Just Rosalie

Keeping It A Secret

THAT NIGHT, ROSALIE headed to her hotel room with a gigantic smile on her face, which certainly didn't go unnoticed by her mother.
"Someone got laid. Who with?"
Rosalie couldn't help but grin, but she wasn't yet ready to tell her mother about Elizabeth. It felt as though it would jinx it. So, instead she decided to come clean about Zoe.
"None of your business. But I do have a surprise for you."
"Oh... I love surprises. Is it a universal vibrator?"
Rosalie furrowed her brows and frowned. She wondered why her mother always had to be so inappropriate.
"I don't think there's such a thing, mum."
Rosalie never understood her mother's humor, to Kaitlyn's dismay.
"So, what is it then?"
Kaitlyn placed the book that she'd been reading down and removed her glasses from her eyes.
"Zoe..."
"I miss her."
Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest. It had been ten years, yet Kaitlyn reminisced as though it was only a few months.
"She's in New York."
Kaitlyn's eyes widened and a smile instantly formed on her lips.
"How do you know? Can we go see her?"
Rosalie sometimes felt as though her mother was more interested to have Zoe as her daughter. But Zoe was great, even though Rosalie hated to admit it.
"She's Henry's best friend's sister's wife."
"Sounds complicated. And she's married. Wow. Things have changed, huh?"
Rosalie nodded and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge.
"Yeah. We'll go see her tomorrow. It's too late now."
Kaitlyn nodded like a polite ten year old who wanted her parents to take her to Disneyland. Zoe couldn't be that great again. Rosalie sighed and took a seat next to her mother. She'd had strange feelings for Zoe, but it all felt irrelevant after she confronted her feelings for Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Rosalie talked about what they were doing, and decided to take it one step at a time, since both couldn't get their minds off the other.
"Imagine if things happened differently. You two could have been married, but instead you went after cougars and she settled down with someone else."
Rosalie nudged her mother's shoulder. She didn't appreciate the snarky remark about her love life.
"Says the woman who shags girls younger than her daughter."
"Don't act all high and mighty. You've been with women older than me too."
"It's not the same, mum."
Rosalie smiled as her mother stuck her tongue out in a childish manner.
"Whatever makes us happy, right?"
"Of course."
Kaitlyn stood and stretched her arms. She'd gotten bored of being cooped up in the hotel room and wanted to do something fun, but what? The last time that they went out together, Lee had showed up and ruined it. Kaitlyn didn't want to risk it, not when Rosalie hadn't filed the restraining order yet. So instead, they ordered room service-food and a bottle of wine. As they ate dinner, they watched the show Art Dealers, and talked about the most random things. When Rosalie received a text from Elizabeth, a smile immediately spread across her lips, which Kaitlyn noticed.
"I hope that's not Lee."
Rosalie scrunched up her nose and shook her head as she sent her reply. Elizabeth was heading to bed, and apparently was only in her panties. Rosalie sank her teeth into her bottom lip and rubbed the screen with the pad of her thumb. She found the forbidden-ness of their relationship to be a great turn on. Was she always like that? Did she like the chase? Was the catch her greatest prize? Maybe, that's why most women that had been into her, she didn't reciprocate the same feelings. It was too easy. Rosalie seemed to like a bit of difficulty-the chase, for sure.
"Uh. No. It's someone else."
Kaitlyn looked at her daughter amused. She could see the blush forming on Rosalie's cheeks, and the sound of the shyness in her voice.
"Okay, who is it, then?"
Rosalie rubbed the back of her neck with the palm of her hand and shrugged. She'd keep her personal life private for the time being, even though she really wanted to tell her mother.
"No one."
Rosalie mumbled making Kaitlyn snatch the phone and look at the screen.
"Beth?"
Luckily, Kaitlyn didn't know who Elizabeth was-that she was Lee's ex-wife. Kaitlyn smiled as she looked through the messages. As much as Kaitlyn knew that it wasn't a good idea to get involved with someone so soon after a breakup, she also knew that Rosalie could use the distraction. Elizabeth seemed to make Rosalie happy. And that's all Kaitlyn could ask the heavens for-her daughter's happiness.
"She's just someone I met."
Kaitlyn handed Rosalie her phone and wiggled her eyebrows with a wide smile. She wanted to know the details, even though her daughter was hesitant. She'd pry the juicy details out of her.
"Just someone, huh? Where did you two meet? Just somewhere?
Rosalie gulped and frantically moved her eyes over the room. Her mother wanted answers, for sure. But should Rosalie be honest? Though Kaitlyn always supported Rosalie with every decision that she'd made, Rosalie was still afraid of disapproval. What would Kaitlyn say about Elizabeth, if she knew the truth? Would she say that it was a bad idea? Rosalie didn't want to hear that it was a bad idea-she really didn't.
"Mum, please. I don't want to jinx it..."
"You still believe in that rubbish? I want to meet this mysterious woman that you've been seeing. I am your mother, after all."
Kaitlyn was being her overprotective self. After what she'd seen with Lee, she realized that she had to be more vigilant in her daughter's love life. Before, she'd allowed Rosalie to make her own decisions and be able to choose a partner without any interference. But she knew that it was time that she stepped in and scoped out if there was any potential for a good relationship. And if there wasn't, she wouldn't hesitate to inform Rosalie. Rosalie, of course, could have done whatever she wanted. She was a grown woman. But Kaitlyn could, at least, give a perspective, since she knew her daughter to sometimes be oblivious to the inadequacy of her lovers.
"You're going way too mama bear on me now. I'm old enough to have a private life."
Rosalie got up and inhaled a deep breath. She clutched her phone and decided to head into the bathroom to continue texting Elizabeth before the woman fell asleep.
"Fine then. I'm heading to bed."
Rosalie looked as her mother turned off the lights and got under the covers. She knew that Kaitlyn was upset, but Rosalie stuck to what she wanted.
"I'll come to bed in a bit."
Rosalie headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She'd always been open about her new relationships to everyone. But it was time that she allowed her relationship to settle in first before she started to discuss it with anyone. After all, Elizabeth wasn't just any other woman.