23: Renzo- Purple Hyacinth

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

forgiveness times two

****

THE SILENCE WAS deafening.

We have been driving for over one hour and she has yet to say one word to me.

I recall as we were leaving she mumbled a quiet 'thank you,' but nothing after that.

I knew I had to make things right, I just couldn't figure out what to do. As I was mulling over the details of how I should start the conversation, Mila told me to go to a rest stop.

"I need to buy something," she said as she got out of the car once I parked.

"Let me come with you," I followed after her. She turned around suddenly, and I bumped into her. Mila stumbled back, but I caught her and pulled her to my body.

Her breath hitched, and she glared up at me.

"Don't follow me," she pushed me away and went inside the white building.

"I need to buy something too," I lied and called out after her retreating figure.

When I got inside, the cool air hit me in the face and I started shivering. I spotted Mila standing in a line for coffee and I decided that it was best if I didn't go to her right away.

In the meantime, I saw a small flower and souvenir store and went inside.

The store was empty, but the different scents of flowers hit me all at once, the same way it does when I get on a subway.

"How may I help you?" A person behind the counter asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure what I'm looking for," I replied.

"Well," she placed the bouquet she was holding on the counter. "I'm here if you have any questions." She then went back to what she was doing.

I wandered around the store for a few minutes before I noticed a sign that made a chart of all the flowers and their respective meanings.

"Lilies represent humility and devotion," I read out loud. "Yellow roses for friendship."

I scanned the poster for more.

"Tulips represent new beginnings...oh, purple hyacinth." I picked up the hyacinth and went to the register.

"You must've done something terrible to get those flowers," the woman laughed.

"If only you knew," I said as I paid for them.

Walking outside, I see that Mile has gotten her coffee and was waiting for me outside the store.

"Took you a while." She glanced at her watch and went ahead.

When we were on the road again, I took out the flowers I bought and gave them to her.

She looked at them and chuckled. "Cheesy much?"

"I'm going to do everything I can to make it right," I answered.

"I appreciate the effort, Enzo," she paused. "But I'm allergic to flowers like these."

"Shit," I took them out of her hand and threw them in the back.

"What the hell," Mila gasped and doubled over laughing.

"I didn't know, fuck." I cursed while looking over my shoulder as I switched lanes.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Nice flowers though, they mean forgiving someone."

"Yeah," I internally smiled, glad that she knew why I picked those flowers.

After that, we both said nothing. It wasn't until after a while Mila touched my arm and looked like she had to get something off her chest.

"I have to tell you something," she said, looking down at her lap. "Promise me that after what I'm about to say, you won't look at me in a different way."

"I promise," I keep my eyes on the road, but my voice is full of conviction.

"Remember when I said how Julian and his friends used to bully this boy in high school?" She spoke slowly.

"Yeah," I answer.

"Well," she paused. "I used to date Julian in high school."

"You what?" I whipped my head to face her in shock.

"In high school, I used to care a lot about how people saw me. Mom had said at the time that it was better to show others that Julian and I were this power couple. There was actually a time where I genuinely liked Julian, but suddenly he changed after prom and then I find out Kennedy, the boy they bullied died. Before this happened, I went to break up with him, and he hit me multiple times..."

I held her hand and squeezed it as a sign of support.

"Sorry," she wiped the stray tear that went down her face. "I should've seen it coming, I mean, what did I expect? Guys like Julian are assholes who deserve all the shit coming their way."

"It's okay," I said. "You couldn't have possibly known. It's not your fault."

"I know," she sighed. "Mrs. G found me in my room bleeding and she took me to the emergency room. I begged her not to tell my mother because she adored Julian. I don't know why I never cried, but I didn't. Everyone knew about our relationship, so when I came back from the hospital, guys would come up to me with money asking for sex like I was some prostitute. Since Julian led everyone to believe Kennedy committed suicide, people would say I deserved getting dumped, and they started calling me a slut. He even spread a rumor that I cheated on him with Kennedy because I was defending him. I had to change schools for the last semester because Mrs. G thought that I was more likely to commit suicide if I stayed. What really bothered me though is that he was able to go home without any repercussions because of his money, while my whole body was covered in bruises and he was being treated like a king in our school."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that Mila." I was seething and aching to punch Julian in the face. Mila noticed this and put a strand of her hair behind her ear and then looked out the window.

"When I found out about your bet, I was thrown back into a time where I never wanted to live through again. People started betting who could sleep with me the fastest after that, and it just reminded me of things that could've been fixed if only I'd acted sooner."

"No," I shook my head vigorously. "What I did was wrong. I should've never put you in such a position either way. I want to make things up to you and move past this, but if you feel that we should take a break, I won't object. I promise that I won't go spreading rumors around as well."

Mila was silent and waiting for her answer started to make my heart race.

"Thank you for being considerate Enzo," she answered after a few minutes. "You don't know how much I needed that. I'm willing to take things slow. I still want to be with you and I really hope you don't break my trust again."

"You won't regret it Mila." I take the back of her hand and put it to my lips.

"I better not," giving me a sad smile that tore my heart.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net