𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝙸 𝚂𝚎𝚎 𝙸𝚜 𝚈𝚘𝚞 | Dolores x Reader

The More It Heals, The Worse It Hurts

It felt like decades since stepping foot outside; the outskirts of town, the bright-colored flowers Isabela grew every morning, the smell of the pollen spreading with butterflies getting drawn to it like moths to a flame, and the faces of people bright with smiles lingering with an air of excitement for each day-unbeknownst to them how you dreaded every second that passed, not even aware how long it's even been.

It was almost as if Dolores never begged you to stay, and although you were the one who made this happen; you walked away from the only thing that kept you grounded. You overestimated yourself and your will to finally be independent of her. With the way you were acting, it only made it seem like Dolores was the loss in your already-complicated relationship, not you.

You lie on your bed, still staring at the mechanical birds that continue to spread their wings despite being fixed in place. How you wished to have that courage-to spread your wings and continue trying to free yourself from what keeps you bound.

Sitting up quickly, you hear a sharp thud in your small open garden by your veranda, followed by a grunt. "Great, now I'm being haunted. Maybe it's the souls of the flowers I've left to die."

Slowly getting up after what felt like an eternity since you last let sunlight touch your skin, you walk quietly, hoping the floorboards won't creak.

Taking the next light step, the floorboards had decided to dismiss your inner plea. A long loud creak resounds, like a cat crying in pain, or maybe even in pleasure because god can it be annoying when you hear them mating at the rooftops sometimes.

"Oh for heaven's sake." You groan. Maybe the world was trying to tell you to just rot in your room after all.

Hearing quick movement from the veranda, you immediately run to it and open it, your legs almost forgetting how as you trip to your knees before getting back up, revealing Isabela trying to quickly keep the equipment she brought before trying to escape.

All you could do was stare, both of you stuck in some kind of contest to see who would break first, a look of confusion on your face while she wore an embarrassed one, clearly caught in the act of...

watering and caring for your flowers.

A blush creeps up on her face as she turns away. "I-I've tried reaching out to you the past few days and all, with the café being closed I couldn't find a single way to get you to see me, or rather for me to see you... Then I noticed a few days back that the flowers you've been growing have started to wilt so I thought that I'd take care of them for you while you weren't in the best state."

She rambled, quite a lot.

But the one thing that amused you was how she was holding onto a vine she grew, stepping on a part she grew out as well, clearly having mastered the art of using it as a means of transportation, quite like a monkey even.

Not that you were calling her a monkey.

"You could've just stepped foot inside the veranda instead of giving yourself a hard time by watering them like that." A small smile spreads on your face.

She shakes her head softly, "I really didn't want you to find out. Small things like these usually make you feel obligated to do something back for me. Besides, my vines are practically an extension of my body at this point."

"Thank you, Isabela. Do you... wanna come in?"

"I wouldn't want to bother-"

"Let me do at least this much for you since you've been taking time to water my flowers." You whisper as you pull her closer by the wrist.

Rolling her eyes playfully, the glint in her eyes somehow reminds you once again of the love you could've had if you had only met her first. But you immediately shake that thought, trying your hardest not to regret ever even meeting Dolores.