• Rose In The Dark • (GxG)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Milan

"I love you..."

I had heard her, and felt her lips and gentle kiss on my forehead. I had heard those three words whispered to me in hope and uncertainty that I could even receive them. I had felt the warmth of her hovering over me and the emotion and wariness within her voice just before she kissed me.

Like many other times, though this one was thoroughly different, I could feel just how much she meant it.

I could feel how much I meant to her...

Daylight brushed the lids of my eyes, and I felt as though I had been sleeping for days. And during that time, I was in and out of REM, able to faintly hear and feel just a little, but not enough to wake completely.

Now, as the limbs that could were beginning to stir and stretch, and I inhaled a subtle and swift breath upon the flutter of my eyes, I was quickly wishing to have never woken at all. Everything felt uncomfortable, from the stiffness of my body due to these bandages, to the thudding at the back end of my head, right where my spine was connected to my brain.

To my left was a hand holding mine and my fiancé asleep in a padded wheelchair, covered in blankets with a few cuts and bruises on her face as well. Behind her were my siblings, somehow sharing a rather small couch given their adult size, and snuggled underneath a hospital blanket as well.

Ramzi was wearing his suit still, and Octavia's makeup and hair was the same as it was last night, leaving me with the immediate daunting memory of all that had happened.

Just as I was looking around at them all, tears about to form in my eyes upon the realization of why we were all here, the door soon cracked open with caution. And if seeing the three around me wasn't enough to cause my emotions to surface, the sight of Mama Josey entering with a tray of breakfast was surely doing so now.

"Oh goodness you're awakee," she whispered, wearing a pleased smile and now hurrying to sit the tray down before rushing to sit at my bedside. Her hand went sweetly to my face as her head tilted and her brows knit. "Oh my sweet baby... You had us worried out of our minds- How're you feeling??"

"Bruised," I responded with a soft and hoarse chuckle, my smile making her somewhat do the same as her eyes wandered upon me. "H-How long have I..."

"Just twelve hours," she assured, giving my cheek a swipe before pulling her hand back. "But you've been out since the accident and haven't woken up once.  They were afraid you simply wouldn't wake up..."

Glancing down at my lap, "Oh," I muttered halfway to myself, my eyes soon drifting to Noah and to my siblings, all still asleep.

"But you're here now, praise God-" Mama Josey stood and kissed my head in one motion, having my eyes close with gratitude as a smile graced my lips from the love she always gave me. "I'm gonna go get your parents, sweetie- And in the meantime let that one know that you're awake," she pointed to Noah while giving me a playful look on her way out. "She's been a pain in my behind all night about you."

Laughing softly once she winked over her shoulder before easing the door back shut, my attention soon drifted back to my fiancé, eyeing her from the short distance between my bed and her wheelchair.

Remembering my last words to her before everything changed in the blink of an eye, I bit down on my bottom lip, a part of me hesitant to wake her because of it.

I had lied to her, the person who meant everything to me, more than once.

No matter what about, on some level that breaks her trust. And that was the last thing I ever intended to do. To have her look at me the way she did, not only for what I'd done, but for being dishonest about it and for keeping her in the dark.