A Flair For The Dramatic
One
*Rose*
I sit up drenched in sweat and tears as I wake from my nightmare. If only it was just a nightmare. But it isn't. It is real, and I have lived it more times than anyone that isn't as used to it as me could possibly handle.
I look at the clock on my bedside table. 5:53am. This is the latest that I have slept in for a really long time, but I still don't feel any better than usual. I still feel completely sleep-deprived, tired and disturbed as I force myself to get out of my bed before I slip back into my terror-ridden slumber.
I make my way into the kitchen and pull open the top drawer, finding my only inanimate friend and reliable source. I pop out three of my usual daily co-codamol and swallow them dry, my mouth accustomed to the vile, dry taste of them and feel no disgust. Approximately 20 minutes now until the constant pain in my head leaves for a few hours or more if I am lucky.
I look at the time again. 6:01am. My reliance on the time is becoming just another part of my day, in the same way that the prescribed and unprescribed medication are.
I open the front door to my apartment and go down the stairs in my pyjamas to get my mail. It doesn't matter if I am just wearing an oversized t-shirt because no one is ever up this early, let alone gets the mail this early. And that is exactly how I like it. Any contact with the people in this apartment block means that every time I see them I will have to talk to them - and that is something I do not wish to do with people I don't know or trust.
I open mailbox number 27 and pull out three letters each addressed to me. Two of them are neatly printed in business-like handwriting and I open them first, sighing when I see the figures on the bills that were hidden inside the envelopes. They make me wish I never opened them in the first place, but you can't always avoid your problems.
For example, the other letter. That is one problem I most definitely cannot avoid no matter how hard I try. I look at the front of the creased envelope and my stomach churns at the scruffy handwriting in which my address is scrawled messily. I contemplate not opening it, just throwing it away and pretending it doesn't exist. But shutting out the real world is something that I am becoming very good at, and it is causing more problems than I start out with in the first place.
I rip open the envelope whilst walking slowly back up the stairs, my hands shaking slightly as my nerves get the better of me. This is now letter number 217, and the thought of reading it couldn't sicken me any more than it already does. But I read it anyway, because if I don't there will be consequences. There always are.
To Rose,
I'm doing fine, I know you must be wondering because I haven't mentioned how I am in a letter for such a long time. But I promise you, I am better and I am well enough so I can be ready to take care of you again after I get out of this place. I know I say it all the time, but I will never hurt you again in the way that I hurt you that day - the thought of what I did still gives me nightmares. I guess all I am trying to tell you is that once I get out of her everything will be okay. We can go back to how things used to be, and we will be happy together. I know you never wanted any of this to happen - I didn't want to end up behind bars either, but it has given me time to think about what I did and how I need to change to be a better person for you and for me. Thank you for waiting for me and I promise I won't be long.
Yours forever,
Charlie.
I sigh in relief as I read the final words of the text and realise that this is a good day for him. As long as he isn't threatening me in a letter then there is nothing to worry about regarding his current position.
I know what people would probably think about what the situation with the letters is. But I can't go to the police, he would ruin me. He has said it so many times and I know him well enough to know that he isn't lying when he says that he will kill me. He has almost done it before, so why would things have changed?
I fold the letter up and place it carefully back into the envelope, placing it in the almost full draw where I keep every letter I have received protected by a key that only I have a copy of. I'm not sure why I keep them. Maybe for protection, blackmail for if he does something that could ruin anything important to me. I laugh to myself, as if I would ever dare to use anything against him, mot while he still has an immense hold over my life.
I make myself forget him for just a moment and I walk into my room, picking up my phone and texting my best friend, Elle.
Do you wanna go out later, I can't stay in this house all day.
I check the time. 6:19am. Time goes so slowly when you have nothing to look forward to.
I receive a text from Elle, my ever reliable source. I don't even remember a time when me and Elle weren't friends. We have been as close as anyone could ever be since high school, and we planned to stay friends forever - probably the only wish of mine that actually came true for me. We even work together now, even if it is in a sleazy mens club, it doesn't matter because we are together.
Yeah, definitely. I will pick you up, just text me when you're ready.
Sometimes, I have no idea where I would be without her.
