*Rose*

I wake up wrapped in a pair of warm, muscular arms and the light feeling of Vic's breath on my neck comforts me. I can see a digital alarm clock on the table next to the bed and I open my eyes fully and check the time - 7:21am.

The recognition of everything that happened last night shocks me but sends a warm vibe through me, and I'm not just talking about what me and Vic got up to either. I'm talking about the fact that not one bad dream entered my mind throughout the entire night, and the fact that I slept through the whole night without waking up once and I got double the sleep I usually get back at home.

I smile at the thought of a simple thing like someone sleeping next to me making me lose all traces of my nightmares and forget all of the bad stuff that usually clouds my mind at night time.

But the smile soon leaves my mouth as realization dawns upon me that I am going to have to leave this perfect scene and basically forget this even happened. As much as I would love to stay, I can't make that sort of commitment to someone, and if I did stay he would definitely expect what happened to be something more than just a one night stand.

I slowly turn my body around and the arm that lay limply across the top of my torso falls onto the mattress gently, not heavy enough to wake him or even stir him. I use my elbows to lift myself up and I slip off the bed, seeing my clothes from last night folded neatly in a pile on the floor beside the bed. I sigh. He must have done that while I was sleeping last night.

I pick up my clothes and take them to the en-suite bathroom, getting changed and tying my hair into a low ponytail at the side, resting on my shoulder. I quickly grab some mouthwash and swirl it around my mouth until I can get home and brush my teeth. I see some facial wipes on the counter and I use one of them to remove my make up from last night and temporarily wipe my face.

I decide that I look fine to make my way home at this time in the morning and I open the door to the bathroom as quietly as possible so as not to wake Vic. But I must be too noisy as I hear a quiet voice just ahead of me.

"You're leaving?" Too late. I exhale nervously and avoid eye contact with him, nodding my head slightly and secretly hoping he didn't see me.

"Uh, yeah, I gotta... Um... I-"

"I get it. It's fine, I'm sorry for thinking last night was...never mind. Do you want a ride home?" He says and I can hear the hurt in his tone. I feel extremely guilty for what I have done and I decide I can't expect him to take me back home after what I did to him.

"Uh, no, it's okay. I can walk, I don't live too far from here." I lie and smile awkwardly, looking down at my shoes and playing with a loose strand of my hair that is dangling out of my ponytail and hanging by my face. I clear my throat even though I don't need to, it is simply because I can't deal with the silence any longer.

"Okay."

"Okay, um-"

"Can I at least get your number? It's just... I don't do one night stands. And I don't know how you feel about last night but I really... It was really nice."

I am about to reply with an excuse that would usually get me out of a situation like this, but the words that come out of my mouth can't be stopped and I surprise myself when I hear myself saying them. "I, um, I think I could probably stay for a while, actually. I'm not in work today, and... And I agree with you. Last night was, um, it was really nice."

The smile that inhabits his face after my words could light up an entire city, and it is so beautiful that I could die right here, right now. What was I thinking by planning to just leave him when I woke up? I now want to do anything I can to see that smile linger on his lips.

"Great! Uh, do you want breakfast?" He asks me eagerly. I giggle a little at him and how happy he looks.

"Uh, yeah, that would be nice. Also, would I be able to lend something to wear for now? These aren't the nicest clothes to wear at this time in the morning." I ask nervously, not wanting him to think I am prying.

"Yeah, of course. Everything is in the closet, take what you like. I'll go and start breakfast while you sort yourself out." He smiles and heads out of the room and probably towards the kitchen.

I walk over to the closet and am shocked when I open the door. It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be and clothes and shoes line every shelf and hanger in there. His apartment is really upstage and grand, but I didn't expect this. He must have a lot of money...

"You can go into the closet of my brothers room if you want, he's probably got some girls clothes in there from when his many different girlfriends come over." I hear Vic say sarcastically and I turn around to see him leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest.

"Yeah, I'll do that. But I like this so I think I will be taking that." I grin and take a DropDead low cut vest off the hanger and fling it over my arm, brushing past him and heading into his brothers room which he tells me is down the hallway. I hear him laugh a little and I smile to myself, opening the door to Mike's room and opening his closet, which is even bigger than Vic's.

Vic was right. I see a corner of the closet that seems to just be dedicated to female items of clothing and I take a few steps in that direction. I see multiple pairs of shorts on one shelf and I take a pair of high-waisted ones.

I take off my dress and suspenders and slip on the shorts and the vest, proceeding to walk into the kitchen where I can hear Vic humming to himself and cooking breakfast. The smell of the food makes my stomach growl in hunger and Vic turns around and smiles at the sound.

"Hungry? I made pancakes." He asks me.

"Yeah, sounds great." I answer him and sit down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, placing my elbows on the counter and resting my head in my hands. "Where is your brother, by the way?" I ask him after I remember not seeing him in the room I just came out of.

"Probably at Tony's house. He doesn't like to face his older brother when he has a hangover so he usually sets up there for a night or two."

"Wait, I remember that guy with the glasses from last night being called Tony... One of those guys was your brother?" I am shocked as recognition hits me and I remember clearly the same face as Vic's sat next to him at the table last night, only Mike's face is more rugged and Vic's is more groomed. "He was the one sat next to you wasn't he? You look like each other."

"Yeah, that's him. And yeah, I suppose we do look like each other." He smiles and I smile back at him, and for the first time in a long time - it isn't forced.

I look at Vic while he is cooking and giggle at his concentration face. His brows are slightly furrowed and his tongue is protruding from his mouth a little bit. His eyes widen slightly as he flips the pancake over as if he is afraid of it falling on to the floor and I can't stop my laughter from spilling out of my mouth. He turns around and looks at me, confused. "What are you laughing at?"

