The Word Love

XVI

"We slept together," I heard Eric whispered to Rose, "That's something I can't forget."

"Oh really, because from what I heard, you forget half the girls you've slept with."

They were arguing in the kitchen as I sat in the living room watching Grey's Anatomy. I was holding an ice pack to my head to reduce the pain. Everything single muscle in my body felt heavy, and I just felt so exhausted. This entire week has been a pain in my ass.

"It was a mistake!" Rose suddenly yelled, "We were drunk and it happened! Big whoop."

"I wasn't drunk!" he exclaimed.

Then it became silent. There were no whispers or yells. Just silence.

I walked into the kitchen and then Rose opened her mouth.

"I can't be with you," she whispered.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because you are a complete asshole," she told him flat out, "I can't be with someone who hates the only friend I have."

I froze. She doesn't want to be with him because of me?

Rose walked out of the kitchen, leaving only Eric and I in here. He clenched his jaw and glared at me hatefully, "You always managed to ruin everything for me. Are you happy now?"

"Wait, E-"

He stomped out of the kitchen and I heard the front door slammed shut. Rose was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the television screen. I stepped in her view and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Go," I ordered her to leave.

"What?"

"Go," I repeated, "He really likes you, and I don't want you to throw this away because he hates me."

"But you're my friend," she frowned.

"And as your friend I'm telling you to go after him," I told her, "Don't throw away an opportunity like this."

She looked away, "What if he hurts me?"

I laughed softly, "You shouldn't walk away because you're afraid of getting hurt."

She shook her head, "No, I mean what if he hits me?"

My smile was wiped away in an instant.

"I don't want to go through something like that again," she mumbled.

"You won't," I sat down and wrapped my arms around her, "I knew him and he was never that guy, and he will never be the guy that forces or hits a female. I see the way he looks at you. He cares too much to do something so horrible to you."

"How are you so sure?" she pulled away to look at me, "He lost his dad. That could have changed him into a bad person."

"Remember when I slapped him?" I asked her and she nodded, "He could have hit me or shove me back, but he didn't. No matter how angry he was, he didn't resort to that type of violence."

And that was the truth. No matter how much hate I felt for him now, I couldn't deny the fact that he's a good person. Yes, he may sleep around too much and is an absolute asshole 99 percent of the time, but that doesn't mean he'll put his hand on a women like that.

"What if this is all just a game to him? What if he grows bored of me or breaks my heart?" she asked, her voice on the brink of breaking.

"It could be," I told her, "But he did drive to the house of someone he hates just so he could talk to you."

She smiled a little, "Yeah, I guess he did."

I smiled back and then turned my focus to the show playing on the television.

A gruesome scene came up on the screen and Rose scrunched her face up.

There was a man with his intestines falling out of his body because his stomach was torned.

"Are you afraid of getting hurt?" she suddenly asked, looking at me seriously, "Is that why you said no to Douglas?"

I didn't look at her, "Yes. I'm afraid of feeling that pain I felt when the accident happened."

"B-"

I finally looked at her, "I lost everything that day. I lost my friends, my parents, and my brother was and is barely holding on to his life. That pain I felt was insufferable and unbearable. I don't want to feel it again and I won't."

"Okay," she stated softly and held my hand.

"Okay," I sighed.

We cleaned up the kitchen, and she hung out for another hour before she had to go home. As soon as I closed the door, I could feel the familiar emptiness in the house.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled down my contacts until I stopped at Douglas's name. My thumb hovered over the call button as I contemplated whether to call him or not. Is it really a good idea? Shaking my head, I turned off my phone and headed upstairs to go to bed.

Maybe it's best if I don't call him. Yeah, better for the both of us.