Rose Thorns & Love Letters

6 ➪ Love, Floyd

•Camilla•

9/11/1871
To the love of my life,
Happy birthday. I deeply apologise if this gets to you a few days late or early. I tried my best to be with you this year, however I just cannot. You understand. I love you with all my heart. Hopefully next year, we will spend this time together and I can wish you a happy birthday alongside a sweet kiss.
Love, Floyd

__________________

I crouch down to check on the batch of cookies in the oven. As I open the oven door, the heat radiating inside it gives me a slap on the face.

I bring my hand up touch my cheek but I remember I am wearing mittens.

"Cami, hurry up! We want to keep playing this episode!" My friend Whitney exclaims.

I take out one batch of cookies from the oven and place it over a towel I laid out on the counter. I smile to myself as Whitney expresses her frustration.

"Unpause it, it's fine." I respond, "I've read the books anyways." She laughs at my comment and I hear the sound of the TV break its silence.

It has been two days since I left the house so I figured, why not have my friends over and have a movie night?

Except it really isn't a movie night. I look over to the clock hung up on the kitchen wall. It is in roman numerals so it takes me a second to read it, but ultimately, is is around 3:30 in the afternoon.

My friends arrived at around 1pm and we thought a good way to catch up without being distracted by Anthony Bridgerton being head over hills for Kate Sharma in every scene of the series was to bake cookies.

I told them about how boring it is here and how much I miss Chicago, how the only thing that is entertaining me as of current are the love letters I find from the 19th Century, and how my Father has gone on a business trip and will probably be away for a while.

I decided to leave out how I got kidnapped, threatened with two guns, and allowed a stranger into my house at midnight.

Wouldn't want them to worry or anything.

I carefully close the oven door and leave the cookies on the counter to cool. I take off my mittens and go to join my friends on the overly large couch. My Father said that I am allowed to invite only 5 friends at a time, so that is what I did.

Laura sits slouched on the sofa, slowly stroking Halle's hair. Halle has her head resting on Laura's lap, hugging her own legs into her chest.

Whit is sat on a couch pillow on the floor in between Zoe's legs as she braids cornrows into her hair. Whit looks and sounds as though she is in excruciating pain.

Mercedes sits with her legs crossed distracted by her phone. I offer her a sad smile even though I know she is not looking at me. I go to sit next her and rest my head on her shoulder.

I watch as she repeatedly reloads her boyfriend's Instagram page, waiting for him to be active again. She texted him two hours ago and he still has not responded.

"Mercedes, don't worry." I say running my fingers through her sister locs, "He will text you back." I slowly grab her phone and take it away from her grasp. I place her phone underneath my thigh and look at her.