Love & Tribulations

Chapter 10

Rose's POV

"Elias", I groaned as I barged into his room.

"What's wrong?" He asked, seemingly annoyed by my sudden presence.

"I'm dying", I mumbled, sprawling myself on the couch.

"Great, I'll prepare your funeral", he remarked cynically.

"Eli, I'm gonna mess this up", I complained. It was the long-awaited weekend, and I wasn't sure how to handle my nerves.

"Oh, stop your whining. I can't believe you're freaking out over this with the amount of women you've-", he mocked as I flung a pillow in his face.

"This isn't some fling; she's my mate", I glared at his side profile.

"You've spent almost every day with her since we got here, I'm sure it'll be fine", he said dismissively.

"Yeah thanks, you're a real lifesaver", I voiced sarcastically.

"No problem, now get your ass up before you're late," he urged. I slipped on my shoes before speeding over to Ezra's house.

It was a two-story residence isolated from the packhouse, with a simple yet aesthetically beautiful design. I was already engulfed in her spring-like scent, I honestly can't get enough of it. I walked over to her front door and rang the bell, quickly fixing my clothes as I heard her approaching. When she opened the door, my eyes couldn't avoid taking her all in.

"You look stunning", I whispered as my eyes locked with hers.

"Not so bad yourself", she added. My heart sped up as my lips twitched into a smile. I took her hand, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach as we made our way down to my car.

"Are you gonna tell me where you're taking me?", she asked while I started the ignition.

"To my bedroom", I teased, and she flushed a little making me snicker.

"Dumbass", she slapped my arm while rolling her eyes.

The drive was roughly a half-hour, and she ate all of my peach rings as we debated who had a better playlist. When the Ferris wheel came into view, she turned to me with a gleam in her eyes that lit up my entire soul.

"Wow, I haven't been to a fair in ages", she commented, making me chuckle at her excitement. I pulled into the parking lot, happy that she didn't mind coming here.

She interlocked our arms, pulling me to the entrance. The scent of cotton candy and popcorn was so strong in the air that I could almost taste it. We wandered about and looked at the various activities before she decided to eat first. We tried an abundance of foods and snacks. I could hear music, the excited shouts of children, and vendors announcing prizes from the game stalls.

After our feast, we stood in line at a smoothie stand. We both ordered the pina colada smoothie as we ventured further, looking at various games and rides.

"I need it", she stated, pointing her finger to a cute dinosaur plush. She practically dragged me over to a well-decorated game booth, where I paid the worker and he handed her a basketball. She dribbled the ball a few times before making a shot right through the hoop with perfect form. I was taken aback because I had no idea she could play.

"You got this!" I cheered, and she beamed back at me. Oh my God, she's so fucking cute. She made the last two shots with ease.

"Hell yeah!", I exclaimed as the worker handed her the plush. She looked so adorable observing the stuffed animal.

"So...basketball?", I asked.

"Yeah, my father taught me", she told me. Her smile falters as a flash of pain crosses her eyes. I grasped her hand, feeling my stomach twist. "Maybe I could teach you sometime?" She quickly suggested.

"Of course", I replied. We played a few more games, adding to the collection of stuffed animals. I didn't even realize it started getting dark. Ezra was shooting at some targets when I suddenly felt like we were being watched. I quickly scanned the area but didn't see anything suspicious.

"The fireworks will start soon, let's go watch from the Ferris wheel", she suggested, drawing my focus back to her. She placed another prize into the almost overflowing bag of our winnings. We strolled over to the line, stepping across the power cables that were stretched over the paths.

"I had no idea you were into toys", I snickered. She gasped and swatted my arm as I threw my head back laughing, attracting the attention of a few individuals.

"Would you stop, there are kids here!", she whispered, trying to contain her laughter. When we eventually boarded the Ferris wheel, I placed the fluffs in the seat opposite us as the ride began to move. It didn't take long for us to reach the top. Looking down I could see the glittering lights of the surrounding area. The first rocket catapulted towards the sky before shattering into thousands of sparks, blazing in a mirage of colors.

More fireworks blossomed in the night sky, transforming into giant masterpieces of vibrant luminosity. As the machine continued to spin, I felt a weightlessness in my stomach. I could feel the sound of each exploding rocket vibrating through my body.

"It's beautiful", Ezra murmured, causing me to look in her direction. I was taken in by my mate's utter beauty. Her eyes sparkled with the display of vivid colors.

"Very", I uttered softly, her gaze locked with mine as she smiled slightly flustered. My insides were humming with a blissful feeling seeing her smile; she was absolutely perfect. For some reason, I reached up and gently caressed her cheek. What am I doing? But she closed her eyes and relaxed into my touch, and I felt myself leaning in. I paused and sighed before placing a kiss on her cheek and pulling her into my side. She looked surprised by my actions but didn't move out of my embrace as we descended back toward the landing.

I grabbed the bag of stuffed animals as the operator opened the door of the passenger-carrying compartment. The last of the fireworks had disappeared, leaving only drifting smoke in its place. We departed the grounds, making our way back to the car.

"Thanks for today; it wasn't as dreadful as I imagined", she taunted walking backward to face me.

"Like you could've done better", I scoffed, admiring her more playful side.

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see", she quipped, turning around to open the car door.

"Bet," I said as we got into the car. I rushed to connect my phone before she could, causing her to swat my hand away from the music selection.

The journey to the packhouse was filled with random conversations accompanied by low music. Hers of course. Once we arrived, I helped bring in the prizes and dumped them all out on the couch. I smiled watching her put up some souvenirs on her shelves. She shook her head as she noticed me staring again. She slowly made her way over to me, with a look in her eyes I'd never seen before.

"Yes", she whispered, and I looked at her in confusion. "I never answered your question", she continued. "You can kiss me." Holy-

My insides were going crazy having her so close to me. I leaned in slowly, her eyes fluttering close as I inched closer. I groaned when I heard my phone start to ring.

"Let it go to voicemail", she whispered against my lips. I felt like my entire body was under her control at this point. The front door suddenly flew open causing us to pull apart. We turned to look at an irritated Tris in the doorway. Her features quickly turned to that of an amused one as she raised her eyebrows at us while smirking.

Ezra was staring at Tris in shock. I cleared my throat as my phone finally stopped ringing. I took it out seeing the missed call was from Elias. Just then, he appeared at the door, looking between the three of us in bewilderment.

"We need to leave", he stated, looking at me with a serious expression.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, furrowing my brows slightly.

"They're on the move, I'm sorry to cut this short", he explained, glancing over at Ezra before returning to me with an apologetic face. 

I exhaled deeply and turned to face her. "I'm sorry. I'll explain everything when I get back."

She clutched my hand, her eyes filled with worry. "I'll be quick," I promised before leaving with Elias.