Birds sing above us. The warm breeze stirs the roses. And suddenly it’s all too much—the pressure building in mychest, the ache in my throat, the way his eyes are still on me as if he’s trying to figure out how broken I really am.
He exhales, like he’s trying to keep the fury from boiling over. “I’ll kill anyone who hurts you, fiore mio.” The emotion in his voice is so raw it hurts. No one’s ever said anything like that to me before. Not Elio. Not anyone. His fingers slide behind my ear, curling around the rose he placed there. His eyes soften as they meet mine.
“You’re stronger than anyone I know.” He dips his head and presses a kiss to my temple, then peppers kisses along my cheek.
Tingles bloom low in my belly, a strange sensation that I’ve never felt before. His lips are gentle and warm, like the sun kissing my face on a hot day.
He reaches the corner of my lips and pulls away, just an inch, to look into my eyes as if searching for consent.
I reach my hand to his neck and curl my fingers into the back of his short hair, wordlessly telling him how much I want this. I need this. Need him.
He scans our surroundings and guides me with my elbow. We take the few steps behind a rose bush, under the canopy of a stone pine. Tucked in the shadows, he swoops down and claims my lips, his mouth full of unspoken promises.
I kiss him back like it’s the first time I’ve been allowed to want something just for me.
His hand brushes my jaw, then my neck, then he cups my face like I’m a fragile and rare flower. His thumb catches a tear before it falls.
“I see you,” he whispers against my lips. “All of you. And you’re the most brave and most incredible woman I know.”
I lean in, deepening the kiss. His hand curls into my hair, and I melt into him, the world falling away until there’s only the scent of roses and the feel of him holding me like I’m worth protecting.
He called me his flower.
And for the first time, I believe I can bloom.
For the first time in a long time, I feel safe.
And for the first time ever… I feel wanted.
The bumpy gravel road that leads to the school gates jars me back to the present.
I blink and unfurl my fingers from the seatbelt at my chest. The air feels cooler now, harsher somehow.
That was then. This is now.
I open my eyes fully, letting the memory slip back into the past where it belongs—along with all the bruises, the roses, and the promises that were never kept. I huff. Well, he kept one promise. He killed the man who hurt me, my father, before disappearing into the night.
I let out a heavy sigh and push the button, bringing the window down. My fingers tap the security code into the keypad, waiting as the iron gates groan open.
“Wow, this place really is like Fort Knox.” Dan drives through, keeping to the five-mile-per-hour speed limit as we circle around the main building—a grand, Gothic-style manor with ivy-covered stone walls and arched stained-glass windows that belong in a period drama. The kind of place built on old money and strict rules.
At the back of the estate, the student accommodation sits in neat rows—newly built red-brick dorms with modern glass-panelled entrances, a sports hall, and a shared games room. It’s like a miniature campus tucked away from the real world.
“This is mine.” Angelos points to his building.
“Want me to come in with you?” I say, unbuckling my belt.
Dan climbs out of the car and opens the boot.
“It’s okay, Mum. I’m just gonna drop my bag in and get to class.”
I wrap my arms around him and kiss the top of his head. “I love you. Have a great week. I’ll see you soon, yeah.”
“Yeah, love you, Mum.”
Dan stands awkwardly, shuffling on his feet. “I’ll see if I can get you a United shirt for your birthday, hey.”
“Bruh, you might find one at a charity shop.”
