Ch. 22: Coming Home

Walking into my house, a strong floral scent hits me right away. Looking around, the room is filled with an assortment of colorful flowers. A banner hangs over one of the doorways saying, ‘GET WELL’. My mother gasps behind me, so apparently she knows nothing about this, but then I see movement out of the corner of my eye as Jace comes into the room holding a single red rose. I hold my breath waiting as he walks towards me.

“I just wanted to do something special for you, you know, to cheer you up.” He holds the rose out for me to take.

Not knowing what else to do, I reach out and take it, automatically bringing it to my nose to smell. This, right here, makes me want to cry. I keep trying to push him away, but he keeps coming back, breaking me a little more each time. I can hear my parents saying something, but I’m not paying any attention. I’m too wrapped up in staring at the guy in front of me, his gorgeous smile, now turning into a smirk. He knows what he’s doing, and even though i