I stare at myself in my full length mirror and cringe at the outfit I am forced to wear for my cheap job.
I look so vulnerable in a skintight black dress that barely meets my mid-thigh, and stockings that leave about an inch between the hemline of my dress and the top of the stockings. I was given heels to start off with, but I ditch them for my black ankle converse, not wanting to lose all of my dignity.
5:29pm. I better text Elle and ask her to pick me up. Don't want to be walking round the streets in this outfit without the aim of getting picked up by some sleaze ball who is getting the wrong impression.
"Can you get table number 7's order, Rose? My hands are full at the moment."
I am snapped out of my distant day dream by Elle requesting my assistance and I stand up off the stool I was sitting on, grab my pad and pen off the bar and nod my head, getting ready to walk over to table number 7.
I take a quick glance at the people who are inhabiting the table, and I recognise a few of them as regulars. I sigh in relief from not getting some creepy perv who I dont recognise and I head over to the table.
"Hey, glad to see you again." I smile falsely. "You want the usual, or are you gonna try something new?"
"You know us. Just the usual." One of them grins at me.
"Okay, I'll be back in about 5 minutes."
"Who's this beautiful lady then?" I hear an anonymous voice from behind me say. I turn around and see another man joining table number 7. My heart almost stops at the sight of him, his face reminding me so much of Charlie.
"This is our waitress, a very respectable lady." The oldest man at the table says, obviously noting the momentary look of fear on my expression. I look at him and smile thankfully, beginning to walk away from the table and towards the bar.
I hear a snort from behind me and the man who just appeared mutters. "Ha. Respectable? No woman who works in a place like this is a respectable lady."
I almost turn back around and swing for him, my anger getting the best of me. But I just continue to walk towards the bar, venting my anger through my heavy footsteps and my ragged breaths.
"What's up?" Elle asks me worriedly, reading my annoyed expression.
"Sleazy new guy on the regular table. It's nothing, don't worry about it." I shrug it off.
"Okay, I will get that table now. What do they want? The usual?"
"Yeah, thanks Elle. You're the best." I smile gratefully at her.
"It's alright, you can do something for me in return." She laughs. "Those guys over there are new and want a hell of a lot of alcohol, you wanna get it for them?"
I look towards where she pointing and see a group of four men laughing lightheartedly with each other. The oldest one must be about 24, and I furrow my brows at the sight of them. They look nothing like the sort that usually comes to a place like this - must be a lads night out type of thing. "Yeah, sure. They don't look too bad."
"They're cool. I took their order earlier, not disrespectful or anything like that. And not bad looking either." She winks at me and I shake my head. As if I'm interested in anyone new at the moment - the thought makes me feel nauseous. But as I look over at the table, one of the guys catches my eye.
His shoulder length chocolate brown hair falls in waves and curls that compliment his lighthearted expression and clear complexion. He looks kind and happy, the sort to give off good vibes, to make you smile just by being near him. I realise that this is exactly what he is doing to me right now and I wipe the smile off my face and turn back to Elle.
"Uh, yeah. I'll go get their drinks." I mutter and grab the tray off the bar which is holding all of their many beverages. My weak arms can barely hold the strain of the heavy tray and I decide to separate the drinks on to two different trays, even though I will have to make two trips.
I lift the first tray easily and head over to the table, blowing a stray hair away from my face that falls from my clip. When I reach the table I plaster a smile on to my face and greet the boys.
"Hey, your drinks..." I place the tray on the table and the one who caught my eye earlier smiles warmly at me, making a light blush wash over my usually drained cheeks and my stomach churn a little. "The rest of them are over by the bar, I will go and get them for you." I say quickly and walk away briskly, not wanting my shyness to show on my face or the embarrassment within me to be visible in front of them all.
*Vic*
She is absolutely beautiful, and her radiance and perfection takes my breath away. I watch her as she walks away to get the rest of our drinks and I dismiss another moderately pretty girl who is trying to get my attention - or more likely trying to get my money.
I avert my eyes from hers as she walks back to us, carrying the second tray and try to make it look like I wasn't staring at her, even though she smiled at me as if she knew anyway.
