I wanted her to want me, plain and simple.
Heidi’s voice sliced through my train of thoughts, stern but filled with a smile. “Hunter, you’re my little brother and I’m biased, but I mean it when I say that you’re wonderful and Gabriela will see it soon enough. And if she doesn’t, it’s her loss.” She shrugged. “A year ago, you couldn’t even imagine yourself being on speaking terms with her. You found the courage to make the first move and that was brave of you. Regardless of what happens in the future, I’m very proud of you.”
This was my sister’s way of telling me to count my wins. “Thanks, Heidi.”
“You’ve taken a step in the right direction. Now trust the process. Let the universe do the rest and continue to be patient. It will all unfold the way it should and remember that everything happens for a reason. It’s no coincidence that you and Gabriela are finally seeing each other, even if it’s just as friends. And if I’m being honest, you don’t give flowers to someone you don’t care about. My guess is, based on what you’ve told me about your conversations, she’s developing a soft spot for you. She may not know it yet, but I promise you, one day she will.” There was a knowing glint in Heidi’s eyes. “It won’t be long before you realize I was right all along.”
I smirked. “You just love to gloat, don’t you?”
“It’s the truth.” My sister laughed and stood up, heading to my door. “Relax and get some rest, Hunt. You’ve made good progress with her. That’s what counts.” Heidi propped her hand on the doorknob. “Oh, by the way, Jaden is coming over for dinner Wednesday night.”
“Sounds good.” I debated whether I should say anything else before going ahead and asking the difficult question, “How are things between you and Jaden?”
Her shoulders deflated and her eyes grew sad. “We’re fine.”
Heidi and Jaden started dating when they were eighteen years old. They were together for six. Last year, he had an accident that caused him to lose his memories. He barely remembered his own family, including my sister. He hadn’t been the same since the tragedy and neither had Heidi. It hurt me to watch my sister lose her spark and her zest for life. Now she spent every waking moment going through the motions. Go to work, come back from work, and cater to Jaden. On a fucking loop. She was stuck in survival mode. No matter how much my mom and I explained to her that she was barely living, Heidi refused to acknowledge the situation at hand.
Jaden may never remember their past.
And Heidi couldn’t forget theirs.
Or the man who used to mean to her as much as Jaden did.
“You know I’m always here for you, right?” I walked towards her. “We’re a team. We’ve got each other’s backs. You can talk to me, Heidi. Whatever you need, I got you.”
“I know and I love you for it. But really, I’m okay, Hunter.”
I’d start believing it when I saw it with my own eyes.
“Fine.” I wrapped her up in a bear hug. “Love you, too.”
“Don’t forget to buy a ticket to the mixer.” She wagged her finger in a warning sign. “This is your chance. Make the best of it.”
I would.
I had no intention of giving up on Gabriela until I gave it my all.
Heidi left and snicked the door shut behind her.
Before I went to bed, I searched up the meaning of red roses in particular, wondering if there was a deeper meaning to her gift.
Apparently, the blooms symbolized devotion, romance, passion, and true love.
One gifted rose meant love at first sight. Three gifted roses meantI love you.
My heart pounded.
Gabriela couldn’t have known any of this, right?
If she had, why would she give me three roses?
And why red ones?
Yellow ones were for friendship, according to the online search engine.
I mean, maybe all she had in her garden were red roses.
But fuck, I hated that I was getting excited over something simple like flowers.
