Chapter 41 Hope
HOPE
The day starts out as ordinary until Heath opens his eyes and sees me awake. He hovers over me, his arms on either side, supporting his weight. His hair is flying everywhere and his eyes look a little sleepy, but he looks strikingly handsome.
“Happy birthday Rose,” he says and kisses me softly.
“Thank you,” I say, caught in a daze, as someone other than my mother wishes me well.
“Today’s your special day,” he smirks down at me.
I nod, feeling all sorts of strange emotions at what might happen today. A pit of darkness grows in my stomach.
Heath balances on one hand, and uses the other to cup my cheek. His thumb caresses the skin underneath my eye. “Your pretty eyes are my favourite thing.”
“They’re just plain brown.”
He shakes his head. “They’re anything but plain. Sometimes, when the light hits them, they look like honey; other times, they resemble chocolate. And I don’t like either of those things, but when I see them in you, I go crazy.”
My heart races.
He grins and kisses me again. “Let’s get over with school so we can have the party later tonight.”
With that he gets off the bed and stretches. The plain black t-shirt does nothing to hide the way those back muscles move and shift.
“Party?” I ask, sitting up.
“Yes. Marie is organizing it here,” he says and runs a hand through his hair.
Knowing Marie will be in charge of my birthday party, I’m sure it’ll be full of colors and fun. The most fun I’ve ever had.
Heath walks into his walk-in closet and comes out carrying two shopping bags. He sets those down in my lap and stands straight with his arms folded over his chest.
“I got you something.” He gestures to the bags.
With a frown, I reach for the bag and look inside. There are clothes.
Slowly, I pull out the white cable-knit sweater, that feels so soft, along with a jean skirt and a green scarf. In the other bag, there are knee-high brown boots — the kind of boots I’ve never worn before.
“This is too much,” I say.
“It is not. Marie agrees since she helped me shop.”
I feel conflicted, realizing he bought all this for me, and I know it must have cost him a lot since they’re brand new. The tags are still attached. I don’t have it in me to flip them around and see the price.
“I told you, today is special and the people who love you are going to do everything to make it special for you.”
I nod, feeling too much all at once.
“Get ready we have a few stops to make before school.”
Before I can ask him, he’s already walking towards the bathroom.
___________________
We sneak out of the house because Heath thinks if we see his parents they will say something and ruin my day — my special day.
I can’t help but smile all the way to the garage, finding it so endearing that he wants me to have the perfect day today.
When I get in his car, there is a bouquet of lavender flowers and a few chocolates in the backseat.
“Is that for me?’ I ask unsure.
Heath reaches for them and puts them in my lap. “Of course, it’s for you.”
“How did you even get these? When did you leave?”
Heath starts the car and drives out onto the main road. “I placed the order and had him deliver to me.”
“I need to thank him.” I caress the flowers.
“You need to thank me first,” he complains.
With a laugh, I reach over and press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”
The car slows quickly until we come to a complete stop in the middle of the road.
Heath takes a deep breath. “Please warn me next time before you do that.”
I nod with a huge grin, seeing the tips of his ears red. It’s a rare sight when he gets flustered.
It takes us fifteen minutes to get to school, and the moment we arrive, I feel the urge to hide. People watch us and talk about us, and it’s uncomfortable. Heath is used to the attention and is good at ignoring it, but not me. I’ve never been in the spotlight, always living in the corners.
I’m still thinking about this when the door to my side opens and Marie stands wearing a huge grin.
“Happy birthday!” She envelopes me in a tight hug as I get out of the car.
“Thank you,” I murmur in her soft pastel pink sweater, paired with jeans.
She pulls back excitedly. “I have planned a great party for you. You’re going to have so much fun. I have also — ”
“Don’t spoil it for her,” Sebastian says sweetly as he sidles up next to her.
Marie pauses and thinks. “You’re right.”
Sebastian’s green eyes meet mine and he grins. “Happy birthday, Hope.”
“Thank you.” I return his grin. “Also, I heard how you delivered the flowers and the chocolates for Heath. Thank you. It was kind of you.”
He chuckles and opens his mouth to speak, but Heath cuts him off first. “No need to thank him, Rose.”
Sebastian smirks and looks down at me. “You’re welcome. If you ever need help with anything you can ask me, too.”
“She won’t need it,” Heath mutters.
I ignore Heath and speak to Sebastian, “I’ll remember that.”
He winks at me and I laugh.
“You’re lucky you’re my best friend, or I would’ve given you a black eye and told you to wink like that again,” Heath reminds him.
Marie makes eye contact with me and mouths, “Guys.”
Sebastian stays relax, the mishcievous glint of humor swimming in his eyes. “Cool down. I see her like a little sister.”
Heath sighs. “I know.”
“Still, you can’t help the jealousy,” Sebastian teases.
“Okay let’s go inside,” Marie loops her arm with mine and starts walking in the direction of the entrance.
“What’s that?” she asks as we enter the hallway.
“What?” I meet her gaze but she’s looking down at my necklace.
“Is that a rose? Did Heath get it for you?”
I smile and give her a nod. “He said it’s my early birthday present.”
Marie squeals in enthusiam. “That’s so cute.”
The bell rings and we get separated because we have different classes. I’m taking out my textbooks from my locker when Heath comes over and leans agaisnt the locker next to mine.
“You look beautiful today,” he says, staring at me with a soft gaze.
A blush creeps up my skin, and I try to distract myself by locking the locker. It’s not the first time he’s said it, but it still makes me feel special every time.
I hug the heavy textbooks to my chest. “Shall we go?”
He nods, offering me his hand.
Ever since we got together, he walks me to class, holding my hand.
It’s one of my favorite things.
Like every day, we make our way to my classroom first. He talks to me about the Biology he has today, and I quiz him with a few questions to keep the answers fresh.
After two weeks of living with him, he’s gotten much better at Biology.
Like everything else, he’s good at his studies too.
It turns out he just needed to understand a few things and memorize a lot to score well.
The problem is, he hates the subject in general.
After a short kiss in front of the classroom, he leaves for his class.
I enter and sit in the back.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I take it out and see a text from Mom.
Silence rings in my ears and it gets so quiet.
She has texted me.
With a lump in my throat, I click on the message preview and there it is.
Mom: Happy birthday, Hope.
Those three words hit me like arrows.
Then, the silence breaks, and the noise of the classroom rushes in, reminding me that I’m at school, not alone.
I type out a reply, but don’t send it. It sits in the drafts as I put my phone on silent and slip it into my bag.
I wait for the remorse to hit me, especially after knowing what Heath told me that night, but I can’t find it in me to be nice to her. I understand that she did it to protect me, but there are a million other ways to do that. Kicking me out and making me live somewhere else isn’t the answer.
The classes pass by, and soon it’s lunchtime.
We head to a diner where Heath orders me a chocolate smoothie and Marie gets me fries.
I start to realize that Marie and Heath have turned it into a competition to see who spoils me more.
Sebastian grins as he watches them, and I end up eating everything they order to keep them happy.
By the time we return for the rest of our classes, my stomach aches. But my heart feels warm with gratitude for all the love in my life.
I wish it would never end.