Exquisite ~ Book One

Fourteen~

I wake up with a jolt, tears freefalling from the wet of my eyes. I cup my face and lean forward with my elbows on my knees, sobbing silently as I do so.

"Anna?" Andrew asks in a hushed, concerned voice. Though it was tense with worry, it was still calm and soft and I only manage a shake of my head. "Want to pull over for the night?" He asks without pressure. I only manage a nod, before I hear the light noise of the blinker and feel the car turn to the left. He leaves the car and opens my door, taking my hand as he helps me out of the car.

Before he can shut my door, I embrace him, my head laying against his chest as I cry softly against him. "I thought I lost you..." I trail off as my breathing grows thick, my air shorter and harder to breathe.

"Anna, you'd never lose me. It was just a bad dream. I assure you that whatever happened a few minutes ago isn't ever going to happen." He strokes my hair, fingers parting the curls and then rests against the upper of my back, chin on the top of my head.

"I know," I say more for myself more than for him or anyone else. "I know," I repeat before raising my head and giving him a weak smile. He shuts my door, and holds my hand as we climb the stairs to our room.

"May I ask what happened, in this dream I mean?" He sits on the edge of my bed, my head on his shoulder as I cry silently, tears slipping from their embrace without cause.

"I wouldn't know what there would be to say." I respond back and then lie back, my blank stare returning to nothing more than the ceiling above. "All you'd done was look at me..." I trail off.

"Then what happened, Anna?" I swallow down and turn on my side, eyes closed as my lips press firmly against my fist.

"There was an accident, and I thought you wouldn't make it, I guess." I finish.

"Oh Anna, I'm so sorry." He says. In reality he probably had no idea what to say right then and there, would anyone?

-

After a good rest of sleep, I did come to realize that it was truly fake, and that made the day a lot easier to live and breathe.

"Are there any roses near us?" I ask Andrew as we hit the road.

"Is this why he calls you Rose?" Andrew responds with lack of emotion.

"Yes," I say with a small blush of the cheeks.

"But that was beyond the point." I state and sigh. "I feel such strongly and passionately for roses, their undeniable exquisite." I give him a grin and he laughs.

"I can't say that you're wrong in any sense, Anna, I'm just saying that it's a passion that I've never seen endured so largely." I let out a small of my own laugh and turn to look out the side of my window. Everything was so green and alive. It was absolutely beautiful.

"I take that as a compliment." I say lightly and go on smiling. I sigh and turn away from the window.

"I think I know something you'd like." Andrew says without notice and gives me one of his smirks that proves to me he's not joking about me liking it, and I never did doubt him.

-

Driving under a cherry blossom tree, I "ooh" and "ahh'. I liked it already, reading a nearby sign that said "Missouri Botanic Garden". It was absolutely alerting and loud in color and differentiation.

"It's so beautiful." I say with wider eyes, eyes full of wonder. It was a bigger place,a huge garden unlike any other I've seen before and I couldn't believe my eyes. It had so much more than roses like at home, or the flowers you'd find in a typical yard. It was something else. "Come here often?" I joke as he lets me out of the car. He laughs and takes my hand in the bigger one of his.

"Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a bit of nature, nonetheless that I get outside to seek it out. I have a passion as well, though not as strongly as you." I grin warmly and look up to him as he leads us forward and through the assorted gardens. It was all still unbelievable to me in such long of time. It felt like only a few minutes of walking the paths and trails of it, hearing the birds and watching butterfly wings flutter. "Close your eyes, there is something I want to show you." He says this time. I obey hesitantly, as his hand rests on the small of my back. I shiver briefly as he leads me forward. "Now open them." He commands. I do so, only to see tons to thousands of bloomed roses. There were so many in so many colors too.

I turn around, confused as to where Andrew had gone. "Andrew?" There was no response. I kept on walking, in search for him as panic slowly engulfs me. "Andrew!" I say a little louder. Someone taps my shoulder and I turn around, Andrew standing behind me with a rose within his open palms, hands outstretched to me. I gasp. "Andrew..."

"No, it's my turn to talk. Anna, you truly are this beautifully delicate flower with both petals and thorns. You always choose to stand out and stand tall, and I think I'm in love with you..." He bites his lip, cutting the last part off short as he does so.

"It's beautiful, but Andrew..." He signals me to stop, cutting me off.

"Please don't say anything. I want to remember this day..." With that, he turned and led me away.