Women Weaken Legs - A Rocky Balboa Fanfic

The Party at Gatsby and Rose's

Rocky POV

We're all finished up at the Library and its beginning to get a little bit later in the day. I really don't want my time with Rose to end. We head back out on the street. She looks up at me, her little beautiful hands wrapped around my arm as we walk. 

"So what now Rocko?" 

I hum to myself thinking about how I can keep this date going. 

"Ya oughtta be hungry by now huh? You know of any good places to eat?"

She smiles. I don't think she wants today to end either.

"Oh I know of this reaaalllly great place, Rocky. We're not too far from it either. The chef there is just absolutely fabulous. I promise you'll love it there." She says laughing a little. I don't understand what's so funny

"Why ya laughing? Are you gonna take me ta somewhere ridiculous? What's this place called anyways?" I'm really down for anything but her expression has me confused. She tries to wipe the grin off her face. She looks up at me all seriously and composed.

"Don't worry I promise, I promise you'll like it" She avoids my question and my eye contact. 

"Rose, what's it called?" Now I'm laughing at how oddly suspicious she's being.

"I can't tell you! Just trust me Rocky please?" Finally her gaze meets mine. By looking at her I feel as though it would break her heart for me to decline. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose have turned pink from the cold air. She's so beautiful. I wanna hold her and warm her up. 

"Ah whatever you say, Rose. This just better not be no tomfoolery, okay?" She grins the cheekiest grin in all of Philadelphia. Ear to ear. I feel kinda ridiculous and I don't know if I'd ever say this out loud, but she's really got me feeling some typa way. Butterflies all in my stomach. I have absolutely no idea what to expect with her.

"Okay Rocky." She thinks to herself for a moment and looks back up at me. "Do you wanna race me there?" I let out a laugh in surprise. I don't know how she expects me to race her when I don't even know where we're headin. 

"Absolutely I do." Before I can barely finish my sentence, she laughs, lets go of my arm, and takes  off running in her long coat and lil high heeled boots. I have no idea where we're heading but I follow her. I let her think she's winning for a little. I can hear her pure laughter ahead of me. I decide to catch up and I run in front of her. She lets out a playful "Hey!!" when she realized I passed her. I have no clue where I'm going so I keep heading straight. I cross a dead intersection and she hollers at me "Wrong way Rocko!!" I sigh and stop for a moment before turning around, chasing her, once again letting her win a little. Her running slows and she stops in front of an apartment complex. 

"I win!!! Hah! Rocky I won!!!" She turns around and hollers her victory to me. I'm still incredibly confused. She must be messing with me. I grab her hands. 

"Rose. This don't look like no food joint with a fabulous chef to me" I remark gesturing to our current surroundings. 

"Well you're wrong" She says, raising her eyebrows giving me a proud and sassy look. She climbs up the stairs to meet the door and pulls out her keys. 

"Is this your place?" I'm still a little confused but I think I'm beginning to understand. 

"Maybe." She looks back at me for a second before opening the door and gesturing for me to come in.

"You know, you didn't have to make a whole conspiracy to get me over here." I laugh while she grabs my hand. We make our way up two large sets of stairs. This girl is something. It's crazy how instantly comfortable I feel around her. I feel as though I've known her for years or somethin.

"Well I know that! Its just, I decided I really wanted to cook for you and things are more fun this way. I promise I really am a good cook. You can be my sous chef!" She explains while gracing me with her cheeky grin. 

"Oh Rosie I really don't know if you want that. Im really not too good at cooking." I admit a little sheepishly. I've been living on my own for about 6 years and I still just can't get it. I won't lie, I don't have much of the ambition to try. My diet mainly consists of just protein and the stuff I have to eat for training. When I'm not training, honestly I indulge in probably much too many sweets.

"What!? C'mon, Rock its easy. What can you cook?" She opens the door to her apartment and throws her keys in a dish. I help her take off her coat and she slides off her boots. Her modest apartment is covered in greenery and is full of eccentric trinkets galore. Painting and pictures cover her walls. She has a guitar hung over the mantle. I am blown away. I have to take a second to remember what she just asked me.

"Uhhh. Emm. Not much. I can bake chicken breast and cook rice.... I know how to steam vegetables. Im s'posta eat eggs for my training but they always come out scrambled. That's pretty much it." I divulge a little embarrassed. I keep looking around all the details this madhouse of an apartment she has. 

"Oh Rocky, that's not too bad. I'll teach you if you let me. Its easy! You'll be my sous chef for now but soon I promise you'll be cooking whole feasts of your own. I know you can do it" She declares while slinking through a beaded curtain leading to her kitchen. I follow her through. A big orange fluffy cat rubs against my ankles. 

"Who is this big guy?" I saw while I kneel down to give him a pet. He's huge. 

"Oh that's Gatsby. Some people think he's mean but I just think he has boundaries. Just gotta learn how to read him. Isn't that right Gats?" She explains while she picks him up. I laugh at the idea of a cat establishing boundaries. 

"Nice to meet ya Gatsby. So what are we tryna cook? I don't know how much of a help I'll be but I'll absolutely do my best." I'm a little worried about cooking. I aint ever really tired too hard at it.  She lets out a hum as she ponders still holding and petting her orange beast with boundaries. She puts him down and begins to look around her pantries to see what's in stock. 

"Well...I think we should start you off with something easy that you already know how to do but we'll spice it up. Im thinking we'll bake some chicken over vegetables and we'll make some cilantro lime rice. How's that? Not too hard hm?" I let out a sigh.

"I don't know mama, we'll find out" I utter, a little unsure of what to expect. She smiles excitedly.

"How about some music hmm? I have a wonderful mixed cassette I've been obsessed with" She heads over to her little orange radio and turns on some jazzy soulful stuff I've never heard. I make my way to her sink to wash my hands and we get to it.