Anna offers to drive me to Blake’s house so I don’t have to walk there while carrying the dress. We all decide to grab lunch on the way. We end up at a sandwich place a half-mile from Blake’s house.
As we chat and eat, I catch myself smiling and laughing nonstop. Poppy and Anna are such wonderful new friends. They’ve gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and included since I moved here. Sometimes, especially when I’ve hung out with two best friends, I feel like the awkward third wheel. But never with Poppy and Anna. They’re so kind and warm.
After we eat, Anna drives me home. She and Poppy head inside with me. When we step through the front door, the first thing I see is a massive bouquet of peonies in every color sitting in a vase on the dining table. My favorite flower.
My breath instantly catches.
“Oh wow,” Poppy says.
I set the dress on the couch and walk over to the flowers. There’s a small card propped up against the vase with my name written in Blake’s handwriting.
I open it and read it.
Hey, B.
Hope these make you smile.
-B
A massive grin splits my face, and my tummy flutters.
“Let me guess. Those are from Blake?” Anna says in a teasing tone.
“Yup,” I say, unable to hide the massive grin splitting my face as I glance down at the card again. I love it when he writes notes to me and signs them as just “B.” And when he calls me “B.” I know it’s silly, but it makes me feel special knowing that the first letter of our names has become a cute little nickname we share.
“What’s the occasion?” Anna asks.
I shake my head, my cheeks flushing. “Nothing, really. I had an argument with my mom the other night, so I think Blake is trying to cheer me up.”
Anna’s smile fades. “Oh, shoot. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. My parents are mad that I transferred to Hollis after breaking up with my ex, so we’ve been arguing a lot lately.”
Poppy gently grabs my arm. “I’m sorry. It’s so hard when you don’t get along with your parents.”
I let out a heavy breath. “Yeah, it is.”
“I had a brief rift with my parents last year when I told them I didn’t want to go to law school and instead wanted to focus on building my YouTube channel. They were really upset with me,” Poppy says.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
Poppy offers a sad smile. “It’s okay. They were hung up on the expectation that I’d become a lawyer like them, and when I wanted to follow my own path, they cut me off.”
“That’s horrible,” I say.
“Eventually they came around. They apologized for what they did, and things are good between us now,” Poppy says. “Maybe that’ll happen with your parents too.”
I let out a sad sigh. “Maybe. I’m not holding my breath though.”
I lean down and inhale the delicate, sweet scent of the peonies. I run my fingertips over the soft petals and turn back to Poppy. “How did you get through it? Being on the outs with your parents?”
Poppy looks at Anna standing next to her and gives her a warm smile. “I leaned on my best friend a lot.” She turns to me. “And Nick. He was amazing. He was my rock. I wouldn’t have gotten through it without his support.”
I notice the way Poppy’s eyes light up when she talks about Nick. I think about all the amazing things Blake has done for me.
How he stayed up all night while I cried to him about my breakup. How he helped me enroll at Hollis. How he let me move into his house and gave up his bed for me. How he takes me out for tacos whenever I’m hungry. How he surprises me with my favorite flowers to cheer me up.
Warmth and tingles loop through my chest.
