Wildflower (Kris Bryant)

37 The Reading Nook

Kris

The baseball season comes to a end and the Chicago Cubs were a part of the post season for the first time in a really long time. We were to take on the Pirates in a winner takes all wild card game in a few days out in Pittsburg and I was excited. This is why everyone plays, for a chance at the tittle. And while Rookie of the Year would be nice, the real goal here is the World Series.

So it was time for me to pack my bags and get ready to go to the Burg. We had the for sure Cy Young winner on the mound for us and we were ready to give him some run support too. This is going to be the biggest game of my life and I was trying my best to be ready for it.

"You think I can bring the dogs with me" I tease and Serenity just laughs at me. She was sitting in the bed on the other side of my suitcase helping me pack like always.

"I wouldn't allow it" she promises me.

"What about you? You think I can sneak in here" I ask.

She jumps up and sits herself in the half empty suitcase. While she could have fit in there I don't think physically or legally this was my best idea. "It might be a tight squeeze but I'll fit" she teases.

"I just messing with you. I know you're doing a lot with writing and talking to a bunch of different people. Hopefully we will win so we can play a few more games here this season you can make it out to" I promise.

"I would love to come watch you play" she claims.

I turn to her as she smirks at me. "Oh yeah" I ask.

"Yeah. I had a great time the other day with the girls. While I love being able to write again and not having as many limitations to my life I still want to be there for you. I love watching you play, I love being around people who adore you just as I do. It's a lot different than what I like, but I love you so it doesn't matter" she claims.

"You make leaving here so impossibly hard" I say as I grab her face. She smiles in my hands and it makes me chuckle. She was so cute.

"I hate when you leave" she admits. "But I know that you're out there missing me just like I'm missing you and I know I'll be okay. It sucks when you leave but at least I have you when you're here. I know that as soon as you're back the first thing you're going to do is kiss me and show me that you never stopped loving me no matter how many seconds we're apart" she smiles.

I pull her into a soft kiss before I smile to myself. When I open my eyes I see her looking up at me and it made my heart skip a beat. "I love you... more than I will ever be able to tell you" I insist.

"I love you too" she smiles.

I finish packing and we decide to spend our night in the city the best way we know, in the reading nook. Ren had Maggie curled up in her lap with a book resting on the fluffy puppy. I had another book in my hand and Cooper next to me. Beatrice laid on the floor next to us and we watched the sun set from the best seat in the house. I just smile as the sun disappears behind the city that I've come to love. Although I didn't want the sun to set because I didn't want to have to leave tomorrow, I was ready for another chance to live this wonderful life that has found me.

"What are you reading" I ask Serenity.

"Flowers in the Attic" she explains.

My eyes go big as I turn to her. "Isn't that a really dark really wrong story about incest and being locked in the attic then poisoned" I ask.

"Pretty much. But it's a story about strength. The main character is a strong female who makes sacrifices for her family and she's made mistakes. Boy has she made her mistakes. She knows it too. But every character has its issues, you're not supposed to 100% agree with the character and their choices. She still wants what's best for her brothers and sister, in the end she's a good guy and you have to root for her" she defends.

"It's all still kinda crazy" I insist.

"Are you basing this off the movie or the book" she wonders and I stop. "That's what I thought" she accuses.

"There's three books in that series and they're all huge" I whine.

"It's art, Kris. Each story becomes more heart breaking than the last. And while I can assure you almost no one has experienced what these people went through, you still feel for them. You feel the pain and the love and the conflict. With each character that passes away you realize that even if you didn't like the character the entire story their death still hurts. And even though this stuff is insane and highly unlikely, it doesn't matter. It's like Harry Potter where you know that it's not true and you know these people aren't real but you still hurt when they hurt. You still cry when they cry" she explains.

"I will never understand how you make the most difficult things sound so beautiful. How do you do it" I ask making her smile.

"The best way to see something as beautiful is to make it beautiful" she claims.

"So what did you do to be this beautiful" I ask her and she giggles.

"Hide in my house for 18 years, then go to college and hide there for four years before coming back" she teases.

"I don't see how you hid anywhere. You will always stick out like a wildflower to me" I claim.

"I was weird as a kid. I was the girl who never had to do PE. I was the girl who never went to one sporting event. I was the girl who sat in math class with her nose in The Hobbit softly crying to herself. I was never the girl guys wanted to be a part of. The closest I ever got to a guy was the ones who wanted the answers to my homework" she chuckles.

"Well it's their loss. And my gain because I get to spend the night listening to my girlfriend tell me just why I'm a idiot for not reading as much as I should" I joke.

"You're not that much of a idiot" she claims and I gasp.

I toss my book to the side and make sure I don't crush a dog as I lunge for my girlfriend. I start to tickle her and Maggie thought it was a game so she joins in. Serenity laughs hard as she tries to push me away but I don't stop until she starts to snort. "Please stop" she begs and I cease. I didn't need to send her to the hospital with a messed up heart because I was tickling her. I would never hear the end of it. "You're so lucky I love you" she claims and I stay hovered over her.

"Yes... yes I am" I smile.