Dolan Enterprise ~ e.d.

XXXIV

Kendal

Is it bad that I've been keeping the roses? I have them in a vase on the coffee table in the living room.

They're beautiful and I can't bring myself to throw them out.

The bad part is that I keep the notes too. I know exactly who these roses are coming from but I don't dare give into him.

I appreciate his efforts but I don't want to get sucked up in his hazardous lifestyle. I do need money though. That's exactly why I've decided to drag myself to work tomorrow.

I know it's partially because I want to see Ethan. I want to know if he's miserable without me or if he's doing fine.

Hell, who am I kidding? He probably has a new girl in his office right now.

The thought breaks my heart a little but that's what I need. I need to let myself in on the reality of it all. He's not a good man.

No matter how much I tell myself how bad he is, there's something that just pulls me towards him. My body yearns for his touch and my heart screams for his love and attention.

Racheals away from the apartment again. She works a lot. She's always been like that. She's addicted to it I think.

It was definitely hard to explain the roses to her. I told her that everyone's been getting them from someone and she actually fucking believed it. She's always been gullible.

There's another ring from the door and this time I know exactly what it is. I practically sprint to the door. I want to catch him in the act.

I swing the door open and the hallways empty once again. In a way I'm thankful that I didn't catch him. I really don't know what I would have done if I was left face to face with Ethan. I don't even know what I'd say. Probably nothing.

A big bouquet of red roses sits on the floor. Red roses are so gorgeous. They're vibrant and put me at ease.

I pick them up and immediately search for the note. This ones brief but it probably hits me the hardest.

True love

It only has two words printed on it yet it makes my heart stop completely.

I take the roses back inside as I try and keep myself together. This is all to much.

I wonder if he means it. Does he really love me?

He didn't act like he did the other day but all I can remember are the great times we had. I can't let those go.

Within a half an hour there's another ding and I swing the door open. I jump as I see Grayson stood at the doorway.

"Holy shit." I say gripping my chest. "Sorry." He chuckles lightly. "No no it's fine. You just scared me that's all." I say with a soft smile.

I'm happy to se him. Something about him just manages to light up any room no matter the situation.

"Come in." I say stepping to the side. He hesitantly steps in and I immediately feel uncomfortable. It's probably so different from his typical lavish house.

"I Uh just came to check in on you. You haven't been to work in a few days." He says looking over his shoulder as we make our way to the living room.

"Yeah. I just needed some time to myself." I answer hesitantly. He nods as I plop down on the couch and encourage him to sit next to me.

"He's a mess." He blurts. A part of me wonders just how much he knows. I wonder if Ethan told him.

"He feels awful. I've never seen him like this Kendal." He says looking at me with nothing but seriousness rested upon his nicely sculpted face.

"I don't know what to do." I admit. I fiddle with my nails as he takes a sharp inhale.

"Just come to work. He's dying to see you." Grayson rambles. I don't dare tell him that I was planning on going into work tomorrow anyway.

"I honestly think you should consider giving him a second chance." He says barely above a whisper. This throws me off guard because he once told me to be careful. Now he's telling me to give his brother a second chance after I caught him taking part in something he promised he didn't do anymore.

He sees my shocked expression and he feels the need to elaborate. "I think he has real feelings for you Kendal. Feelings that he'll never have for anyone else. I can tell you do to." He shrugs. "I don't think you should let that go. You guys can work through this. He's willing to change. He already has." He adds. Once again I find myself trying to keep myself together.

"He's so much nicer because of you. He takes people into consideration. He actually shows up to things on time. Most of all, he was happy when you were around. It's been a long time since I've seen that dude smile." He says lightly chuckling.

In a way it lightens the mood and a small laugh even comes out of me. I then start to think about Ethan's smile. I didn't ever see it much but when I did it was enough to make my head spin.

It was always so genuine and it was bright. It was one of those smiles that made you wanna smile too.

"Please just think about it." He pleads. I send him a subtle nod and his large hand pats my thigh in a friendly manner.

"Let me know if you need anything." He says sternly. I nod quickly as we both stand up.

He's the only person besides Racheal that has checked in on me and not only did he do that, he gave me confidence. He made me feel like I wasn't wrong for still loving Ethan.

Everything he said filled my brain and my thoughts went into overdrive. I can't decide what to do.

All I know is I'll see him tomorrow.

Word count 1023