Flowers and Pop Rocks

03

p o p p y

"How much do you like Levi?" Blake questioned, noticing the confused look on my face.

"Um, as much as a person likes a friend?"

I didn't exactly know the right answer to that question or why he even asked me.

"Okay, that's all I need to know," he nodded, returning to looking for blocks.

We had five minutes before six forty-five, the time we agreed to go back in the room so that nobody would think we were snooping around once they woke up from the seven o'clock food ding.

I waited for him to tell me what happened last night, but he stayed silent, pouring all his concentration into looking for more blocks. 

"Blake, what happened last night?"

"I'm not telling you," the playfulness from his tone earlier was completely gone, masked by complete seriousness and a little bit of anger and annoyance. Was that directed towards me?

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like ruining friendships, and it was all just a misunderstanding," he replied sternly, dropping the subject. "Now look for more blocks before we have to get back inside."

I followed his instructions, not wanting to push it. I felt like he was finally being himself around me, and I didn't want to turn him back into the incredibly closed off guy I met yesterday, back when he wasn't nice yet.

I managed to find four blocks, a sad amount when I saw Blake's ten.

My personal plan was to just take note of where the blocks were so that I could retrieve them when everyone else started looking.

Apparently, we didn't have the same thought.

"Flower, time to go," Blake called me, walking towards our room and waiting for me to follow.

"Right," I mumbled to myself. I had to remember to keep track of time if I didn't want anyone to find me suspicious.

His hand engulfed mine once I caught up to him before he pulled me into our room and got on the bed beside Levi who continued to sleep like a baby.

"Pretend to sleep. Or sleep, whatever. Just hold onto your box," he instructed. "We'll get up with everyone else."

I nodded and shut my eyes, completely aware of his hand still gripping mine. It felt soft and yet rough at the same time, keeping mine warm.

The barely six hours of sleep I had started to take a toll on me, pulling me into a light sleep. The type where you're aware of everything going on around you but you're still asleep.

Ding.

Fifteen minutes fly fast.

Minutes go fast, unless you're planking. There, a mere five seconds feel like an hour.

I felt the bed move and Blake's grip on my hand tighten. "When Levi leaves, hide your box then follow outside, okay?"

His words were basically nonexistent, the most quiet he could be without being completely silent.

My wordless nod was a good enough response to him.

I pretended to sleep until I heard the door open and shut, signaling that Levi had left the room.

My eyes shot open right after that, watching as Blake checked his box one last time, in the same place he kept it last night, before he left.

The only hiding place I could think of was my luggage. It had a lock on it, and I was sure that if I changed the code to something nobody would think of, it wouldn't be stolen.