Be My Sunflower

Valued

"Hey Stocklin." I was leaning on his car and he was sitting on the edge of his seat leaning out of his open door.

"Hey" he looked at me expectantly.

"I wanted to thank you for coming." I'd already thanked him a hundred times over, I glanced at my car and wished I'd just gone home.

"It was my pleasure, thank you for including me in your family day, they really are lovely." He said, softly.

"Can I ask you a weird question?" I asked nervously. He nodded. "I've noticed you sometimes get very quiet and we don't talk much, is something wrong or is that just your mood?"

"I can't lie to you." He said.

I nodded, "Ok...."

"Is it inappropriate of me to enjoy spending time with you?" He more or less asked, leaving me baffled.

I squished my face together in confusion, "What? Why would that be inappropriate?"

He sighed, "Because of your husband."

"What does he have to do with anything? I'm confused, you and I are friends of course it's not inappropriate to be as such." He looked at me briefly before dropping his gaze again. "Why'd you ask that, Erik?"

"Because he texted me and told me that going with you today was "in poor judgement", which is why I've been distant. I'm not looking to disrupt your marriage in any way." He looked sad but I was immediately seeing red.

My blood was boiling and I could feel my blood pressure rising because I began feeling light-headed. I had just told Josh not to text my cast and crew and he targets Erik?!

"I....am so mad I can't see straight." I breathed out, Erik watched me calmly. "I do not need his approval to hang around you or anyone else! He's why you haven't talked to me all day?" He nodded. "I want you to know that I enjoy being around you, he doesn't get to control me anymore. So can you block him?"

Erik nodded, "I already did."

Suddenly my emotions shifted and I started crying, I hugged myself and hung my head embarrassed. "I'm-" I couldn't finish my sentence, I hated Josh and the anger bubbled over and I was a mess. Why was he trying to sabotage everything for me up here? Erik was my favorite person and to think if he'd just listened and never told me I would've been devastated.

I heard Erik before I felt him, he mumbled 'fuck it' and pulled me into him and hugged me to his chest. I continued crying and he rubbed my back softly. "I'm not going anywhere." He mumbled into my hair, I hoped he never did.

Once I'd calmed down enough I pulled my arms out and wrapped them around his waist and hugged him back. He wrapped his arms around me even further and I really felt his heart in it. I couldn't describe the feeling very well, but it was as if I could feel his feelings in that hug. I felt like he cared about me and how I felt and that he wouldn't let anyone jeopardize that.

I pulled back but kept my hands on him and he kept his hands loosely on my shoulders. I looked down at him and as he looked up at me I felt as though my heart would explode from my chest. His small smile made everything better, "Thank you."

"For?" He asked.

"For this," I squeezed him and shook him slightly. "Your hugs make everything better."

"They do?" He asked, he dropped his hands and I let go.

"For me they do." I didn't want things getting awkward so I stood up straight and decided to say goodnight. "Well you and I are good, okay? I'll deal with him, thank you for speaking up."

He nodded, "I have one more question." I nodded, asking him to go ahead. "Can you promise me that he won't change our friendship? I value you very much."

"That I can promise you, because I value you as well."