All Roses Have Thorns

Erin XVI

"Alright, I don't want to stay out too long, so we should probably head back." She stood up and took one last look at the dark ocean.

Zach brushed himself off. "Are we going to have dinner by ourselves then?"

"Yeah." They started walking.

It was quite dark, and he couldn't see much in front of him. "Erin?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Uh, yeah? There's only one path." She kept walking, a few small twigs snapping under her feet.

"Well, I can't see."

She stopped walking. "Alright." She held out her hand. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. "Well? You gonna take my hand or what?"

"Yeah." A smirk formed on his lips. He took her hand.

"Jeez, I forgot how cold your hands are."

His smirk softened into a bubbly smile. "But I'm sure you'll warm them up." She grumbled at this, but he kept his smile. He had missed the feeling of their intertwined hands.

»» — ⋆❀⋆ — ««

"How many?" The hostess asked, a bright smile on her face.

"Just two."

She grabbed two menus and handed them to the waitress next to her. "Take this couple to table forty, please."

Erin rolled her eyes at this. It had happened so many times over the past couple years that she had stopped explaining. She'd gotten kicked out of a restaurant after lecturing a hostess that not every male-female pair is a couple.

They were seated and Erin quickly scanned over the menu, instantly picking out the steak... I should have enough cash stowed away in the inner pocket of my jeans. Then she remembered she also brought her credit card and her worries went away.

Soon enough, they had ordered and talked about small things: past memories, memes, sports, trees. Anything but soulmates.

When the check finally came, Erin firmly slapped her credit card on it.

"Hey! I was going to get it," Zach protested.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the b-"

She narrowed her eyes, "I sure hope you weren't going to say because you're the boy."

"Of course not." He smiled. "I was going to say because I'm the best."

She smiled back and shook her head. "Of course you were."

Once the waiter took the check and Erin left a tip, they walked back to the lobby. Erin offered her hand again. "I would like to take you somewhere, if you would like to go."

"Aw, how sweet," he laughed and put their hands together. She pulled him to the staircase and they began to climb up all six flights.

Finally, she pushed open the door, revealing a star speckled sky. All the clouds from before had vanished, leaving all of the stars visible.

"Wow..." Zach stared in awe as Erin pulled him over to a bench. The roof of the building was home to the hotel's garden, a greenhouse basically. Whoever had to clean all the windows should probably be paid more. They were spotless, but she chose to sit outside anyway.

"Zach," Erin looked up at the sky, "what do you think of soulmates?"

"I mean, it's kinda bs, but it could turn out well, I guess."

She snickered. "Wow. Your true thoughts." She sighed. "I mean, what do you think I should do?"

"I don't know. I... I just want you to be happy."

She squeezed his hand, a soft smile on her lips. "Thanks, Zach."