"I am a man of my word," Alexi said, walking closer. "And I promise you, Rose, that I will make you mine."
He was pitch black darkness in the grey of her life. He was her solitude. He was her savior.
She was his life.
She was his Rose.
. . .
Ale...
The heart has been deceived and the deceiver is in the heart
- Jaun Elia
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
. . .
"You are fucking kidding me right now." She was really mouthy.
I kept the box down in front of her, on her table as she glared up at me. Her body may be frail - but her eyes were not.
"Pick it up then." I shrugged.
She glared at the box. It was a giant box, a box she claimed she could easily carry in her little hands. Rose didn't lack in many things but she certainly lacked in upper body strength...and lower body strength if her panting after walking across the bookstore was any evidence.
"Pick it up, Rose."
She turned her nose up, glaring at me with those beautiful green eyes behind her glasses. "I will. Go away, Alexander."
Alexi. How I wanted to hear my name from those lips. But it'd have to wait till I dealt with my father and the Creeds. Telling her who I was would only result in me endangering her.
I smirked, unable to help myself. "Why not in front of me?"
She slammed her hands down on the table. "Go away!" She was a little kitten screaming at a wolf - a wolf who just wanted to devour her whole.
I shrugged. "Okay."
I walked away, attending to a few customers.
And then I heard it, the thump of someone hitting the ground.
I jogged towards where Rose sat and there she was, sprawled on the ground, the box laying torn a few feet away from her, its books spilt out.
She groaned as she sat up, adjusting her scarf. "Fuck everything."
I grabbed her arm gently, pulling her up. "You are too fucking stubborn for your own good."
"Pack it up, Mr. Muscle," she grumbled, ripping her arm away from me. "Go away. I don't need your help."
I sighed. Just how stubborn could a woman be? There was a time I could not imagine a woman being more stubborn than Alisa, but here Rose was, proving me wrong.
Deciding to not banter with her, I picked the books up, setting them up on the counter as she ran to get to billing as a line had formed. The staff was low today - it was Friday. I wondered if Rose had any plans.
A few hours went by and it was nearing five, time for Rose and I to go home. And time for her to tell me what the fuck was wrong with her. I was an observant man, but Rose was really secretive. She knew how to hide. Only the people who hold big secrets know how to hide like that. I'd know, of course, I was holding too many secrets.
I caught her as she exited the bookstore. "What's wrong with your ribs?"
She rolled her eyes, looking radiant in the soft neon lights of the cafe next to the bookstore as we walked on the sidewalk. "I was fighting off thugs. One of them kicked me on the ribs."
"Lie."
"I was going up the stairs and accidentally slipped."
"Lie."
"I was playing football."
"Which one?"
"American."
"Lie."
"British."
"Lie."
"Fuck you, Alexander."
I smirked. "That can be the truth if you just say the word, Rose."
Her cheeks heat up. "Damn you."
"I'm already damned."
I put my hands in the pocket of my leather jacket. It felt a little different to not be dressed in suits all the time as I used to be back home in Russia.
She looked up at me. "Did someone one day put a gun to your head and say 'only wear dark clothes from now on otherwise I'll shoot your brains out?'"
"Did someone put a gun to your head and say 'always be a fucking brat or I'll shoot your brains out?'"
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not a kid."
My eyes traced her face. "Believe me. I know."
She adverted her eyes, cheeks heating up again. "Why are you walking with me?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "I don't have any place to be at the moment."
"Don't you have friends?"
Nikolai was probably my only friend. "I do. They are busy." He was busy keeping Alisa safe who was busy keeping Olivia safe. This whole shitshow was too much to keep track of.
She hummed, looking down at her shoes as she walked. "I like walking."
I hummed. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "You are annoying."
"What's wrong, Rose?"
She lifted her head, looking at me. She blinked rapidly and sniffled. "Nothing."
"Are you high?"
"I took pain meds."
"How much?"
She scrunched her nose up. "Not much. I know the safe amount."
I stopped, grabbing her arms gently. She looked like she could crumble any second. She looked up at me, nose still scrunched adorably. "I need coffee, Alex."
I hummed. "Yeah?" She looked a little disoriented. But I saw no sign of the amount she had taken being too much. This showed that she was used to taking painkillers.
She was used to getting hurt. There were no thugs she fought or a game she played. This was something else but I felt as if I pushed, she'd break in my arms.
"We'll get you coffee."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting her sink into me, as we walked to the cafe. "Who hurt you, Rose?"
She sighed. "Me."
That did not sound like a lie.
. . .
I feel like I haven't written an author's note in ages. How's everyone? I've been having a stressful week but uk, that's life.
