Oddly Similar (Complete)

Chapter- XXXVIII

Imagine the worst hangovers and double it.

That was what Matt felt when he finally managed to force his eyes open.

Rose sobbing was not a sound he wished to hear even in his nightmares. Her laughs were rare and therefore her tears heartrending.

The sight which greeted him boiled his blood over. Ryan was on his knees, at his eye-level with Rose, his lips half-parted, tracing the cloth which was gagging her mouth and enjoying everytime Rose shuddered. She tried to turn her face away but he'd force her back to look into her eyes.

Ryan noticed Matt's wakefulness even before he could utter a word.

"Oh goody, you're awake!! Our homeboy Pete has been out like the dead."

Rose whimpered at that.

"Oh don't worry, babe!! He's alive though not kicking yet!!" holding her face in his hands.

"You know Matt, this propriety that our society practices, ugh, has kept me away from my babe for so long. Why are you so kind-hearted, Rosey?!"

"She went under severe depression when that old, wrinkly janitor burned to a crisp."

Rose went deathly silent at that.

"No sweetie, it wasn't your fault. He was already dead from a heart attack by the time the flames reached his body. The charges for destroying school property shouldn't have been put against you either but you understand Daddy couldn't let his son get implicated in any of those, right?"

Matt growled over the cloth gagging his mouth.

"Aww, I get it. My buddy here has no idea what we're talking about. Let me start from the start."

Standing up, he stomped over the brooch laying on the ground that Rose was wearing.

"Really sweetheart?! You think I've survived being a Mayor with pure luck?!" Grabbing and massaging her neck he further boasted, "I know you're smart and resourceful. One of the reasons you get my boat everytime I look at you." He planted a kiss over the cloth covering her lips which caused Matt to struggle further.

"Ok, ok, storytime!! I wish we had hot chocolate and cookies. Nevermind!!"

"It all began twelve years and seven months ago when I caught Pete here sneaking in a pink rose into my babe's locker at school."

Rose's eyes widened at that.

"You see he was the heart bleeding for Roseyy from afar. On bashing him and asking around further I came to know it had been going on for weeks. Can you imagine the guts of this trash? Chasing and trying to take away my toy that I'd been bantering with for years."

Caressing Rose's left arm till her hand and clasping it in his, kissing every knuckle, "Her fire is only mine." Rose's eyes were shut tight and she was deathly silent as if imagining all of this as unreal.

"But you see Daddy was still overseeing my antics so I couldn't go further than giving Pete a beating. Asked Roseyy out for a date, was a true gentleman, didn't even kiss or make-out with her like I'd been dreaming of since ever. But what does she do?! Lies to me and walks home with this street urchin."

"I wanted to burn him alive then and there but couldn't. So I waited for Rose to come to me. I was ecstatic when she called me enquiring of my illness which I'd obviously faked. And then I get to know this bastard is back trying to woo her with his roses again. The gall!! So I had to do what I had to do!!"

Rose had literally stopped breathing at this point with the shock of the revelations.

"Breathe sweetie!!" Ryan cooed caressing Rose's cheek with his nose, "or I'll stop storytime!!"