A Flower Back ✔

57

[The boy smiled. Unable to contain his excitement. While the girl approaching him took careful steps, almost crippling in anxiety.]

[There they were. Feet apart. Finally after nearly three months of communicating through texts and notes. One filled with euphoria, the other with anxiety.]

[His eyes glistened while hers froze. She feared something, but what was it?]

"Lixin? You're my petunia?" He almost slurred over his words, the adrenaline getting the best of him.

[She didn't answer him, yet he understood the situation. Just her letting her head hang, allowing her brown hair to curtain her face but soon she left it as the next words left River's mouth.] 

"Lixin, you were my Dove the entire time? How could I be so stupid?" His shock was genuine, but to her it seemed like a negative.

[She didn't move, scared he hated her. after all, who'd want to love someone like her? That's what she feared. Rejection. Her anxiety worsened, her heart picked up its pace, and her palms started sweating.]

"I'm sorry." His voice reached her ears, the words causing her head to perk up. 

"Huh?" The only expression that left her mouth and the only one that could portray her emotions at the time. Confusion.

"You had to hear about the bet first hand. Lixin I swear, i didn't mean it. It was a stupid decision I made. I'm so sorry." His voice dripped with sincerity, but she had already forgiven him.

"River, I already forgave you, don't apologise. But then again, I should be apologising. You must be disappointed  that out of everyone I end up being your petunia."

"Yea sure. Say that to the crush I had on you before Sabrina." He wore a smile, and it grew when their eyes met.

"Wait what?" And once again, Lixin was confused, but more than that, she was flustered.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you to the school dance last year but I was a coward and didn't. Then Sabrina asked me. And I said yes..." The excitement in his eyes disappeared and she saw that.

"I would've gone to the dance if you asked me. I stayed home that day..."

"Wait really?"

"Mhm." Was her short reply, yet giving him an opportunity to ask her the question he wanted to ask for what seemed like an eternity to him.

"What about this year? Would you... would you go with me next month?"

"This is probably the earliest promposal our school has experienced." She laughed. 

"Actually it's not. Andy asked his girlfriend right after prom ended last year." he stated.

"Damn. Well then, yes, I'll go to prom with you." She beamed. 

[They didn't even realise it, but they had gotten inches closer. The space between felt needed. After all, they were meeting for the first time after catching feelings for each other. Yet, he was completely unaware of her feelings towards him.]

"Hey Riv?" She asked as they sat down at a bench. 

"Yea?" He answered

"You know, what she said wasn't an entire lie..." Lixin trailed off, trying to give the boy beside her a hint. 

"Who?" his curiosity spiked. Although he had an answer, he hoped for it to be wrong. But alas, it wasn't.

"You know who..." She continued once he got the hint. "We live under our aunt's custody, like we've been doing since the last five years." 

River opened his mouth to say something but stopped as Lixin spoke on. "Yes I know five years ago I was 12 and my brother was 16. It may make my parents sound like they're horrible at their jobs, but in fact they did it to give us a better life. Over there in Jersey, we were basically homeless. Hell, we lived in shelters until I was 7. They were both college dropouts so neither had a degree and that just made getting normal jobs harder for them."

[Tears pooled at the girls eyes, threatening to fall over. She never exposed her past. But it burdened her. It was a weight that held her back, but she decided that her past wasn't going to change her future. So she had to get over it, even if feeling like she was living it all over again was the way to go.]

[How weak. She thought. How could words make her feel like it was happening again? How was she so weak? After everything she went through, words make her feel weak? No, she told herself, suck it in and continue.]

"Hey, look at me." River placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted it so their eyes met. "Cry all you want and don't wipe your tears until you're done."

His words gave her hope, she was now confident he wouldn't judge her. So she took a deep breath and continued. "Mom and dad both did odd jobs to provide for us. Mom worked as barista and dad would wash cars and windows. That day, t-the d-day they-" She felt the tears act up again, so she stopped, taking in a shaky breath. And then went on, "They were walking to work together, at 4am. They couldn't afford a car so they had to leave early. Anyways, they were walking to work, when they, they got h-hit, by a drunk d-driver." She couldn't handle the pain and broke down. 

[River watched her cry, he felt like too much of a stranger to comfort her, but in that moment there was nothing more he wanted to do than hug her. So he took his chance and exactly that. He wrapped his arms around her and let Lixin rest her head on his shoulders.]

After regaining herself she spoke again, "And after losing my parents, I got my brother back. He promised to stop drinking and consuming drugs, but on the condition that he could still smoke. And as much as I'd love for him to stop all, something is better than nothing. Also, he broke up with Sabrina, for good." 

"I'm glad you're ok. Because that's all that matters. Also," he pulled out something from his pocket. He pulled out a small black box to reveal something. It was a little necklace with a circular pendant. In the centre was an engraved flower. "I got this for you."

[She wasn't paying attention to the boys words, rather what he was holding. She was mesmerized by it and he saw that, bringing a smile to his lips and blood to his cheeks.]

"Its beautiful." She looked up to meet his eyes and smiled. 

[At that time, neither of them had any regrets. Each of them had a story to tell. Hers was how she did him a favour, and his was how he returned it by giving her a flower back.]

A/N: I realized way after selecting the name Lixin that its 1) a Chinese name (apologies to anyone i might've offended by that) 2) a guys name (which is why i gave her the nickname of Dove)

Anyways this is the end of A flower back
I had way too much fun writing this and thank you for your support !!!!