Page 79 of Phantom Flower

“Too dirty,” he said, brushing soil off the petals. “I’m not putting something filthy in your hair.”

“You literally chased me through this forest with a gun,” I reminded him, raising an eyebrow. “Now you’re worried about a little dirt?”

He glanced up at me, blue eyes amused. “That was different. This is for you. It has to be perfect.”

My heart did a stupid little flip at that. I looked away quickly, pretending to study a nearby tree so he would not see the way my face heated up.

We kept walking. Dimitri’s standards were absurdly high. He would crouch, inspect each flower like it was a piece of fine jewelry, murmur criticisms under his breath, then move on without mercy.

“This one is slightly wilted on one side,” he said, discarding another.

“That one’s too small,” he muttered a minute later.

“This one has a bug on it. Absolutely not.”

I finally stopped walking and crossed my arms, watching him. “Are you always this picky when you want something?”

He straightened up to his full height, towering over me. “Only when it’s for you,” he said simply. “You deserve the best.”

I could not fight the smile that spread across my face. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re blushing again,” he pointed out, stepping closer until I had to tilt my head back to look at him. He reached out and poked my nose with one finger, the gesture surprisingly playful. “Cute.”

I swatted his hand away, but I was smiling wider now. “Stop that.”

We continued our search. Dimitri’s persistence was no joke. At one point, he even pulled out his phone and compared the shade of red on the screen to the petals of a flower he was holding, like he was trying to match the exact color.

It was strange seeing him like this. Focused on something so small and delicate after everything that had happened between us.

“You know,” I said softly, “you don’t have to make it perfect. I’d be happy with any red flower.”

Dimitri did not even look up from the cluster he was examining. “No. It has to be right.”

I sighed, but there was no real frustration behind it. If anything, warmth was slowly spreading through my chest. He was doing this for me.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he reached down and plucked a single flower from a small cluster near a sunlit clearing. It was a vibrant red with full, layered petals that caught the light beautifully. Not a single flaw.

Dimitri stared at it for a long moment, turning it carefully between his fingers like he was making sure it was worthy.

“This,” he said.

He walked back to me. From his pocket, he pulled out a small attachable clip. I blinked in surprise when I saw it.

“You… carried that with you?”

“Of course I did,” he replied.

He tucked the flower into the clip, then stepped closer. One hand tilted my chin up while the other slid the clip into my hair, just above my ear. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he adjusted it, making sure it sat perfectly.

“There,” he murmured, stepping back just enough to look at me. “Now it’s perfect.”

I reached up to touch the flower, feeling the soft petals against my fingertips. A genuine smile pulled at my lips.

“Thank you.”

“Red looks good on you, little fairy,” he said. “Especially when I’m the reason you’re wearing it.”

Before I could respond, he leaned down and kissed me.