CHAPTER 9
Three Red Roses
Hunter
Now that I’d officially moved out, I made a promise to my mom that I would spend every Wednesday night back at home with her and my older sister, Heidi.
Mom claimed the house was lonely without my presence and I understood those words were rooted in her abandonment and attachment issues.
She loved her children dearly and wanted the best for them, yet seeing her little birdies leave the nest wasn’t an easy feat.
Especially with my dad no longer here. I knew that was why Heidi still lived at home, but it wouldn’t be long before she was gone too.
During dinner, we discussed Heidi’s new job at an accounting firm and the start of her CPA studies, followed by my schooling and my upcoming games. The Panthers were doing great. Coach Turner was convinced we were bringing the championship trophy home this year.
After dinner, I did the dishes, Heidi tidied up the kitchen, and Mom picked a movie for us to watch.
Not horror, thankfully. I didn’t think I could stomach another one so soon.
I’d filled my quota for the month, a laughable concept since I still had two more classes remaining for September and a total of eleven until the end of the fall semester.
When the movie came to an end, I pecked both Mom’s and Heidi’s heads. “Good night. I’m exhausted and going to bed. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. I was tired and would go to bed soon, but after I took care of something first. Heidi gave me a frown accompanied by a quizzical expression that said I’m-not-buying-your-shit-Hunter.
Exactly fifteen minutes after I barricaded myself in my old room, two knocks on my door broke my focus.
My fingers paused on my laptop’s keyboard, halfway through my research. I didn’t even have the chance to say, “Come in,” before Heidi barged inside like she was a queen and this was her dominion.
I rubbed my forehead.
What was it about siblings and lack of boundaries?
Granted, I loved my sister, but couldn’t a guy get some privacy to figure out how to preserve the bouquet he received from the girl he liked without being interrupted?
“What are you doing?” Heidi demanded nosily, crossing her arms and coming over to where I sat by my desk. She peered over my shoulder to stare at my screen.
So much for secrecy. I gestured to the paper cup filled with water and my three roses sitting close to my laptop. “Gabriela gave these to me today. I’m trying to find a way to keep them forever.”
The confusion on Heidi’s face morphed into glee. “Aw, Hunter,” she gushed, cupping my cheeks with one hand and squeezing like she used to when I was a kid. “That’s so nice of her.”
My sister and I were close, four years separating us.
I tended to share everything with her. All my wins and all my losses.
Heidi was a great listener and advice giver.
I trusted her judgement more than anyone else’s in my life.
She was well aware of my crush on Gabriela and had been rooting for us since the start—since the moment I returned from Josh’s party awestruck and told her about the pretty girl who caught my attention.
Yesterday, I confessed to kissing Gabriela on Friday and then adding the same elective as her on Saturday. Heidi broke out into a cheer routine, and afterwards teased me for being whipped. I let it slide because it came with the territory of being an older sister.
“Yeah.” I flicked my gaze back to the search results on my screen. “I’m thinking of making resin bookmarks with the rose petals. One for her and one for me. She’s a bookworm, so I figured…”
I trailed off, but Heidi understood, squeezing my shoulder. “That’s an amazing idea, Hunt. Here, let’s watch some tutorials to better understand the process.”
We did exactly that and I took notes with a fountain pen on one of my dad’s old notepads.
Later on, we placed an order online for all the supplies.
Heidi promised to help with this creative project.
Since I’d only need two out of the three roses, my sister said she’d take the last one and turn it into pressed flower art, saying that I could frame it in my apartment if I wanted to.
And though it would only add to my whipped status, I wasn’t completely opposed to the suggestion.
“Gabriela’s going to love the bookmark,” Heidi said, gently stroking the petals of the roses before heading over to take a seat on my bed.
I closed my laptop and spun around in my chair to face her. “I hope so.”
“Now tell me what’s on your mind.” She crossed her legs and steepled her hands around her right knee. “You’ve been relatively quiet throughout the entire evening, and I know it’s got nothing to do with school or football.”