"Here you go. If there's anything else you need just give me a call, my name is Rose." She smiles, but I can see a trace of forced happiness in her eyes. The look of it makes me frown slightly, disliking the thought of her being unhappy.
She looks at me quickly and I smile at her, the grin spreading when I see her blush and turn away in shyness. She turns around and walks away, heading towards the other girl who came over to us earlier to take our order and was definitely eyeing up Jaime.
All night I have been keeping my eye on Rose, the way she is acting around other people at the other tables. And not one time did she blush or smile heartily the way that she did when she served our table.
I want to get to know her better, but every time I try and make conversation with her she makes her excuses and goes to finish working at the bar or serving another table. I don't know what it is, but there seems to be a reason why she is so distant from everyone. Well, everyone apart from the other girl at the bar - she seems to get along with her just fine. There seems to be something darker there, something she is afraid of. And I am desperate to find out exactly what that is.
She comes across so fragile, so breakable. Like she can't go through with something new in case she shatters...
I make my way outside of the club alone, the rest of the guys going somewhere private with one of the girls that were floating about in the room.
I got offers, of course for the right price, but I didn't take any. If I was to go home with anyone tonight it would be with Rose. And so far there has been no luck whatsoever of that happening, so it is time to go home.
I go out of the club through the back door and am surprised to see a tired and distressed looking Rose sitting on the top of the garbage container and smoking. Even behind the ugliness of the cancer she is inhaling, she still looks beautiful. She turns her head to look at me when she hears me opening the door and closing it and smiles.
"Hey." She says shyly, looking down at her legs dangling off the end of the container.
"Hey." I reply. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all." She says and moves along to give me room to climb up on the top next to her. "You smoke?" She asks me, offering me a cigarette from her almost empty packet.
"Yeah." I lie, wanting to seem connected to her in some way, even though this is just a minor link. I take one of them from the pack and she hands me her lighter. I place the orange end of the cigarette into my mouth and copy what I have seen Mike do when he smokes and I push the button on the electric lighter, almost choking when I inhale the first drag of the smoke. I try again when I hear her giggle and splutter even worse this time.
"You don't smoke do you?" She says to me, more like a statement than a question.
"Nope. Never touched a cigarette in my life." I say honestly and we both laugh together about my stupidity. "Sorry about wasting this."
"It's not wasted, just put it out. That's basically a full cigarette." She says kindly.
I do as she says, stubbing out the cigarette against the metal lid of the container we are perched on. I hand it back to her and she slides it into her pack, closing the cardboard lid and putting it into her bag.
"I didn't catch your name earlier." She states.
"Oh, uh, I'm Vic."
"Cool. Vic... I like that name." She says with her head turned the opposite way to me. I don't know what to say to that and we just sit in silence for a few moments, the cold creeping up on the both of us.
"So how come you're out here in the dark on your own, then?" I try and spark a conversation and she turns her head to look at me, studying my face. I look at her, confused, and she shakes her head.
"Why are you interested in me?" She puts bluntly, and I am shocked at how well she can read people. I figure I may as well be completely honest and tell her what I think of her.
"Because you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." Her eyes widen for a split second and she lets out a half laugh, half snort, as if she doesn't believe a word that I am saying.
"Now that was smooth." She says sarcastically; shaking her head, and she hops off of the edge of the garbage container, stubs out her cigarette and starts to walk away. But there is no way she is getting away that easily.
I follow her and jog up by her side, touching her shoulder gently and pulling away quickly when she flinches away at the notion. I try to act as if it didn't bother me and I smile at her, opening my mouth to say something.
"Don't. Just don't. You don't want to get involved with me, seriously." She says, almost like a warning and closes her eyes in frustration, exhaling deeply.
"I'm not asking to get involved with you. I'm just asking to get to know you." I tell her.
She looks at me, concentrating her beautiful eyes hard on mine, furrowing her brows and frowning slightly. It's almost as if she is reading my mind, trying to decipher whether I am telling her the truth or not. I almost melt at her stunning gaze but I can't turn away, won't drag my eyes from hers.
She finally blinks, her long eyelashes fluttering against her rosy cheeks for a short millisecond. And she leans her head in closer to mine, and I feel her breath on my face, warm against the icy cold of the night air and a slight linger of nicotine, but not enough to make me withdraw away from her.
