Page 51 of Phantom Flower

They were not just decoration. They were the thing that kept the panic from swallowing him whole. And today, someone had taken that from him.

I was not going to let that stand.

I did not have a destination at first. I just needed to move. Eventually, I found myself pulling into a street lined with small shops. One of them had its lights still on even though it was late.

A flower shop.

I parked and got out.

The bell above the door chimed softly when I stepped inside.

I walked slowly between the aisles.

Roses. Lilies. None of them felt right.

They were too ordinary.

Rei was not ordinary.

I stopped in front of a small section near the back. Dark flowers. Almost black in the low light. One in particular caught my eye.

A Phantom Orchid.

Almost ghostly in appearance with a silver sheen when the light hit. It looked fragile, but I knew better. Orchids were stubborn.

It reminded me of him.

I bought it.

The woman behind the counter gave me a strange look when I paid in cash and did not ask for a vase.

I drove straight to his building.

Rei’s room was low enough that I could reach it without much trouble if I wanted to.

The curtains were not drawn.

I could see inside clearly.

Rei was sitting on the edge of his bed.

He was wearing black pajamas. His silver hair was messy, falling into his face. Even from here, I could see the way his shoulders trembled. I thought he was crying.

He looked small.

So frail.

I watched him for a long time.

It was a strange feeling. Unwelcome. I had felt many things toward Rei since the beginning. Obsession. Lust. Possessiveness. Even irritation. But this… I had no words to describe it. It made me want to break something. It made me want to fix something. Both at once.

I did not go inside.

One look at him was enough. He wanted to be alone. I could feel it in the way he sat, curled slightly into himself, like he was trying to take up as little space as possible. If I went in now, I would only make it worse. He would put his walls back up. He would stop crying. And for some reason, I did not want that. I wanted him to feel whatever he needed to feel, even if it hurt.

So I stayed outside.

I carefully unwrapped the Phantom Orchid and placed it on the wide window ledge. I made sure it would not fall.