Heidi and I had the innate ability to see through each other.
Lying or suppressing our feelings never worked.
I combed my fingers through my hair and grasped my nape, the day’s frustration ebbing away until the only thing I felt in my muscles was a dull resignation.
“She wants to be friends, Heidi, and I want more.”
Compassion stitched over her visage. “Hunter…”
“I can be that for her. But I do not want to be stuck in the friend zone forever.” I’d spent over a year longing for her that a little bit of wait wouldn’t kill me.
Though the possibility that there may never be more for us just might.
“Heidi, she doesn’t mind that I’m introverted and more of a homebody.
She even invited me to her association’s upcoming mixer and promised to hang with me by the sidelines because, well, you know I’m not fond of crowded spaces. ”
“I see,” Heidi echoed softly, pleased.
“There’s something about her that just feels different, you know?
She’s kind, she’s sweet, she makes me laugh, and though I’ve only known her for a short amount of time, it feels like I’ve known her forever.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I want to take a chance on her and I want her to take a chance on me too.
I don’t think it would be like…the last time. ”
And that was truly the crux of it all.
I had one ex-girlfriend, Ginette, from sixteen to eighteen years old.
She treated me like garbage. The worst part?
I let her for so long until I realized it wasn’t fair to me.
We met in high school during detention. Me, for being late.
Her, for causing a ruckus in the music room.
She played the trombone in the school’s band.
I’d seen her perform a few times and thought she was cute.
It took me forever to gather up the courage to ask her out.
Much to my delight, she was quick to say yes.
Ginette was outgoing. I was comfortable in my little bubble.
I thought it was normal for opposites to attract.
Therefore, I assumed she liked me for me.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
After the honeymoon period was over, she became rude and acted like I was a nuisance no matter how hard I tried to just be there for her like a good boyfriend. We broke up because I found her cheating on me with my teammate.
Turned out, she only dated me for what I represented: a status symbol due to my position as the quarterback of the football team.
I was her ticket to high school fame. Ginette hadn’t cared about me as a person.
It was a superficial relationship. And she’d been quick to point out during our last fight that I was too introverted for her taste, still too emotional over my dad’s death, and that the only good quality I possessed, besides my looks, was my dick.
Ginette said I made it so fucking easy to be cheated on—that I deserved it.
After that confrontation, I remembered feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience when I left her and proceeded to puke my guts out in the nearest trash can, overwhelmed by all my painful emotions.
My dad’s passing took a huge toll on me.
I lost my best friend and my hero at a very young age.
It turned me into a sad, withdrawn kid. The only time I felt alive was when I was on the field.
Football was my sole remaining connection to him.
Things got better when I entered high school because it was a fresh start.
I made friends and learned to be a little bit more confident.
But Ginette’s nasty words were like an arrow straight to my chest. As if I were worthless because I couldn’t become the extrovert she wanted overnight, couldn’t turn off my grief like a faucet, and couldn’t be anything more than a notch in her belt.
I’d come a long way since high school. Every now and then, my old insecurities roared to life until I pushed past them again.
Though I still wasn’t overly extroverted, I liked the person I was today after putting in years of work into myself.
Reading self-help books, engaging in talk therapy, and having good friends like Josh and Shaun had gotten me here.
After my breakup with Ginette, I subjected myself to celibacy and then to some meaningless one-night stands for a while.
I realized by the time I turned nineteen that emotionless hookups and casual dating weren’t for me.
I’d always been a one-woman type of man.
But unfortunately, I turned too self-conscious post-Ginette, overanalysing and overthinking every little detail.
It was like I’d become my own worst enemy.
That was why it took me so long to pursue Gabriela and why Friday night felt like such a breakthrough. It allowed me to rid myself of a mental shackle holding me back from the thing I desired most.
Gabriela was like a breath of fresh air compared to my past.
She didn’t care about football, didn’t know my jersey number, didn’t know anything about my stats. Being Vesta University’s star quarterback didn’t matter to her.