"You have a funny concentration face." I state and he laughs and shakes his head at me, turning back to the pancakes.

"All done." He notes, taking out some plates from the cupboard above his head and placing the pancakes on them. He puts the plates on the breakfast bar and sets down a selection of possible toppings for the pancakes.

I take the plate nearest to me and take a fork from the centre of the counter as Vic walks round and sits next to me. We both attempt to take the bottle of syrup at the same time and our hands collide, knocking the bottle off the table completely. I laugh and so does Vic. "Sorry." He says lightheartedly and he slides off his stool and picks up the syrup off the floor, handing it to me when he gets it.

"Thank you." I smile and take it off him, squirting a literal amount on my pancakes then giving the bottle to him.

"You like syrup?" He says although he quite clearly knows the answer to that question and he laughs, squeezing only half as much syrup as I did on to his pancakes.

"Love it." I answer and cut a small slice off the end of my pancake with the side of my fork and placing it into my mouth, chewing contentedly. "These are really good pancakes." I tell him honestly.

"Thank you. It's my mom's recipe, she's an amazing baker." He smiles at the mention of his mother and I can see in his eyes how much love he must have for her and the rest of his family.

"You're close to your mom, huh?" I ask him casually, even though the topic of family makes me feel more miserable than I would like.

"Yeah, super close. It's always been the same though, even since me and Mike were younger." He notices the solemn expression on my face and frowns a little, evidently wondering what is wrong with me. "You're not close to your family?"

"Uh, you could say that." I try and dismiss the subject, he doesn't need to know the details about me just because I stayed for breakfast instead of going straight home.

"So you just don't get along, or-"

"My mom died when I was 6 years old. My dad committed suicide 7 months after that." Although this information is something that I would never share with anyone I have only just met, I feel like I can trust Vic. I'm not sure why, but he seems like a genuine guy.

"I-I'm sorry, I had no-"

"Don't worry about it. It happened a really long time ago, it can't be changed." I snap a little bit and instantly feel guilty. "Sorry, I just... It's still a bit of a touchy subject..."

"Yeah, yeah, of course. I understand, you don't need to be sorry." He says calmly and kindly and I want to scream. How can anyone be this kind and caring and why have I met him after my trust and security is already torn and frayed?

---

*Vic*

"If you don't mind my asking, why did he kill himself?" I am desperate to find out more about this beautiful girl. Who knew someone who seems so confident and carefree could have such a troubled and poisoned past?

"My father?" She asks me and I nod, watching her carefully in case I have upset her. "I guess he just couldn't live without her anymore."

My heart breaks a thousand times over and I reach out and brush my fingers over her hand comfortingly. She smiles at me but I can see the pain in her eyes what these memories are bringing to her. "She must have been an amazing lady."

"Not really." Her announcement shocks me into silence and I look at her questioningly. "Great wife, bad mother."

"Ah." I have nothing much else to say and I take it as an end to this topic of conversation and start to tidy away the plates and cutlery.

I smile as Rose slides off her stool and helps me wash the dishes and she smiles back at me sadly. We finish washing and drying them in silence and we both almost have a heart attack when we hear the front door swing open and hear someone walking in.

"Yo, Vic? You home?" I hear Mike call.

"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen." I answer him. I look at Rose who has a look of amusement on her face. "What are you smirking at?" I ask her, grinning.

"Your face when the door opened, I'm trying not to laugh-" She interrupts herself and bursts into a fit of laughter, doubling over slightly. My face turns red but my heart aches at the sight of her when she is truly happy. She really is gorgeous.

"Hey, bro. So who is this pretty lady then?" Mike walks in and winks at me when he looks at Rose stood next to me, still giggling a little. I shake my head at him.

"This is Rose."

"Hello." Rose says politely and smiles.

"Hey, I'm Mike." Mike says and leans over to kiss her on the cheek. A silence takes over and we all shift a little uncomfortably in our places. "Anyway, I will leave you two together to do whatever..." Mike says suggestively and I punch him in the arm, scowling at him jokingly. He laughs and walks into his room, probably to try and get some sleep after last night.

"So... What do you wanna do today? We could go for lunch or something?" I ask Rose, wanting to spend more time with her. I see a look of confliction cross her face and I know what she is going to say before she even says it.

"Actually, I have plans for later on. Me and Elle are, um, we're gonna go out, I'm sorry."

"No, it's cool." I mumble disappointedly. I see her studying my expression and a look of worry flashes across her face.

"Actually, I'm going to, um, go now... If that's alright. I-"

"I'll give you a lift, just let me get changed." I interrupt her, quite rudely.

"Oh, okay." She says and looks down at the floor. "Thanks."

"No problem." I sigh and walk into my room to get changed into some decent clothes. She is really going to take some working on getting her to open up fully. I don't know what it is that makes her so distant and so conflicted, it's as if she has to think about every single thing she does independently, as if there is a hidden consequence to every action she makes.

Once I am changed I go back into the kitchen where she is still swinging from side to side on her stool and staring at the floor. I walk over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. She looks up quickly, and smiles tightly at me when I signal that I'm ready to take her back home.

---

When I get back home from dropping her back at her apartment I hear my text tone go off. I pull my phone out of my pocket and grin like an idiot when I see the message I received from Rose.

How about that lunch you were talking about...? :)

"What are you so happy about?" Mike asks me as he walks into my room and sees sees my expression.

"Nothing. Its, uh... It's nothing." I smile.

Notes

Sorry it took so long for me to update, a lot of shit has been going on lately, but here is a kinda long chapter for you all to make up for it :)

--->outfit<---

So now you know a little more about Rose... And do you think she likes Vic? She opened up to him a bit quite quickly and she is going against all of her morals to go out with him again... Tell me what you think!!!

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