sitting next to him in the seat, something about it bothering me instantly. Something off about the sprigs of greenery adorning it, and—
“I don’t know.” The tenseness in Ollie’s voice has me flicking my eyes back to him and finding our typical scowl there. “Figured one of your boyfriends threw it in here.” I stare at him and he rolls his eyes, picking up a thick white envelope. “There’s a card.”
It’s blank, though.
I frown. “Let me see.”
He passes the card over to me, and I drop my eyes to look it over, finding no sign of who sent it or who the intended recipient is. The thing isn’t even sealed properly, with the back of the envelope just folded into it. I pass my finger under the envelope to open it, breath hitching a split second later and yanking my hand back when it gives me a papercut. It has me already scowling when I pull the card out, something falling to the floor as it comes loose, but I’m too busy staring at the note held within. Held captive by it.
Ophelia, Ophelia, with eyes so blue,
Oh, sweetheart, I think I’m going to have to keep you.
Ready or not—here comes round two.
I’ve been patient so far, but don’t think I haven’t missed you.
“What the fuck?”
Ollie’s angry voice crashes through the tumult in my head, and I jerk my eyes back up to him. Immediately noticing the horror on his face as he stares at something in his hand. Something square that kind of looks like a—
“Ophelia.” His eyes lift to mine, and he flips the picture around. “What is this?”
I blink at it.
The image that I know is me. Eyes closed with dirty hair and blood on my knees, looking like some wasted version of myself, but…he’s touching my hair.
Oh god.
I fell asleep. I must’ve—I fell asleep. Deep enough into sleep in that place. I fell asleep, and he touched my hair.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck—
“Ollie! Ollie!”
“Oh, sweetheart…”
“Every better part of me is already because of you.”
“Ophelia!”
I blink at Ollie and whisper the truth for myself. “I didn’t make it up.” I choke out, needing to hear it even as the world tries to close in. “It’s real.”
My eyes drop back down to the bouquet that has to be snakes now because of the visceral fear shooting through me, and I realize what it is. Rosemary.
