I Missed You

Author's Note

Yes I am back with this story, although I doubt the original readers are even around! I'm so sorry for disappearing but I've had this story finished for a while but didn't want to post it because I felt that I'd rushed it (EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE TOLD ME NOT TO). My writing style has changed a lot in the 2 years since I wrote this and I'll maybe write more things after. Anyway I'm soooo sorry again and here we go!

*****

Rose didn't give a shit what anyone said, there was no greater torture than sitting directly across from a man who just defiled you in your place of work, while also sitting next to your boss.

John on the other hand, was having the time of his life. Chris was taking Rose and Sonya through Triad's latest concert streaming service. All throughout the presentation the blond had tossed Rose secret flirtatious smiles, going as far as batting his eyelashes at her like a shy and retiring southern belle. He watched her take a quick glance at Sonya before peering down at her lap. A couple seconds later his phone vibrated in his pant pocket.

You aren't cute you know.

Why are you lying?

Omg. Pay attention

Hate to break it to you babe, but you texted me first

Only because you were trying to distract me!!

Whatever you say...

Fight me

Kinky.

John locked his phone and put it away, sitting back to look on at his friend and colleague's slideshow.

"We'll livestream directly to the user interface via drone cam. We want our customers to understand that they'll be getting an experience they can't get anywhere else."

Sonya nodded her approval and Rose smiled adding helpfully. "And that's where you want us to come in, correct?"

Dionte responded, "Exactly." Sonya nodded again and John noted her face seemed a little less severe when Chris continued to speak.

All of a sudden John felt a tickle by his ankle. Frowning he glanced under the table and scoped Rose's heel clad foot resting primly by his leg. He shot her two quick texts in rapid succession, followed by a pleading look.

Please don't.

If you have any mercy you won't

She didn't even look at her phone.

Slowly Rose skimmed her foot from John's knee to his ankle. Her foot disappeared for a moment only to return bare. Rose resumed her teasing, not sparing John a single look, and feigning interest in Chris' speech. Her foot reached his inner thigh and John nearly cried, simultaneously wishing the table was wider and that she was in his lap using her hands instead. Very quickly John found Rose's foot pressed firmly to his crotch, she pushed down experimentally and John grunted, drawing Sonya's attention. Shaking and embarrassed, he tried to cover his interruption with a cough and the red head shifted her gaze back to Chris at the head of the table.

John turned his attention back to Rose, and read the giddiness in her eyes. Rose was enjoying this! She stroked him with her foot harder, grinning lasciviously, only smiling harder when she saw his jaw tick.

John tried valiantly to stop his responses but grinded up against her foot anyway, conceding his defeat. He could feel his throat tighten with the strain of staying quiet. He muffled another groan behind his hand and closed his eyes.

Rose watched in perverse delight as John's cheeks began to turn pink. She interrupted Chris' speech, "I'm sorry Chris, but I think John needs a glass of water. He's awfully flushed." She struggled to stop herself from laughing when John's eyes shot open, his pupils dilated. John gaped for a moment before looking at each of the room's occupants. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"Maybe we should just take a break. Does ten minutes sound alright with everyone?"

Dionte stretched his arms over his head and nodded, "Sound good to me, I'm going to get a coffee, anybody want one?" Sonya's green eyes narrowed for a moment, 'God, she does that a lot' John thought briefly, and when Sonya left with Chris and Dionte he visibly relaxed. Rose lowered her foot and crossed her arms. For a moment both of them said nothing, staring at each other, well, technically John was trying to glare a hole through her.

"Are you insane?" John broke the silence, willing his erection to subside. Rose's grin was ferocious, and he's positive he hasn't seen her smile like that...maybe ever.

No wait, he has seen it, in the 10th grade, when she beat him out for Student Council Treasurer. This was Rose's competitive smile.

"I'm perfectly fine, in fact I've never thought clearer in my life. You wanna play games John? I can play, and I'll win."

John groaned and pressed his head to the table between them. "You're a monster, does it make you happy to see me like this? Hmm? Is this how you get your kicks woman? You are a menace." Rose laughed out loud in response. John raised his head at this, his smile small and fond. Her laugh was far from graceful; her eyes were wide and watering. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying in vain to muffle her snorts and giggles. Her mother had always called her laugh 'unladylike', but John had always thought it suited her.

"Shut up." She wheezed. He winked at her and they slipped back into silence, this time far more comfortable than before.

-o-o-

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Rose blinked, trying to make sense of what he'd said. John rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Rose read his exasperation loud and clear.

"I asked you if you would like to go on a date with me." He slowed his speech and walked towards her slowly.

Rose looked around, when John had pulled her aside after their meeting had adjourned she hadn't expected him to do this. While she wasn't completely blindsided she wasn't exactly able to anticipate John's every move.

Wary, Rose stared into John's eyes, feeling her stomach tighten and her palms begin to sweat. "John, no. We have rules, remember?" John snorted, "Oh, I'm sorry, I must have forgotten, are you talking about before or after I made you come in your office."

