Songs for this chapter:
• Mine - Bazzi
Chapter Seventy-Two:
Bryce's POV
We didn't have sex last night.
After our heartbreaking, emotionally-draining conversation, it just wouldn't have felt right. Blossom couldn't seem to stop crying even when she began to calm down, and so I gave her a moment alone so I could organise the mess of clothes on the floor.
I scooped everything up into my arms and then headed straight into the closet. I dumped all my clothes in the laundry basket before hanging up Blossom's dress.
I then grabbed a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants before yanking a pair of boxers up my legs and heading back into the bedroom, where Blossom was still sitting in bed, curled up.
"These are for you. Let's just go to bed," I said, taking a seat on the bed beside her.
She looked up at me with those wide, hazel eyes of hers. "Okay."
I then handed her the clothes in my hands and she eagerly pulled on the sweatpants and sweatshirt before scooting over in bed, making room for me.
We then crawled under the covers together, and Blossom, clearly emotionally drained, curled up at my side with her arms around my waist and her head on my chest before promptly proceeding to pass out.
I woke up before her this morning, per usual. She looked far too peaceful for me to disrupt her by waking her up, and I thought it was safe to assume that she won't have anywhere to be this morning, considering she had plans to stay out late at the club with her friends last night.
Instead, I got out of bed, ignoring the pang in my chest when she reached out for me, murmuring my name, as soon as I climbed out of bed. It was very tempting to just climb back in bed with her and fall asleep again, but I opted to instead grab the massive grey blanket that she loves, tuck her into it like a burrito, and then head into the kitchen to make us breakfast.
I'm just grabbing forks from the drawer when I hear the creek of the bedroom door opening, followed by the soft sound of Blossom's footsteps as she makes her way through the kitchen and towards me.
As soon as I slide the drawer shut and turn around, Blossom is somehow standing directly in front of me, looking adorable as fuck with that giant grey blanket draped around her shoulders like a cape.
"Good morning, beautiful," I say, setting down the cutlery on the counter so that I can embrace Blossom.
She practically falls right into my arms with a little giggle, pressing her cheek to my bare chest. "Good morning, handsome."
I lift her up into my arms and she giggles again. I press a quick kiss to her forehead before carrying her around the island, pulling out one of the barstools, and setting her down on it.
I made scrambled eggs and toast—Blossom's favourite way to eat eggs. I set two plates of eggs and toast on the island as well as a bowl of watermelon, blueberries, and pineapple, because that was the random assortment of fruits that I had cut up in the fridge.
I grab the two forks I had just retrieved from the drawer, handing one to Blossom before I take my seat on the stool next to her.
She's already begun shovelling scrambled eggs onto the corner of one of her pieces of toast by the time I sit down, and by the time I even lift my fork to my plate, Blossom is happily chewing a huge bite of eggs and toast, a massive smile on her face.
"Hungry, are you?" I ask her teasingly, beginning to scoop some eggs onto one of my own pieces of toast.
Blossom swallows her mouthful of food before turning to face me. She grins ridiculously wide and nods her head rapidly as she says, "Yep. When I woke up and smelt food, I practically ran in here."
I chuckle, taking a bite of toast and eggs as Blossom babbles on.
"I was initially sort of sad when I woke up and you weren't still in bed, but then I smelled the food and it made me really happy. And then I realised that you had wrapped me up in this blanket and it made me even happier," Blossom says dreamily, spearing a blueberry with her fork before popping it into her mouth.
"So you're feeling better this morning, honey? I know that last night was hard for you," I ask Blossom gently, hoping that this conversation doesn't make her cry.
She tenses slightly, and I watch as she pops a piece of watermelon into her mouth, chews, and swallows, before turning to look at me. "Yeah. I feel a little bit better. I've just had a rough month. It was the last month of school, I started a new job, and then I found out about my fertility issues and I felt like I didn't have anybody to talk to."
I frown. "You haven't told Kennedy. She joked about you needing to make sure not to get pregnant last night, and she wouldn't have said that if she knew."
Blossom's smile turns sad. "You're right. I haven't told her. You really are the first person that I've told."
One hand is still holding my fork, but I reach out with my free hand to hold Blossom's face, hopefully a gesture that gives her some comfort. "You know that you can call me whenever you want to talk, right? I promise that I'll listen and stay on the phone with you as long as you want, whenever you need me, honey."
