Page 93 of Dare You to See Me
I’ve been planning this surprise for the past month, and while I was busy with school and sleeping over at Soleil’s house, decorators have been here making this room perfectly magical for Dahlia.
The walls are painted a soft, pale pink –a color I never thought I’d see in my house– but it’s very Dahlia. A cream colored tufted bed sits in the middle, topped with a fluffy white comforter. Pink sheets and a massive pile of pillows sit on top, along with duplicates of her favorite stuffies.
There’s a white armoire and matching nightstands. Gold lamps that look like climbing roses sit on either side of the bed, and a white vanity is flanked by a round mirror with gold roses to match the lamps. A white bookshelf sits on the opposite side full of Dahlia’s favorite books and a fluffy, oversized floor pillow for her to sit and read.
The designer said it is a little girl’s dream, and she’d give me every penny back if Dahlia didn’t like it. By the way her eyes light up with each new find, I’d say she loves it. She jumps on the bed and falls back into the pillows, arms stretched as wide as her smile.
“Do you like it?” I ask her, still holding Soleil in the crook of my arm.
She pops up, rests on her elbows, and looks at me with the most serious expression. “Malik. Is that a real question?Of courseI love it. This is the best room ever. Well, except for my room at home because Mommy made it special, but this one is pretty fantastic.”
Her elbows give way and she falls flat, again.
“This is too much, Malik.” Soleil looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. You are really amazing for doing this. It’s something she’ll never forget.”
I run the back of my hand down her cheek, loving the way her smooth skin feels under my touch. “I’ll do anything for the two of you. All I want is to make you both smile. If I can do that, then everything else is just a bonus.”
We fall into our little bubble where nothing can harm us. Only we exist. The world could crumble down around us and we wouldn’t know or care. We ground each other, but we’re also the reason we float above the clouds. It’s this realm between heaven and earth, and until I met Soleil, I never knew it existed.
I stumble, practically knocking Soleil over, when a little body slams into me.
“Thank you thank you thank you, Malik. I love it so much. I can’t wait to sleep in it.” I bend to scoop her up, not letting go of Soleil because I just can’t stand to not have my hands on her. “But not now. We have to eat brownies and watch–”
“Not Rapunzel,” I beg.
“I can’t stomach that movie one more time,” Soleil adds.
“Brave!” Dahlia shouts, and we both sigh, relieved to finally be moving on. “And then Rapunzel.”
“What silly people we are to think we’d be free of Flynn and Rapunzel.” Soleil presses her forehead to my chest and groans.
“Alright. Let’s get this vacation kicked off.” With both of them still glued to me, I walk us out of the room and downstairs.
Life is finally falling into place and I want to hold onto it with both hands and never let it go.
THIRTY-NINE
SOLEIL
I laymy hand over my stomach as it grumbles from the abundance of junk food that sits in it. Malik filled our bellies with Mexican food after we put on the silly matching Christmas pajamas I bought us all. We were already suffering from chips and queso, but decided it was a good idea to gorge on warm brownies topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
I really prayed that my body would wait until I was home again before needing to expel it all, but my confidence in that grows weaker by the minute.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Malik notices my discomfort and places his hand over mine.
“My stomach is a little upset. I definitely ate too much.”
He smooths my hair away from my face, lovingly and with pointed attention. “Want me to get you some medicine? I practically have a drugstore aisle in the medicine cabinet.”
“No, honey. I got it. You stay and watch Merida be a badass. There aren’t any sing-a-longs, so you’re safe.” I pat his cheek and leave him sitting with Dahlia to watch the movie.
Just like he said, his medicine cabinet holds rows of various bottles and I have to really search for the one I need. I take two from the bottle and close the cabinet door and flick off the lights. Stepping out of his room, I move in the direction of the stairs,but I’m drawn away by the repetitive sound of what seems like an alarm.
It dings over and over again then suddenly stops. But the silence doesn’t last because it starts right back up. Straining my ears, I search for the source and stop at his office door and press my ear to it. The sound, though muffled, becomes amplified.
The dinging is incessant and while I don’t want to snoop in his private office, I worry that it could be urgent. Maybe it’s his phone that he forgot in there, and one of his brothers is trying to get ahold of him.
I decide to find out what is causing the fuss. Turning the doorknob slowly, the door creaks open and I peek inside. I only get the door about halfway open when the queasiness in my stomach finds its way up my throat. The room begins to spin and I grip tightly to the knob to stop me from falling over.
