When Roses Have Thorns

~2~

—
Back at Rose's café, the damsel in distress took off her apron with a sigh. What a weird customer; she should've told him she had a boyfriend, or something.

"You look like you could use a coffee," Anne stated.

"Good thing I work at a café," Dani joked. To be fair though, Anne had a point. She could really use a nice cup of hazelnut coffee right now.

"How's Christian? I haven't seen him at work lately," Anne said.

Christian was Dani's older brother. He had been in the Philippines for the past few months for a study abroad trip.

"Alright. He's coming back tonight."

And she wasn't looking forward to it.

Christian had come out to their parents during Christmas in middle school. Dani had to help him sneak back into the house that night after their parents had kicked him out.

However, their parents' attitudes had improved. Now Christian would have dinner with them on occasion, though it usually ended in him storming out and their father sarcastically clapping.

"Now there's a man. Running out like a f*cking p*ssy," he would say.

So Dani wasn't interested in the back-from-the-Philippines-dinner they were having. Worse, she suspected Christian's old enemy from high school, Pablo, would be attending. Pablo had made the Dean's list of Arizona University, and was pursuing an internship at a fancy sneaker company. Christian, who went to Arizona University as well, nearly blew Dani's ears out when he heard about Pablo. His childhood enemy had one-upped him on everything. Now he even got better grades than Christian, whose GPA just missed the Dean's list by 0.1.

But unfortunately, Pablo had lived across the street from them ever since they could remember, and therefore their parents were close. So Dani had to interact with him a lot more than she wanted to.

"Well tell him I said hi," Anne says.

"Will do. I'm off, gotta pick him up from the airport. I'll tell him to let you know if he can pick up shifts!"

"Thank you, dear."

—
"WHY AM I IN A HOSPITAL BED?!", the woman screeched. Lee and Connor stood, equally frozen.

Connor spoke first.

"Ma'am, unfortunately you've been in an accident—"

He's interrupted by a young nurse, scurrying in.

"Is everything okay? Do I need to bring the doctor in? Miss?"

Lee swallowed. This scene was all too familiar. The woman looked around with the same worried and hectic look on her face. She doesn't remember.

Ms. Fowling calmed down, still looking around with steely blue eyes. They land on the cheap gift store flowers.

"What are those?" She barks.

Lee blushed.

"I brought them for you ma'am. I try to visit sick patients everyday and bring them flowers."

"Who are you?" She asked, her tone slightly less fierce.

"Lee Rose. I'll leave if I'm making you uncomfortable now, ma'am."

With those final words, Lee scurried into the hallway. How could he be so stupid? He really just meant his time with the woman to be short, but he just couldn't say no to Connor.  He hated confrontations.

"Lee, are you okay? You look pretty shaken," one of the nurses, Nicolette, says.

Lee nods, not trusting himself to say anything. How embarrassing.