Blossom blinks several times, as though she's suddenly holding back tears.
And then, quietly, she says, "Okay. I promise that I'll call you the next time that something like this happens."
I smile widely, going back to my food not because I'm particularly eager to eat, but because I don't want to continue conversing with Blossom until she eats all of her own breakfast.
Last night, I couldn't help but to notice that Blossom's lost weight. Her ribs are much more visible than they ever were, and even her dainty wrists felt even tinier than before. I tried to not dwell on the matter too long in the moment, but honestly?
I'm fucking scared for her.
I end up finishing my food way before Blossom, but I sit in silence beside her as she nibbles on her eggs and toast. Once her plate is cleared, I stand up and collect our dishes, head to the sink, and rinse them off before dropping everything into the dishwasher.
Blossom continues to pick at the bowl of fruit, and when she looks up at me, our eyes meet and I smile at her. "Do you want me to put the kettle on and make you a cup of hot chocolate?"
Blossom briefly looks away from me, shyly, but when she turns back to me she's grinning impossibly wide. "Yes, please. Thank you, Bryce."
"No problem, baby," I respond with a smile, grabbing the kettle off the stove to fill it up with water and then place it on one of the burners.
It's just as I'm turning on the stove that Blossom asks me, still acting shy, "Bryce? I wish that I could stay with you all day but I have work at three o'clock. Do you think that we can hang out here for a little bit and then you could drive me to my dorm so that I can get changed before work in a few hours?"
Her eyes meet mine again, and she bites down on her lower lip in anticipation.
Adorable. So fucking adorable.
"Sure, Blossom. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. Where are you working right now?" I respond, trying not to stare too hard at the cute quirk of her lips.
I grab a glass from one of the cabinets and begin to fill it with water as Blossom begins to answer my question.
"I work at a cafe. I'm a barista. Even though I don't drink coffee, I love making it, and I love that I get to meet so many new people every day, even though most of them are stereotypical New Yorkers who just take their coffee and go. Sure, there are customers who are kinda of mean too, but I've also met some lovely people while working," Blossom gushes, sounding as though she's filled with joy.
I beam at her when I turn away from the fridge to instead face her again. "I'm so happy to hear that. I'm very proud of you, Blossom." I then slide the glass of water across the table towards her. "Drink up. You're going to dehydrate yourself if you don't start drinking more water."
Blossom rolls her eyes at me, but she still takes a large gulp from the class of water in front of her.
🌸🌸🌸
"You've been asking about my life, but I haven't asked about yours. What have you been up to, Bryce?" Blossom asks me, looking up at me through her long lashes.
She's curled up in my lap, sipping from the steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands. We're sitting in bed, a blanket partially around us, Blossom still wearing my sweatshirt and sweatpants yet still looking as beautiful as ever.
I lean in to kiss her forehead as I consider her question. "I've been recording music. I officially signed a contract with Robert's label. I was in the studio yesterday afternoon, actually, with Lydia and Theodore. That's the only reason I was at the club; they wanted me to come with them once we left the studio."
Blossom stares up at me.
And then she smiles so wide that my heart skips up beat.
"Oh, Bryce! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations. That makes me so, so, so happy!" Blossom exclaims, leaning up to kiss me on the tip of my nose.
I can't help but to smile at her reaction. It makes me so fucking happy to be able to share this news with her, and it makes me even happier to know that she's proud of me.
As she takes another sip of her hot chocolate, I say, "Thank you, baby. That means a lot, coming from you. It really does."
She kisses me on the chin this time, giggling as she does it. "That makes me happy to hear. I'm glad that all of your dreams are coming true, Bryce."
There's no sadness or bitterness in her tone, and she does sound as though she's genuinely happy for me, yet her words still somehow sting.
"I don't have everything that I want, though. I don't have you, which is what means the most to me," I confess quietly.
Blossom frowns at me, drinks the last of the hot chocolate in her mug, and then leans over so that she can set the empty mug down on the bedside table. I have no clue what she's doing until she turns back to face me, grabs my face, and pulls me down for a fierce kiss.
Her lips taste sweet from the hot chocolate that she had been drinking and it just feels so goddamn incredible to be kissing her like this right now.
Her hands find my neck and she nips at my bottom lip, which elicits a groan from me. When I open my mouth to ask her what she's doing, she silences me with another kiss.
Damn. Feisty.
