Page 54 of Poetry of Flowers

“You’re the one who forced me to help you out here,” she mumbled under her breath while she continued to glare at me.

She must’ve thought I was his girlfriend, as she should. I didn’t want her to think he was available.

That’s so wrong.

What am I thinking?

“We’re done with school, college it is for us next year and by the way, my mommy is dead.” I smiled at her sweetly. I didn’t know what had come over me, but for some reason, she really annoyed me. That was bitchy of me.

Since when was I like that?

“Wow, little cousin,” Autumn giggled beside me.

“Thank you for the room, we’ll only stay for a night and be gone first thing in the morning” said Kayden, before he pulled me with him down the hallway.

“What was that?” Kayden asked me calmly when we reached our room.

“I didn’t like her.”

“I meant the clinging. You clung to my side like a baby monkey. I am not complaining, it’s just unusual.”

With that, he unlocked our door. The room smelled of stale perfume. The beds looked clean, but the wallpaper was peeling and a streetlamp right next to the window drenched the room in an eerie orange light. At least we had somewhere safe to sleep, unlike millions of other people on this Earth, so I shouldn’t be so whiny.

What was wrong with me tonight?

“Nothing, I just needed a hug.”

Great lie, Tillie, because you’re such a hug lover, aren’t you?

I did like hugs; I just didn’t accept them often because they could make you feel like everything was okay when nothing really was.

“Alright baby monkey, are you hungry?”

“Yes, I’m starving.”

He didn’t dig anymore, thank you, Kayden.

How could I tell him I felt a sudden wave of jealousy?

“I’m going to get us something from the Italian right next to the motel,” he announced when Theo and Autumn finally came up behind us.

My cousin’s brown eyes grew big, and she dropped her bag before jumping into the king-size bed.

“It smells like Grandma Sigrid, but it’s so comfortable.” She let out a sigh and crawled under the blanket.

“I guess Autumn and I will take the king-size bed, that okay?” I asked and the boys nodded.

“We don’t want Wendy to jump off the bed and try to fly tonight,” Theo commented, making me chuckle. I climbed into the bed as well to hug my cousin. Her hair smelled like passion fruit.

“We’ll be right back,” Kayden announced, and I gave him a thumbs-up.

“You were so jealous down there,” Autumn said as soon as the door closed. She didn’t turn around, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Shh, just sleep,” I tried to shut her up, but she shook her head against the pillow.

“You two are so blind, so incredibly blind,” she slurred sleepily.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, but she never answered me because she was already passed out.

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