I crept forward, afraid of what I’d see in the rest of the apartment. The bedroom, especially.
“Is anybody here?” I called out feebly, as my voice cracked.
My eyes shifted, until they finally fell on the blue glass vase that dominated the kitchen table. Two or three dozen roses sprouted forth from it, fanning out in a great fountain of black.And that’s because they were black roses, every single one of them, except the two in the middle. One was yellow, and the other, blood red.
FUCK.
There was a card among the roses, as I knew there would be. After looking over both shoulders, I slowly worked it out of its mini-envelope.
Forget the past, let this be the fresh start we both deserve.
Together we can overcome any obstacle, even each other.
Especiallyeach other.
Love always and eternal,
Cole.
It felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. I went to breathe, but found that I couldn’t.
At that exact moment, my phone went off.
I was a long time before I could actually move to retrieve it from my bag. I looked down at it fearfully, expecting to see Cole’s name. Instead, I couldn’t press the answer button fast enough.
“Hi…” I choked.
“Hey Angel,” Carter’s voice returned smoothly. “You alright?”
“Never been better,” I lied. “Ummm… where are you?”
“In the truck.”
“Could you come here, to my apartment?” I asked, in a strange, singsongy voice that didn’t sound at all like my own. “Like… now?”
“I’m with Bodie,” he replied. “We’re already on the way to you, actually.”
My shoulders slumped with relief. “Good.”
“Pack some stuff,” Carter ordered. “You’re coming with us for a little bit. At least until we straighten some things out. We don’t think your place isn’t safe.”
“Yes.”
“And we’re not taking no for an answer, Hayden. There’s something— wait. Did you say yes?”
“YES,” I reiterated, my legs already in motion. The apartment looked nothing like it did this morning, when I’d left for work. Back then it was cheery and bright, and everything was mine. Now, the whole thing felt creepy. Eerie. Foreign.
It was the last place in the world I wanted to be.
“Come get me. Please.”
~ 21 ~
HAYDEN
“Black roses?” Carter repeated. “Where the hell do you evengetblack roses?”
“You spray-paint them,” I sighed. “Go on. Take a whiff.”
