Tell Me With Flowers

44. Stronger than you think

MILES

It was very hard seeing her like this. Sad and dull. As if there was nothing bright that she could cling on to.

I tried hard to crack jokes to divert her mind, but she had never once smiled back. I feared that I was losing the Megan that I had fallen in love with. It was a step towards depression and I knew it. It was the same symptoms when Shelly and my mother had left me back then.

I knew I had to do something to save her.

Meanwhile I had given interviews and shows regarding Megan. I tried my best to make sure that Megan looked innocent, but with her absence next to me to face the thousand questions thrown at her, it had become difficult to convince them.

Then again, Eleanor had played the pity card of a rich mother who had lost her loving child to the formidable town. There was no competing against that.

People said all kinds of things - hateful and mean, but I knew how words pierced especially when one was down with grief. But Megan remained meek at all times, not wanting to open her mouth to agree or disagree to anything that the world said about her.

It was something that made me wonder why. Was it because she was shy or was it because it was all true?

But it couldn't be true. I had seen her mother treat her first hand before things spiraled out of control. I knew Megan had suffered throughout her stay there before she had found some peace in the town. But her mother had snatched it away from her cruelly all over again.

"Megan, you need to eat something." I said, pushing her favorite noodles in front of her. As always, she didn't utter a word. I sighed. "Darling, come on, now."

"I'm not hungry, Miles." She said, not looking at me.

"You are saying the same thing since last two days." I pulled her towards me, making her sit on my lap. "I'm not eating if you are not."

"Miles, please." She curled her hands around my neck, resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm just not that hungry."

"Then, I'm not hungry too." I put on a stubborn foot. If she was going to eat this way, then I was all game with her. It had been too tough to make her eat ever since the programe was aired. She hardly ate before, now she didn't even look at the kitchen.

With her acting this forlorn, I knew I had to rush us into moving us together. We hadn't planned on a specific day, but with the recent activities I knew I had to move things at a faster pace. I had shifted her stuffs into my place the very next day, promising her that I would take care of everything.

"Fine." She sighed. "What have you cooked for me."

I smiled knowingly. She was putting some effort. This was way better than what she was two days ago. "Noodles! It's your favorite. With vegetables."

"I'll eat if you don't make that face." She said, putting her hand forward to grab the bowl that I had kept on the dining table. "You are starting to creep me out."

I feigned horror. "I'm creeping you out? I am?"

"Yeah." She muttered, picking up the bowl of noodles.

I kissed her cheek. "Now, will you feed it to me?" I made puppy eyes at her, as she took a spoon full of noodles and put it inside my open mouth.

We sat on the dining table feeding each other and for the first time in days I had seen her be a little better than where she had been few days ago. It made me sigh in relief.

She had locked herself up in my house, making sure that no one could reach her. I had taken a few days off to make sure that she was okay, but I had to leave for a few hours to give out the interviews. Thankfully, the media craze had come down a bit and I hoped Megan could handle the little paparazzi that was left now.