A Moment in the Cabin

Lip Gloss

God must have been looking down at me because not a few moments after Janine and I sat down, she received a message that she was needed at the primary campus. I took that with stride and headed back to my room to catch some sleep before meeting Rose for practice in a few hours.

I locked the door and toes my boots off, hanging my duster up on the peg on the wall and ventured towards the bathroom to shower before bed. I stripped my shirt off and turned on the shower, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Apparently, I was not the only one to leave a few marks. Just below my left collarbone is a dark bruise, and I brushed my fingers over it with a smirk.

I showered quickly and dressed for bed, laying down in bed with one of my well-worn westerns and tried to calm my racing mind. Even after showering, I can still smell Rose on my skin. I dropped the book onto the blanket and scrubbed my hands over my face with a sigh. Even after spending the majority of my afternoon with her, she continued to consume my thoughts. Her smile is my own personal drug, and I could never get enough of it.

And that is what I fell asleep to, reminiscing about the brilliant smile I had seen all day.

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Rose would not be Rose if she wasn't late every morning. Today is not any different. I sat with my back against the wall next to the equipment room, holding my book in my hands with a small box beside me on the floor. I looked down at my watch again to see she was now fifteen minutes late. I tucked the book into my duster's pocket and stood up and grabbed the box off the floor, heading towards the novice building.

The dorm monitor waved to me lazily as I passed her, and I headed to the third floor to find Rose. I came to a stop in front of her dorm and knocked firmly on the door. "Rose, you're late," I called to her through the door. I listened closely for movement, but it was silent on the other side of the door.

"Rose? I'm coming in," I called through the door and pulled my keys out of my pocket to use my master key. I unlocked the door and poked my head in to see a lump curled under the blankets on her bed, and a mass of dark curls protruding from the top of the blanket. I shook my head and slipped in the door, shutting it quietly behind me. I moved silently into the room, laughing quietly to myself as I stepped over the clothes strewn over the floor and I sat down on the edge of her bed.

She had the blanket tucked up to her nose and was curled up on her side. I ran my hand over her unruly hair to smooth it away from her face. "Roza, wake up," I said softly, not wanting to jostle her while I was in close proximity. You never know with Rose; she could end up flailing her arm out and punching me in the face. I moved my hand and shook her shoulder gently and she grumbled, rolling onto her back and rubbed her hand over her face.

"If you don't wake up, I'm going to make you run extra laps tonight," I said a little louder. Rose groaned and peeped her eyes open at me before they widened, and she shot up in bed. Rose looked like a deer in the headlights as she sprung from bed, bouncing around her room as she tucked her pyjamas off and swapped them for her training gear, not giving me a second glance. She yanked the brush through her hair before pulling it up into a ponytail, muttering to herself under her breath. I sat on her bed and watched her with an amused expression, watching her move through the room was like watching a cartoon character.

Rose torn past me as she dug through her things for her shoes, and I grabbed her arm to pull her back to me, pulling her down on the lap. She shook her head a little bit before she focused in on my face and a small smile graced her lips. "Good morning," I said with a small laugh. Rose laughed gently and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.