A Love Restored

His Little Flower

Then

“You’ve ruined my f*g life, you ***h!”

“Please, Jack.” S****bs. The sound of something falling and glass shattering. “Please, I’m sorry.”

I clenched my eyes shut in pain. It was 7 30 AM. Early in the morning. I was waiting for Felix to pick me up for school and trying to eat my breakfast. Just a banana. It was getting harder and harder to swallow, with these sounds echoing around the house.

I was sitting down near the entrance. This was the area where sounds rarely reached from the other parts of the house. But they were being loud today.

I put my banana down and put my hands over my ears, pressing hard to ensure no sound reached me. It didn’t help much.

I heard th

the door open and someone step in, but I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. I knew it was Felix, though. I could always tell, no matter what and where he came from.

He stood in front of me. “Flora.” He said quietly. I looked up at him, my still cupping

my ears.

hande

He was looking down at me, his jaw set. “Come on.” He urged. I reached out and hugged him around his legs. We stood there like that for a few minutes, as the sounds of my parents fighting continued around us.

“Flower,” he whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”

I nodded against his legs, standing up slowly. I picked up the banana I had kept on the floor. and ran to the kitchen, throwing it in the trash and then running back to Felix. He grabbed me by the wrist lightly and led me outside to his car. I sat inside without a word.

“Was that your breakfast?” He asked. His hands gripped the steering wheel. He hadn’t yet started the car.

I nodded. “I’ll just have lunch, now. Let’s go. I wasn’t hungry anyway.”

He shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Really, Flora. You’ll just be hungry for six hours?”

“Maybe we can grab some coffee on the way?” I looked up at him hopefully. An iced latte

would be so good right now.

“Stay here,” he said, not replying to my question. He patted me on the head and got out of the car. A few minutes later, he emerged out of my house with a paper bag in hisAll content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

hand.

He sat back down again and handed it to me. Inside was a banana, a m**n and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “Eat,” he instructed, and finally started the car. I took out the

sandwich and bit into it.

“Thank you, Felix.” I told him. He was so sweet. A moment ago, I had felt like I couldn’t stomach one bite of food, but his sweet gesture had made my appetite return.

He grunted in response. Felix always got a bit irritated whe y parents fought and it affected me like this. He was sweet for trying to protect me from it. He would always just take me away, on a drive, or a walk, or for ice cream. Sure, removing myself from the situation worked, but it couldn’t erase the reality of how my parents’ marriage was breaking down, and the effect my father’s behavior was having on my mother.

It wasn’t good. And stepping into my house was always a reminder of that. It was like my home had become some kind of vessel of negative energy.

Felix tried but he didn’t understand. He never would. His parents had always had a good marriage. They were nice to each other and loved each other. I think my parents had only been in love for maybe the first five years. And since then, there had been some weird animosity between them that had now manifested into…this.

“I didn’t know you knew your way around a kitchen,” I teased him. He smiled. “I just grabbed a bunch of things. I do watch you cook; you know. I know where things are kept.”

I smiled, continuing to nibble on my sandwich. God I was going to miss all this when he left.

“I want to tell you something,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Not right now.” We were just pulling into the school parking lot. I folded my my chest. “Please tell me now!”

He shook his head.

arms across

Please, Felix Please!” I drew out the last word, “I’ll just think about that the whole day, now? Please, please, please, please, plea”

“Flora.” His voice was firm

I pouted at him, but didn’t press it more. “Good girl.”

He walked me to class as usual, where I met Tilly and we pondered over what it could be he wanted to tell me. She said it was probably something about his college applications. Maybe he got in somewhere. That made sense. I really hoped he had gotten into Princeton. It had been his dream for the last two years. And he was fully capable of it. He had worked hard for it. Technically, Felix didn’t need a degree, because he’d eventually just te over his Dad. But he wanted one, and college would be good for him. I knew he would ace it, he’d be so popular with all the girls fawning over him, and he’d be so good in all his classes. I’d be Sorry to miss it.

Later that night, Felix texted me if he could come over. I had just had dinner and was in bed watching a YouTube video about an old unsolved murder case, I sent a text of affirmation and jumped out of bed.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed two chocolate orange cupcakes 1 had made the day before, putting them on a plate and went up to the terrace. We had a medium sized open terrace

sitting

with mom’s garden and some pace. Felix and I loved hanging out here when the

weather was nice, and it was today. I texted him to meet me there, and waited, listening to

some music.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive. He sat down beside me and grabbed a cupcake, knowing it was for him.

I waited for a response. He took a bite, and his eyes widened a bit. “Why is it…citrusy?”

“Its chocolate orange. Do you like it?”

He nodded. “I just haven’t ever had this flavor before. I was expecting a simple chocolate one. Its good, though, flower, Thanks.”

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