My breath catches in my throat as she places her lips gently on mine, the feeling soft and inviting. I lean in the rest of the way and raise my hand to hold the side of her face delicately, keeping her in place and allowing her to deepen the kiss. She closes her eyes and I feel her eyelashes brush across my eyelid, causing my eyes to close the rest of the way.
I feel a light weight on my shoulder as she rests her arm on it, folding it slightly around the back of my neck loosely. I let my tongue flicker against her perfect heart shaped lips and she opens her mouth, accepting my silent request and allowing my tongue to glide over the top of hers.
She lets out a quiet moan and a rush of excitement makes my body tingle. I attempt to pull away slightly to catch a breath and she bites my bottom lip, causing me to groan inwardly and I can feel her smirk against my lips as she loosens the gentle grip of my lip between her teeth.
I catch a breath and before I can lean back in she presses a slender finger against my lips. I look at her and I see her biting her lip, smirking tightly at me. "Is your apartment anywhere near here?" She whispers and the butterflies in my stomach explode into a frenzy. I nod my head and she pulls her finger away, taking my hand and leading me down the street to hail a cab.
*Rose*
My skin tingles and my body heats up beneath his touch as he layers gentle kisses from my jawline, across my collarbone and down to my hips. He stops just before he gets any lower and looks at me in a request to see if I am okay with this. The kind gesture shocks me and I almost tear up at how nicely he is treating me. A one night stand is usually over by now, and me and Vic haven't even started properly yet.
But there's something different about this one night stand, something about it that I enjoy, that I like.
And it happens that way all night, his gentle touch breezing over my sensitive flesh. Him asking me whether it's okay for him to go through with what he is about to. Him making me laugh and sigh in all of the right places.
I don't want to admit it, but it was perfect.
I sit up drenched in sweat and tears as I wake from my nightmare. If only it was just a nightmare. But it isn't. It is real, and I have lived it more times than anyone that isn't as used to it as me could possibly handle.
I look at the clock on my bedside table. 5:53am. This is the latest that I have slept in for a really long time, but I still don't feel any better than usual. I still feel completely sleep-deprived, tired and disturbed as I force myself to get out of my bed before I slip back into my terror-ridden slumber.
I make my way into the kitchen and pull open the top drawer, finding my only inanimate friend and reliable source. I pop out three of my usual daily co-codamol and swallow them dry, my mouth accustomed to the vile, dry taste of them and feel no disgust. Approximately 20 minutes now until the constant pain in my head leaves for a few hours or more if I am lucky.
I look at the time again. 6:01am. My reliance on the time is becoming just another part of my day, in the same way that the prescribed and unprescribed medication are.
I open the front door to my apartment and go down the stairs in my pyjamas to get my mail. It doesn't matter if I am just wearing an oversized t-shirt because no one is ever up this early, let alone gets the mail this early. And that is exactly how I like it. Any contact with the people in this apartment block means that every time I see them I will have to talk to them - and that is something I do not wish to do with people I don't know or trust.
I open mailbox number 27 and pull out three letters each addressed to me. Two of them are neatly printed in business-like handwriting and I open them first, sighing when I see the figures on the bills that were hidden inside the envelopes. They make me wish I never opened them in the first place, but you can't always avoid your problems.
For example, the other letter. That is one problem I most definitely cannot avoid no matter how hard I try. I look at the front of the creased envelope and my stomach churns at the scruffy handwriting in which my address is scrawled messily. I contemplate not opening it, just throwing it away and pretending it doesn't exist. But shutting out the real world is something that I am becoming very good at, and it is causing more problems than I start out with in the first place.
I rip open the envelope whilst walking slowly back up the stairs, my hands shaking slightly as my nerves get the better of me. This is now letter number 217, and the thought of reading it couldn't sicken me any more than it already does. But I read it anyway, because if I don't there will be consequences. There always are.
