Winter's Faith | Ongoing

27 | Unfolded

She was the most beautiful,
complicated thing I had ever seen.
- Atticus

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I was just about to start on my make-up after putting my dress on, when the window behind me opened.

I didn't have to look back to know it was Roman. He had been calling me since yesterday, after I left his place and it wasn't a surprise that he was here.

"Hey," his velvety voice resonated through the room.

"Hi," I answered as I looked at him through the mirror.

After a minute of awkward silence, Roman brought my bag up and jiggled it. "You left your bag at my place."

"I noticed," I replied keeping my tone neutral as I turned. Roman eyed the white and black tulle cocktail dress I was wearing.

"Is it a bad time?" He questioned and I leaned against the vanity with my arms corssed over my chest. "What do you want Roman?" I sighed.

"Well I-" Roman stopped and scratched his head as he dropped my bag on the study table beside the window.

"I had this whole speech prepared but I don't exactly remember it," he confessed meekly. His eyes met mine as he started walking towards me. "And I suck at apologising. It's just that, I didn't know and I said all that stuff. I'm sorry."

I looked at Roman and gave a tight smile. "It's okay. I can't blame you either." I shrugged as I met him in the middle of the room. "I never told you, so you can't take the blame for it."

Roman shook his head, a few stray hair falling in his eyes. "But you can't forgive me that easily. I-"

"Roman," I stopped him, holding him by his forearms. "I know you enough to know how hard it must have been to apologise. And you did, so it okay," I comforted.

Roman looked at my face, as if searching for answered and after knowing his story, it was only fair that he knew mine so I began, "I was 9. And was quite a brat."

"Still are," Roman commented and I dropped my hands off him, but not before hitting his shoulder.

"My mom was going to drop me at my ballet class." I stopped when Roman raised an eyebrow. "I never went back, so no. I don't know ballet," I answered the unasked question.

I knew I was delaying having to tell the story, and my heart picked up speed. "Like I said, I was an annoying person," I defended as I sat down, and rested my back against the bed.

"On our way to the class, I had remembered that I had forgotten my lucky hair band at home-" I looked at Roman, who had taken the place beside me and he was looking at me with the slightly twitch of his lips. "And I ended up throwing a huge tantrum in the car."

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the bed. "My mom tried to calm me down but I refused to listen and kept thrashing in my place. I took the seatbelt off in stubbornness and refused to put it-"

I drew in a sharp breathe as the memories started flooding back. Memories I tried to suppress for so long and failed from time to time.

"Put it back-" I tried to speak again but words refused to come to me.

I felt Roman wrap his hand around mine and I looked up to see him looking at me with encouragement.

"I didn't think," I confessed, my voice trembling. "I wasn't thinking."

"Hey. Hey it's okay," I hadn't realised I was crying until Roman wiped the tears away and engulfed me in his arms that provided warmth my room couldn't.

Tucking my head under his chin, he whispered words of comfort.

Collecting my thoughts, I continued. "I don't remember much of what happened after that."

I closed my eyes as the scene started to play behind them. "One minute my mom was reaching towards me to put the belt on and the next I was being thrown out of the car."

"The car-" My breathe shallowed as I tried to get the words out. "It- it"

"My mom had lost control of the car and it had went down the bridge. I remember watching the car go down."

Roman's grip around my shoulders tightened. "And I did nothing," I finally breathed out.

"I did absolutely nothing. I just sat there. And I didn't call for help. I didn't help. I-" I couldn't continue as self-loathing took over. I hated myself.

I hated that I lived and she didn't. Hated myself for the person I was.

Roman must've felt it, because he pulled back slightly and made me look him in the eye. "Hey. It wasn't our fault. You were-"

"No! You don't understand. It was my fault. It was all my fault," I shouted as I scrambled from his touch. "If I hadn't- If I had just-" I tried to explain my reasoning but I couldn't.

Because I knew he wouldn't see my point. He had someone else to blame for what happened to Allison. Someone to hate.

But me? Who could I blame when I was in fact the culprit?

I could see that Roman wanted to argue but I beat him to it. "I don't want to do this. So please. Don't go there."

"I-" Roman stopped himself from saying whatever he wanted to and once more took me in his arms.

And I let him. "You're right. I'm sorry for pushing you," he apologized and I snuggled closer in his embrace. Finding solitude there because he understood what it's like to be misunderstood.

No one understood the hate he had for the man who had hit their car. He knew what it was like to be pushed against your will to believe in something else.

We stayed there in silence until Roman found a sudden need to break it. "Faith?"

I hummed in response as I pulled back to look at him. "Have I told you how beautiful you looked?" He complimented with an evil smirk and I frowned.

"Looked?" I repeated in confusion and he nodded. "Yeah. You know before you wrinkled the dress."

I gasped as I pushed him back and got to my feet, only remembering now that I was in a dress.

I rushed to the vanity and growled when I found that even though Roman had joked about the dress and it was perfectly fine - with only slight wrinkles that can be overlooked - my hair had indeed been ruined.

I heard Roman walk towards me and I turned to him with a pout. "You're mean," I complained causing him to chuckled as he came closer and kissed my forehead.

Which in turn left me surprised. I held my breath as Roman rested his hand on my neck and looked down at me as he rested his forehead against mine.

And then the door to my room opened. I quickly backed from Roman as I gazed at a shell-shocked Arden with wide eyes.

"I can explain," I cried as I looked between the two boys.

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Cliché, yes but now you know Faith's story.
Ah oh, Faith got caught. How do you think Arden is going to react? xD

Also, suggest a good ship name for Faith and Roman.

Don't forget to vote and comment.
Until next time lovelies. :")