Page 102 of Poetry of Flowers

“Maybe I should call you flower from now on, if my accent makes your ears bleed,” I teased.

“No, please, it sounds so dry in English.”

“Flower is a beautiful word; it is written on your notebook.”

I looked at it on the nightstand, where she had laid it last night after kissing every inch of my body. This girl truly meant it when she said she was going to turn every situation in her life into a poem.

“It’s my mom’s, my grandma gave me a few items from her childhood when she came to America for the funeral.”

I kissed the top of her head. “I know.”

Her mother had only ever given the little book a name, but never filled a single page. She had never told her daughter what the book had been meant for and why she never used it. It only had a title:Poetry of Flowers.

“You should get ready; I want to see my surprise breakfast.” Tillie grinned and walked past me to grab her phone that was lying next to the scarlet notebook.

“And Autumn is already waiting for us, impatient as it seems.”

“You got an annoying cousin, my love.” I told her on my way to the bathroom.

“She texted, I should tell you to not insult her.” My best friend giggled from the bedroom.

“Now she’s a medium who can read people’s minds? Why am I not even surprised?” I replied. I placed her gift on the sink while I changed.

I hope she’ll like it.

September 6, 2022

Hair black as midnight,

A smile full of poems to write.

Green eyes and pale skin,

You’re mine, always have been.

Kisses paint our bodies,

Our love is a masterpiece.

Home is not a place but a person,

My home is in your smile,

Your arms,

Your eyes.

ChapterThirty-Four

MATILDA

“Happy Birthday, Tillie, don’t forget to make a wish.” My cousin waved her little camera and recorded me as I blew out the candles on my birthday donut.

The secret café was a cute little cat café. She’d been here a few times before with my other cousins, who were studying near here.

I absolutely loved this place because it reminded me of the day Kayden and I had found Blake’s family and had spent the night surrounded by tiny kittens.

“How does it feel to be seventeen?” Autumn asked, holding the camera directly in my face like she was interviewing me.

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