"Did you really bring those flowers for me?"
"I did."
He chuckled. "This feels weird as hell. No one's ever given me flowers before."
"There's a first time for everything."
Still chuckling, he accepted the flowers.
“I forgot to ask for a vase at the floral shop. So, I stopped at another store and got that little vase thing for you to put the flowers in. You’ll need some water and stuff, so they can live. I think the florist put a card in there to explain how to care for them.”
“Oh yeah, I see it. I’m still shocked you got me flowers.”
“You know what? I think this is my first time buyinganyoneflowers.”
Marcel shook his head. “No wonder you’re still single.”
Apparently, he hadn’t talked to my brothers today.
"What made you get me...this?" Marcel asked, staring at the flowers as if they were poisonous or something.
"I stopped by a florist on the way over," I told him. "She said fresh flowers help brighten a house. They're also supposed to freshen the air."
“You trying to say my house stinks?” he asked.
“I’m trying to say, since you won’t go outside, I’m bringing the outside to you. These flowers are called peace lilies.”
Marcel glanced down at the peace lilies, staring at them differently now.
"They're actually kind of nice,” he mused.
"I thought so too."
He walked over to the center table in the living room and carefully set the vase down.
“I’ll put some water in them in a minute,” he said.
I nodded. For a moment, he simply stood there looking at them. Then he smiled again.
"Peace lilies, huh?” he muttered. “I like them."
"I'm glad."
Seeing that smile, a genuine smile from him, eased a little of my concerns. The last time I visited him, he’d looked different. And he’d clearly been in a darker headspace back then.
Now, Marcel looked less like a man haunted by his past and more like the cousin who’d grown up following me everywhere, begging me to teach him how to shoot. Marcel glanced down at himself and sighed.
“I should probably take a shower before lunch. Give me ten minutes to clean up. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.”
He started toward the staircase. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped. His entire body stiffened. Then he spun around.
“Hey, uh. Don’t venture around the place and be nosy just yet. I need to turn off the traps set throughout the house so you don’t trigger them.”
I frowned. “Traps?”
“Yeah. Give me one minute to deactivate them.”