Once her lips part from mine, she whispers, "But I am yours, Bryce. I always have been, and I always will be."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "If that's really how you feel, Blossom, why won't you be with me?"
Blossom shuts her eyes.
And then, quietly: "I'm waiting for you to understand what you did wrong."
When her eyes open I find that they're glimmering with sadness.
"I know what I did wrong, Blossom. I think about it all day, every day," I tell her gently.
She chuckles at this, but the sound is hollow and miserable. "I know you do, Bryce, but you still don't understand. Just because you know what happened doesn't mean you know why it happened."
What I don't 'understand' is what the hell she's talking about.
But I suppose that that just further proves her point, doesn't it?
Instead of answering, because I have absolutely no clue what the fuck I'm supposed to say in response to something like that, I pull Blossom into a hug, holding her close to my chest.
She immediately sighs in contentment, all of the tension dropping out of her body. "Have you gone on any dates since we broke up?"
I shake my head. "No. I don't do the whole dating thing. Didn't I tell you that before we got together?"
Blossom scoffs. "Yes, you did. But then you proceeded to contradict yourself by dating me. You brought me on so many wonderful dates and you made me so so happy. Don't act like you've never dated anyone before."
I blink several times. "It's different with you. You mean the world to me, and you always have, and so it's not like I was dating you to get to know you. I was dating you because I already know you, and I wanted to spend time alone with you because I care about you so deeply."
This seems to surprise Blossom slightly. "Oh."
I roll my eyes at her even though she can't see it. "You've been saying that a lot since we bumped into each other. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that I don't want to date any other women, even though I loved dating you. Have you been going on any dates yourself, Blossom?"
She looks me in the eye as she gives me a solemn shake of her head. "No. God, no. I feel the same way as you do. I'm not into the idea of dating anyone new."
Our eyes lock again. "Maybe you should try and meet someone else, darling. I think that there's probably somebody out there who could make you very, very happy. You don't need to be in a relationship, of course, but I just don't want you to lose hope."
Blossom stares at me, incredulous. "No. I'm not going to do that. I don't want anyone else. I want you, and since I can't have you right now, I don't want to be in a relationship at the moment. I'm happy spending all my time at work or with my friends. Besides; how am I supposed to go on a date when I have this giant hickey on my neck that you gave me?"
I laugh, giving Blossom's hips a gentle squeeze. "All right, darling. Fair enough. Let's talk about our plans for the summer, then. Are you flying home soon?"
Blossom nods. "Yeah. In two weeks. We have to leave our dorms in two days, and so I'm staying with Kennedy and her uncle until I fly home. They're flying to France the same day. Are you flying home soon too?"
Now it's my turn to nod at her. "Yeah. I'm going home in about a month because I have to be in the studio to record some things this month. Are you sure you want to stay with Kennedy and her uncle? You're more than welcome to stay in the spare bedroom here if you'd like. I promise that I wouldn't bother you."
An unidentifiable emotion passes across Blossom's face. "You know I can't do that. I would love to, but I just can't."
I don't get the opportunity to respond to her before my phone buzzes repeatedly from where it's resting on the bedside table.
Blossom's eyes dart to the phone. "You should probably check that," she says, obviously eager to immediately change the subject.
I sigh, reaching for my phone to find that I've just received several text messages from Lydia.
Lydia:
Hey, Bryce.
Did you get home all right?
I just thought I should let you know that Brittany was very disappointed that you left without saying goodby.
I stare at the phone screen for several moments.
Brittany? Who the fuck is Brittany?
She can't possibly be talking about Brittany Summers. Not Anders's sister, Brittany. Lydia couldn't possibly know about her.
My hands shake when I type my responds.
Bryce:
Hi, Lyds.
I'm all good, thanks.
Who's Brittany?
Lydia:
The girl who was drooling over you at Theo's apartment, silly.
I blink at the screen several times.
"Bryce? What's wrong?" Blossom asks worriedly.
I turn off my phone and drop it back down onto the bedside table.
"Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about it," I reply quietly.
Blossom gives me a strange look.
But all that I can think is that the universe first tortured me by having Blossom break up with me, and now is torturing me by bringing another girl named Brittany into my life, as though daring me to ruin this girl's life too.
A/N: Hi friends. I don't have anything to say right now because nothing is going on in my life right at the moment (obviously) so I'm just going to say that I hope you all have a great day :-)