Rose Petals

Chapter 18

After I calmed myself down from crying I got up from the floor and went back to my desk. I grabbed my laptop and put it in my bag.

I left the school in a hurry to get home. I did not want to see that bastard at all after what he did. He should have been hauled away in cuffs years ago. I called Matt and told him to pick me up.

As I was standing outside in the cold, waiting for Matt to show up, my phone started ringing. I looked at it and it was an unknown number.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Nathan." The voice breathed out over the line. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ha-" I ended the call as soon as I heard his voice.

That bastard! I blocked his previous number from my phone but he keeps changing it. He keeps calling. This was the first physical confrontation in a while. Nova is a dangerous man, and he's just like his father even if he doesn't want to believe it. Stubborn and obsessive.

Matt pulls up and I get in the car quickly. "He won't leave me alone." I say quickly. I avoid his gaze by keeping my head down.

He cussed under his breath. "Again? What happened?" He looked at me with a worried angry expression. My hand subconsciously goes up to my neck where Nova's fist was just a few moments ago. Mathew noticed this and gritted his teeth.

"That fucking bastard!" He hit the steering wheel. His hazel eyes were flaming. "I'm going to file a restraining order on him! He'll finally leave you alone! He's done enough damage to your life!" Matt says in a deep angry tone.

"No." I say quietly. He snaps his gaze over to me. "He wants me. That's all he wants."

"Nathan." Matt's tone was sharp and laced with warning. He grabs my shoulders and makes me look at him. "He's too dangerous. Who knows what he'd do to you." His face had worry all over it.

"It doesn't matter what happens to me. Losing Ashton was like losing my own life. He was my life." I say calmly. His expression only darkened with worry. "I just want to go home." I said quietly with a sigh. Matt removed his hands from my shoulders and started to drive.

I brought my knees up to my chest and looked out the window. The sky was dark today, like any other December day. It's rarely sunny in winter, where I live at least.

Christmas is coming up fast. And I'm not ready for it. I don't mean with presents and decorations. I mean family wise.

Yeah, I have Matt. He's been there for me since day one. But, for some reason I still feel like something is missing.

I never had that real family Christmas while growing up, like on the TV shows. My parents worked a lot, but you might already know that.

Since they were never home, and my other family had families of their own and my cousins didn't like me much anyways, I stayed home.

Alone.

Every year.

Until he invited me over for Christmas.

I didn't want to intrude on his family but, he insisted when I hesitated. I had gotten him a gift so I said 'why not' and went with it. I wanted to see him open it.

I don't regret going to his house on Christmas, that was one of the best things I could have ever done.

But the one thing I do regret is the gift I got him. It was beautiful, but beautiful things hold the darkest stories.

"Nathan." I suddenly heard Matt's voice. I looked at him, his tan skin and hazel eyes facing me with a worried expression. "We've been sitting in the parking garage for ten minutes, man."

I look out the window again to see he was right.

"Oh." Was all I could mutter out. I opened the car door and trudged up the stairs to the main floor of our apartment building. Matt followed, trailing behind me.

"What were ya thinkin' about?" He asks. I hum in response and look at him.

"Christmas." I say.

We get into the apartment and I see on the mantel the thing I treasure most. I go over to it and pick it up, twisting the knob at the bottom to let the melody play.

There's writing on the bottom of the black plastic next to the knob in white sharpie. Something I didn't put, but he did. He has planned this whole thing.

'I love you.'