The sympathy in his voice makes me cry harder. “Nothing,” I tell him, because I don’t know how to explain my feelings to him. I take a deep breath and straighten my shoulders. “I’m fine,” I lie.
He pushed me back a little so he can look in my eyes.
I fake a smile, not wanting him to be affected by my mood. “Seriously, I’m fine.”
His brow pinches. “Is it me?”
“No!” I say quickly. “Not at all.”
“Then what is it?”
I walk to the fridge and pull out a bottle of water. “You ever have one of those days when it’s just...the colors are dull and even the fresh air seems suffocating.” It sounds stupid, even to myself. I lean against the counter, my eyes still on the floor. “I’m just having one of those days.”
He stops in front of me and grips the counter either side of my waist. “So let’s brighten your day?”
I want to laugh. “I wish it were that easy.”
“Who says it can’t be?” he says.
He sounds so hopeful, I can’t help but to look up at him. “What did you have in mind?”
“Are you ready to go now?”
Sighing, I let my shoulders slump. “We don’t have to do anything, Ky, we can just stay in.”
He smiles. “I’m not a fan of wasting time, Madison. There’s too much in the world. Too much to see. Too much to do. Too much to breathe. We miss it all if we just stay in our apartments all day.”
I smile as he repeats my words from a few days ago. “So what are we doing?”
“Element of surprise remember?”
***
Debbie walks toward us with a huge smile on her face.
“Kyler,” she sings. “It’s good to see you again.
I scoff. “She’s allowed to call you Kyler?”
He just squeezes my hand.
“What are we doing here, anyway?”
He ignores me and follows Debbie to the back of the flower store.
As soon as I enter, I gasp and dig my heels in the floor. My eyes dart everywhere, all at once. It’s a flower warehouse and the smell...oh my god, the smell. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, taking it all in. It’d been years since my senses had so much to take in.
“Is the air still suffocating?” Ky whispers, his breath warming my cheek.
I shake my head in disbelieve, my eyes darting open so I can see him. “Not at all, Ky.”
“Kyler,” Debbie shouts, poking her head out from behind a row of pots. “You coming?”
“Yeah!” He drags toward her.
“Here it is.” Debbie points to a large pot plant. “It’s not exactly how it was pictured online.” She sounds disappointed.
“It’s perfect,” Ky assures her.
I move in front of him so I can see what they’re talking about. “It’s beautiful.”
Debbie lifts the plant to my nose. “You should smell it.”
Ky settles his hand on my shoulders. I dip my head, my chest rising with my intake of breath. It smells just as beautiful as it looks. I look up at Ky, hoping he understands everything my eyes are trying to convey; that I appreciate him and what he’s done for me—what he’s currently doing—means more to me than he’ll ever know.
He’s giving me a part of my life back.
A life I thought I’d lost.
“What to know what is?” Debbie asks me.
“Yes.”
“They’re rainbow roses. The fuse together all the different colors and it comes out like this. Kyler gave you a yellow one, yes?”
I nod.
Debbie smiles. “It’s the flower of friendship.”
I cover his hand on my shoulders with mine. “So I’ve been told.”
“Well,” Debbie says, inspecting the flower. “Kyler wanted to give you one that represented all the things. This one has a little of everything.” Debbie looks up at Ky. “Dark pink for thankfulness, orange for fascination, peach for modestly.” She moves her gaze back to me. “Red and orange for love and desire.”
Ky chokes on a gasp.
I giggle like a schoolgirl.
Debbie adds, “I was thinking of giving it a nickname for the store. I don’t much like Rainbow Rose. Any suggestion?”
“Madison,” Ky says from above me.
“Yeah?”
He laughs. “No. Madison. The name. You should call it Madison.”
“Perfect,” Debbie says. “It suits. Beautiful name for a beautiful flower, to match the beautiful girl.”
Ky chuckles. “Wow, Debbie. You’re doing all the hard work for my.”
