Rose and the Thorn (Fallen Tales series)

Chapter 11

Chapter 11
Patrick
I could still remember the feel of her skin under my own. I couldn't believe how long I had gone without the touch of another till I was touching her body. Five years. Five years I have denied myself, I forced myself away from more than I realized. Human connect. Female affection. Love. It was a whole new feeling.
Three days ago, I saved Rose Hill from death of wolves. In that I relived the night of when my family died and the death of my old self. When Rose came she opened something that I thought was long gone. Me. I let my scares wear me and my bedroom hide me. No more.
I got out of bed before Jenson woke me. I searched through my cupboards for clothes. A blue collared shirt and jeans would have to do. I pulled them on feeling like I had all this energy. Energy I hadn't used in five years.
I met Jenison at the bottom of the stairs with my breakfast tray. He look gobsmacked. His eyes wide as if he didn't believe what he saw. I didn't believe what I felt. For the first time in five years I wanted to be awake and not in the land of the dead.
"Come on, Jenson, people will think that you've seen a ghost," I told him walking past him.
"Yes Sir."
I sighed. What did I want? What did I want?
"Jenson, where's Rose?" I asked.
"In her room Sir. She's been complaining since you told her that she wasn't allowed to work till her ankle was better. Why, Sir?"
I shrugged. I didn't really have a reason, all I knew was that I wanted to see her.
"No reason," I headed towards the hall that lead me to the Servants' Hall.
"Ah Sir, what do you want me to do about your breakfast?" he asked.
I shrugged again. Things like breakfast didn't seem important anymore.
"I don't know Jenson, you're the one with the brain," I turned and headed to the hall.
"So they keep telling me Sir!"
I found my way to the women's' quarters quite easily. And the sound of music helped a bit. As I walked up the light hallway, I remembered what upstairs looked like during the day. Like a bunch of diamonds.
Rose's door was opened. I looked at her bare legs as she lied on the beds with only a white singlet and black underwear on. Her head was suck in a book letting my eyes have a look around before I spoke. She had pushed the two beds together and posters of American actors were stuck to the ugly grey walls. But you couldn't miss the stack of books.
"I love what you've done with place," she looked up and basically jumped out of her skin.
She quickly covered herself with the doona as she said, "Son of a bitch, I thought you English people were known for your politeness."
I couldn't help but found myself chuckling.
"Do you make a habit of sneaking up on a girl in her room?" she asked.
"No, I just wanted to see how you were doing," I admitted.
Though her face was serious, her auburn eyes were playful.
"Well seeing that you have ordered me to stay in bed till I heal, I haven't left. So there," she lifted her book to cover her smile. I didn't have that luxury. Her eyes kept flicking from the book, to my cheeky smile and back to the book.
"What are you reading?" I asked. She turned the book cover to look at it.
"Shiver," she answered.
"Yeah, what's it about?" I asked. I really just wanted to hear her accent.
"Well there's this girl called Grace and she was attacked by wolves when she was, like, five. And one of the wolves saved her from basically being eaten. But it turns out that the wolf was actually this guy called Sam. There's a lot of things in between but they fall in love and live happily ever after. I've read it five times," she admitted.
"How can you read a book more than once?" I asked.
She looked at me as if I was stupid.
"So you're telling me that you've never read a book more than once?"
"No."
"Not one book?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
I sighed, "I don't know. Maybe because I already knew how it ends. Why read it again when I already know how it's going to end?"
"So you can relearn what makes their story different from your own," she answered.
"But it's fictional."
"But isn't that what books are for? To take you from the horrible, sucky situation the world as given you."
I shrugged, "I write, I don't read."
She frowned, "You write, like what?"
"I did write, I don't anymore," I corrected.
"Sorry, what did you write?" she asked again.
"Poetry, mostly. A book or two."
"Are they good?"
"I don't know. No body's ever read them."
"I would."
Her eyes shined bright as the thought of reading my work made her excited. Happy even. But it just made me more confused of her character. This Rose was different to the one I fought with nearly every time we crossed paths. I was actually having a conversation with her.
I nodded feeling like I had accomplished more than I had set out to do.
"I'll let you get back to your book."
"Okay," her voice was quiet behind the cover of her book. Her eyes were the last thing I saw as I made my way to the steel staircase.
Jenson stared at me from the top. His eyes filled with wonder.
"I just wanted to see how she was," I admitted quickly. I walked pasted him before he could asked anymore questions to why I was down there.







Chapter 12
Rose
Low played in my earphones as I swept the void. I danced in my own special way almost forgetting Patrick's watchful eyes on me. But I couldn't help but move my body and sing the song the way I know how.
I rolled my body in time of the music while going down.
"Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low." I shot back up howling to the roof.
"God," I said trying to catch my breath, "that really takes it out on you. Worse than moping the ball room."
"Where did you learn to dance like that?" He asked. I took my earphones out and walked closer towards him.
"Where do you think?" It was a rhetorical question but yet he still thought about his answer.
"Honestly?"
"If you're going to be honest." I've been hanging around Jenson for too long. He thought about what I had said and shook it away.
"On a stage, with a pole." My eyes widened and my mouth dropped.
"What no! That's how people dance!"
"I have never dance like that," he stated shocked.
"Yeah well your not people."
"No, I'm not American."
I was stick of the two of them pointing it out. Yes I am an American!
"Why does it have to come back to that? Brazilians belly dance. People in India do that Hindi thing. What do English people dance like?" I asked trying to prove my point.
"Waltz, foxtrot -."
"Okay your people dance like that. People that live in mansions dance like that. Normal people dance the way I do."
He sighed as if he had lost the argument. He had.
"Okay, show me."
I couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. He wanted me to teach him how to dance?
"Okay."
He stood and led me to the middle of the void. I pulled out my earphones letting the song ring across the walls.
"Okay, so what do I do?" He asked. I couldn't help but find this hilarious.
"Just bop to the music."
He looked at me as if he didn't believe me but then started to bop his head. I bit my lip trying to hide the fact that this was such a turn on. I placed my hand on his shoulder and rolled my body against his.
"Boots with the fur, with the fur."
I turned around as his hands slid up and down my sides. I bent over slowly moving up. The feeling to moan was so great that I almost couldn't help myself. He took my hand and span my around back to him. My hands cupped his board shoulders as his hands were planted on my tailbone. I broke away from him, waking up from my trance.
I coughed, "okay, that was good." I ran a hand through my hair, feeling sweat rolling down my cheek.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked confused.
I felt a panic, "no you were good, that was good. I have to get back to work."
I picked up the broom and walked down the hallway.
Why did my body react that way when he touched me? Why did my mind want to unbutton his grey shirt? Why did I want to take off his pants with my teeth? Oh God.
I leaned on the wall as I tried to catch my breath. Stop it Rose. Stop being stupid.
I wanted to scream at my body. Get a hold of yourself.
He is like, a billionaire. He is English, went to a rich school. I went to a public school. I moved from apartment to apartment. Only just getting by.
Don't you dare screw this up? Don't you bloody dare?