Flower He Couldn't Pluck

CHAPTER 42

ROSE'S POV

The darkness of the place comes into the picture as I slowly open my eyes. I groan spontaneously while trying to get up from the cold surface.

Where am I?

Sinking in my surroundings, I notice I've been lying in a small room with dust all over. It looks abandoned.

My eyes are still adjusting to the darkness. Is it night already?

Or there's no source of light in this abandoned room. How did I get here?

Pushing the ground and with the help of my wobbling knees, I manage to stand on my feet.

I stumble a little before taking support from what looks like an edge of the table nearby. I was with King in a car as I recall previously. Where is he?

My feeble body flounders itself as the undying silence gets disturbed. Who is there?

Those dangerous men again? 

The rustling and thumping get louder, making my heartbeat irrational. Looking around manically, I ran to fetch a corner for hiding. Hitting many unseen items around, I finally halt when my head hits a wooden wall.

My heart drowns in the sea of fear as I hear the noise of the door opening piercing my ears. This wooden house is ancient.

I hold my breath. The person's heavy footsteps rule the house. By the side of my eye, I could see it was really dark outside as no sun rays met the floor upon the intruder's bashing in.

What time is it? For how long have I been out?

I need to get out of here as soon as possible! But where am I? And King?

Did they catch him? I could feel my eyes becoming wet and a soft gasp evaded my lips. Shit!

"Rose?" King?

"Rose?" He calls out my name again. Oh god, it's him.

"King," I retort.

A huge wave of relief leaps all over me upon realising it's him.

"Stay wherever you are, let me light the fire first." He whispers in a tone just enough for me to listen.

"Okay," I reply, nodding frantically.

The noise of wood clattering continuously invades my ears from a distance. He was out to grab the wooden pieces.

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Not taking so long, he ignites the manual pit enlightening the place. He looks in the direction from where Rose's voice came and his tensed eyebrows neutralise upon beholding her.

"Here, you must be cold," He speaks while patting on the ground beside her after dusting it off.

Rose goes and sits beside him. Her shivering lips and skin calm a little when the warmth of fire reaches her.

"Where are we?" She asks after a short while.

"I don't know." He replies.

She looks at him. Many overwhelming emotions run inside her mind, many questions. But her eyes caught something that managed to put everything aside, "Your shoulder, he," As if remembering the same incident, her eyes deflected the similar fear.

"He shot you."

"I'm okay now." He replies quickly. A hint of hesitation was evident in his voice that goes overlooked by Rose. He knows where this conversation is going and he is not competent to show the dark side of their lives to her. Not yet.

"We were in the car then why are we here, we could've gone-"

"The car ran out of gas. We gotta spend the night here somehow, we'll be off to the mansion by morning." She nods in response.

"What were you doing at your university anyway? You were told to rest for a few days."

Rose gulps her dry throat. Recalling why she was told to rest in the first place.

"It was the tournament day and-"

"And you performed?" He asks, staring for the time since she sat beside him.

"Yes," She pauses but continues as his stare demanded more.

"I wasn't going to but Jane backed off. And I'm thankful to her for that." A smile forms on her face. She recollects her performance.

It takes almost every nerve in him to turn his head away from her pretty face. He nods lightly at her answer.

So many questions are ruling her mind. And his too. As much as King is grateful for the time he's spending here alone with her, he curses himself for the same. She is in this dilemma because of him. She was in danger because of the enemies he has earned over the past few years.

"Is that normal for you? For Tyler?" Rose breaks out right after the environment was reaping comfortably.

He switches his gaze to her, asking her to continue inwardly.

"I was standing there with this foreign fear in my heart. There wasn't a moment of my ease till Tyler came. And he was so cool,".

"As if it was nothing for him." King clenches his jaw slowly. "And then you showed up and shot him." It agonises King's heart to see a hint of panic in her eyes.

"Who were they?" She drifts her vision to him, "Who are you?"

The noise of coal flying into the air regimes the atmosphere of the wooden room. The speakers' eyes dived into each others', hoping to locate an answer.

None of them cuts the silence for the next few minutes.

"My family died three years ago," He inhales sharply, "I was not home and it was my dad's birthday." Rose's eyes soften at his helpless tone.

"When I came back I found them in my room, lying there cold and unconscious. I-" He looks down at his lap reflexively. All the pain that he's been carrying in his heart for all these years rushes in.

"They were dead. My mom, dad, brother, all of them."

"Someone killed my family." His helplessness was turning into anger. A tear skipped Rose's eyes. No one deserves to be in such pain, she thinks.
No one deserves to see what he saw.

A sudden urge to comfort him vaults over her before she rubs his forearm. His attention accumulates at her touch and something flickers in his eyes. Rage. Resentment.

He clenches his jaw instinctively. She is the one. Ace. She is the one to be used in taking the mouse out of his bill.

DYLAN'S POV

So close. I am so close to getting my vengeance.

The pawn is right in front of my eyes then what am I waiting for? Why these mixed sentiments?

I am stuck in this endless loop of protecting her and seeking my revenge. I was so good until she came.

Is she more important than my revenge now? More important than my family?

Why do I want her safe? Why does it pain me to see her suffering? She is supposed to get hurt. She is supposed to get used and ruined.

She is supposed to die if that's what it takes to have my revenge.

Die?

Does she have to die?

"King,"

"No!" Taken aback by my sudden outburst, she eyes me wholly. These lively eyes would be no more?

What the fuck is happening to me? What the fuck is wrong?

"W- What happened?" She asks.

"It's all because of you!"