Always There

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Four

Songs for this chapter:
• Photograph - Ed Sheeran

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Four:

Bryce's POV

I press my lips to the top of Blossom's head and smile. "I guess you did miss me, huh?"

She just starts to cry harder, and so I squeeze her even tighter as I turn to face Malcolm and Blossom's other roommate, James. I give them a bright smile and say, "Guess you guys were wrong about the whole touching thing."

If Blossom is listening to me, she doesn't show it. She just keeps her head tucked into the crook of my neck, arms and legs flung around me and fingertips gripping my shoulders.

She's perfect.

Malcolm rolls his eyes at me. "Trust me, you're the only person she's like this with. She can't hug us or even her friend Knox without flinching or backing away."

I can't help but to chuckle. "I'm just really special, aren't I?"

Blossom moves her head in a small nod against my neck, and so I squeeze her tight and peck her on the cheek.

"How about you head into your room and start packing your bags, honey. I'm just going to talk to Malcolm and James for a moment, and then I'll be in to help you. Okay?" I ask Blossom gently.

She digs her heels into my lower back defiantly.

I sigh, and lean in so that my lips brush against the shell of her ear. My voice is low enough that only Blossom can hear me when I whisper, "Be a good girl for me, Blossom. Go pack your things."

Bingo.

Blossom unhooks her legs from around my hips and I gently set her down on the floor. She immediately scurries away from me and into her bedroom, always eager to please me and do what I ask of her.

I watch her go until she gently shuts the bedroom door after her.

I chuckle and stare at her closed door for a few moments. Even though she's struggling, even though she's barely getting by, she always acts the same way when it comes to me.

I begin to turn back to face Malcolm and James, but something suddenly gently pushing against my leg distracts me.

I glance down to find a small calico cat twining around my legs and nuzzling its face into my calves.

"Who's this?" I ask, kneeling down to run a hand through the cat's fur. It begins to purr almost immediately, and so I begin to scratch behind its ears as I glance up at Blossom's roommates.

"That's Mochi," James tells me. "Lexi's cat. She loves her more than anything else, except maybe not more than she loves you. Mochi's usually very shy around new people, but she seems to like you just fine."

I chuckle and scoop the cat up into my arms. She immediately makes a move to crawl onto my shoulder, where she curls up contentedly and renews her purring.

Of course she would name her cat after a Disney movie cat. After all these years apart, she's still the girl I fell in love with when we were just kids.

"Has Lexi been eating properly? Last time I saw her she was really thin and she told me she barely ate," I ask, directing my attention back towards Malcolm and James.

Malcolm nods his head. "Yeah. When she first moved in with us, she was barely eating at all, but she's improved a lot over the past year or so. She eats three meals a day now, and she also loves to eat mint chocolate chip ice cream before bed sometimes."