TULIP-H.S

Chapter 23

"This is all your fault, Iris! He died because of you! How could you be so reckless!" The person yells at me.

"But it wasn't my fault! Please believe me!" I try and plead.

"How can we when you did nothing to save him!" They yelled.

"No, please, please. Don't blame me. I never wanted this." I cry out.

I shoot my eyes open as I let out a horrible scream. My body jumped to my feet. The feeling of sweat covers me. The air feels thin, making it difficult to breathe. I look around my surroundings, but everything is spinning. I tried to stand still but couldn't.

"Iris!" I hear someone call my name. " Hey, hey. What happened?"

My knees hit the ground, but the upper half of my body fell on something soft. I feel a presence next to me and the motion of someone rubbing my back. I try to control my breathing once more. After a few seconds, I look up and see Harry kneeling next to me. A look of worry plastered on his face. I don't give it a second thought before I leap toward him, burying my face in his neck. Tears running down my cheeks.

"It's alright, Iris. I'm here for you. Let it all out. I'm not going anywhere." Harry reassures me.

I hug him tighter, not wanting to ever let him go. He grabs the back of my legs and scoops me up into his lap. I feel him lifting himself off the ground as we return to bed. Harry continued to comfort me in his arms as I stayed glued to him.

God knows how long time passed before I was able to calm down. Harry is sat up against the bedframe while I lay on my side. His fingers are rubbing small circles on my back. I'm still spaced out from thinking about what happened.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asks softly.

I bury my head in between his body and the mattress. Letting out a big sigh.

"I had a nightmare." I let out.

"It must have been bad. The scream you let out was hellish." Harry says, "I don't think I've had a dream that bad to make me react that way."

"It was a dream about my dead brother. Reliving the moment he died." I say while holding in my tears.

I felt Harry's breath hitch, "I'm sorry you had to relive that."

I can tell Harry is curious to know more. "Do you want to know how he died?" I ask.

"Only if you are willing to share," Harry says cautiously.

I move the upper half of my body to lie on his stomach, "My brother was born with a complication. The second he came out of the womb, doctors noticed something was off. They did many tests on him and discovered he had congenital heart disease. Growing up, my mother was wary of his heart condition. She never wanted my brother to do sports since doctors said it may strain his heart. Yet, after many protests from my brother, she finally gave in. On the condition that he would have to get monitored regularly, and if the doctors found a single problem, he had to quit sports. Well, they never found any problems... or so we thought. When my brother got the green light to try different sports, he did. He played every sport you could think of. Eventually, he had a passion for one, which was Ballet. Shortly after, I joined ballet alongside my brother. From then on, we were inseparable, top of our class, and no one could outdo us. He and I would compete in many competitions, winning almost every time. One year, during one of our performances, my brother passed out mid-routine on stage. We rushed him to the hospital, where they found his heart had worsened. Just as promised, he had to stop doing ballet. I've never seen him look so crushed. After he quit, he fell into a deep depression. He stopped putting effort into everything he did."

"I couldn't imagine giving up something you love so much. I feel bad for your brother." Harry interrupted.

"I couldn't bare to see him in this state. I wanted to quit ballet so he wouldn't resent me for being able to continue when he couldn't. As a result, I stopped going to practice, but when my brother found out why, he gave me a long lecture." I laugh, thinking back to that day. I could tell he tried to lecture me like Mom would.

"My brother told me I should be the one to continue his dream. So I did. I was determined to work harder than ever before. On the weekends, my brother would help me practice for upcoming competitions. I was against it because having him practice with me meant he might tire himself out. Some days I questioned his health as he looked worn out, but he would brush me off, saying he was fine. Except...one day, after a stressful practice...he collapsed. I was so scared I froze as I saw him motionless on the ground. I don't know how much time passed before I could call for help. When they eventually came, he was in critical condition. My parents met me at the hospital. When my mother questioned me about what had happened, I was scared to tell her. Eventually, she got the truth from me and blamed me for his death. She never made me forget. My father would defend me, but even he gave up on me and left us a year after my brother's death. My mother would tell me to quit ballet as I shouldn't do something that killed my brother because it was selfish. But I promised my brother I would live out his dream no matter what."

Harry stays quiet, just repeatedly rubbing small circles on my back. I don't expect him to say anything immediately. I knew he would pity me as everyone else has.

"What was your brother's name?" Harry asks.

I lift my head to face him, "Huh?"

"His name? You never told me his name." He repeats.

"Aster," I say.

"Your parents had a thing for flowers?" He laughs.

"I guess you can say that." I laugh with him.

"Don't blame yourself," Harry blurts out randomly.

"What?"

I know you think it was your fault for Aster's death, but it wasn't. You were scared. Deep down, you couldn't face that this might have been the end for him. Anyone would be frozen with fear in a moment like that."

"Try telling my mother, who reminded me every day for years that I could have done better to save him." I scoff.

"A mother who blames their child for something they had no control over isn't a mother."

I adjust myself to rest my chin on Harry's chest, looking up at him. He looks down at me, not with a look of pity but understanding. I give him a small smile before resting my cheek on his chest again. "She wasn't always terrible. There was a change in her after my brother died."

"Your mom is a Manky."

My face twisted in confusion as I let out a laugh. "A what?" I laugh still as I turn to face him.

He looks down at me as he lets out a chuckle himself. "Sorry, a bit of my brit came out. But it's just an insult to your mother."

"Thanks for that," I say. "I needed a laugh."

Harry's hand comes up to caress my cheek. I melt into his touch as he leaves his palm there. I position myself to straddle him. He places his hand on my hips to keep me from falling. I look at his chest and see his cross necklace sitting there. I grab onto it, pulling him towards me. He sits up, holding onto me. I give him a soft kiss as he returns the favor. He breaks away from my lips as his hands come up to my head, smoothing my hair. He leans in close to my neck, leaving a small kiss. I close my eyes taking in this feeling. He leaves a trail of kissing from my collarbone to my neck until he reaches my ear. I let out a small moan as I feel every touch of his.

"Are you down for a little adventure? There's something I want to show you." He whispers in my ear.

I pull back to face him, "What did you have in mind?" I smile.

"You'll have to wait and see, princess." He smirks.

_ _ _ _ _ _

A/N: Let me know your thoughts.

Please don't forget to vote! It helps out a lot. <3

-Stay Golden :)