A Rose in Bloom

“Now for once, I want you to be honest with me… honest with yourself. Do you want it to be over? Do you really want Jaxon to be out of your life? Or do you actually like him a little bit? Or maybe a lot?”

“I don’t know.” She sniffed, dropping her eyes back to her china cup.

“I think you do know. I think that’s why you drove all the way down here. You wanted someone to tell you what you already know, but I’m not going to do it. I’m going to wait patiently until you tell me.”

“Fine! I admit it—I like him. I've been miserable all week. But it doesn’t matter, because I screwed up. I told him to leave me alone, and he did.” She could taste the salty tears running down her face.

“You’re right. It’s over. You might as well give up. You lost. At least you tried your best, right?” She rose, picking up both saucers and teacups. “Thanks for coming.”

“Wait, Aunt Lauren.” Elyssa sniffed, reaching up to grasp her arm. “Can’t you just commiserate with me? Even for a few seconds?”

“Now why would we waste our time commiserating? Commiserating is for losers, and we Rose girls aren't losers.” Aunt Lauren returned to her seat and leaned forward on her elbows. “So what’s the plan?

Part 26: Making Amends

ELYSSA EXAMINED her reflection, twisting to check the appearance of her backside. The skin-tight yoga pants left nothing to the imagination, and her top wasn’t modest either. The fact the form-hugging clothing was the height of style did little to instill confidence in her appearance. At least her bottom half looked pretty good, with nice calves topping slender ankles, although her quads had lost the definition she’d sported during her soccer days. She raised her arms to flex her biceps, grimacing at the puny display of muscles. Perhaps visiting his gym wasn’t the best way to impress Jaxon after all. She would’ve chickened out if she hadn’t sworn on the Rose name to carry through with the plan. Her aunt would never let her live it down if she reneged.

She frowned at the small portion of tissue stuck to her ankle. A last minute shave had removed a bit of skin with the hair, but perhaps the bleeding had stopped. She wet her finger and gingerly teased the Kleenex off, but a drop of bright red blood appeared in its place. With a sigh, she applied a new piece of tissue. Staring at her make-up free face, she lamented her almost-invisible blond lashes. She dug in her bathroom drawer, tossing items to and fro in an attempt to reach the bottom.

“Ah-ha! Victory!” She grasped a discolored tube of brown mascara with the word ‘Waterproof’ printed on the label and deftly applied a quick coat.

She squirmed as she adjusted her clothing, trying to ignore the feeling her thong underwear was attempting to slice its way through her body. Didn’t I used to wear these things all the time? How did I stand it?

Satisfied she’d done her best to make herself attractive, she steeled her nerves and tromped down the stairs. With a sign on the door stating the shop would open at noon, she marched down the sidewalk to the corner curb. Facing the gym across the street, she almost lost her courage and retreated back inside.

What have I got to lose? Just a little pride. He may not give me a second chance. But I’ll never know if I don’t try.

With the determination born of stubborn refusal to accept defeat, she crossed the street and entered the gym.

I am strong. I am invincible. I have a college degree. I started my own business. I can do this!

*****

“I can’t do this!” Elyssa groaned as her perky trainer, Sadie (whom she’d secretly nicknamed Satan), urged her to perform yet another set of crunches. Elyssa collapsed on the mat in a boneless heap, her eyes straying to the loft above where she’d been told “Mack” was secluded in his office. Two hours of exhausting exercise without seeing a single hair of Jaxon’s head. Was he spying on her through the opaque glass window? Was he laughing at her efforts?

“Sure you can… I won’t let you throw in the towel.” Sadie bounced from foot to foot, as if expelling excess energy. “By the way, did you know you have a piece of tissue stuck to your ankle?”

She turned her head to the side to examine her leg, catching her image on the mirrored wall from the corner of her eye.

“Oh my gosh! I have raccoon eyes! Where’s your bathroom?” She struggled to her feet, her fatigued muscles protesting every movement.

In the bathroom, she rubbed vainly at the dark brown smudges under her eyes. A wet paper towel verified the mascara was indeed ‘Waterproof’, however it had never made the claim of ‘Sweatproof’. She added soap to the wet towel, which disintegrated into small soapy shreds on her face. She felt the caustic sting of soap in her eyes, adding tears to the mix.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” She filled her hands with water, dousing her face to wash the soap from her eyes. In the end, she successfully removed the mascara and (it appeared) a layer of skin, leaving her face red and raw. And of course, her lashes had disappeared once again.

Emerging from the bathroom, she thought to escape, but Sadie was waiting to pounce on her.

“Ready to go again? I thought we might work on the rowing machine. It’s a really great all-around workout. Works the whole body—all the major muscle groups—and cardio, too.” Sadie smiled, her eyes round and bright. Elyssa fought the urge to knock a few of her perfectly aligned teeth out of position.

“No, I think I’ve had enough for today.”

“Oh, okay.” Sadie’s face fell, but then her grin returned. “We could schedule another session tomorrow. I have a lot of openings right now.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Elyssa remarked. “This is so much fun.”

“Oh, thanks!” Sadie beamed, obviously missing Elyssa’s sarcasm.

“So, I was wondering where Jaxon is. Doesn’t he ever come out of his office?”