Rose's back stiffened like she'd been slapped, maybe she had deserved that but the line had to be drawn somewhere.

"Or was that before you practically molested me under a table with your boss sitting right next to you?" His eyes narrowed at her.

She scrambled to grab on to his suit jacket and pull him close. "Will you close that big mouth of yours? I swear John, you are going to -" he cut her off, breaking loose of her hold easily.

"I just thought maybe you could actually take me seriously for once, but oh well, you know what they say about wishes and horses and poor folk." She didn't actually but she kept that to herself.

"Alright Jay, you made your point, I haven't been firm enough on my rules and that must've given you the wrong impression." She refused to look at him, catching her bottom lip between her teeth and pressing her nails into her palms, creating indented crescents.

"What?" Now aggravated, John turned around and ran his hands through his hair. "No! What are you even talking about? I don't - I'm not under the wrong impression Rosie. You like, you want me just as much as I want you." He turned to her, eyes pleading with her to just understand, "It isn't just about sex, why don't you get that? I want to be with you, I want to spend time with you. I want to see those terrible romance movies with you! I want to watch Pride and Prejudice over and over again. I want to go to the mall with you and sit outside a change room for hours and I want to hold your goddamn purse, Rose."

Rose stared at him through all this, mouth slightly parted in shock. What was she doing to this man? She had literally just watched him unravel before her and now his feelings were out; open and raw and honest. "John." Rose reached for him only to have him take a step back.

"This isn't how I wanted to do this." He muttered, mostly to himself. "So fucking embarrassing." He looked at her, face red. "Rose, please. Just one date."

"I'll think about it, John, okay? No promises."

-o-o-

Rose closed her eyes while she listened to Calisto and Mira have a loud cuss filled discussion on the merits of rum versus tequila.

"Ok but why are you not discussing rum and fucking coke? It's literally a gift from God." Kurt, a lawyer from the practice above the advertising firm pitched in, raising his own drink as a form of evidence. Erica laughed out loud at that and brought her glass against his way too fast, resulting in the top of Kurt's cup breaking. The four just cackled even louder, clearly inebriated, and frankly Rose was on her way as well, sipping vodka cranberry that was, honestly too much vodka and not enough cranberry.

"I'm screeching, oh my God, Kurt. Call the fucking waiter to get you a new cup." Kurt shook his styled head of hair back and forth haphazardly. "Oh no, I'm not calling him, he was hot, and he'll think I'm a mess." Mira helpfully interjected that he was in fact a mess while Erica flagged down said hot waiter who simply carted away Kurt's broken cup and the misplaced shards with a put upon sigh. Kurt cooed after him, "don't be sad baby, you're too cute to be sad." Cali and Mira snickered and wheezed respectively. Meanwhile Rose mused to herself. Maybe she should just give John a chance, who the hell had she been resisting him for anyway? Sonya? Dionte and Chris? Hell no! Rose had been boasting all her life that she was her own woman. Capable of making her own decisions and yet she hadn't been following through. Sure, initially she'd been scared to let John in again, but that was because she'd been sure she would revert back into the naive lovesick girl she had been in high school. Only to realize she hadn't been giving herself enough credit. Being with John was fun and she missed him.

"I'm going on a date with John."

Mira's head whipped back in her direction as if she had called Beyoncé overrated. Calisto stood from her seat and slammed her hands on their table, nearly knocking over her cup in the process. "Fina-fucking-lly!"

Kurt just quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry who is John?"

Without any further prompting, Mira launched into very detailed (and slightly embellished) retelling of how John had come back into Rose's life. Now caught up Kurt leaned toward her, his eyes sparkling and intent on hearing what Rose had to say.

"Look, it isn't as exciting as they want to make it!" Rose insisted, Kurt raised an eyebrow and shook his head in disbelief.

"And it took you this long to agree to a date with this guy? Am I missing something? Does he have wooden teeth?" Rose snorted at that, but in all honesty, she could see where Kurt was coming from, her stubbornness and fear had made her predisposed to dismissing John's advances. Mira laughed, "Right? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Okay, I get it." Rose stood from their booth and scooted out of their shared space "Enough. Ragging on Rose time is over. I have a phone call to make." Kurt, Erica and Calisto placed their chins in their hands with almost creepy precision to leer at her. "Of course you do!" Erica smiled.

Rose slipped out of the bar and took a deep breath of fresh air, pulling her phone out of her purse. She lingered on John's number for a moment before hitting dial.

"Hey Rosie, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just wondering where you're going to take me on our date." She grinned at his responding "fuck!" and a noise that sound suspiciously like a grown man falling on his ass.

"Don't even worry about it! It's a surprise, I promise you won't regret this Rose, How about I pick you up tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Great! And Rose?"

"Yeah Jay?"

"Thanks for not turning me down...again. If I got rejected again I might've cried." He tacked on at the end.

"You're crazy. Goodnight John."

"Goodnight, beautiful."

John pumped his fists in the air and righted himself back on his chair. Green eyes scanning the interior of his condo, he rubbed his hands together. There wasn't any going back from this point on, Rose was going to be all his, for good this time.