“You take after her, Flower Girl.”
My pride overflowed, yet I didn’t respond. Rather, I just smiled and followed him back to the table, sitting very close to his chair. As usual, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, yet this time, something was different. My stomach tightened, and I stared up at his face, finding him watching mine intently. I lingered on his thick, beautiful lips... then realized he was also looking at something on my face. Heat covered my skin and I tried to look away.
The demons in my mind whispered in my ear that I was fat, that I was ugly, that I was...
He kissed me.
Before I could understand why the hell he was holding my chin, his lips gently pressed against mine, warm, and planted a long kiss on my mouth.
Myfirst kiss.
I pushed him, struggling to catch my breath as I tried to pull away. That was everything I had ever wanted and, at the same time, everything I feared the most. I knew that after that, there was no turning back and it could mean the end of the most beautiful friendship I had ever had. However, as I attempted to stand up, he placed a hand on the nape of my neck and pulled me in for another kiss, this time a deeper one. Trying to resist, I pressed my hands against his chest and parted my lips to protest, but when I felt his warm, soft tongue touch mine, shamelessly exploring my mouth, I surrendered.
What began as a shy and innocent heartbeat descended to my lower abdomen and triggered a heat that translated into growingmoisture between my legs. I wanted to run away. I was ashamed of myself, as I always was when I dared to like someone. As my mother had often told me, fat girls shouldn't entertain fantasies. I was scared he would notice how aroused I felt and be disgusted by it. After all, I wasn't desirable...was I?
His hand left the back of my neck to wrap around my waist, pulling my body close to his and destroying any chance of escaping. Both my body and my heart wanted this; they both felt protected and comfortable in Lester's presence, while my head was screaming, making me feel like a cornered animal. When he interrupted the kiss without breaking the closeness, his blue eyes stared into mine, forcing me to swallow hard to hold back the tears.
Was he going to regret it? Was he going to see the fat girl in front of him and realize that this was all a mistake?
Nothing could have prepared me for the words that followed.
“I've wanted to do this for so long...” he said, panting. “Ever since I first saw you in that hallway, being shoved around by that idiot Hunter.”
“I'm fat, ugly, and disgusting.” There it was. The truth I never dared to put into words. The opinion I had built up about myself since Papa's death.
Lester blinked, gazing at me for a long moment.
“You're perfect, Flower Girl.”
I trembled, fighting back a pout.
I didn't want to cry, but a sob escaped my lips. “Please, don't mess with me…” He placed one hand on my cheek and usedthe other to pull me even closer, if that's even possible. Then he slowly kissed the tip of my nose, then my eyelids, and finished with a kiss on my forehead.
“There's nothing I would change about you, Flower Girl, and if I have to spend the next several years trying to convince you of that, you can be sure I will.” He purred, and I felt the world spinning around us, allowing the tears to continue to fall.
In that moment, I made a mistake, one that Lester failed to notice. I believed that the world could be a beautiful place and life a romantic novel. I accepted what life had to offer and, in a split second, I imagined a bright future by his side, without it crossing my mind that everything could change in an ironical twist of fate.
Chapter 3
Daisy Peonia Mary Parker
May, 2013
18 years old
Silver River, South Mississippi, USA
Twelve years ago
It was a warm evening. I looked at the young man beside me, much taller than I was, dressed in a dark blue three-piece suit that perfectly matched my beaded dress.
Lesterlooked handsome in any situation, but under the fairy lights scattered across the ballroom ceiling and so elegantly dressed, he looked like he had stepped out of a fairy tale.
We kept moving. Katy Perry'sTeenage Dreamwas playing at that moment, and I found myself blushing, ignoring all the stares and snide laughter as we passed.
It was Prom Night. I wasn't going to let anyone ruin it for us. “I can't believe you brought the pig to prom, Fury...” I heard a voice snort and turned with a roll of my eyes. Of course, it was Hunter and his little friends, and... a blonde chick clinging to his arm.
My eyes widened. Why the hell was Jennifer clinging to his arm? Where the hell was Olivia?