Page 47 of Sweet Poison

I used to believe that nothing was as beautiful as Madden’s eyes but I was wrong.

His smile is the most beautiful part about him.

The snapping of fingers brings me back.

“Willow?” My eyes focus and I’m able to see him clearer.

“Ummm… y-yeah?” Clearing my throat.

I wait for him to say something but he doesn’t. Instead, he huffs but at least he looks slightly less grumpy than before.

The beautiful forest that surrounds us seems to hold its breath as the silence stretches between us, punctuated only by the distant calls of wildlife. The more the silence goes I suddenlyfeel self-conscious, my excitement deflating into awkwardness. I twist a curl of hair around my finger, a nervous habit I’m not even aware of.

Madden’s eyes narrow slightly, and I can’t tell if he’s bored or simply lost in thought. Most likely he’s just bored.

“I, um, I’m sorry if I bored you,” I push through the awkwardness and whisper while still signing. “Sometimes I get carried away. I know most people tend to find it uninteresting and it might be boring for them.”

I must be seeing things because I swear I see his stern expression soften. But I’m not crazy because there’s a flicker of something in his eyes—tenderness? Regret? But it vanishes as quickly as it appeared, leaving his face as unreadable as ever.

More silence but then he stops my heart in my chest the moment he says, “I’m not most people, Wild One,” he says, his voice steady, “Tell me more about the mushrooms.”

Tell me more…

Wild One…

My breath gets stuck in my throat when I realize that he just called me the nickname he gave me when we were younger. Wild One.

I didn’t understand at first why he called me that, especially since most nicknames I had from people that weren’t my family weren’t nice ones.

But everything Madden did back then made my tummy flip and my heart race.

Butterflies fly erratically in my stomach as his gaze holds me hostage.

Once I regain my composure, I find my voice and do as he says. I share all my knowledge of mushrooms with him. “Well, there are thousands of mushroom species here in the Amazon, many of which are still undiscovered. You’re here so you might discover one!” I beam proudly and his mouth twitches for a briefsecond before he gets a hold of it. But he was too late. I saw it! I saw his smile and now I can’t wait for the moment I get to see it again. “Really cool ones too. Because some mushrooms here are bioluminescent. They glow in the dark, which helps them attract insects for spore dispersal. I’m telling you. These babies are awesome.” I smile down at the mushrooms and then look back up at Madden only to find him raising an eyebrow, clearly intrigued despite his usual grinch demeanor. “Bioluminescent, huh? That sounds… interesting.”

Even though I know he doesn’t mean it, I still nod. “Very! They’re also very productive. They play a crucial role in the ecosystem even though most people believe they’re only meant for eating or smoking. That could be further for the truth.” I frown. “Some form symbiotic relationships with trees, helping them absorb nutrients from the soil. It’s a delicate balance, and mushrooms are a big part of it.”

“So, they aren’t useless after all…”

I gasp, offended on the mushrooms' behalf. On a mission now to prove to him just how useful they are I blab until I run out of saliva.

When I think he’s done with me, he proved me wrong by leaning closer and listening more attentively. The grumpy facade fades as he absorbs the information I’m sharing. When I feel like I'm definitely boring him out of his mind I stop but he raises his head and knocks the breath out of my lungs and makes my heart do a thousand flips. Again.

“Keep talking, Willow,” his voice sounds raspy. “Your voice drowns out all the shit inside my head, I like it.”

Shit inside his head?

What does he mean?

I stare at him dumbfounded and when I think vulnerability flickers in his eyes, I make myself a promise.

I promise to help him drown out all the ugly that hurts him and so I do.

I talk until we lose track of time and night falls.

Chapter

Fifteen

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