Beautiful Rose (Beautiful Rose 1)

&nbs

p; “That sounds great, but we have other plans,” Darcy announced.

Benj looked confused. “We do?” He gasped as his question earned him a punch in the stomach. “Right, we do.”

Under Darcy’s glare, Ash backed out, too. I shook my head. For a tiny little thing, she sure had those guys under her thumb.

“Well, that leaves us three.” I shrugged, too tired to care what was going on here.

Alex grimaced. “Not me, I have a late shift tonight. But you two go for it.”

I raised my eyebrows at Rose. “I suppose you have sudden plans too?”

“Actually, no. Pizza sounds good.” She giggled. God, it was good to hear her laugh, especially after the last few days. Things were finally beginning to fall into place.

“Good. I’ll see you at seven.” I turned to the others. “Thanks again guys. I’ll keep you updated, but I’m hopeful we’ll be able to open next Thursday.”

“See you later. I’ll be home about eleven.” Alex paused, his eyes narrowing. “Or maybe I should call first. I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything,” he added, slyly.

I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pushed him out the door as Rose’s face went bright red. “Go! Now!” I said, laughing.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Rose

What am I doing?

I paced the living room, as I had been for the past half hour, that’s what. It was getting closer and closer to seven, and I’d picked up the phone at least a dozen times, ready to call and cancel. But in the end I couldn’t do it. I had to tell him in person.

Grabbing my jacket and my keys, I raced out the door, pushing the elevators down button. As I waited, an elderly woman approached. At first she smiled at me, then her gaze fell to my wrist. The smile froze on her face.

Well this, is awkward. We stood in front of the doors, the worst silence lingering between us. Suddenly, I was eleven, and in the schoolyard again, with four girls surrounding me and calling me a freak. They were pointing at the large pink jagged scar on my wrist. I ignored them as best I could, but words hurt. Words like that stay with you forever, and make you doubt every last thing about yourself that you once thought was good.

I turned and pushed open the door to the stairwell, unable to take the judgment any longer. How long until Jack started judging me too? He could say he understood all he wanted, but how was he going to cope if I tried to kill myself again? I wasn’t foolish enough to think love was going to cure all my problems.

#

Alex lived less than five minutes away, but in Brooklyn traffic it turned into twenty. I parked the car and made my way over to his apartment block. Great, now I’m late. Not that it mattered. This was going to be a short visit. I wasn’t staying for pizza because I didn’t have the strength to pull myself away from what would inevitably happen after pizza. No, I was going to get in there, say my piece, and leave.

My heart was beating like a sledgehammer in my chest when I knocked on the door. He opened it right away and leaned against the frame. His eyes trailed slowly over my body before her raised them to meet mine. My resolve began to melt away.

How can I stay strong when every part of me wants him?

“You look incredible.”

“Thanks,” I somehow responded. My tongue felt like rubber. I looked like I always did: jeans, a sweater and my slip-ons. My hair was down, and probably out of control.

He, on the other hand looked stunning. His hair, my god, I just wanted to bury my face in it. I could smell the coconut in his shampoo from here. His dark button down shirt hugged his body, outlining his athletic frame. He wore dark fitted jeans that hung low on his hips.

“Rose? I’m up here,” he chuckled. My face blazed as I realized I’d been staring at his crotch.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. He moved aside to let me in. The hammering in my chest didn’t seem to be going anywhere soon.

Somehow, I made my way over to the sofa, where I sort of collapsed down into the seat. You know when your limb falls asleep, followed by intense pins and needles that make you want to cry? That’s how my legs felt.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. He sat beside me and passed me a menu. I glanced over it and then set it aside on the arm of my chair, knowing that if I didn’t get this out now I never would.

“Jack, I need to tell you something—”