FRAGMENTS ; Simon Riley

Chapter 17 (M)

ROSALIE.

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"I'll keep one blank page in case you come back."

This chapter is rated M for 18+ scene.

"IT'S about migraines and memories, isn't it?" More than a question, he sounded sure of himself, as if he knew about everything already. A shiver ran down my spine, I averted his gaze towards his direction while he busied himself on a few tasks.

He had just kicked Claire out of the house, it was just me and him and I didn't know what was going to happen. I could've insulted him, I could've yelled at him and argued with him, or I could've just talked.

"How did you know?"

My question was left lingering in the air. I felt panic rushing into my veins, heat creeping into my face, my body gradually shaking. No one knew about my accident, my frequent migraines, the memory lapses I suffered from. No one but my parents.

It wasn't even written on my medical records, I had started on blank paper in this work environment and I had no intention of bringing my past into the present. What I had lost, I left in the past, that I didn't even remember. Unfortunately.

The air seemed to thicken, Simon was making himself some tea, his back faced to me. He didn't answer me, didn't look at me or say a word, and I was starting to get irritated.

"For fuck's sake, Simon. Will you talk to me? What did you bring me here for?" I finally snapped, standing up from the chair and rounding the table to walk up to him. He froze, a spoon in a hand and in the other his cup of tea. "Talk to me! Answer me! I'm so damn tired of you."

Those words alone were enough to move him, to make him react and look at me. He pointed those hazel eyes at me, with so many emotions that I couldn't even decipher. His height towered over mine, he set down the cup down and pushed his body against mine, until I was trapped against the counter.

My face reached the height of his chest, the dogtags glittered in the sunlight, the engraved rose more defined. Scratches covered the metal, crushed and battered, as if a wheel had run over it, but the rose seemed intact compared to the initials written upon it. Tangling a finger around the chain, I pulled him down, until his nose was inches away from mine.

"Why do you always carry around two of them?" My voice came out like a whisper, my gaze unmoving from his.

"It's the only thing I have left of her." He answered me in a weak, sweet tone of voice, as if the memory were destroying his soul. Her?

He was breathing deeply, his eyes fixed on my face as he tried not to let go, not to destroy himself in front of me. He barely knew me, and I didn't know anything about him either. And yet it seemed like he had revealed one of his deepest secrets to me.

Gently, I placed my hands on his cheeks and caressed his skin so delicately. His stubble brushed against my fingertips, for a moment, he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, fanning over my lips. Who hurt you like this, Simon?

I wanted to ask him so many things, too many, but I was afraid of breaking the delicacy and vulnerability he was showing me.

I didn't even realize the moment he closed that little gap between our faces, placing his lips on mine. Butterflies exploded in my stomach, I immediately closed my eyes and let him kiss me, sending every thought away.

His lips moved slowly against mine, a little hesitant, but he gained confidence as soon as I removed his cap with one hand and pulled him closer to me with the other. He gave me too many emotions through the kiss, it was sending my mind and body into a tailspin. His hands hooked onto my hips and he immediately lifted me off the floor, making me sit on the table.