Most Lovely Words

Chapter 3: Dandelions

Days had blurred together during the week, and Thursday had arrived faster than usual. Bry hadn't texted me most of the week, and we hadn't seen each other since our venture to the beach last Friday. I walked to my kitchen sink after making breakfast and thought about calling him. It wasn't like him to go MIA like that. Grabbing my phone and finding his contact, I felt tears well in my eyes. Yesterday was his first day of treatments. Is he mad at me for not being there?

"Hello?" Bry's mom answered after a few seconds.

"Hi, Miss Taylor," I said, nerves crawling up my arms. "Is Bry around?"

A full 30 seconds passed with silence. I started to choke on air as reality kicked in. Maybe he was sicker than he told me. "He's asleep, sorry, Kallie. But I'll let him know you called. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"Thank you," I replied, disappointment and worry seeping through me.

I waited for a few minutes before finally deciding to go and visit him myself. Grabbing my wallet and car keys after getting dressed, I drove to the store nearby, where they sold his favorite panini sandwich and coffee. Picking up a fresh bouquet as I stood in the garden section, I looked at them in admiration. A few dandelions were carefully mixed in with the other flowers, yet somehow they didn't take away from it. They made it even more beautiful. I put the bouquet down, out of money to spend, and walked to the checkout to pay for my items.

"Just this?" The cashier asked politely, scanning and bagging the sandwich as she placed the coffee on the platform beside her.

"Yes, please." I put on a fake smile and paid.

Once she handed me the receipt and food, I left the store and drove to Bry's apartment. It was only an extra ten minutes away, so I thought I could easily pretend that I'd already been there doing grocery shopping, in case he found it weird that I was showing up unannounced. Knocking lightly on his door, I looked to the parking lot where his mom's car was parked. It was like the universe was warning me that coming here was a bad idea. After a moment, I was nearly backpedaling my way home when Bry was the one who opened the door.

His usually calm demeanor was replaced with a tense one, and he was covered in a robe that I'd never seen him wear. "Kal,"

"How're you feeling?" I blurted out. "I... was at the store, and I thought of you, so... I hope it's not weird if I..."

"Come in." He stepped aside, but the motion seemed to take a lot of effort. He smiled at me, but under it was a veil of exhaustion and pain. Following me to the small kitchen in his apartment, he seemed utterly zoned out. "That was nice of you."

"I mean, it's the least I could-"

"Honey, you should be sleeping!" Caroline Taylor briskly walked into the room and scolded her son. "What- tsk- you heard what the doctor said! Oh, hello, Kallie."

She noticed me halfway through her lecture, and I could feel my face fall. Bry mouthed 'she's been like this all week' with a roll of his eyes and grinned, but the action lasted for a mere second before he leaned against the small chair at his dining table. He sat down, trying to keep up a strong face as I brought over the breakfast I'd bought him.

"Aw, thanks, Kallie," He said, trying to give me a small hug.

"Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah! No! Do you want to trigger a flare? Honestly, sweetheart, did you listen to anything the doctor said? No touching for 12 hours!" His mother gently reprimanded him.

"Mom," He turned a light red, but the color faded from his face immediately. He took a few deep breaths, but nothing seemed to help him recover. "Can I have some water?"