Wish you were mine

10. His Little Flower

PAST

"Thanks, bro," Ethan said, patting Sean's back before slipping into his car and driving away. Sean sighed and was about to stroll back to his black Mercedes when his eyes fell on a girl sitting in the corner of a diner, engrossed in a book with a cup of hot chocolate beside her.

It had been almost a week since Sean last saw Penelope. After dropping her home that day, he had gotten busy with college and hadn't had a chance to see her again.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her sweet voice out of his mind. He licked his dry lips and continued staring at Penelope from outside the diner. She looked adorable, biting her lip as she read, like a siren tempting him to sin.

Then he noticed a group of teenagers laughing and pointing at Penelope. They stood up and walked towards her. Sean realized they were probably bullies and decided to intervene.

A boy with brunette hair snatched the book from Penelope's hands and threw it on the ground, laughing at her. Penelope looked at him nervously. Before the boy could say or do anything else, Sean marched inside the diner, grabbed him, and threw him to the ground, just like the book.

Everyone gasped in shock. "Leave before I decide to teach you a lesson," Sean growled. The boy quickly stood up, and the group rushed out of the diner. Everyone knew who Sean Anderson was, and no one dared to mess with the heir of the Anderson family.

Sean picked up the book, dusted it off, and handed it back to Penelope. As their hands touched, an electric current ran through his body. He looked at Penelope from head to toe, noticing her light blue dress that made her blue eyes stand out. She looked like a siren today, mesmerizing and enchanting.

"Thanks," Penelope said, her sweet voice bringing him back to reality. Sean took a deep breath, feeling a different kind of effect hearing her voice.

"You know, you should stand up to them. They take your silence as weakness," Sean said. Penelope was taken aback by his words, not expecting him to say something like that. But a smile broke on her face, hearing the care in his voice.

"I know, but if a dog bites you, you don't bite the dog back, do you?" she replied. Sean furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before understanding her point, and a smile spread across his face.

It seemed she wasn't as innocent as she appeared; there was a fire inside her, Sean thought.

She is like a rare flower-beautiful yet deadly. The name of the flower suits her so perfectly, he mused.

His little flower.

"Flower," he murmured unintentionally, the word slipping out before he could catch it. Penelope, momentarily puzzled, glanced at him with a hint of confusion. She didn't say anything, and Sean, assuming she hadn't heard, continued with his thoughts.

In truth, she had heard. As she slipped the book back into her bag, a smile slowly spread across her face. The word 'flower' lingered in her mind, and she wondered if it was a nickname he had given her. She liked the idea.

After packing her things, she picked up her bag, a newfound warmth in her heart as she prepared to leave.

"If you want, I can drop you," Sean suggested as he saw her getting ready to go.

"No, it's fine. My house is nearby. I'll take a walk," she said.

"It's almost evening, and it'll get dark soon. Let me drop you," Sean insisted. Penelope bit her lip nervously before nodding her head in agreement.

Sean walked out of the diner with Penelope trailing behind him. As they made their way to his car, Penelope couldn't help but feel giddy. Within a month, Sean had offered to drop her home twice. She was excited about these encounters and looked forward to future moments with him.