When 17-year-old Rune returns to Blossom Grove, he’s desperate to know why Poppy—the girl he loved and who promised to wait—suddenly stopped talking to him. Her silence broke his heart. But when he finally learns the truth, Rune realizes the pain he’s felt is nothing compared to what’s coming next. What secret could hurt more than goodbye?
“I was like you. Angry. We were close, my brother and I. Thomas.” He smiled. “We did everything together. I was the youngest, just like you.” Simon sat forward, elbows on his legs. “And just like you, he didn’t tell me how he was feeling before he left us. I was furious. I became so…
Seeing the city from this angle was breathtaking. The ghats were filled with people, candles being lit as the sun drifted down the sky, bringing in the night. We were all silent as Kabir handed us plates made of leaves and flowers and a lit candle. I held the candle in my hand. “To offer…
“You’re carrying me through,” I said quietly, almost nonexistent. Savannah tilted her head to me, and the love I saw in her eyes would stay with me for a lifetime. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever seen me the way Savannah saw me. I’d never loved anyone like the way I was so consumed by…
Laughter is the medicine that heals the soul. You have always been the most serious out of us all, Savannah. Because of that, I would strive to make you laugh. And when you did … ah, my joy would be unbridled! You have the sweetest laugh and the brightest of smiles. They must be shared…
Not anymore. I wanted to hold on to what we had with every morsel of strength. Now that I had him, I couldn’t imagine losing him. An older man sprayed orange water at Cael. He retaliated by throwing a blue ball of powder all over his back. Laughter and hugs were shared, and I couldn’t…
It’s why she wasn’t scared. I couldn’t have been more thankful that she had that faith, to help her face death with such bravery and grace. Cael pressed a kiss on my head, and I tipped my chin to see him. He turned his attention from the chanting holy men to me. Our gazes caught…
“Sav,” I said, my voice raspy. I was trying to be there for her, but I couldn’t rid my mind of Cill. I felt like if I looked down, I’d see him in my arms … gone. Savannah stumbled, her anxiety taking full control. Her frightened face was enough to get me moving. I stepped…
“They rejoice because their loved one is now in heaven. They are free from earthly constraints. They are healed and they are in eternal bliss. The greatest wish for anyone we love is to achieve this.” A lump was quick to form in my throat when Kabir spoke those words. As I looked to the…
In her honor, I realized. He was living for them both. Sharing his experiences with the girl he loved most through his treasured photographs. Photographs she adored too. “Sav?” Dylan said, pulling me from my thoughts. “Sorry,” I said, voice thick. “He’s okay, Dyl. He misses her. Every single day. But he’s in college and…
Cael wrapped me up in his arms. I fit beside him perfectly, like the universe made us to match. Cael held our joined hands up between us, playing with my fingers. A deep cavern buried within me. Was this what Poppy had felt like with Rune? Is this how Rune felt about her in return?…