Apologies for the long wait, if anyone actually waits for this stuff =P. Thanks to everyone who enjoys my story. The support is great and it's always a pleasure to release another chapter. Please make sure to read my previous chapters if you're interested. I'll keep giving as long as you guys want more. Without wasting more time, here's chapter 3.
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-3 months ago-
Huffing through the rain, I stumbled over a raised piece of concrete on the sidewalk. I quickly regained my posture and shifted the strap of my bag to rest more comfortably on my shoulder. Scanning for a nearby shelter, I found a bus stop with a rusted corrugated roof covering it. Nobody else appeared to be taking cover there so I wouldn't run into any risk of social anxiety. I flicked the hair out my eyes and made a dash for it. There was an iron bench which I placed my soaked bag on before I also slumped lazily on the cold seat. Better than standing out there and getting poured on. Zipping my bag open, I let out a sigh of relief knowing that the books were still mostly dry. Nothing else to do but wait it out. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I sank down and nuzzled into my hoodie to try and get warm again. It was nice being alone.
"Fucking hell..." a woman gave a dull sigh from behind the wall. My eyes shot open and I turned to look for where the voice came from. I didn't see anyone on my way over. Could I have been wrong? From the corner of my eye, a puff of smoke drifted passed the opening and a lady with crimson hair appeared shortly afterward. Surprised, I instantly took my gaze off her and stared blankly at the road. "Hmm" she saw me and brushed a few fingers through her dripping hair. "Perfect" she said sarcastically before moving to the bench next to me and dropping down. I was trembling, either from the cold or anxiety but she must have noticed "What's a person like you doing out in the rain?". The way she said it made me cringe. What do I do? Slowly looking over at her, I immediately saw what type of person she was. Thick leather jacket and short-cut jean shorts with black combat boots. A stereotypical bitch from the slums with too much to say.
She eyed me curiously when I didn't give an answer "Hey, are you deaf?". Flinching, I looked away and blushed. Maybe if I ignored her then she'll understand. "It's called small talk! I'm being friendly!" she snapped at me and then took another drag on her cigarette. Fidgeting with my hoodie's zip, I kept my eyes glued to the soaked, desolate tar. A gut-wrenching silence overcame us as she waited for me to respond. When she had become fed-up with me, she faced away and blew a thick puff of smoke towards the road before sinking down onto the bench. Her eyes narrowed and she spoke from the corner of her mouth "Fine then, be like all the rest". My lip twitched and I shivered. She took the dying bud from her lips and flicked it into the rain with a deep sigh. "I figured you'd be a stuck up bitch" her tone was low as she allowed her eyes to close. She tilted her head back and outstretched her arms to lay back and use the bench-stand as an armrest.
I heard my mind cracking. No. I'm not like that. I'm not. I quickly grabbed my bag and pulled it onto my lap to scramble for a pencil-bag. Feeling my way, I found it, opened it up and pulled out a pen. Flipping my notepad out, I started scribbling something down. My hands shook so the words ended up being rough and hard to read but I didn't really care at that moment. When I was done, I bit the pen horizontal between my teeth and shot an arm out to tap her shoulder. She slowly rolled her neck to face me, lazily opening her eyes. I gripped the notepad with both hands and lifted it to show her while I looked down at the bench with a searing heat in my cheeks. The paper rattled in my shaking hands as she read my message.
On the notepad, sloppily positioned in the middle of the page, was written 'I'm sorry. I can't speak'.
The woman sat up and stared hard at the notepad for a few seconds before she sharply diverted her gaze and grit her teeth. "Oh...I..." she fell silent and clutched her hands into fists. All was quiet, save for the light pattering of rain that seemed to be tapering out ever so slowly. I still didn't dare to look up. A hand touched mine and gently pushed down to make me lower the notepad. Hesitantly raising my head, I saw a very sincere look in her eyes. "Listen..." she spoke so differently than before, it was almost calming, and yet it made me tense up. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to be such an asshole" she looked away for a moment in thought. "Um...could I make it up to you?" I stared at her cautiously. What did she mean? "Please, let me buy you a cup of coffee or something" she turned to face me again with a warm smile.
Rays of gold tore through the dark. Streaks of warmth were painted on the battered and flooded Earth. The puddles glistened as light pierced the day, spreading its delightful glory, as if to bring joy in what was once just dull mud. A hand of shining white had been opened to reach down and touch upon the still, grey water to send one last ripple through it's core. With time, that water would be lifted gradually to the heavens with the light guiding it on it's way. They would eventually be together and inseparable.
Was she being serious? I didn't even know her. What would she gain if this was some sort of joke? Not knowing what else to do, I nodded.
Her smile widened "Thank you. We can meet around the same time tomorrow at the Hot Brew. Around..." she peeked at her watch "...Three o' clock, ish?". I attempted to return the smile nervously but the pen made it difficult so I just looked away. "My name's Rose, by the way" again, her tone was much sweeter than just a few moments ago. There was another side to her.
I relinquished the pen from between my lips and wrote on the notepad to hold in front of her. 'I'm Eve' I tapped on the page and blushed.
-Present 6:30 AM-
That memory always seemed to repeat in my dreams. How lucky I was that we met that day. Ever since then, my life's been changed dramatically, but in a good way. My Rose. I believe that I might be the only one who's seen the true, loving side of her and in some ways I'm happy because of that fact. I was important to her. She was everything to me. We were together. Nothing could possibly explain the joy I felt that only she could graciously give to me. She allowed me to be happy.
My hands searched for her, feeling the empty blanket beside me. My heart coiled and I slowly opened my eyes. She wasn't there. I trembled and gripped the blanket out of panic but then the blaring sound of water soothed my negative thoughts. Rose was in the shower. A shallow breath escaped my lips and I rolled onto my back with a growing smile. For just a moment, I believed that everything about Rose had all just been a cruel dream. Heat brimmed in my eyes and began to cascade down the sides of my face yet I didn't know why. I brought a hand up to muffle my quiet sobs and sniffs and to wipe away the tears. Why? My eyes were reddened and my hand was failing to keep the waterfalls at bay so I pulled the blanket up to muffle my cries. Why? The smile never left my face.
When the tears had finally subsided, I gave myself a chance to wrap my head around everything. I was still nude from that unforgettable night with Rose and the blanket was still clinging to me oddly. Sitting upright, I held the blanket to my chest. I blinked the blurriness away and shifted my tired gaze to the bathroom door where the sound of crashing water was echoing from. That's right, Rose had work. I patted the side of my head as I came to the realization of it being Monday. That day, I also had private lessons to attend. The weekend had passed by unusually fast, most likely because of all the fun I had with Rose, in and out of bed. Such intimate memories forced me to raise the blanket up to cover my face as the pink burned my cheeks. Everything we'd done together...I couldn't have even dreamed about the joy she was able to give me. I loved her.
Flipping my legs over the foot of the bed, it squeaked and shifted from the weight. I stood with the blanket still wrapped around my body. Staring at the door, my mind was already made up. Unraveling the soft fabric, it slid from my pale skin and fell as a heap at my ankles. For the first time in my life I was happy and confident with what I was because Rose had accepted me. That's why I wanted to do this. I stepped out the pile and swiftly made my way to the door. I lowered the handle and swallowed hard. The wood slowly opened into a slant, letting the steam and noise escape. I strafed inside, getting overwhelmed by the hot, moist air. The bath had a thick, brown curtain that lined its entire side, concealing anything behind it. Rose mustn't have heard me entering because she didn't respond. Smoky steam had already started to form droplets on my body, warming me to my core. Not wanting to let the cold in, I closed the door quietly and faced the curtains.