Breaking Mr. Black

18| Euphoric Cloud

ROSE

A few days had passed since Sean had gotten his tattoo. I couldn't remember them clearly enough. It felt as if time had been moving way too fast for me to soak in the events that happened during the course of the week. All I could remember was feeling overwhelmingly happy. There were times my brain barely processed things but that didn't matter. The blank spaces in my memory didn't deter me. The memories would come back as flashing images eventually. I just wanted to focus on the now, on Sean.

Colors were brighter, smells were stronger, and the little bubble I constantly felt was suffocating me didn't feel so bad anymore. It was like that bubble now glimmered along with everything else in the world. I smiled to myself as I skipped my way into the kitchen. Dylan sat at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee. His eyebrow raised as he summed me up in the flowy floral dress I wore. Lacy had mentioned to him about the relationship Sean and I shared — if that was what you could call it. He wasn't too thrilled about it and had a few choice words to say but he dropped the subject after a while.

"You're happy this morning," Dylan mused, deep voice cutting through the silence. The kids were probably sleeping in with Lacy since it was the weekend and Dylan didn't need to work, "and you're up unusually early for someone who loves her sleep."

I hummed in response, pouring myself a cup of coffee. That probably wasn't one of my best ideas but I didn't know what else to do this early in the morning, "I can't sleep."

Dylan's brows shot up to his hairline, worry instantly softened his features. It was strange watching this man age as I grew up. The crinkles at the corner of his lips and mouth were the most prominent, "Is everything okay, Rose?" He asked in a gentle voice.

I hated it. I fucking hated it.

"I'm fine," I spat, slamming the mug of coffee onto the countertop whilst glaring at him.

His jaw flexed, and for a moment he closed his eyes and didn't even breathe. When he finally found the courage to meet my gaze again, I saw the engrained concern he couldn't shake off, "You know Lacy and I are here if you need anything."

I moved to grab a dish towel to clean the mess I created with the coffee. To be honest, I didn't want to be having this conversation, and listening to his words only vexed me. I was floating on a euphoric cloud until he asked me that stupid question, "I know."

"I'm worried that you're not thinking things through," Dylan went on. As much as he cared, he didn't know when to give certain topics a rest.

"I'm happy, isn't that what matters?" I tried reigning in the attitude but it drenched every word that fell from my lips.

He sighed, lips subtly turning up into a wary smile, "Make an appointment with Dr. Ablow when you have the time."

"I don't need to make an appointment with the good doctor," I gritted, taking my coffee mug to the sink and disposing of it, "it's not a crime to be happy."

"You know yourself better than anyone around you, Rose," Dylan rose to his feet, closing the space between us in three long strides, "if you say you're fine, then I believe you. But if you're not, make an appointment. Don't wait for it to get worse."

"I'm fine, Dylan," I said one last time, with more force behind my words.

Bringing me into his warm embrace, he pressed a kiss into my hair, "Don't ever expect me not to care about you. You're family and I don't care if you find my need to protect you annoying, I'm still going to try to protect you."

"I don't need to be protected," his familiar musky scent calmed me. He always found a way to calm me. Dylan might not have been my blood relation but he was my brother.