Maude groaned at the feel of the washcloth on her forehead.Her blanket was tucked to her chin and a glass of water with a painkiller for her fever sat on the nightstand.
She had caught my flu.
After almost collapsing on the hotel floor I hauled her to her bedroom and placed her on the bed. I called her mum to let her know her daughter was ill. I considered calling my parents but decided against it.
They'd be fine.
Brett came over with more soup. He made pumpkin soup since Maude was a vegetarian. He sat on her bed and helped her eat before she sneezed in his face.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
Don't worry about it," he said wiping his face with a napkin.
I stood by the bathroom mirror removing last night's mascara. Stained tissues littered the rubbish bin. Poor Maude looked miserable. I wondered if I looked like that.
Probably much worse.
I decided to go out and buy her a present. She had already done so much for me, I wanted to repay her. Now what did Maude love more than anything else in the world?
Besides Brett?
She already bought plenty of music and clothes. And I really wanted to go to the bookstore with her once she felt better. She didn't look like she wanted to eat anything....
Spiders?
No, absolutely not.
A light bulb seemed to go off above my head.
That's it!
Slipping into a t-shirt and flares I headed out the door.
**********
Roses, carnations, lilies, daisies....
What on earth did Maude like?
The florist's was nearly empty except for me and a couple of workers carrying arrangements from a fridge to a display case. A sunflower would be nice....but they didn't seem to have any of those.
The only roses they had were red ones and those were a little fancy for a friendship.
Some pink and yellow tulips caught my eye. They were wrapped in pastel purple paper with a white ribbon tied around them. I picked them up and brought them to the counter.
I took another look at the roses.
They were beautiful....
Maybe I could....
No, that would be too sappy!
But I really do like him....
My eyes scanned the shop for something else. Something not so obviously romantic. There was a gorgeous fern in a pot that I coveted.
Flowers are great but I'm a plant girl myself.
Forgetting about myself for a second I found one bouquet of five red roses. It wasn't as fancy as the dozen rose bouquets or even Maude's tulips. But maybe he'd think it was sweet. And....I really wanted to get him something. Something that let him know I.....
I....
...thought he was the greatest man in the world....
**********
I quietly closed the hotel door behind me. I took the roses to the fridge and set them there to cool. Fixing the tulips so they were nice and pretty I crept into Maude's room.
She was sleeping on her bed, curled up like a cat.
She was precious.
I set the bouquet on the nightstand and left the room.
YOU ARE READING
I Let Love In
FanfictionI've missed the way you'd laugh at my stupid jokes... A young woman's chance encounter with some old friends. Warnings: Mentions of depression and anxiety, brief mature scenes. Book Two
