Roses

Chapter 5- Cherry

The rest of Saturday went by in a blur. But the moment I believed he would back off, I woke up with red roses on my nightstand. I knew Kyrie had left them seeming as he was the only other person in the house, and frankly, the only person who would've done something like that for me. I picked up the roses and brought them into my art room which was stationed just across the cream halls of the house. Smearing black paint over the redness of the roses felt like a death sentence. Not for me, but for him. He had agreed to this marriage before I had a chance to reason with my father. He was responsible for my freedom being stripped away. I was still only 25 and had so much to experience, yet he swooped in and took the one spot I had been wanting to keep vacant for the rest of my days. Red roses, love, romance, That was Kyrie. The darkness of the black petals, black roses, vengeance, that was mine.

Knowing that Kyrie had a meeting today and I had the house to myself was the best sense of relief i'd felt since I was trapped away by a ring. I sat in my painting room with a cherry flavored Ice drink. I took a sip, the carbonation melting on my tongue with its rough bubbles. Slashing paint across the canvas in front of me, painting my thoughts and insecurities onto the blank sheet. A dark midnight sky full of dark blues, blacks, and twinkling white stars with a light shining off the moon in a dim glow. The same way I felt my own lights and hopes being replaced with darkness. the feeling of being trapped down under the heavy weight of everyone. I was supposed to be the brightest shining light for others to follow, my light was supposed to suppress and rid everyone of their darkness. Yet now, his darkness is overtaking my light faster than it can grow and soon enough, that light will flicker and go out like a candle. He is the gust of wind that will extinguish my flame.

Hours of painting my emotions out onto canvas after canvas, my stomach reminds me that the world will continue to move even if I don't want it to. Looking at my phone, the time stares back at me.

3:32 PM

Jeez. What had I even been doing for the past few hours? I'd never lost my sense of time like that before. But, who knew when Kyrie would get home. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I invited some friends over, right? Why did I care?  Running my hands over my face and picking up my phone I dial my few friends (Who I could actually be myself around.) 

Eventually they all showed up. Harper had shown up first. Since this wasn't a brunch meeting or anything fancy she shows up in baggy grey sweatpants and a cropped black shirt, her favorite  brown diamond pendant hanging around her neck, some of her long midnight hair wrapped around her shoulders messily. She had always been the more responsible of my friends so she regularly showed up early. But next to walk through the door was Bailey, I had met her in middle school and we've been close since. She walked in with low-rise 2000's dark blue sweatpants and a baggy white T-shirt. Her brown hair tangled into two messy braids, her childish bangs falling over her forehead. Lastly, Penny walked through the door. Her and I had met while I was a teenager working at a fast food restaurant. I didn't need to work, but it had always given me a sense of purpose. her ginger hair curled around her face messily. Freckles scattered across her skin randomly. She wore a white tube top along with white and grey pajama pants. 

I loved this. My friends and I being able to hangout with each other freely without being at an event or whatever. This was one place where we could all be ourselves. They all took a seat around the living room, stretching out across the white sofa and chairs. I brought a wine bottle to them along with four wine glasses. We all picked up our cups and took sips of the wine before speaking. Although i wasn't listening. I hope Kyrie doesn't mind that I used his wine..It seems expensive. Im sure he will be fine with it, right? God why do I even care!

I decided it was best to shake my thoughts away. I hated him anyways. He was the reason why I couldn't live a normal life. So who cared what he thought. Penny shifts in her seat, drawing my attention to her, "I have a all expenses paid trip to Hawaii for five nights-" 

"No fucking way! When are you going?!" Bailey screamed, excitement coursing through her in an obvious manner.

"I don't think she-" Harper tried to speak up, but soon got cut off by Penny

"That's the thing.. I can't go," Her voice becomes quieter, almost as if she was afraid to tell us.

"Why not?" I say in a calm tone, trying to make sure Bailey doesn't explode from her excitement.

"My mom got sick awhile ago and i've been taking care of her. I don't trust anyone else to do it," She says, dropping a bombshell on all of us. penny's mom was the same woman who would make all of us homecooked meals during college breaks, she would rent movies for us, ect. Her house was always a safe place for all of us, and none of us would've expected her to get sick. She was always on-top of her health and always made sure we were too.