Page 110 of Poetry of Flowers

And he cannot fix it.

ChapterThirty-Seven

MATILDA

Autumn and I went to a cute little shop where they had custom-made sweaters. She designed one for me and Kayden, the outlines of a guitar with forget-me-not flowers growing from the sides and around the guitar’s body.

The idea was so sweet, I couldn’t wait to show it to Kayden, and, of course, see him wear this masterpiece.

Theo had called my cousin and told her Kayden wasn’t feeling well and had gone back to the hotel. However, when I asked what was wrong, he had just ended the call.

Worry must have been written all over my face, when I arrived in front of the door to our room. It wasn’t locked. My best friend was paranoid when it came to his stuff.

“Kayden?”

I put my shopping bag on our bed, but he was nowhere to be seen, which could only mean he was in the bathroom.

“Kayden?” I knocked and called his name softly.

He had to be in there. Water had spilled everywhere on the shower floor.

He didn’t answer.

“Theo said you weren’t feeling well, can I come in?”

The door wasn’t locked, but I respected it if he needed privacy.

That was until I heard a loud bang as if he had fallen.

I stormed in and saw Kayden sitting on the floor, his head against the wall behind him, holding his bleeding elbow.

He was fully dressed but completely soaked. For a moment, I felt frozen in time, as though I couldn’t move. The sight of him told me that something terrible had happened.

Crouching down to him, I didn’t care about getting wet. I only cared about my best friend, who looked into nothingness as if I were invisible.

“What happened?” I cupped his face in my hands and turned his head to me. He cried. This might be something normal for other people, but seeing Kayden cry was so strange. The last time I had seen him cry was that Halloween when we were six years old.

“Kayden, you are scaring me.” With those words, I snapped him out of his thoughts because his eyes met mine and his gaze softened. He grabbed hold of me around my waist and pulled me against him, burying his face in my chest.

“I’m so sorry, Tillie.” A sob escaped him, and my heart felt like it might break.

“I’m so fucking sorry,” he cried out again, digging his fingers into my clothes.

I wasn’t running away, why did he cling to me like that?

“Why are you sorry? What happened?”

“I messed up. I lied to you, and it made everything worse.”

He scared me; his words scared me. When you knew someone who had been in control of their own feelings their entire life, it was hard to process seeing them break.

“Whatever happened, it’s okay,” I told him, laying my head on his wet hair. I breathed little kisses all over his forehead, hoping it would calm him a bit, or at least make him feel safe with me.

Kayden shook against my chest and lifted his head, now cupping my face, looking at me with a pained expression.

“I can’t see you hating me, but if you do, please don’t let it hurt you. Promise me, Fleur, promise me you’re going to keep the light we found right here.” He pointed at the place right above my heart.

My eyes turn blurry, what was he talking about?

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