Always There

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five

Songs for this chapter:
• Cherry Wine - Hozier

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five:

Bryce's POV

I give Blossom a final squeeze. She's stopped crying now, and I can feel her breathing evening out against my neck.

"Time to get ready for bed, honey," I tell her gently.

With a small sniffle, Blossom pulls away from my embrace and props herself up on the bed beside me. I smile, and she smiles back as she scoots off the bed and makes her way to her suitcase.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed as I watch her begin to unzip her bag. The zipper gets caught, and she tugs on it with an irritated huff.

"There's no need to unpack your things. Everything you need should be in my bathroom. Under the right-hand sink," I tell her softly.

She glances at me over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow.

I rub the back of my neck, suddenly embarrassed. "After you were here last, I went out and bought all the stuff I remember you liking when we lived together. I got your favourite brand of toothpaste, your shampoo and conditioner and body wash, all that crap. It made me feel good to know I would be prepared for you if you ever stopped by again, but more than that, it made me feel a little more normal. It made me feel, in some twisted way, like you were still around."

Blossom remains kneeling on the floor, blinking at me rapidly.

God, it sounds even more pathetic when I say it out loud.

But then, to my surprise, she pushes to her feet, suitcase abandoned, and begins to make her way into the en suite.

Just before she can close the door all the way, I call out, "And if you need a change of clothes, everything in my closet is yours. I know that most of what you packed is old clothes of mine, anyway."

Blossom lets out an adorable sound between a snort and a giggle before closing the bathroom door after her.

🌸🌸🌸

"Time to wake up, horny freaks!"

I jolt awake with a groan. Blossom had fallen asleep on top of me last night, and so my sudden movements cause her eyes to flutter open in confusion as well.

I grab my glasses from my bedside table, shove them onto my face, and then turn to the doorway to find Jordan, of course, staring at Blossom and I with a disturbingly joyous smile on his face.

I scowl at him. "You are my assistant. Not my alarm clock."

As if on cue, my alarm begins to ring, and so I smack my phone harder than necessary to shut it off.

Blossom stirs sleepily in my arms, and when she opens her mouth, all that comes out is a big yawn.

I chuckle and push her hair back from her face. She's wearing an old grey T-shirt of mine and nothing else, yet she couldn't look more perfect.

I pull her close and tuck her head under my chin. "Good morning, habibti."

I find myself holding my breath, hoping that today she'll be able to spare me a word or two, but to my disappointment, her response is silence.

I snuggle her a little bit closer and redirect my attention to Jordan. "Lexi and I are already packed. We're going back to sleep for a bit. We don't need to leave for the airport right now."