Petal [h.s.]

THIRTY - WRAPPED IN CELLOPHANE

*This chapter involves descriptions of and references to a past abusive relationship, brief discussions regarding a miscarriage in relation to the abuse and a very brief mention of a past suicide attempt. It may be triggering to some.

Finn was acting strange.

He usually slept most of the day away after working all night long, but when I finished with my shower and strolled back into my bedroom, he was sitting on my bed. I wondered briefly if he talked to Harry after I left the balcony and what they could possibly have to talk about. I hoped Harry didn't say anything that would give us away but felt a flash of annoyance at myself for thinking that. I didn't have to hide anything. I didn't have any responsibility to a partner the way Harry did.

Finn had one of my stuffed animals in his hands, the bubblegum pink colored one that he won for me years ago at Lights Up. I usually kept it propped on my bed because I liked to sleep with it every night. Now, he held it in his large palms and stared down at it as he twisted it anxiously in between them.

When I walked into the room, he lifted his eyes to look up at me with a timid smile.

"You remember when I won this for you?" He shook his head, giving a quiet laugh, "Cost me nearly $80. I was shit at that game."

"You really were," I smiled softly, tightening my robe as I moved to my vanity, "but there was no talking you into quitting once you started. You were determined to win it."

"You wanted it." He said simply, looking back down at the plush animal, "Your face lit up when you saw it. It matched perfectly with Cotton Candy."

He reached back and picked up the pink bear that was also propped onto my bed. It was from my childhood. I remembered the sweet lady that passed it off to me after her husband won it. Her arms were full of them and I remembered seeing her pass them out to other kids as she walked through the fair grounds. Its shade of pink matched the bunny perfectly and Finn was right-I wanted it badly enough to let him play the game for well over an hour. It made me feel like a child again, which was a feeling I didn't get to experience often.

"I know how much you love this bear and I wasn't letting you walk away without the matching bunny, too." He said.

I smiled as I remembered the day fondly. It was a particularly hot summer day, record heat for how early in the season it was. I turned in my seat to look back at my best friend, seeing him still smiling down at the stuffed animal. His smile looked sad. My eyebrows pulled together as I studied him. I was about to ask him if he's okay when he began talking.

"You were wearing a white sundress that day." He said quietly, "You were so hot that you spent all day buying snow cones-so many that I swore you'd get sick. Your lips were stained red at the end of the day and when I kissed you later that night, I could still taste the cherry flavor on your tongue."