Forever Together

~15~(unedited)

Third person's P.O.V

Spring started. Officially marking the 2nd month since Miles's visit.

During said months, neither Alek nor Rosa interacted much. Alek had been offered and accepted a permanent position as head graphic designer under Sia and Ian as his bosses.

He accepted it, only because it meant he will have the opportunity to see Rosa more. But, much to his disappointment, Primarosa didn't feel the same.

She had internalized what happened with Miles and Selene. She was painfully self-aware in every second of that meeting.

She saw every glare, look and heard every word or grunt of disgust. All added to her already present physical pain she hadn't managed to cleanly deal with her feelings.

Instead, night terrors have started to invade her space. Filling her with a persistent feeling of dread that loomed over her everyday and night, only getting worse after each nightmare.

Some of them were very distinct memories of her rape and abuse.

All detailed and like video tapes saved neatly in her mind.

She wanted to see Alek, perhaps even needed to. But the simple thought of him envading her personal space made shivers run down her spine.

No. What I need now is time. Yes. Time. Just time. She would try calming herself. To her distress, her thoughts would come accompanied with another voice, speaking unwanted opinions.

"Time? Don't make me laugh. Alek must hate you now. If not because he already fucked you then because you ghosted him. You entered his life, gave him a chance at love and left it without a word. What a horrible person you are. The same person you always tried not to be."

Rosa would shake everytime that voice inside her head spoke. She would rock herself gently, in an attempt to calm her nerves, muttering things along the lines of "I am a good person. No one hates me. Why would they? I am not that bad, am I?" She would rock herself to sleep, only to be awoken with cold sweat dripping from her forehead after another nightmare.

Alek, having been affected by Selene's presence struggled to lay asleep without Rosa in his arms.

His memories have slowly started to resurface. He wanted Rosa to assure him that it wasn't true.

None of Selene's past words were true, but he didn't find her.

Everyday he would wake up with the hopeful feeling he will find her in his arms, sleeping peacefully, her long lashes leaving small shadows over her closed eyes, her black hair messy around him, and her rose like scent filling all his senses.

But as the days went, as he woke up without her in his arms, the flame that is his hope would waver, everyday, till a bare spark of hope remained. That bare spark that dissipated, leaving him with a grim and cold attitude, not even his own family recognized him to have.

In fact, no one who knew him recognized him. He had turned into a true middle aged man. His days consisting of sleep, then work, then home, watching the TV, then sleeping again. As dull as ever. He would describe.

Sia, who watched Alek's slowly degrading emotional display and overall cheerfulness, and Rosa's slow plunge into darkness and self-isolation, felt pity for the two.