Me? I can’t seem to do anything. There’s an ache in my chest that’s anchored its way to my stomach—holding my response captive.
Why? Why was it so easy for him to see through me? To feel every part of me? To know how to take my pain and my fears and make them disappear. Why was it so easy to make me fall for him?
“Madison?” he asks, turning me to him. “Are you crying?”
I didn’t realize I was. “Why would you do that, Ky?”
“Because you don’t deserve to live in a world without color.”
12
KY “SO I KIND of gave her flowers,” I tell Doctor Aroma.
“Oh yeah?” she says through a smile. “And how did she react?”
“She smiled.”
“That’s a good outcome.”
“We haven’t picked it up yet. It’s still at the shop getting monitored.”
Her eyebrows lift. “So I take it they’re not just standard flowers. What are they?”
“Madisons.”
“Like her name?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“And you—you’re smiling, too.”
I shrug. “I guess I like making her happy.”
“Just her?”
“What do you mean?”
She leans forward a little. “You just seem like the kind of guy that likes to please people. Are you a people pleaser, Ky?”
I shrug again, then laugh. “She makes me want to please myself.”
She laughs with me, understanding my hidden meaning. “She not pleasing you in that way?”
“Time’s up.”
***
We’ve just finished checking on the Madison and are a block away from our building when she stops in front of a dollar store. “What is this place?” she asks.
“Seriously?”
She nods
“It’s just a shop full of cheap junk.”
“That sounds fun.” Before I know it, she has my arm in a death grip and is dragging me into the store.
We spend a good ten minutes messing around with all the crap they have inside. She tries on about fifty different pairs of sunglasses before choosing a bright yellow one. “For friendship,” she says, and I laugh at how goofy they look on her. At some point, we get separated. I find her staring at a bunch of picture frames. Her finger traces each one, inspecting them.
I stand next to her. “You want to get one?”
“I don’t know which one.”
She lifts one off the rack and looks intently at it. It’s chrome with the word ‘Love’ printed on the bottom. But she doesn’t seem to be looking at the frame; she’s looking at the picture inside it.
He pushed me back a little so he can look in my eyes.
I fake a smile, not wanting him to be affected by my mood. “Seriously, I’m fine.”
His brow pinches. “Is it me?”
“No!” I say quickly. “Not at all.”
“Then what is it?”
I walk to the fridge and pull out a bottle of water. “You ever have one of those days when it’s just...the colors are dull and even the fresh air seems suffocating.” It sounds stupid, even to myself. I lean against the counter, my eyes still on the floor. “I’m just having one of those days.”
He stops in front of me and grips the counter either side of my waist. “So let’s brighten your day?”
I want to laugh. “I wish it were that easy.”
“Who says it can’t be?” he says.
He sounds so hopeful, I can’t help but to look up at him. “What did you have in mind?”
“Are you ready to go now?”
Sighing, I let my shoulders slump. “We don’t have to do anything, Ky, we can just stay in.”
He smiles. “I’m not a fan of wasting time, Madison. There’s too much in the world. Too much to see. Too much to do. Too much to breathe. We miss it all if we just stay in our apartments all day.”
I smile as he repeats my words from a few days ago. “So what are we doing?”
“Element of surprise remember?”
***
Debbie walks toward us with a huge smile on her face.
“Kyler,” she sings. “It’s good to see you again.
I scoff. “She’s allowed to call you Kyler?”
He just squeezes my hand.
“What are we doing here, anyway?”
He ignores me and follows Debbie to the back of the flower store.
As soon as I enter, I gasp and dig my heels in the floor. My eyes dart everywhere, all at once. It’s a flower warehouse and the smell...oh my god, the smell. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, taking it all in. It’d been years since my senses had so much to take in.
“Is the air still suffocating?” Ky whispers, his breath warming my cheek.
I shake my head in disbelieve, my eyes darting open so I can see him. “Not at all, Ky.”
