Rose's body shook with sobs, her face buried in the pillow on her bed. She'd come to accept that Brad was not part of her life anymore, but seeing him brought back all the hurt and betrayal and...hurt. Add that to seeing her ex- fiancé. Ex or not, she'd loved him at one point and had still hoped he'd visit her at the hospital. Now, add the pregnancy hormones! Catastrophe!
She cried for the love she had lost, the time she'd invested in the two assholes, and the love she still had for Brad. Yes, it was sudden but she had fallen for him, hard. She didn't even know when exactly it happened, just that it did happen.
"You're strong, Rose. You don't need a man. You don't need any of them." She furiously wiped of the tears in determination. Even as she said this, her heart bled at the prospect of not seeing Brad ever again. But she knew she had to settle some scores before moving forward.
She reached for her cellphone, and dialed the number she'd never thought she'd have to dial ever since she met Brad.
"Yeah, meet me at the diner at thirteen thirty."
Sigh. She had to face her demons if she had any hope of conquering them. She got up, took a short shower and dressed in grey Nike sweatpants and matching hoody. She then chose white Air force Nike sneakers to complete the look. Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail.
She grabbed her phone and left the house to head to the diner. The walk to the diner was short, or maybe that's because she was so distracted with scenarios of how the meeting will turn out that she hadn't been aware of how long she'd walked.
The bell above the door chimed and Tyler, the owner and manager of the diner, smiled at her, coming over to her.
"Hey, beautiful! Long time!" He said with excitement shining in his hazel eyes already leading her to an unoccupied table. His eyes were a mesmerising hazel with little specks of gold that weren't visible until you looked closely.
She smiled shyly, feeling the heat creeping up her neck to her cheeks. Tyler was always flirting with her even with her protruding belly. "Hey, Ty."
"What are you having today?"
She looked around. "I'm waiting for someone, actually. But I'd like a cup of chamomile tea while I wait, please."
"Coming right up." The smile never left his face, as always.
She looked at the time on her phone and noted that it was 13:42.
Typical of him to be late! That's if he'll show up at all. Guess some things really never change.
"Here you go." She hadn't noticed Tyler come back with her tea and she nearly jumped out of her seat in fright at hearing his voice.
"Are you okay?" Tyler asked with a frown. This was so not like the bubbly Rosaline he knew and liked.
She smiled at him nervously. "Yes. Yeah, I'm fine."
Tyler was about to say something when the doorbell chimed and Rosaline's eyes immediately diverted to the door and she gulped loudly while wiping her hands on her sweatpants. As Tyler turned to see what had made her so uneasy, he saw a rugged looking guy looking around the diner and assumed he was looking for Rosaline so he excused himself. "Shout if you need anything, okay."
Rosaline nodded absentmindedly, and Tyler left just as Tony approached.
"So..."
Rosaline looked at him for a long moment without saying anything. The clean and handsome Tony was nowhere in sight, all that was left was the man with sunken, bloodshot eyes, a rough stubble and dirty worn clothes. His hair was shaggy, disheveled and overgrown. Drugs really did him bad!
"Yeah, so, I called you here to talk to you about...you know? Stuff. I have a few questions for you." Suddenly she was feeling nervous.
"Anything." Even his voice was rough.
Raising her eyes to pierce straight into his, she leaned over the table. "Why?" It was a loaded question and she knew Tony knew she was asking about everything. Why he mortgaged her hoise.Why he cheated. Why he didn't see her when she was hospitalised. Why he did drugs. Why he wanted her back.
"Rose..."
"Just answer me, dammit!" Just thinking about it was making her blood boil. The hurt, and the betrayal. It all came back with a vengeance.
"I'm sorry." A lone tear escaped from his eye which he wiped away furiously. "I was a jerk. I thought I'd be able to pay you back when I mortgaged your house. I got close to a rich spoilt girl so I'd convince her to pay off the mortgage. She's the one you found me with. And when you were hospitalised," he paused, trying to control his tears. "I was ashamed so I disappeared. I know it's selfish to want you back but I do need you. I've made some bad decisions and I'm paying for them, I just wish you'd forgive me for everything."
Tears fell uncontrollably down her smooth cheeks. She hadn't realised how much anger she had kept bottled inside for Tony. When she had met Brad and felt attracted to him, she had figured she would move forward without any hinder but seeing Tony with tears just crumpled the protective walls she had unconsciously built around her heart. She knew in her heart that she would not be able to get back with Tony while he was still immersed in drugs. That was if she got back with him at all.
"Tony, I hate seeing you like this and even though you ruined for any other man I forgive you." A genuine smile grazed his face. "But, I can't get back with you. You have to get clean first, you know, get your life together and maybe we'll talk about getting together."
Tony bobbed his head like a bobblehead, it would have been funny if they weren't talking about something so serious.
"But..."
"Seems like you're using that word a lot today." His voice was hoarse from crying and his eyes were red-rimmed.
She gave a small smile — not forced — and rubbed her bulging stomach, making Tony's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. Clearly he hadn't noticed the bump from beneath the baggy hoodie. "As you can see, I'm expecting another man's baby. Him and I aren't really on good terms right now."
Tony reluctantly reorganized his features to hide the shock, nervously shifting in his seat. "All I can say is I'm willing to go to rehab. I want to be there for you, even as just a friend."
Rosaline gave a content smile and got up, Tony jumped grom his seat to help her out of her seat, emitting a soft chuckle from her. "I'm not an invalid, you know."
"You, Rosaline Paige, can never be an invalid." She held the door open for her so she'd exit the diner. "Just let me administer my due diligence. Where's your car?"
"I walked." She took a deep breath. It was a bit chilly indicating that winter was fast approaching. Meaning that it would soon be Christmas. She smiled, eager to get into the festivities of the holiday.
Tony watched her closely, internally making a vow to stay by her side all the time. Well, all the time after rehabilitation. "I can walk you, if you like." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I would like that." It was actually good that she had talked to him and got rid of all those negative feelings she harboured against him. If she had known how unburdening it would be, she would have done it sooner. But you know what the say. Better late than never.
YOU ARE READING
Whirlwind
Romance"It feels good to have someone to talk to." "It really is." Brad smiled at how content he felt. "What are you doing?" Sigh. "Standing by the window watching the sunset." "Me too. I mean, I'm looking at the sky." He snapped up into a sitting position...
