Following Hearts

The Encounter

Rose shuffled out of the ballroom, her feet sore from dancing and standing for hours in four inch stilettos. Damned shoes, Rose thought. The sounds of chatter died down as Rose began to move up the stairs. Finally, silence filled the room and eased her mind.

She couldn't wait to get her heels off once she got upstairs. Maybe shower, read, relax. Or maybe just fling herself onto the bed and cry. Who knows? After a day like today I think I deserve a little breakdown.

Her fingers lazily trailed the railing along the staircase and she almost stumbled on one of the steps. Luckily, her dress was still relatively intact after all the partying downstairs. Although, a few strands of beading had started to come undone after she hit the dance floor.

Suddenly, Rose felt something grab her hand and she whipped around to face whatever it was. Her head spun for a moment and her vision blurred. Too much champagne, Rose made a mental note.

When her vision cleared, she gasped at what she saw.

"Felix?" Rose slurred, blinking a few times. "Is that really you?"

"Yes my love." Felix leaned in closer. Rose shoved him away from her and felt anger bubble inside her.

"I am not your love," She spat, fire burning behind her eyes.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Felix stepped towards Rose and she backed away. "What are you doing? Come here and listen when I talk to you." Felix snatched her wrist and pulled her back towards him. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"Because I saw you with Joplin." Rose bit her lip, trying not to lose her composure.

"I told you, I was helping her up. Nothing's going on between us. God, you are so-"

"Not that time," Rose interrupted quietly. "In the stables." Recognition flashed across Felix's face. Rose expected his grip to loosen so she could escape, but it only tightened.

"What were you doing there?" Felix's nostrils flared. "Where you spying on me?" His fingernails began to make marks on Rose's skin.

"No, of course not, I'm sor-" Rose caught herself trying to apologize. "I was on my way to tell you that the wedding was off. That we could finally.... We could finally be together." Felix's grasp loosened and his expression softened. Rose took this as an opportunity to pull her arm away. Her rubbed at her wrist, noticing small, red fingerprints indented there.

"We can finally be together?" He smiled and reached to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Rose's ear. She swatted his hand away, earning a confused glance from the stableboy.

No, you... you bastard!" Rose found herself yelling suddenly. "I saw you sleeping with another woman! We're not... I'm not... This is over. Us-we are over." She stormed off, making sure to hold her head up high as she did so.

"Please, Rose." Felix ran in front of her, holding his hands out in front of him. "It didn't mean anything. I don't feel anything for her. I promise." He let a small smile play on his lips and Rose found herself, for the first time, truly disgusted by him. She turned her eyes to the ground.

"Why would you sleep with her then?" Rose crossed her arms over her chest.

"You weren't... giving me what I needed." Felix stepped closer to Rose. "I didn't want to be with anyone else, but you didn't give me any other option. Joplin was willing to do things that you weren't." He shrugged and Rose fumed.

"You said I was crazy," Rose uttered, her voice barely reaching Felix's ears. "You said I was imagining things." She brought her gaze up to his. "You threw me into the dirt and told me that I didn't deserve your love and then slept with another woman." Bitter tears escaped Rose's eyes as she hissed her next words. "How do you expect me to forgive you after all of that?"