To Rose,
I'm doing fine, I know you must be wondering because I haven't mentioned how I am in a letter for such a long time. But I promise you, I am better and I am well enough so I can be ready to take care of you again after I get out of this place. I know I say it all the time, but I will never hurt you again in the way that I hurt you that day - the thought of what I did still gives me nightmares. I guess all I am trying to tell you is that once I get out of her everything will be okay. We can go back to how things used to be, and we will be happy together. I know you never wanted any of this to happen - I didn't want to end up behind bars either, but it has given me time to think about what I did and how I need to change to be a better person for you and for me. Thank you for waiting for me and I promise I won't be long.
Yours forever,
Charlie.
I sigh in relief as I read the final words of the text and realise that this is a good day for him. As long as he isn't threatening me in a letter then there is nothing to worry about regarding his current position.
I know what people would probably think about what the situation with the letters is. But I can't go to the police, he would ruin me. He has said it so many times and I know him well enough to know that he isn't lying when he says that he will kill me. He has almost done it before, so why would things have changed?
I fold the letter up and place it carefully back into the envelope, placing it in the almost full draw where I keep every letter I have received protected by a key that only I have a copy of. I'm not sure why I keep them. Maybe for protection, blackmail for if he does something that could ruin anything important to me. I laugh to myself, as if I would ever dare to use anything against him, mot while he still has an immense hold over my life.
I make myself forget him for just a moment and I walk into my room, picking up my phone and texting my best friend, Elle.
Do you wanna go out later, I can't stay in this house all day.
I check the time. 6:19am. Time goes so slowly when you have nothing to look forward to.
I receive a text from Elle, my ever reliable source. I don't even remember a time when me and Elle weren't friends. We have been as close as anyone could ever be since high school, and we planned to stay friends forever - probably the only wish of mine that actually came true for me. We even work together now, even if it is in a sleazy mens club, it doesn't matter because we are together.
Yeah, definitely. I will pick you up, just text me when you're ready.
Sometimes, I have no idea where I would be without her.
I stare at myself in my full length mirror and cringe at the outfit I am forced to wear for my cheap job.
I look so vulnerable in a skintight black dress that barely meets my mid-thigh, and stockings that leave about an inch between the hemline of my dress and the top of the stockings. I was given heels to start off with, but I ditch them for my black ankle converse, not wanting to lose all of my dignity.
5:29pm. I better text Elle and ask her to pick me up. Don't want to be walking round the streets in this outfit without the aim of getting picked up by some sleaze ball who is getting the wrong impression.
"Can you get table number 7's order, Rose? My hands are full at the moment."
I am snapped out of my distant day dream by Elle requesting my assistance and I stand up off the stool I was sitting on, grab my pad and pen off the bar and nod my head, getting ready to walk over to table number 7.
I take a quick glance at the people who are inhabiting the table, and I recognise a few of them as regulars. I sigh in relief from not getting some creepy perv who I dont recognise and I head over to the table.
"Hey, glad to see you again." I smile falsely. "You want the usual, or are you gonna try something new?"
"You know us. Just the usual." One of them grins at me.
"Okay, I'll be back in about 5 minutes."
"Who's this beautiful lady then?" I hear an anonymous voice from behind me say. I turn around and see another man joining table number 7. My heart almost stops at the sight of him, his face reminding me so much of Charlie.
"This is our waitress, a very respectable lady." The oldest man at the table says, obviously noting the momentary look of fear on my expression. I look at him and smile thankfully, beginning to walk away from the table and towards the bar.
I hear a snort from behind me and the man who just appeared mutters. "Ha. Respectable? No woman who works in a place like this is a respectable lady."
I almost turn back around and swing for him, my anger getting the best of me. But I just continue to walk towards the bar, venting my anger through my heavy footsteps and my ragged breaths.
"What's up?" Elle asks me worriedly, reading my annoyed expression.
"Sleazy new guy on the regular table. It's nothing, don't worry about it." I shrug it off.
"Okay, I will get that table now. What do they want? The usual?"
"Yeah, thanks Elle. You're the best." I smile gratefully at her.
"It's alright, you can do something for me in return." She laughs. "Those guys over there are new and want a hell of a lot of alcohol, you wanna get it for them?"
