TYSHA
I must've drifted off without even realizing it, my tears lulling me into an exhausted sleep. When I finally blinked myself awake, Charles was there, watching me with concern etched on his face.
"Ready to go home?" he asked gently, his voice a soothing balm to my troubled mind.
Rubbing my eyes, I tried to shake off the remnants of sleep, feeling disoriented and heavy-hearted. "What time is it?" I mumbled, glancing out the window of Charles's condo. The sight of the darkness outside took me by surprise.
"It's already nighttime," Charles replied, his words a stark reminder of how much time had passed since I closed my eyes.
I sighed heavily, the weight of the day settling on my shoulders once again. As the memory of my dream flooded back to me, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the pit of my stomach. Even in my dreams, the imag
TYSHA "Tysha, it's afternoon already. Aren't you going to eat?" My father's voice pierced through the silence of my room, his concern evident in the gentle repetition of his question. With my head buried under my pillow, I mumbled a response. "I'll eat when I'm hungry, Papa," I replied, my voice muffled by the fabric. But the truth was, I didn't feel hungry at all. The events of the past few days had left me feeling empty, as if even my body was grieving alongside my shattered heart. My parents continued to check on me, their worry evident in the air. While I appreciated their concern, I couldn't find it in me to show them just how much I was hurting. The weight of my pain felt too heavy to share, even with those closest to me. After a few hours, it was my mother who entered my room and checked on me. “You need to eat,” she stated firmly, her concern etched into every word. I remained silent, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me. I was tired of repeating the sa
RUE As I watched Tysha's retreating figure, a deep sense of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Losing someone I loved was my greatest fear, a fear born from witnessing my mother's struggles after my father's passing. I remembered the pain etched on my mother's face, the emptiness in her eyes as she fought with the loss of her significant other, the person she had thought she would spend eternity with. It was a pain I could never fully comprehend, but I knew it was crushing, overwhelming, and all-consuming. And now, facing the possibility of losing Tysha, I felt that same fear haunting me. I feared that I had irreparably damaged our relationship, that I had shattered the trust and love we had built together. The thought of never being able to mend what was broken filled me with a sense of helplessness and despair. I was terrified that I wou
TYSHA I couldn't sleep, gosh! It felt like torture! My mind kept replaying what my parents said that Rue was always sleeping on our porch. Even as dawn approached, sleep remained elusive. The thought of Rue out there in the freezing cold kept gnawing at me. What if he's really there? After agonizing over it for what felt like forever, I finally mustered the courage to get up and check. Right! It’s not as if I’d die once I found no Rue outside our house. I tiptoed out of my room, careful not to wake my parents. How would I even explain why I was checking the front door in the middle of the night? When I reached the front door and checked the security camera, my heart sank. There he was, sitting on our porch like it was no big deal. My disbelief turned into a sharp pang in my chest. &
TYSHA When Rue sensed my return, he opened his eyes and rose from the couch. "There's your food," I said, nodding towards the bowl of noodles I had prepared for him. "Thank you," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't you want some?" he asked, gesturing towards the food. I shook my head in response, declining his offer silently. As he began to eat, I settled on another couch nearby, waiting patiently for him to finish his meal and take his medicine. Once he had finished, I spoke up, unable to keep my silence any longer. "You need to stop waiting for me outside our house," I stated firmly, the words hanging heavily in the air between us. At my words, Rue turned towards me, his eyes losing their spark as the weight of my statement settled upon him. Despite the pain it caused him, I knew it was a conversation that needed to be had. We couldn
TYSHA I barely slept after that. I couldn’t help but worry about Rue. Still, I stood on my ground and did not go back. But as soon as I woke up in the morning, I immediately got out of my room and checked where I left him. To my surprise, Rue was nowhere to be found. He wasn't on the couch where I had left him, and a pang of disappointment washed over me, even though I had been the one to send him home after he finished eating. Gosh! I hated how much of a walking contradiction I could be at times! “Tysha, you’re awake,” my father greeted me. He was with Mama who was unexpectedly holding a bouquet of red roses. My lips parted a bit, knowing it was for me. "We found this in our living room," Mama explained, handing me the bouquet of flowers. I accepted them, feeling a mixture of surprise and warmth as I took in the vibrant red petals.
RUE Damn, I’m exhausted! After coming home from work, I collapsed onto my couch. My head was pounding with a migraine, and I could feel a fever creeping up on me from staying outside Tysha’s house. As I rested, I gently massaged the bridge of my nose, trying to relieve the pain. Even after Tysha and I finally talked, my determination to pursue her didn't waver. Since then, I made it a point to send her flowers regularly. Sometimes, I'd even buy food for the staff at her parents' flower shop. Despite things being better between us now than they were a few days ago, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of missing her. I missed the things we used to do. Back then, working for hours didn’t exhaust me because I had peace knowing she was there. Now, it's like a void inside me. My mind is constantly preoccupied with thoughts, drainin
TYSHA "Didn't I tell you to take your meds?" I scolded Rue, though my tone was gentle. "See? Up until now, you still have a fever." After we finished the dinner I prepared, I remembered to remind him to take his medicine. "I forgot," he reasoned, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. I could sense that he still wasn't over the fact that we were okay now. Similarly, I was relieved, but my primary concern was his health. "Here. Take this," I instructed, handing him a tablet of medicine. His blue eyes remained fixed on me, and I couldn't help but feel self-conscious about my appearance. My knees threatened to turn to jelly under his gaze. Who wouldn’t melt under the intense stare of someone as handsome as Rue? But I managed to keep my composure. I played the role of caretaker, directing him to his bed like a m
TYSHA “Are you ready?” Rue asked me. We were inside my room and he was waiting for me to prepare for the ribbon-cutting of our flower shop later. There was this underlying anxiousness within me about how the first day of Serenity Blooms would turn out. I’ve been overthinking about that since last night. Like, what if no one comes to our opening? What if no one buys a bouquet from us? Gosh! That would be heart-wrenching. “I don't know,” I answered as I fidgeted my fingers. Rue caught my hands. “Calm down. Everything will be just fine,” he assured me. I couldn't help but sigh. “What if no one comes for the opening of Serenity Blooms?” He just smiled at me. Opposite of my reaction, Rue seemed com