"Like In Fairytales"

81.

Rosalie:

"Mac and Cheese?" Casey laughed.

"I can't cook more than that so please enjoy," I said.

"Whoa... I know. Let me cook," he said.

"Aren't you hungover?" I asked.

"When you drink too often, you don't feel it," he said as he walked towards me.

"You had drunk earlier?" I said as I picked up a wooden spoon.

"Yeah. Just once. Relax," he said.

"Relax?" I asked as I smacked him with the spoon.

"Ow.." he said as I smacked him again but he stopped the blow and looked at me.

I left the spoon as it clattered on the floor.

"Let me help you," he said.

"I'm fine," I said as I picked up the packet of macaroni from the shelf and started boiling water.

He started chopping the vegetables as I took the board away from him.

"Make a cup of coffee for yourself," I instructed as I started chopping the vegetables.

He obeyed me as I diced the vegetables and put them in the vessel.

After completing the cooking, I put it down on the table.

"Oww!" I burned myself from the hot vessel.

"Oh no!" he said as he pulled me towards the sink and poured cold tap water onto it.

He wiped my hand as I looked at him. He was at a finger's distance with me. Just there, I could've touched him. I took a step back.

"Rose... I," he said as I removed my hand from his grip. I realised that his hand was warmer than usual.

"Wait!" I said as I touched his forehead. He was running a high temperature.

"You are sick!" I said.

"Could've gone a little subtler but fine," he laughed it off.

"You have fever!" I said as I made him sit down. I rushed to bring the thermometer and checked his temperature.

He didn't technically have fever but he was feeling a little feverish.

"Eat up," I said as I sat down. I started eating from my bowl as he took the carrots from my plate. I didn't like the taste of carrots. He didn't care about them.

We ate in silence. We both loved silence and quiet stillness but this silence was piercing his heart and my trust apart. And I valued both of them.

"I am sorry for making things awkward," he said as he got up and put his dish in the sink.

I looked at him before I got up and took his dish from him, cleaning it to avoid eye contact. He was unable to face me and somewhere deep down, I knew I was too.

"It isn't your fault. It's just the timing. Our ones were used up way before we could cherish them. I should have told you. Why didn't you tell me back when I told you that I was crushing on Theodore?" I asked.

"Because I was afraid that I'd rob you of something," he said.

"Apparently I did," he added as he sighed.

I wiped my hands on the towel as I hugged him. The hug meant more than any words.

"You'd never lose me. You know that," I said.

We didn't have many variables as to what we could be,
But just this one was more fitting for this equation that I have been.

After putting him to bed, I climbed downstairs as I sat down on the couch. The doorbell rang.

I checked who it was. I opened the door.

"Rosalie?" Celine asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Oh... I was here for Casey. The parents won't be returning for a week. They wanted me to inform him.

"Okay then," I said.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"He was ill so I came over to take care of him," I said.

"I'll send a driver to drop you off?" she asked.

"I am just gonna stay in. Mom knows I'm here," I said.

"If you wanna stay, you can come over and sleep in your bedroom," she said.

"I'm good here. I'll sleep on the couch. I have to wake up early for school tomorrow," I said.

"Well. OK then. I hope you won't hate me," she said.

"I don't hate you Celine but I don't particularly like you," I said.

"Baby steps. Okay then," she said as she blew a kiss, waving back at me.

I nodded as she left. I just realised that everyone needs someone to validate their existence. Humans aren't solitary beings and thrive well when loved for love is assurance of one's validity of existence. We all want to be loved. Some of us have this sense built a little too deep while some keep it hidden somewhere deep in. We all need love. We all deserve love for we were born and made out of love. Love is a lovely word. World is a lovely world only when we love each other and not care about the validation it gives. My love story was meant to be and so was Casey's fantasy of us being in a relationship but even validated things may exist in different forms. Things are like carbon. They change ever and ever but they always leave behind a footprint to remember them by. I put my jacket on as a blanket and closed my eyes to fall asleep.

The next morning, I brought milk in and left a note. I checked his fever before leaving the house and I came back home. After showering and dressing up, I went to school.

Nothing was new until I realised that Casey was absent. His fever must have spiked up or something.

The days went by like autumn breeze, calming and chilling at the same time.