Page 51 of Cherry Moon

Don’t go.

Blood beaded on the pad of my left ring finger.

Ring.

There is a ring there.

“One day I’d like there to be,” I said, sucking on the blood.

There is a ring there.

I picked up the roses.

Rush, rush, rush. It was like I was moving in fast-forward, zipping through the rain, hurrying inside to the warmth of our sanctuary. Welcomed by the smell of a baking fruit cake. Simnel cake to be precise, since Easter was approaching.

Delicious.

Always delicious.

He looks at me with an intensity like no other.

“Hey, you!” Aki cried, spinning on the spot to the music.

A Britney Spears number. I forgot the name of the song, too focused on him in his cute pink jeans and white jumper with blue cupcake on it.

He’d bought it for more color. Said he lacked color, needed color, so why the bloody hell not?

“What are those?” he asked, skipping over to kiss me.

Despite all the color, he’d been pretty down lately. The rawness of his grief was taking its toll, and the miserable weather not helping.

“For you,” I answered, handing him the flowers.

He gave me a beaming grin, joy radiated off him in giddy waves. “Me?” He took them, smelling them. “That’s so sweet. Why?”

“Why not?”

He burst into tears.

“Aki?” I didn’t mean to make him cry.

“I… I… Bollocks.” He sniffled. “Ignore me.”

“Never.” I caught those tears, holding him, protecting him.

“I just… I just. Man, I’m a fucking state.”

“You’re beautiful.”

A giggle. “Stop it.”

“You are, Aki. You are.”

Yellow roses. The first of many flowers. I tried to always bring him something floral. Pretty for pretty, to see him smile. His passion might be with baking, but he also enjoyed flowers.

“Because they come from you,” I heard him say.

Come back.