A Shade Darker ✔️

{Chapter Thirty Two}

Flowers Need Light

July 4th, 2017

Ashley

Mike's grasp is tight and warm on my hand, but not overwhelming and constricted. He gave me space, hasn't rushed anything, but has pretended everything go back to normal.

If I'm being completely honest, I expected the colony to be angry over my departure, but maybe since I was the Queen and I had returned, they had all been grateful. Even for the ones who didn't like me.

"You know what I miss the most?" I ask as we walk hand in hand through the grass.

I smiled when I knew it was morning. There was cool dew on the grass and the faint call of morning doves in the woods.

I can feel his gaze on me, but I just smile down at my feet that we're cold and wet and bare. I had taken my shoes off to feel the signs of early morning, something that I don't think he understood.

"Your family?" He asks in return, making me think of them.

I missed my grandma, I missed her for telling me to follow me heart and spirit. To be free to make my own choices.

But it still wasn't what I missed the most.

I look ahead at the backyard of the castle that we had been walking through. I look at the trees trimmed, but bloomed with white and yellow flowers. They smelled sweet, smelled like summer.

Same with the bushes and flowers lining the walking paths of the garden. Roses here, gardening there, and in the middle of it all, a fountain.

I imagined splashing around in it and getting scolded, laughing the whole way out.

But the one thing I missed about it all...

"I miss the sunlight" He looks down at me, smiles and laughs. Pokes at the line on my arm where the sleeves of my dress didn't cover.

"Because you'll lose your tan?" I scoff a laugh and lightly push at his shoulder.

"No. Because in the morning there's no sunrise. And in the night, no sunset. The sun won't reflect of the dew on the leaves and grass, and it won't warm me up like it used to. I'll never get sunburn again...or a tan of course. You'll never get to see how these flowers could look so much prettier in the sunlight" He frowns and for a second I almost think that he misses it too.

"You weren't born a vampire...we're You?" He shakes his head and I'm surprised when he laughs.

"No, but I've told you this before" I wanted to ask about his past, but for some reason I felt that it wasn't the right time.

I stop, bend down and touch the petals of a red rose. I wondered if they missed the sunlight, too.

I sigh, then we keep walking.

"Do you think the colony will ever open up these trees for the garden? It could be really beautiful, you know?" Mike shrugs and I can see the debate in his eyes.

"It'd be tough, but if you put up enough controversy about it then I don't see why not" I smile to myself smugly, grasp his hand and look back towards the doors.

"We should go back inside..." I rub the goosebumps on my arms "It's starting to get chilly out here"

He silently agrees and pulls me along the length of which we walked.

The kitchen is full of various foods like always, full of different smells, tastes, and textures.

Lucile is standing at the stove like always, sizzling something that's most likely bacon in the iron skillet.

"Hey Lucile..." I call, letting go of Mike's hand to walk around the island and pluck an Apple from the basket.

I bit into it, hog over to her and rest my head on her shoulder which is what she would take as a hug.

Lucile laughs and her whole body vibrates. It makes me smile before moving away to jump up onto the stone counter and sit.

"You sure are jolly today, lass. Have you been drinking this early in the morning?" Echoed laughs come from both her and Mike.

I eye them, take another bite of my Apple and roll my eyes.

"No. Took a walk in the garden and decided that I, all by myself, am going to make a petition to open up the trees and let in the sunlight" It was true, I had made up my mind.

Lucile laughs, but not in an offensive way.

"Well, all I can say to that is good luck" It was all the determination I needed, now I just had to have a plan when to do it.

"You kids go have fun, breakfast won't be ready for a while. One of the pigs is still being slaughtered" I make a face and jump off the counter.

Mike offers his hand and I take it, his footsteps following mine up the steps.

I walk into our room ad sit at the small seat by the window. The one reason I liked this room was because of the view. Looking down, you could see the garden and all the flowers, the whole beauty of the yard below us.

"Wouldn't it just look so much better with the sunlight, Mike?" I ask, smiling at him when I turn around.

He nods as he looks at me, but I only see indifference in his eyes at the moment, clouded over by that look I knew all too well.

I pat the spot next to me.

"Come sit down with me, you're making me nervous" He chuckles at that and squeezes in beside me on the seat.

I sigh, wrap my arms around him and move onto his knee so we won't be so crowded.

"Will you tell me a secret?" He asks, sounding curious.

I blink a few times, wondering why he would just bring it up. I concluded that he was trying to fill the empty spaces with conversation.

I smile, wrap around him tighter.

"Something you've never told anybody before" He adds.

I think hard, especially since I wasn't much one to keep secrets, but soon I had concluded the only confession that I kept buried deep inside me.

I lift my head, look at him and feel my heart beat heavy.

"I love you" It made me see inside him a bit when I said it.

He always went by the truth would set you free, and now my heart that I had always kept under lock and chain was finally free, but claimed by the only person I would let it.