Eyes Behold

40. The Night Together

Jordan sat there still . He could figure out where this was going and he wasn't ready to believe it , believe that something that horrific could happen to the most loving and caring person he has ever met in his life. How could someone not be bitter towards life after going through something so.... cruel ? He just couldn't justify it . It seemed impossible to be this positive towards life .

He had in a sense lost both his parents too and that had made him detest life for a few years . He couldn't hate them and so he had decided to hate fate , this society and it's rules. But she , she didn't seem to share his thoughts.

Both came to a common conclusion of continuing the topic once they reach back in the hotel. All the way Rose was a bit tense and Jordan couldn't help but glance at her worriedly , all this while worst , obscure thoughts flooding his brain. He finally couldn't take it anymore and pulled Rose to himself wrapping his arms around her waist and resting her head on his chest. A satisfied grunt left his mouth as he finally relaxed back in his seat. Rose was taken aback but instantly relaxed in his arms, melting. He just had that magic.

Reaching the hotel , it was already past dinner and neither could find it in themselves to eat. So Jordan silently lead Rose to his room, holding her close by her waist.

Jordan just wasn't ready to let Rose go back to her room. He wanted her close. He needed her and for a moment he wondered amazed at the fact that he spent so many of his years wasting his life without her. How he was able to do that amazed himself as he waited for Rose to come out of his shower . He was pleasantly shocked at the fact that this lady here had been able to carefully weave her way into his life so much so that now if she tried to free herself, he was sure no one would ever be able to stitch it back.

That's when the lady of his thoughts revealed herself, entering the room in his clothes that he gave her . He wasn't ready to let her go anywhere . Moreover she looked so cute in his clothes which were quite baggy on her . Jordan pulled her hand the moment it came into his reach and made her sit next to him.

He squeezed her hand giving her a light smile. Rose felt the squeeze, she saw the smile but much more than that she saw the struggle waging inside him , about what ? She didn't know. But it was there , silent to others but loud and booming to her.

Rose sighed and slowly plunged herself to 4 years back , letting herself relive the fight with Chris , relive them sneakingly fix the vase , quibble over the playlist . Her light smile made him smile. It was as if he was there , watching them from the sidelines, a small Rose with even smaller brother running around the house. A pleasent yet stern looking mother chasing them and a cool father defending his kids. It was so pleasent , so nice.

He had missed it all his life and now he realised that she missed it too. Rose continued , reaching the red light , telling him about the treacherous car which stopped, telling him of the most horrific sound that still haunted her , the screech . She had thought she would keep it brief , small , not let herself plunge into it deep.

But once she started, she wasn't there sitting next to him, she was once again just like in her nightmares watching the scene unfold from the sidelines. She was watching a red truck approaching their black car. She was watching her family being toppled like a dice in someone's hand . She watched it all, the wounds , the grunts , the blood .

But this time she wasn't standing alone. Jordan was standing right next to her holding her tight. This time like always she didn't stumble onto the ground watching her parents wheezing , struggling for the most freely available element , air and then suddenly being freed of the struggle. This time Jordan held her close giving her strength and support while himself breaking inside looking at it all.