The Homeless Boy

eighteen.

It was a bright and sunny day. The snow was melting, the cold was blowing away. Spring was near.

As he walked down the street, waiting for her, his eyes caught a red beauty.

Roses. Blooming roses.

He quickly went inside the flower shop and glanced at the price tag. It was on sale for a dollar.

"Please let there be enough, " he whispered, pulling out a couple of coins from his coat pocket.

A smile spread across his face. Four quarters exactly.

It was all he had, but he was willing to waste–no, spend–it on her. She was worth everything in the world.

"I'd like these, miss, " he requested from the owner and she nodded happily.

"Of course! Pretty roses for a pretty lady?"

He chuckled. "The prettiest."

The owner handed him the bouquet of roses in a cone shaped plastic bag while he gave her the coins.

"Have a nice day, " he called over his shoulder chirpily. With the bouquet behind him, he searched for her through the crowded streets.

But he then spotted her silver Lamborghini and straightened.

"Hey, Miles!" she waved while walking over to him, letting her driver park the car somewhere.

"Elle."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What? You look like you're hiding something. What's behind–"

Before she could finish her sentence, he revealed the bouquet and she gasped.

"Miles! Oh, these are gorgeous, " she looked up at him with a wide smile. "Thank you so much."

"They're gorgeous like you."

Her cheeks heated up.

  He grinned. "Come on, Elle. Let's go to the city park."

  —

They sat down on the grass and smiled at each other.

"Thank you for the roses, Miles. I'll put them in a beautiful vase in my house, " she said.

"I'm glad you like them..." he trailed off, gulping. She noticed how tense he suddenly was. Before she could point it out, he took a deep breath and spoke. "Elle, I want to tell you something. About my mother. Specifically, what happened to her."

Her expression softened. "Oh, no, you don't have to tell me. I understand."

"I want to. Please."

"Okay. But, you can stop at any moment. You don't have to tell me the whole story, " she reassured him, squeezing his hand, and he gave a her a small smile.

"My dad died when I was very young so, my mom had to take care of me on her own. Eventually, after grieving and growing, she found someone else. He made her happy for a while. He was good for us, " he closed his eyes at the memory. "But then, he left us. All he ever wanted was our money, which we had inherited from my dad. Once the money ran out, he didn't want anything to do with us anymore."

He felt his throat constrict as he was overwhelmed by the pain of his mother's death. "My mom fell apart. I tried so hard to make her happy again. She had already gone through my dad's death and barely survived. And then that betrayal? It was too much for her."

"So much that she no longer wanted to live. She waited for me to find a job and gather enough money to last for almost half a year. Then, when I went to the grocery store, she–she killed herself. And I found her an hour later lying in her bedroom. Her skin was cold and she looked so fragile..."

  She let him have a moment to breathe after reliving that horrible experience. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. The warm breeze made a strand of his hair fall over his forehead.

  Her touch was delicate as she fixed his hair. His eyes opened and she smiled softly. "Is that why–"

  "Yes. That's why I blew up that day. It's not because I was angry with you or even jealous, honestly, " he sighed. "I just hated the fact that you had money. I hate money, Elle, because of how it affects people. Money killed my mom."

  She nodded in understanding.

  "But..." he leaned towards her. "I don't hate you. You're not like others. You're better. When I look at you, I don't feel hatred. I feel happiness. You bring me happiness, Estelle Castillo."

  She smiled lightly. "You bring me happiness too."

  He took a sharp intake of breath.

  Her heart felt like it was running a marathon.

  With the words of happiness in mind, they leaned in and his lips gently met hers. Their eyes closed as they were both engulfed by warmth.

  He pulled back slightly to look at her. She opened her eyes and a joyful laugh escaped from her.

  "Why are you laughing?" he asked, not being able to stifle his own laughter.

  "I don't know! I laugh when I'm happy."

  Chuckling, he cupped her cheeks and once again kissed her lips with the upmost affection. They both smiled into the kiss, like they were teenagers.

  And the bubbling sensation inside them slowly began to feel clear.

A/N: SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEIR FIRST KISS?

  REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT :).