“They're written all over your face. What do you mean if they're not there?” Eddie said moving on from the game to eating the chips next to him.
“For me, they’re there. For her…for her, it's in question.”
“And why is that?” Felix questioned.
“Because what if these feelings arose in her because I protected her, continued to save her time and time again. It’s like falling in love with the superhero and not the man behind the suit. How do I know she feels the same?”
“Know if she loves you?” Felix said, raising an eyebrow and a knowing look slapped across his face. It made Dylan completely frustrated that he didn’t know. Something he couldn't figure out.
“Yes.”
“You know the saying, if you love 'em, you gotta let 'em go,” Felix said, looking over at Dylan’s wounded eyes. He could barely go six hours without her, let alone let her go completely.
“And if they come back, they were meant for you. Or however that saying goes,” Eddie finished.
23
FLORA
“Oh my goodness, I’m so tired,” Willow moaned. They would have finished taking Flora’s braids out way earlier since three pairs of working hands were tasked to take the braids out but with the number of snack breaks they took, it was currently three a.m., and they still had a quarter amount of braids to unravel.
“You can stop if you want, Willow,” Flora said, taking the used braided hair and putting it in the grocery bag-turned-trash bag that they hung off a chair.
“Okay, so now that he’s probably asleep by now, how are things with Dylan?” Luxe asked, still working on the braid in her hand. Her own blonde hair was swept up in a bun.
“I don’t know, he asked if I would sleep in his room with him,” Flora said, unsure of where she and Dylan really were in their relationship. She hadn’t given it much thought; with the betrayal of Cassandra and Romeo, the last 24 hours had been mentally draining and she was barely holding it together.
“Well, he sent me a text about an hour ago,” Luxe smirked, giggling as she grabbed another braid to let down.
“What did it say?” Flora asked.
“Oh, only if he could practice braiding my hair so he could help you do yours.” Luxe revealed, wiggling her eyebrows. The blush was furious on Flora’s face as the realization hit her like a dog pile of weighted stuffed teddy bears. How fucking adorable. Her assassin was learning how to braid hair just for her.
“Luxe, he probably wanted that to be a surprise,” Willow side-eyed Luxe, laying on the queen-sized bed in the guest room they occupied.
“Oh, oh man, please be surprised when he tells you, damn,” Luxe rumbled on. Slouching forward, she pouted as she continued working her slim fingers through Flora’s curly hair.
“Of course, babe don’t worry about it,” Flora said with a laugh.
“Okay,tea-spillinggirl, when did you meet Eddie?” Flora asked, her eyes finding Willow’s through the mirror.
“Yeah, how could we slide past that?” Luxe commented, mock glaring at Willow, whose cheeks were flushed.
“I ran into him at the gas station is all.”
“And?”
Huffing, Willow burrowed deep into the pillows by the headboard. “And, I might have almost fallen, and he might have saved me is all.”
“Okay, cutie. We’ll dive into this another time,” Luxe said jokingly as she proceeded to tuck Willow in under the huge, fluffy comforter.
“Last braid, girly,” Luxe said an hour later. Finally, Flora was ready to drop dead herself. She was more than ready to go see her prince charming, who was apparently trying to learn to braid just for her benefit. No guy had tried to learn to braid for her.
How cute. How caring. Damn, the feeling she wouldn’t be able to let him go grew deeper every damn day.
“Okay, I’m going to wash my hair. Thanks for the help, lovelies.”
After the scalding, cold much-needed shower in the girl’s room, Flora dressed in the bathroom. Now to figure out where she was sleeping. Would Dylan care if she slipped into his bed at four a.m.? She didn’t want to wake him or make him regret that he’d offered in the first place. But she really wanted to be wrapped in his arms. Surrounded by his body heat and woodsy smell. Damn, she was going for it. Step by step down the hall, praying she was heading for the right room, she tried the door handle, finding it unlocked, and slid into his room. His soft gray carpet made her smile; it was such a stark difference from the cold hardwood of the hallway. She gently lifted the covers on the bed, just enough for her to slip in. No wall of pillows could save Dylan from her. She wrapped her freezing hands around him, over his chest while hooking her leg over his. His aroma filled her senses and her shoulders finally unwound.
