“You’re here,” I whispered, still in shock.
Rune’s eyes softened and a hint of sadness flickered in their depths for a few seconds. “I never miss the cherry blossoms, Sav.” He touched his camera. “I still have to show my girl.”
The pictures on Poppy’s grave.
Every year at the end of the cherry blossom season, near the anniversary of her death, a new picture of a cherry blossom festival somewhere in the world appeared at Poppy’s headstone.
Rune and I shared a long, knowing look, and emotion clogged my throat so tightly that I couldn’t speak. Rune dipped his head, and I saw him subtly wipe his eyes. When he faced me again, I saw how much he missed my sister written on his handsome face.
“Peaches?” Cael came behind me and placed his arm around my shoulder, turning me to face him. “Are you okay?” He looked to Rune, confusion in his eyes. Rune’s head tipped to the side at how close Cael was to me. Heat filled my cheeks. Clearly, my family hadn’t told him about Cael. Rune raised a knowing eyebrow. It broke the heaviness of the moment.
“Cael,” I said and gestured to Rune. “This is Rune, Poppy’s …” I trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore.
My stomach turned, until Rune said, “I’m Poppy’s Rune.”
Poppy’s Rune … Because he had always been more than a boyfriend to my sister. He was her entire life, the beat of her heart and her soulmate. They were just separated for a little while.
Cael took his arm from around me, and his face lit with recognition. “Cael,” he said and shook Rune’s hand. Rune smiled and then looked at me the way any big brother would. Like I had some explaining to do.
“Rune?” Dylan said. I turned to my friend, who was looking at Rune in earnest.
“Hei,” Rune said to Dylan, shaking his hand, his Norwegian language sneaking through. I would remember to ask Rune to talk to Dylan at some point before he left. I believed he could help Dylan too.
“Dylan,” he said, “Savannah’s friend. I’m on the trip with her.” Dylan gestured to everyone else as they approached us with interest. Understanding flashed in Rune’s blue eyes. One by one he met all my friends. Cael placed his hand on my back, a silent support. Rune gave us all a small smile. He knew exactly where we all were emotionally. He had walked—
was walking
—this path too.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, finding my voice again.
Rune tipped his head in the direction of the park. “Do you have time to catch up?”
I looked to Mia and Leo, who were behind us. They’d clearly already met Rune, helped him plan this. Mia shooed us away with her hand. I turned to Cael. I’d wanted to see these cherry blossoms with him too. He must have seen that battle written on my face, because he pressed his forehead to mine and said, “I’ll go with the group. You take all the time you need with Rune. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.” Cael kissed me. It was soft and tender, and shivers ran down my spine.
“See you soon,” I whispered, then went to Rune, who had moved aside to give us privacy.
Rune began walking. He put his arm around me and hugged me to his side. “I’ve missed you, Sav.” He released me and really studied me. “You look better.” He took a long, relieved breath. “You seem stronger.”
“I am,” I said and meant every word. “I’m getting better. I’m stronger.” I lifted my hand and ran my fingers gently over a vibrant pink blossom bud, just about to bloom. “This trip …” I shook my head. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
We came to a patch of grass covered in low tables for picnics. Rune gestured for us to sit down. This section of the park was covered by a low canopy of cherry blossom branches—it had made a ceiling of petals. I smiled up at the thick layer of flowers, so many it blocked out most of the springtime sun.
“I’d say we start with the boy who just kissed you,” Rune said, humor lacing his voice.
My cheeks blazed with fire. But I was proud of Cael. I was proud he was mine. “You now know his name is Cael,” I said, hearing how much I’d fallen for him just by my voice. Rune nudged my arm. I laughed at his playfulness but then sobered up quickly. “He lost his older brother.” All humor left Rune too. “Cillian … his brother … he took his own life.”
“No,” Rune whispered, no doubt picturing Alton in his head.
“Cael saw it happen. Held him afterward.” I inhaled deeply to stave off the pain it brought picturing Cael like that. “It’s been … he’s finding everything really hard.”
“Of course he is,” Rune said, completely supportive. It was one of the reasons Poppy loved him, I was sure. “Has this trip helped him?” Rune asked.
“It has,” I said, but I had to admit the truth to myself. “But he’s still in pain. The therapies we’ve done have brought up things that he is still grappling with.”
Rune nodded, then looked up at the flowers. He closed his eyes, and the breeze danced through his hair. I liked to think it was Poppy running her hand through his long strands as she sat beside him. By the smile it pulled on Rune’s mouth, he maybe thought that too.
He opened his eyes and said, “When I lost your sister …” He shook his head. “Those early days after she had gone. I didn’t know how to breathe, Savannah.” Rune’s voice broke. Tears sprang to my eyes too. Because I had been exactly the same way. “Then the more time passed, the worse it got. Because I
felt her absence. The gap between the last time I kissed her and that present moment felt like such a long time.
Too long for me to cope.”
Rune lifted his camera, and seeing something I didn’t, he snapped a picture. When he lowered it, he said, “Those final months with your sister … with
Poppymin, were everything to me.” His voice was rasped and raw. I knew those months were special. I’d seen it. Seen my sister and the happiness Rune had brought back to her life for her final days. As much as she’d loved her family, only Rune could have made her passing as beautiful as it was. He had made it perfect for her. And he had come back into her life just when she’d needed him most.
Just like Cael had entered mine.
Rune put his hand on mine and squeezed. “Do you love him?”
There was no doubt in my heart when I said, “Yes. More than I ever thought possible.”
Rune smiled. Smiled so big I knew it was on behalf of Poppy too. “Then you’ve met him,” he said. “The boy you’ll spend the rest of your life with.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.