Silhouettes, Cigarettes, and Boys in Leather Jackets

Chapter Nineteen

I woke up to one of the most beautiful laughs I had ever heard.

It was a woman, a young woman. I couldn't recognize her, but she looked friendly. The glint in her dark chocolate eyes made me want to trust her immediately.

"Dallas really didn't get you a fresh shirt to sleep in?"

The woman glanced at my white shirt, dried blood staining it. I winced at it, then looked back up at her. She laughed again.

"It's alright. Dallas isn't much of an after-care man. You can wear one of mine. You'll look good in red." The woman stood up from her bed, the one with the flower on it.

"You're Rose?" I blurted, remembering Jack mentioning a Rose last night. The nameplate made it all too obvious.

"Rose Blanchett, nice to make your acquaintance!" Rose gave a faux curtsy, winking at me. I laughed.

I loved her outfit. Her red shirt had flared shoulders, and her jeans had a few rips in them. Usually, I would think that ripped jeans were old and ratty, but Rose made them look good. The bell-bottoms and the flare top... I wanted it.

"Kiera Brooks." I shook her hand, and she nodded.

"Jack told us a little bit about you this morning. You're a late sleeper." Rose walked over to her bedside, opening a bag and digging through it.

"What time is it?" I asked, looking around for a clock.

"Half past nine." She answered, holding up a red cardigan and placing it over her shoulder like a towel.

The loft seemed nicer in the morning light. It was smaller than I had thought. The warehouse was small, probably about the size of the average two-car garage. The loft made up a second floor.

"Here you go! We can go shopping when your ankle feels better." She winked at the word 'shopping', and I assumed that there wouldn't be much paying going on.

The shirt was red floral print, and it went very well with the cardigan. Usually, I did not like wearing them, but it just looked amazing. This woman was good at getting me out of my comfort zone.

"How long have you been in New York?" I asked, and Rose smiled.

"My whole life. My mother was from South America, and she met my dad here." Rose stared out into space for a moment. "They died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I paused for a moment. "My mother died too."

"How?" Rose glanced over to me, and I took a deep breath.

"She was shot. I don't like talking about it."

Rose nodded. "I know it was rude to ask. My parents died in an automobile accident. My father was a drunk, and my mother loved him too much to notice something was wrong."

I shook my head.

It didn't make sense to me how loving someone could blind you. Shouldn't it feel like clarity? I had never been in love before, but I had seen it. When my mom looked at my dad, I saw love. Dad was so broken after Mom that he couldn't stand to be where she had once been. We packed up and left.

I couldn't imagine being partial to the blame of your loved one dying. At least Rose's mother didn't survive it. It seemed like such a terrible thought, but the pain would last for a lifetime.

"Girls-"

Jack ran up the stairs, and Rose huffed. "Go away, Jack, it's my turn to talk to Kiki!" She threw a sandal at him, and he caught it out of the air.

He grinned, biting his lip to stop a laugh. Jack glanced my way, and I blushed.

"Kiki now, is it?"

I shrugged, breaking eye contact. I didn't know what was going on with me, but I wasn't used to having this reaction to a guy. Butterflies were not common for me, yet here we were.