Deadly Rose

Chapter 1

"No, no, please. I'm begging you; she is only a child. Please....".

I woke up all of a sudden, breathing heavily, sweating, scared, and anxious. At a quick glance, I saw that it was only 4 a.m. on the clock. However, I was aware that I would be unable to fall asleep again as this nightmare continued to haunt me. Therefore, I opted to take a shower.

Taking off my clothes, I looked at myself in a mirror. The scars were still there. They were a reminder of my unbearable flashbacks. A teardrop began to well up in the corner of my eye. I brushed it away and went to freshen up.

It was 6 a.m. when I finished my shower. I had two hours for myself before I woke up, Daliah. She sleeps like a baby. When I first saw Daliah two years ago, she was drunk and getting touched by a man. I knew what would happen to the girl if I had stayed out of the situation. So I took Daliah back to my place for the rest of the night. The following day, Daliah thanked me and told me that the night before, she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. Feeling down, she hit the club. Since she was living with that jerk and had no family in the city, I suggested she stay with me. Since then, we've become best friends.

In these two years, Daliah and I worked our asses off. Eventually, we managed to save up enough money to open our own florist shop. We were proud of ourselves.

Since it was too early, I made my cup of coffee and went to the balcony. I sat there with headphones on my head, watching the sunrise. Sometimes, I just want the time to stop so that I can breathe a little and escape this cruel world for a moment.

I sipped my coffee as I watched the sun rise. I stayed on the balcony for a while until it was time for me to get dressed and wake up Daliah so she could get ready.

"DALIAH! Get up, sleepyhead," I said, heading to her room.

It's always a struggle with her in the mornings. She was never a morning person.

"Five more minutes. Pleaaaseee," she muttered, covering her head.

"Come on, girl, we're going to be late," I said while opening the windows.

"Who gives a flying fuck? It's our shop anyway," she muttered, turning to the other side of her bed.

Technically, she was right. It's not like we were working for someone.

"You know what? I'll open the shop, then sleep a little more. Snoring snoozer, I said

"I love you, babe." She murmured again.

I closed the door behind me with a smile and went to get ready. Opting for a simple outfit—a white shirt, blue jeans, and some sneakers—I let my hair down.

After applying some mascara, blush, and lip gloss, I took one last glance in the mirror, grabbed my purse, and headed out of the apartment.

Our shop wasn't far from our house, so I decided to walk there.

When I got there, I opened the shop and pulled back the curtains. There was not much to do other than arouse the flowers and tidy the shop a bit. I decided to pass the time by creating some flower arrangements.

At 11 a.m., the front door swung open. I glanced up from my flower bouquet, smirked, then returned to my work.

"Well, good morning to you too," I said.

"Where do you find this energy so early in the morning, girl?" Daliah asked, sipping her coffee as she took a seat beside me.

I chuckled a little. "I just happened to wake up early today, that's all," I replied.