If anything, it felt like she could like me for me.
I wanted her to see me the same way I saw her.
I wanted her to adore me the same way I started adoring her.
I wanted her to want me, plain and simple.
Heidi’s voice sliced through my train of thoughts, stern but filled with a smile.
“Hunter, you’re my little brother and I’m biased, but I mean it when I say that you’re wonderful and Gabriela will see it soon enough.
And if she doesn’t, it’s her loss.” She shrugged.
“A year ago, you couldn’t even imagine yourself being on speaking terms with her.
You found the courage to make the first move and that was brave of you.
Regardless of what happens in the future, I’m very proud of you. ”
This was my sister’s way of telling me to count my wins. “Thanks, Heidi.”
“You’ve taken a step in the right direction.
Now trust the process. Let the universe do the rest and continue to be patient.
It will all unfold the way it should and remember that everything happens for a reason.
It’s no coincidence that you and Gabriela are finally seeing each other, even if it’s just as friends.
And if I’m being honest, you don’t give flowers to someone you don’t care about.
My guess is, based on what you’ve told me about your conversations, she’s developing a soft spot for you.
She may not know it yet, but I promise you, one day she will.
” There was a knowing glint in Heidi’s eyes.
“It won’t be long before you realize I was right all along. ”
I smirked. “You just love to gloat, don’t you?”
“It’s the truth.” My sister laughed and stood up, heading to my door. “Relax and get some rest, Hunt. You’ve made good progress with her. That’s what counts.” Heidi propped her hand on the doorknob. “Oh, by the way, Jaden is coming over for dinner Wednesday night.”
“Sounds good.” I debated whether I should say anything else before going ahead and asking the difficult question, “How are things between you and Jaden?”
Her shoulders deflated and her eyes grew sad. “We’re fine.”
Heidi and Jaden started dating when they were eighteen years old.
They were together for six. Last year, he had an accident that caused him to lose his memories.
He barely remembered his own family, including my sister.
He hadn’t been the same since the tragedy and neither had Heidi.
It hurt me to watch my sister lose her spark and her zest for life.
Now she spent every waking moment going through the motions.
Go to work, come back from work, and cater to Jaden.
On a fucking loop. She was stuck in survival mode.
No matter how much my mom and I explained to her that she was barely living, Heidi refused to acknowledge the situation at hand.
Jaden may never remember their past.
And Heidi couldn’t forget theirs.
Or the man who used to mean to her as much as Jaden did.
“You know I’m always here for you, right?” I walked towards her. “We’re a team. We’ve got each other’s backs. You can talk to me, Heidi. Whatever you need, I got you.”
“I know and I love you for it. But really, I’m okay, Hunter.”
I’d start believing it when I saw it with my own eyes.
“Fine.” I wrapped her up in a bear hug. “Love you, too.”
“Don’t forget to buy a ticket to the mixer.” She wagged her finger in a warning sign. “This is your chance. Make the best of it.”
I would.
I had no intention of giving up on Gabriela until I gave it my all.
Heidi left and snicked the door shut behind her.
Before I went to bed, I searched up the meaning of red roses in particular, wondering if there was a deeper meaning to her gift.
Apparently, the blooms symbolized devotion, romance, passion, and true love.
One gifted rose meant love at first sight. Three gifted roses meant I love you.
My heart pounded.
Gabriela couldn’t have known any of this, right?
If she had, why would she give me three roses?
And why red ones?
Yellow ones were for friendship, according to the online search engine.
I mean, maybe all she had in her garden were red roses.
But fuck, I hated that I was getting excited over something simple like flowers.
She probably just cut those red roses from her garden without putting much thought into it and I was the fool lying in bed, staring at my ceiling, a stupid smile on my face, drifting from every moment we’d shared so far, and hopelessly wondering how long it would take before the soft spot she held for me to develop into more.
That night, I fell asleep after purchasing a handful of paranormal romances and adding a few true crime podcasts to my queue.
And I dreamt of Gabriela, the way I consistently have for the last year.