I look towards where she pointing and see a group of four men laughing lightheartedly with each other. The oldest one must be about 24, and I furrow my brows at the sight of them. They look nothing like the sort that usually comes to a place like this - must be a lads night out type of thing. "Yeah, sure. They don't look too bad."
"They're cool. I took their order earlier, not disrespectful or anything like that. And not bad looking either." She winks at me and I shake my head. As if I'm interested in anyone new at the moment - the thought makes me feel nauseous. But as I look over at the table, one of the guys catches my eye.
His shoulder length chocolate brown hair falls in waves and curls that compliment his lighthearted expression and clear complexion. He looks kind and happy, the sort to give off good vibes, to make you smile just by being near him. I realise that this is exactly what he is doing to me right now and I wipe the smile off my face and turn back to Elle.
"Uh, yeah. I'll go get their drinks." I mutter and grab the tray off the bar which is holding all of their many beverages. My weak arms can barely hold the strain of the heavy tray and I decide to separate the drinks on to two different trays, even though I will have to make two trips.
I lift the first tray easily and head over to the table, blowing a stray hair away from my face that falls from my clip. When I reach the table I plaster a smile on to my face and greet the boys.
"Hey, your drinks..." I place the tray on the table and the one who caught my eye earlier smiles warmly at me, making a light blush wash over my usually drained cheeks and my stomach churn a little. "The rest of them are over by the bar, I will go and get them for you." I say quickly and walk away briskly, not wanting my shyness to show on my face or the embarrassment within me to be visible in front of them all.
*Vic*
She is absolutely beautiful, and her radiance and perfection takes my breath away. I watch her as she walks away to get the rest of our drinks and I dismiss another moderately pretty girl who is trying to get my attention - or more likely trying to get my money.
I avert my eyes from hers as she walks back to us, carrying the second tray and try to make it look like I wasn't staring at her, even though she smiled at me as if she knew anyway.
"Here you go. If there's anything else you need just give me a call, my name is Rose." She smiles, but I can see a trace of forced happiness in her eyes. The look of it makes me frown slightly, disliking the thought of her being unhappy.
She looks at me quickly and I smile at her, the grin spreading when I see her blush and turn away in shyness. She turns around and walks away, heading towards the other girl who came over to us earlier to take our order and was definitely eyeing up Jaime.
All night I have been keeping my eye on Rose, the way she is acting around other people at the other tables. And not one time did she blush or smile heartily the way that she did when she served our table.
I want to get to know her better, but every time I try and make conversation with her she makes her excuses and goes to finish working at the bar or serving another table. I don't know what it is, but there seems to be a reason why she is so distant from everyone. Well, everyone apart from the other girl at the bar - she seems to get along with her just fine. There seems to be something darker there, something she is afraid of. And I am desperate to find out exactly what that is.
She comes across so fragile, so breakable. Like she can't go through with something new in case she shatters...
I make my way outside of the club alone, the rest of the guys going somewhere private with one of the girls that were floating about in the room.
I got offers, of course for the right price, but I didn't take any. If I was to go home with anyone tonight it would be with Rose. And so far there has been no luck whatsoever of that happening, so it is time to go home.
I go out of the club through the back door and am surprised to see a tired and distressed looking Rose sitting on the top of the garbage container and smoking. Even behind the ugliness of the cancer she is inhaling, she still looks beautiful. She turns her head to look at me when she hears me opening the door and closing it and smiles.
"Hey." She says shyly, looking down at her legs dangling off the end of the container.
"Hey." I reply. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all." She says and moves along to give me room to climb up on the top next to her. "You smoke?" She asks me, offering me a cigarette from her almost empty packet.
"Yeah." I lie, wanting to seem connected to her in some way, even though this is just a minor link. I take one of them from the pack and she hands me her lighter. I place the orange end of the cigarette into my mouth and copy what I have seen Mike do when he smokes and I push the button on the electric lighter, almost choking when I inhale the first drag of the smoke. I try again when I hear her giggle and splutter even worse this time.
"You don't smoke do you?" She says to me, more like a statement than a question.
"Nope. Never touched a cigarette in my life." I say honestly and we both laugh together about my stupidity. "Sorry about wasting this."
"It's not wasted, just put it out. That's basically a full cigarette." She says kindly.
