Beautiful Rose (Beautiful Rose 1)

“The thought of being in love scares me.”

“It scares a lot of people,” he pointed out.

“True, but most people don’t avoid it. Most people take the challenges of falling in love along with the good things about it.” I blushed. Talking about love felt weird.

“Do you see the good things about love?”

That was a good question. I thought about it. “I see why people fall in love, but…I don’t know. One moment I think how wonderful it would be to have that kind of bond with someone, but then…” I broke off. No. I needed to say this. I needed to get it out. “Then I think about how falling in love with me could ruin someone.”

Alex furrowed his brow, deep in thought. “How would it ruin them?”

I shrugged. “Being in love with me…how would that person react if I killed myself? How could you not blame yourself for that?” Did this make me sound self-indulged?

“People blame themselves for many things, Rose. Last words, actions, not acting. There are so many things that can go wrong with love, but what you feel when you’re in love and truly let yourself go? That’s what makes it all worth it.”

#

Pulling away from the park, I suddenly swerved up Fifth Street. I parked a little way down from the food truck, pretending I hadn’t just stuffed my face full of sandwiches and cake. I needed tacos, and I needed them now.

As I approached the truck, I thought about Jack. The bar was only two streets over. I fumbled through my pocket for my cell. After I had his details up, I quickly typed a message.

I’m on Fifth about to overindulge in Tacos. Care to join me?

I pressed send before I could change my mind. This was so not me. I didn’t chase guys. Not that I was doing that with Jack. All I knew was he was cute and fun to be around. And he was oblivious to how go

od tacos could really be. I jumped as my phone vibrated. Shit!

Give me five minutes

The panic began to set in. I’d expected him to shoot me down. The fact that he’d said yes unleashed a whole new explosion of questions. Was he just hungry, or was there more to it? There had been lots of glances and ‘accidental’ touches over the last few days, but we still hadn’t spent any more time together since that first day. I wanted to know him. What did he like? What made him tick? There were so many things I wanted to know about this guy.

I wandered up and down the sidewalk, window shopping while I waited for him. Looking up, I saw him walking to me from the other direction. Wow. How hot can he be? If it were possible, he looked even sexier today in a pair of jeans and a fitted tee. The fabric clung to his biceps, showing off his amazing muscles. His hair looked untouched from bed, but it suited him.

“Hey,” he smiled. He glanced at the old, rusting tuck we were now standing in front of. “So this is the famous home to the world’s best Tacos?” he teased, cocking his head. My knees went weak.

“At least Brooklyn,” I assured him. We approached the truck and placed our orders. I went with my usual fish and guacamole combo, while Jack stuck to a classic.

“Fish and Tacos? Sorry, I just can’t do it,” he laughed, screwing up his face. “I mean, that has to be the oddest combination ever.”

“What? You’re British. You guys invented bad food,” I retorted with a smirk. “This is gourmet compared to some of the shit that comes out of your country.”

“Oh, you’re going there, are you? I don’t know Rose, some of the food I’ve seen while here…” he shuddered. I laughed as I took our food from the vendor.

“Just shut up and eat,” I grumbled playfully, passing him his. We walked over to a small park and sat down at a table. Unwrapping my Taco, my mouth watered at the wonderful aromas. I took a bite and nearly orgasmed on the spot.

“Oh god,” I mumbled, covering my mouth with my hand. “Soo good.” Jack snorted and shook his head. “What?” I said, between mouthfuls.

“Should I leave you and your taco alone?” he teased. I glowered at him, then went back to my food. “So, I get the feeling you’re not from around here?”

“Why do you say that?” I asked, surprised.

He shrugged. “Just a feeling.”

“I’m from Manhattan. So I stick out here, do I?”

I was only half joking. Sticking out in a crowd was the story of my life and one of my biggest anxieties. I liked to be invisible. I liked not being noticed. At least I though that’s what I wanted. Looking at Jack, I could see the benefits of standing out.

“To me you do, but I know what that’s like, so it’s easy to spot.” Was he talking about being a Brit in the States, or was he referring to something more personal…like family? “Sometimes it’s nice to be noticed. Having someone appreciate you can be an incredible thing.” I looked at him curiously, intrigued by how deep his comment was.