Page 70 of The Truth Between

One afternoon, I returned to my dorm room to find a bouquet of blue irises waiting for me. It was obvious they’d been personally delivered because I didn’t need to go to the campus’s post office to retrieve them. I walked toward them and picked them up, choosing to take in their beauty before looking to find out who the sender was. Although it wasn’t hard to guess who it more than likely was.

I walked inside my room and took my time getting settled in before deciding to see if a card had been included. Once I found it, I was somewhat surprised to see that it only had one word on it.

Petal

The sight of the irises brought a mix of emotions. He was thinking about me too. I placed the bouquet near the window, its vibrant colors a stark contrast against the backdrop of my dorm room. They were stunning, and once again, I was faced with the dilemma of whether I should reach out to contact him to thank him for the lovely gift.

I pulled out my phone and debated texting him before stuffing it back into my pocket. Calling him right now wouldn’t do me a bit of good because I wouldn’t be able to say anything but thank you and listen to him breathing on the other end of the line. But saying thank you and ending the call wouldn’t be the worst thing.

As the irises stood by the window, bathing in the soft afternoon light, which felt more like a rarity because of the time of year, their presence in my room was comforting, something I hadn’t been expecting. I wasn’t surprised by Soren’s decision to use the word petal because it brought up memories of how he would whisper the word in my ear just before he made sure that I was coming all over his cock. Not to mention the many times he’d called me petal outside of the bedroom as well.

My phone felt heavy in my pocket as I paced back and forth. One message, one call, and I could bridge the gap between us. Yet my mind was still holding me back. Was I ready to reopen that door? To have a discussion I wasn’t sure I was ready to have?

I decided to let the moment be. For now, they would just be flowers that someone sent to me. Their beauty, in my mind, would remain uncomplicated by actions and reactions.

However, I couldn’t help but wonder what else Soren had up his sleeve.

43

IRIS

The irises didn’t stop coming.

As I shrugged off my coat before hanging it in the closet, the fabric rustling softly as it settled among my other clothes, my gaze drifted involuntarily to the bouquet of irises placed carefully near my window. They were the latest in a series of weekly floral reminders from Soren, each as beautifully arranged as the last.

The flowers had been arriving at my door for weeks now and there wasn’t any sign of them stopping. I knew I should tell him to stop, but I was enjoying having them in my room at this point. Other small gifts had also arrived, like snacks for studying and money for meals on campus suddenly appearing in my account. I knew it was him without him having to announce it.

His guest lecture on campus was just around the corner, and I still hadn’t decided whether to attend. It wasn’t just a matter of seeing him again for the first time in months. It was about what my presence there would signify to myself and him if he knew I was there.

Lost in thought, I absentmindedly fiddled with a loose thread on my sleeve. My gaze then drifted to the floor of the closet, settling on a peculiar detail I hadn’t paid much attention to since I’d been back. The small hole in the wooden planks offered a limited view into the room below. I still had no idea what was down there, and I was dying to know.

Kneeling down for a closer look, I wondered about the figure I’d seen with the candlelight down there and what they’d been looking for. Who was it, and what was in that room that made them want to search it?

Since I’d been back on campus, I hadn’t heard anything coming from the room. I was pretty satisfied with where things were, but I still wanted to know what was down there.

But that would have to wait for another day.

Rising to my feet, I looked at the flowers again before there was a knock on my door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I was confused about the intrusion.

I debated whether I wanted to answer the door when there was another sharp knock on it. “Who is it?” I called out, approaching the door.

When no one answered, I figured whoever it was had decided to go find someone else to bother. However, I was wrong. When I opened the door, I was met with a sight I hadn’t expected—Soren. He stood there, dressed in a black suit, and I could read the determination in his eyes. I swallowed hard as I took in every inch of him and how gorgeous he looked standing just outside of my door.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked. I was shocked he asked instead of demanding that I let him in.

Nodding silently, I stepped aside to let him in. Soren entered, holding a black envelope in his hand. The air between us was undeniably tense, but that was to be expected. It was something I’d been hoping to avoid, and why I hadn’t reached out to him at all, but apparently the time to avoid him was now over.

“This is for you,” he said as his gaze met mine.

For some reason, I’d been expecting him to apologize again, but I was happy that he hadn’t. I’d moved past that already, and it wasn’t something I wanted to revisit right now.

He extended the envelope toward me. He waited until I opened it and my mouth dropped open before he explained. “The Chevaliers made a decision. After acknowledging Margaret Turner’s contributions, we realized we owed a debt to her descendants. As the oldest living descendant, your grandmother is entitled to it, but we also wanted to give you something for being instrumental in bringing about this change.”

The amount written on this check was far more substantial than I could have imagined. It was a gesture that went beyond a simple apology. It was an acknowledgment by the Chevaliers that they messed up, and they were now trying to fix an error that should have been rectified decades ago.

Soren continued, “It’s a small part of what is owed, a recognition of the legacy that was almost lost, and your role in bringing it to light. I know it doesn’t change everything, but I hope it’s a start.”

I looked up at him and let out a shaky breath. This was more than just a personal apology. It was a step toward righting the wrongs of the past. It also added a new layer to the complexity of our relationship. I didn’t know when it had shifted from being a situationship to a relationship, but it had.

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