SMELLING ROSES

Bonus Chapter

Author Note: This is the original Wren chapter. It was in the first draft, and I changed a lot from the first draft to the final one. In the first draft, when Nora is kicked out of the house, I had her move in with Wren. The chapter picks up a few weeks after she moves in with him. She just had her talk with Val and is trying to pull herself out of her despair. It's the first time Wren's really seen her and talked to her in days. 

Wren and Nora barely knew each other, which is why I changed it. I couldn't imagine her moving in with someone she barely knew, but I still love this chapter. The way Wren simps over her. Including him realizing how much he loved her in yellow. It's so cute to me lol

Wren's Chapter

I gotta piss. That's when I know it's time to get up. Unless the sun wakes me first. Today, it seems brighter than usual. Highlighting the clutter of my desk, the sun shines on a stray lyric I wrote sometime during my midnight session. I'm more afraid of her than she is of me, but she's got no idea.

Jiggling my mouse, I remember the riff I recorded last night. It finds its way into my head and plays non-stop. I'm still struggling to find the right chords and melody, but it's been like that for a while now. Can't seem to commit to anything.

As the riff glides through my mind, I think I may be sick of it already. But that's a worry for later. Today was a momentous occasion. It was my smoke day. 

I pull myself up and make my way to the bathroom. Dogging my acoustic or better known as the scam that led me to Nora, I practically break the bathroom door down to get to the toilet. When I finish, I hop up onto the sink and light her up. The smoke fills my lungs and I let out a deserving sigh. All the stress of my unfinished or barely started music fades into the background.

If I was still living at home, my mom would break in with a list of all the reasons cigarettes will kill me one day. But that's the perks of having a smothering mom. She'd do anything to scare you into doing what she wants. 

Before I can pull out more "fond" memories to ruin the beauty of this cigarette, I walk the frames of my bathroom. I can see my reflection in my silver towel rack.

"Why are you so shiny?" 

The bathroom's spotless. The clothes I pushed behind the door are gone. The trash is empty, the sink is cleaned off. Even the footprint I thought I'd never get out, left without a trace. My bathroom...is clean? What the fuck? Someone broke into my apartment and cleaned it?

I push back the shower curtain and see a beaming, beautiful tub with perfectly arranged shampoo, conditioner, and soap.

Who the hell has time to do all of this?

Think, Wren, Think. Was it Da-Bin? No, he would never do this. Valentina—yeah, I can't even finish that thought. Did Val give out my address again, because if so, I'm going to lose my shit?

Who could've done this—

Shit.

Nora.

Throwing the bathroom door back, I ran to my bedroom. She isn't there, but her smell lingers. Vanilla and peppermint. I follow her fresh scent to the front. And there she is. Hair tied back, wearing a flowy yellow dress, she places a pile of pancakes on my kitchen aisle. Wait? Am I still asleep?

I ram my hand into my cheek and stumble back. She's still here, in my house. Looking as close to any dream I could ever make up in my head. The yellow of her dress compliments her dark skin tone. I never understood the saying "this is your color" until now. Yellow is definitely her color. The features of her face seem softer. She's more relaxed, the most relaxed I've ever seen her in weeks.