Love Thy Neighbor (Friend-Zoned)(82)

Do not get the angry demon babies wet.

And most importantly, do not feed the angry demon babies after midnight, no matter how much they beg.

If my angry demon babies look anything like Gizmo, I’m f*cked. There’s no way I’d ever be able to say no to that sweet little face.

What the hell are you talking about?

Ugh. I have no idea.

I’m so tired, but I’m having trouble sleeping knowing that asshat is next door, so I’ve become delirious.

I have so many words of abuse I want to yell at him. Is that something I can do? Just go over there and abuse him at random intervals during the night then come back to bed?

It’s better than crying, that’s for sure.

Can you believe him? Coming over here with flowers after the whole sorry I dumped you and tried to choke you to prove a point then went missing for four days but I’m back now thing.

What an ass!

I regret ruining the flowers. They actually looked really nice. It was an unusual bunch though. I should’ve taken them and given them to someone who could’ve used a boost of happiness in their day.

My heart races in anxiety and tears blur my eyes.

He’s okay. You’ve seen him. He’s fine.

Yeah, but there was a huge chance that he wasn’t okay. That he could’ve become a statistic.

I’m so f*cking pissed at him! The truth is I was so scared, and once I saw him and relief settled through me, I realized just how f*cking idiotic he’d been. No calls, no messages, nothing. I know I told him I hate him, but I don’t. I’m angry at myself for still loving him. I was always told you can’t help who you love, and now is one of those times I really wish you could. Maybe if I tell myself I hate him enough, it’ll actually happen.

Good plan.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I concede, muttering, “Yeah, yeah. I know. I suck.”

My eyes become heavy and I rest my head on the pillow.

My final thought before I doze off is, I hope he’s okay.

***

My eyes flutter open and I smile.

This is a good dream.

I stretch my body in bed and my hand comes into contact with something above the covers. Eyes widening in shock, I feel around on my bed and come into contact with more cool things. Sitting up, I gasp in stunned disbelief and cover my mouth with both hands.

No way.

No f*cking way.

My bed is covered in flowers. When I say covered, I mean covered. Not a single inch of my quilt shows. White tulips and a shitload of lilac-colored irises blanket my bed. The same flowers in the bunch I used to mess up Ash with.

Not moving at all, my eyes do a sweep of my bed and a single bark of laughter breaks out of me.

Okay. So this is actually a nice way to wake up.

Shaking my head in doubt, I flip my covers over, step onto the floor only to come into contact with more flowers. I look down and the entire floor is covered with flowers.

Is this for real?

Chuckling to myself, I’ll admit it. My interest is piqued. And I’d bet good money that Ash knew my curiosity would get the better of me.

Just how many flowers did the ass buy?

I step onto my carpet of flowers and follow it down that hall, laughing all the way. When I get to my lounge room and kitchen, I gasp and step back in shock. I lift a shaking hand to my heaving chest and try not to cry.

Flowers are everywhere! My house has been turned into a flora wonderland.

White, red, orange, pink and yellow tulips cloak the kitchen. Pink, purple and white irises make a home in my lounge room. The floor is covered with every type of flower imaginable. Roses of peach, pink and red. Gerberas of white, orange and yellow. Carnations of blushing pink, yellow and white. Daisies, sunflowers, orchids, hyacinth, baby’s breath, princess lilies, violets and frangipanis.

And that’s only the ones I can name.

They’re everywhere, and I’m overwhelmed by the sight and smell.

Tears blur my vision as I step into the kitchen. A single white tulip sits in a long stemmed vase. There’s a note attached. I pluck it off and read.

White tulips symbolize forgiveness. Forgive me, pretty girl.

My emotions are chaotic right now. I don’t know what to do. I place the note down and open the pantry to get my box of rice puffs. I take a bowl, a spoon and the milk and set it all down on the counter.

I open the box of cereal and begin to pour…and I burst into laughter.

White tulips fill my bowl.

Clever, ass. Very clever.

Who knew Ash was good at shenanigans?

I’m not blind. I see the effort he went to. He must’ve been here all night, quiet as a mouse to do this. I smile at the thought of him running around in socks, arranging flowers. He must be exhausted.

Fuck him.

The memory of the heartbreak he caused me comes flooding back.

Yeah. Fuck him.

I tip out my bowl of tulips onto the counter to join their flower friends and move to the sofa. A single stem of lilac iris sits in an identical vase to the one the white tulip was in. There’s a note attached to this one too. I pull it off and read.

Lilac Irises symbolize first love. Still love me, baby?

I do. I really do. But I’m f*cking pissed as hell too.

The shithead. He deserves the silent treatment for at least a month. Maybe two. Depending on how generous I feel. I drop the note on the table and rest my head back on the sofa when I hear a knock at the front door.