“Kyler,” Debbie shouts, poking her head out from behind a row of pots. “You coming?”
“Yeah!” He drags toward her.
“Here it is.” Debbie points to a large pot plant. “It’s not exactly how it was pictured online.” She sounds disappointed.
“It’s perfect,” Ky assures her.
I move in front of him so I can see what they’re talking about. “It’s beautiful.”
Debbie lifts the plant to my nose. “You should smell it.”
Ky settles his hand on my shoulders. I dip my head, my chest rising with my intake of breath. It smells just as beautiful as it looks. I look up at Ky, hoping he understands everything my eyes are trying to convey; that I appreciate him and what he’s done for me—what he’s currently doing—means more to me than he’ll ever know.
He’s giving me a part of my life back.
A life I thought I’d lost.
“What to know what is?” Debbie asks me.
“Yes.”
“They’re rainbow roses. The fuse together all the different colors and it comes out like this. Kyler gave you a yellow one, yes?”
I nod.
Debbie smiles. “It’s the flower of friendship.”
I cover his hand on my shoulders with mine. “So I’ve been told.”
“Well,” Debbie says, inspecting the flower. “Kyler wanted to give you one that represented all the things. This one has a little of everything.” Debbie looks up at Ky. “Dark pink for thankfulness, orange for fascination, peach for modestly.” She moves her gaze back to me. “Red and orange for love and desire.”
Ky chokes on a gasp.
I giggle like a schoolgirl.
Debbie adds, “I was thinking of giving it a nickname for the store. I don’t much like Rainbow Rose. Any suggestion?”
“Madison,” Ky says from above me.
“Yeah?”
He laughs. “No. Madison. The name. You should call it Madison.”
“Perfect,” Debbie says. “It suits. Beautiful name for a beautiful flower, to match the beautiful girl.”
Ky chuckles. “Wow, Debbie. You’re doing all the hard work for my.”
Me? I can’t seem to do anything. There’s an ache in my chest that’s anchored its way to my stomach—holding my response captive.
Why? Why was it so easy for him to see through me? To feel every part of me? To know how to take my pain and my fears and make them disappear. Why was it so easy to make me fall for him?
“Madison?” he asks, turning me to him. “Are you crying?”
I didn’t realize I was. “Why would you do that, Ky?”
“Because you don’t deserve to live in a world without color.”
12
KY “SO I KIND of gave her flowers,” I tell Doctor Aroma.
“Oh yeah?” she says through a smile. “And how did she react?”
“She smiled.”
“That’s a good outcome.”
“We haven’t picked it up yet. It’s still at the shop getting monitored.”
Her eyebrows lift. “So I take it they’re not just standard flowers. What are they?”
“Madisons.”
“Like her name?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“And you—you’re smiling, too.”
I shrug. “I guess I like making her happy.”
“Just her?”
“What do you mean?”
She leans forward a little. “You just seem like the kind of guy that likes to please people. Are you a people pleaser, Ky?”
I shrug again, then laugh. “She makes me want to please myself.”
She laughs with me, understanding my hidden meaning. “She not pleasing you in that way?”
“Time’s up.”
***
We’ve just finished checking on the Madison and are a block away from our building when she stops in front of a dollar store. “What is this place?” she asks.
“Seriously?”
She nods
“It’s just a shop full of cheap junk.”
“That sounds fun.” Before I know it, she has my arm in a death grip and is dragging me into the store.
We spend a good ten minutes messing around with all the crap they have inside. She tries on about fifty different pairs of sunglasses before choosing a bright yellow one. “For friendship,” she says, and I laugh at how goofy they look on her. At some point, we get separated. I find her staring at a bunch of picture frames. Her finger traces each one, inspecting them.
I stand next to her. “You want to get one?”
“I don’t know which one.”
She lifts one off the rack and looks intently at it. It’s chrome with the word ‘Love’ printed on the bottom. But she doesn’t seem to be looking at the frame; she’s looking at the picture inside it.