I do as she says, stubbing out the cigarette against the metal lid of the container we are perched on. I hand it back to her and she slides it into her pack, closing the cardboard lid and putting it into her bag.
"I didn't catch your name earlier." She states.
"Oh, uh, I'm Vic."
"Cool. Vic... I like that name." She says with her head turned the opposite way to me. I don't know what to say to that and we just sit in silence for a few moments, the cold creeping up on the both of us.
"So how come you're out here in the dark on your own, then?" I try and spark a conversation and she turns her head to look at me, studying my face. I look at her, confused, and she shakes her head.
"Why are you interested in me?" She puts bluntly, and I am shocked at how well she can read people. I figure I may as well be completely honest and tell her what I think of her.
"Because you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." Her eyes widen for a split second and she lets out a half laugh, half snort, as if she doesn't believe a word that I am saying.
"Now that was smooth." She says sarcastically; shaking her head, and she hops off of the edge of the garbage container, stubs out her cigarette and starts to walk away. But there is no way she is getting away that easily.
I follow her and jog up by her side, touching her shoulder gently and pulling away quickly when she flinches away at the notion. I try to act as if it didn't bother me and I smile at her, opening my mouth to say something.
"Don't. Just don't. You don't want to get involved with me, seriously." She says, almost like a warning and closes her eyes in frustration, exhaling deeply.
"I'm not asking to get involved with you. I'm just asking to get to know you." I tell her.
She looks at me, concentrating her beautiful eyes hard on mine, furrowing her brows and frowning slightly. It's almost as if she is reading my mind, trying to decipher whether I am telling her the truth or not. I almost melt at her stunning gaze but I can't turn away, won't drag my eyes from hers.
She finally blinks, her long eyelashes fluttering against her rosy cheeks for a short millisecond. And she leans her head in closer to mine, and I feel her breath on my face, warm against the icy cold of the night air and a slight linger of nicotine, but not enough to make me withdraw away from her.
My breath catches in my throat as she places her lips gently on mine, the feeling soft and inviting. I lean in the rest of the way and raise my hand to hold the side of her face delicately, keeping her in place and allowing her to deepen the kiss. She closes her eyes and I feel her eyelashes brush across my eyelid, causing my eyes to close the rest of the way.
I feel a light weight on my shoulder as she rests her arm on it, folding it slightly around the back of my neck loosely. I let my tongue flicker against her perfect heart shaped lips and she opens her mouth, accepting my silent request and allowing my tongue to glide over the top of hers.
She lets out a quiet moan and a rush of excitement makes my body tingle. I attempt to pull away slightly to catch a breath and she bites my bottom lip, causing me to groan inwardly and I can feel her smirk against my lips as she loosens the gentle grip of my lip between her teeth.
I catch a breath and before I can lean back in she presses a slender finger against my lips. I look at her and I see her biting her lip, smirking tightly at me. "Is your apartment anywhere near here?" She whispers and the butterflies in my stomach explode into a frenzy. I nod my head and she pulls her finger away, taking my hand and leading me down the street to hail a cab.
*Rose*
My skin tingles and my body heats up beneath his touch as he layers gentle kisses from my jawline, across my collarbone and down to my hips. He stops just before he gets any lower and looks at me in a request to see if I am okay with this. The kind gesture shocks me and I almost tear up at how nicely he is treating me. A one night stand is usually over by now, and me and Vic haven't even started properly yet.
But there's something different about this one night stand, something about it that I enjoy, that I like.
And it happens that way all night, his gentle touch breezing over my sensitive flesh. Him asking me whether it's okay for him to go through with what he is about to. Him making me laugh and sigh in all of the right places.
I don't want to admit it, but it was perfect.
Notes
This was a super long chapter and hopefully you liked it because I'm going to try and make them all this long :)
Also hopefully you are all starting to understand who charlie is, and if you don't, think back to the prologue... And if you didn't get that hint then there will be bits of info all the way through that will piece together to make you understand who he is and what he did and why and stuff.
btw the bit in red is her work outfit :)
Comment/rate/subscribe PLEASE BECAUSE ILY ALL X
pleasepleaseplease update this soooon!
4/15/15