"God, Bella, you look terrible."

"Gee, thanks, Angie."

I hadn't been sleeping well at all. For the past few days, I kept having the same dream and I always woke up in tears. It was really weird and starting to get on my nerves. I needed to rest properly for the day but even so, I was intrigued. Each time I went to sleep, the dream changed a bit. The first time, I had only seen the wilted garden. The second time, I saw that there was also a fountain with no running water and, the third time, I saw that the place was located close to a very old castle with vines creeping up the stone walls. It was baffling so I decided to sketch out what I dreamt when I woke up. If tonight was anything like the last, my mystery stranger and garden would have more detail. Angela approached me and squeezed my shoulder.

"You should reconsider my offer."

"No." I shook my head. "I don't want to cause any problems but I appreciate it. I really do."

"You know I always have space in my house for you. You've been through enough, Bella."

"Thank you."

I smiled softly at her. What did I do to deserve a friend like her? Time and time again, she showed me that she cared for me. She was the one who consoled me at my parents' funeral, who helped me with school when grief consumed me and who willingly looked out for my well being out of kindness. I gave her a hug and she hugged me back fiercely before pulling away as we heard the door open.

"I got it." I said, heading back to the front of the store. "Welcome to Isabella's Garden! How may I-"

I froze. It was him. My heart kicked into fourth gear as I ducked behind the counter. I had been trying to look for him ever since I had my first dream but it was difficult when you only had a face as reference. I had gotten nothing from searching for "handsome man with angular features and sad eyes".

"Are you alright?"

I kicked myself internally as I heard the amusement in his voice. I awkwardly stood up from my hiding spot to see him looking at me, his lips twitching as if he were fighting a smile. I felt myself turn red from embarrassment.

"Oh, hi! Sorry for that, um… I'm just so clumsy and I tripped over my feet but, I'm okay now! Yep!"

I gave my best smile knowing full well that I was a terrible liar and that it had sounded completely insincere. He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh.

"Ah, this is a regular occurrence for you?"

"Yeah, I really need to work on my balance." I frowned. "I'm always too clumsy."

I held out my hands as evidence. I had cut myself too many times to keep count. He drew closer, his expression turning a bit serious, the sadness returning to his eyes.

"You should be more careful then…" He paused, looking at me inquisitively.

"Isabella." I said, realizing he didn't know my name. "Although my friends call me Bella."

"That is a very beautiful name, Isabella." He said softly, holding my gaze as he reached out for my hand. I thought he was going to shake it but instead he grasped it delicately, bending down to brush his lips over my knuckles. I shivered at the sensation, feeling my cheeks turn hot. His hand was cold and hard like marble but the gesture seemed old-fashioned and a bit too personal to be between strangers.

"T-thank you."

He let go of my hand and he looked to my Adonis flower. I gathered up my courage as he seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Sir,"

"Please, call me Marcus." He interrupted, his eyes flickering to me. He sounded desperate for a moment.

"Marcus…" I paused, seeing emotions flitter through his eyes at my voice. "I... would like to give you something."

I bit my lip. This was the time I guess. I held up one finger signaling for him to wait as his brows knit together in confusion. I went to fetch the flower I had chosen to give him if I ever saw him again and saw that Angela had stopped arranging a bouquet and was eavesdropping on our conversation. I glared at her as she smiled sheepishly and I walked past her to a small, round pot. I had chosen a Volkamenia flower for this. It was a strange, beautiful thing. It's stem rose from the dirt and it curved as if it were a hook. The heart-shaped flowers hung in neat little rows like teardrops and they were a delicate pink at the top and white at the bottom where the anthers were. I wrapped a bow around the planter and put a small piece of paper at the base of the plant. I took it and made my way back, feeling my stomach turn in unease. I hoped he knew what I was trying to say.

As I turned the corner with my gift, I saw his face go slack with surprise. He stood there staring blankly as I walked to stand just in front of him and I presented my gift. I watched as he rose a trembling hand to the flower, his eyes turning glossy as if he were about to cry.

"I felt like I needed to give this to you." I said slowly. "You seemed so lost and sad that I couldn't stand by and do nothing. I hoped that this would help. It means-"

"May you be happy." He breathed, his features contorting into anguish as if the flower had evoked some awful memory for him.

His voice was filled with so much pain that I felt myself blink away tears. He was hurting and I needed to make it go away.

"Are you okay?"

He seemed to snap back from the moment of vulnerability, blinking before carefully taking the pot from my hands. He hesitantly met my gaze. It was almost like he was afraid of something and he hugged the flower to his chest as if it was a lifeline. He was lost for words, while he stared at me in concentration.

I fidgeting under his steady gaze, his eyes widening infinitesimally as he came to an unknown realization.

"Conosco questo legame…"

I didn't understand what he said but his demeanor suddenly shifted. He looked at me as if he was a blind man seeing for the first time. The pools of sadness in his eyes were gone and now, there was only cautious excitement.

"Hai trovato la estrada per tornare da me."

Author's notes: This was a difficult chapter for me because I was trying to make Marcus's reaction accurate. I know I posted this as fluff but the plot has changed quite drastically since I had the idea of writing it out and honestly, the overall tone is serious and depressing. Anyway, thank you all for your support. Btw, ended on a quite a cliffhanger, no? Marcus's word's are very cryptic indeed… Can you guess which direction I'm going?

Conosco questo legame… - I know this bond…

Hai trovato la estrada per tornare da me - You've found your way back to me

Flower meanings:

Volkamenia - "May you be happy"