Just Rose

33

Rose stayed at the cottage when Abby left later that day, Rose told her she needed to work on more sketches, but the truth was she needed alone time to try and get this overwhelming funk out of her system.

Rob had called late in the day, apologising to her for not calling, work had intervened, mucked up his plans, had kept him glued to the phone most of the day and he had to head into Inverness for an unplanned meeting with his solicitor and then onto his office in the city and the drive was long and laborious.

He wouldn't be back till extremely late and he told her not to wait up for him, apologising profusely for being so lame on the official first day of their engagement and making her giggle.

Disappointed and listless when she hung up. She hated feeling so out of whack. She had been holding her breath, waiting for his appearance to make her feel better. Today had dragged endlessly and been emotionally draining too.

Rose took a long soak in the tub, ordered take away for dinner and put on a smoochy movie before bed to relax her a little, but her ever rambling brain had stayed with her. That feeling of dread in the back of her mind. It seemed to be making its new home in there and she longed to go back to yesterday when it hadn't eaten so deeply at her.

Rob awakened her in the dark that night, that familiar hot body reaching for her smooth skin and soft curves. Bringing her to a surge of moans and tidal waves expertly before long as way of a hello and a sorry for being absent all day. Their bodies arching together and crashing down in a satisfied groan; she clung to him, the tears pricking her eyes at the perfection of it. Like some sort of dream in the darkness that she never wanted to wake from. He knew how to touch her, how to bring her to the heights of ecstasy so easily, as though she had been made for his touch alone. He knew instinctively how to make her forget everything for a while with the briefest motions, but it never lasted. Her mind would soon let the fears and doubts creep back in, once her waves subsided and the tingles dulled.

Rob was equally quiet afterwards; pensive in his mood, holding her gently and brushing her face with kisses before pulling her into an easy cuddle so that they could fall asleep. Her head resting on his strong chest and it wasn't long before they were both asleep.

He had again risen and left early, leaving her to sleep once more. The briefest kiss and murmur in her ear that he had to go as she hazily tried to focus on his face. It felt like a dream. When she finally woke fully, the absence of his body in her bed had her wondering if it had all been a dream.

Had she gone to sleep alone? Dreamed of his presence and woken up alone again? Had it all been wishful thinking?

The single baby pink rose laid across his dented pillow beside her, told her otherwise. She couldn't help the smile that broke across her face. Sitting up she could see the vase with the remaining roses displayed on her vanity. A single white envelope leaning against the frosted glass stem. The name 'Penelope' scrawled across in his bold neat handwriting.

Sliding from the sheets quickly, she almost leapt to reach the smooth white envelope, pulling it open carelessly. It was a glossy leaflet of a French cottage set in sunny surroundings and heavy fruit trees. A yellow post-it note on the front with his familiar script.