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Chapter One
“Would you like that rare or well done?” the waiter asks with a polite smile, his pen poised and ready to take my order.
Stomach growling in anticipation, I close the menu and hand it back to him. “Rare please.”
The restaurant is packed, every table full of people dressed in their finest clothes for the evening. This restaurant is more than a little different to my usual choice of a casual burger chain or Chinese takeaway, but tonight, it was my turn to choose where we eat, and this place has some of the best steak in the city.
“That’s unusual for you,” Colin, my boyfriend, comments with raised brows. “Usually you have your steak well done.”
“I felt like a change,” I reply chirpily, shrugging my shoulders lightly as though it’s no big deal. To me, it really isn’t, but I know that Colin will think otherwise. He doesn’t like change, and as we didn’t discuss this beforehand, he will say that I’m being impulsive—something he regularly accuses me of being.
“You can’t even look at beef when you cook it without gagging, and now you want to eat it rare?” He snorts and shakes his head like he doesn’t understand me. “I know it’s your birthday, and I said you could have whatever you wanted, but I’m not going to pay for the steak if you don’t eat it. That’s just a waste of money.”
Colin has always been frugal with his money, so much so that I was surprised he was willing to bring me here and pay for my meal this evening. I suppose it’s not every day that you turn twenty-one, so I am going to enjoy my steak and eat every last piece. My jaw and gums ache just thinking about my food, a sense of impatience growing in my gut. I’ve been so hungry recently, yet nothing I eat seems to fill me like it used to. In fact, I’ve been losing weight even though my portion sizes have increased.
“Don’t worry, Colin, I won’t let it go to waste.” I smile brightly, not wanting to let his negativity drag me down tonight.
We have been dating for just over a year now, and although he can be pretty critical about everything I do, he is amazing in bed. He can be sweet and thoughtful sometimes too, but unfortunately, that is occurring less often. That just helps me appreciate his kind gestures more. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
Tina, my best friend and roommate, has been telling me to dump him for months. She thinks he’s boring and snobby, and she doesn’t like the way he speaks to me. Plus, he once made an insulting comment about her cat, Raggs, and she’s never forgiven him. That’s one thing about Tina you learn immediately—you don’t mess with her cat. She is obsessed with the ball of fluff, claws, and anger issues.
While I don’t disagree with Tina and her perception of Colin, I’m comfortable in the relationship and don’t want to go through the break-up process, especially since my physical needs are being met.
A waitress appears with the bottle of wine. Colin goes through the process of sniffing and tasting it before nodding his acceptance and gesturing for the waitress to pour us full glasses.
Copying what he did, I lift the glass to my nose and take a small inhale. It’s acidic and burns my nose, smelling more like vinegar than wine, and I have to attempt to hide my wince. Colin chose the wine for us. He likes to think he’s a connoisseur who has an exemplary palate and therefore should make all decisions regarding our drinks. I’m usually much better at hiding my dislike of his wine choices, but tonight, the smell makes my stomach turn.
The last thing I want to do is have an argument on my birthday, though, so I grit my teeth and take a sip. Raising his glass in a toast, Colin gives me one of his rare, dazzling smiles. “To you, Emily. Happy twenty-first birthday.”
Smiling, I clink my glass against his. Everyone else calls me Emmy, but Colin has always called me by my full name. Does it bug me? Yes, although I have just come to expect it from him now. He’s a stubborn man, and convincing him that he’s wrong about anything is a herculean task.
“Tell me about your day. Did you do anything nice?”
Surprised he asked, I let my smile widen and brush my long, curly blonde hair over my shoulder. “Yes, actually. Tina and I went shopping this morning, and we stopped at the flower market on the way home. I found the most unusual roses today. The petals looked like they had been doused in blood!” Excitement flares within me as I remember the gorgeous flowers with the black and red petals.
He scrunches his nose. “They sound awful. Why on earth would you want something like that in your house?”
Colin has never understood my obsession with plants and flowers. However, as a florist, it’s part of my job. New and unusual flowers are a passion of mine, and I try to incorporate something different into every bouquet I create.
“I’m probably not explaining it right, but…” I trail off, seeing that the light in his eyes has dimmed and I’ve lost his attention. In fact, he’s not even looking at me anymore. As I follow his gaze, I spot the curvaceous ass of the waitress who has captured his attention. Anger bubbles up inside me, but I push it down and hide it away. Not today, not on my birthday. “Anyway” —I clear my throat— “tell me about your day.”
This brings his attention back to me, excitement flaring in his eyes, and I know I asked the right thing. He immediately starts talking about his latest projects at work and how important he is at his job. Honestly, I don’t know what he actually does, but what I do know is that it has something to do with data analysis. It’s deathly boring, yet I plaster a smile on my face, and as long as I hum and nod in the appropriate places, it keeps him happy.
Meanwhile, my mind is free to wander. I’ve always been one to get lost in my thoughts easily, and it doesn’t take much to distract me. Tonight, however, all I can seem to think about is the steak I ordered. I’m salivating just thinking about it, my gums itching to bite into something.
I’ve never experienced issues with my mouth like this. Perhaps my wisdom teeth are growing in or something. That would explain the heavy, aching sensations I’ve been feeling in my mouth and jaw.
“Are you ready for your gift?” he asks suddenly, reaching into the pocket of his jacket.
Surprised by the sudden change of topic, I sit upright in my seat and smile. I have no idea what he would have picked for me. Perhaps he spoke to Tina about what I would like and coordinated with her. A low buzz of excitement fills my veins as I wait with anticipation. Although what he’s able to fit in his jacket pocket, I’m not sure. It must be a small gift, which is fine, I’m just pleased he got me something.
“It’s something special that I thought you might like,” he explains, his smile smug like he knows he’s gifting me something amazing. He once told me that his family had dubbed him the “gifting king,” thanks to his perfect gifting skills. I have yet to witness this, so I’m excited to see what he picked. Finally pulling it from his pocket, he places a small, flat item on the table.
Confused but masking it with curiosity, I lean forward and lift up my gift to examine it better. It’s an unwrapped packet of seeds—poppies, to be precise.
“Oh, seeds. How lovely.” I smile brightly to hide my disappointment, hoping he doesn’t see through it. I’m an open book when it comes to my reactions, no matter how hard I try to mask them.
Colin’s smile drops, his smugness quickly replaced with irritation. “You don’t like it.”
