In the Life of a Rose

January 6, 2021

In the Life of a Rose...

It had been a few weeks since Scott left and before then, Chris would always pull me aside just to sneak a kiss. I felt young again each time he did this; running across the halls just to meet him.

"I hate that you're lying to your brother," I had told him one evening.

"I'm sure he already knows he just doesn't want to say," he whispered. He grabbed onto my bare waist and slid his callous-covered palms up my crop top. "I like when you dress like this."

"In lounging clothes?" I inquired, wrapping my arms around his neck and my hand raked his growing hair. He hummed, nodded, and breathed a kiss onto my lips.

Now that Scott was gone, we didn't have to hide in the laundry room, closet, or garage anymore. Chris was bold enough to get a hold of me in the kitchen as I tried to make breakfast.

"The eggs are going to burn!" I exclaimed as he pulled me away. He carried me onto the counter and he stared at me, his eyes filled with an intense hunger, and he stood between my open legs. I fell into his blue gaze and grazed my delicate fingers up his chest where the shirt tightened against his abdomen. "Will you at least turn off the burner?"

He listened to my request and pulled away from me, stroking his beard before turning away to turn off the stove. I watched as he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Simply Lemonade to pour for me as he drank a cup of coffee.

I entwined my fingers on the cup, looking at the yellow liquid move around when I shook it. My head lifted to watch Chris finish making breakfast and handed me a plate. We went to the living room to relax and when Chris turned on the tv, the channel from last night was playing.

I frowned at the sight of a mob attack at the Capitol Building in D.C. Reporters from different parts of the attack where thousands of white people were hanging Trump flags and causing chaos as congress was trying to count the electoral votes to ensure that Biden was president.

"What the actual fuck?" I stated, scoffing. "They're literally letting them doing that."

"If they were people of color, they would've had SWAT teams surround that place."

I pursed my lips and shook my head, knowing he was right. They'd even release fire on them. It was hard to eat my food thinking these thoughts and watching as this mayhem happened on national television.

"There is no way they thought of this together," Chris spoke. "They can't think for themselves."

"It was definitely their leader," I said and he agreed. He finally switched the channel and looked at me, rubbing my leg and I got the appetite to eat again. "I have to call my friend, Harley."

"Okay," he said. He pushed his head out, motioning for me to kiss him and I gave him a soft peck before going to my room.

I waited as my phone rang and Harley finally answered. "Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, girl," she responded, lightly laughing.

"How's five months treating ya?"

"My feet are fucking sore!" she emphasized. "Everything and everyone is so annoying. The other day when Emmanuel was eating, I got mad at him for chewing loudly."

"I'm not surprised," I said. "Alena said the same thing."

"Anyway, how's it going with you?"

"Psh, I've had meetings with the committee ya know, trying to figure out how we're gonna do the Oscars. I can't tell you the details, obviamente," I said and I began to pull in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah, and Chris and I've been making out a couple times. Just a whole lotta kissing and shit."

"What the actual fuck?!" she yelled. "You've been doing what?! With who?!"

"Yup," I said affirmably. "Please don't tell anyone, I don't know how far this'll go and where it'll take us. I haven't even told Ma."

"You didn't even tell me," she replied. "From the sound of it, it's been going on for a while now."

"Yeah."

"Are you sure about him?" she inquired. "Are you sure you want to take things further? If you do, you should know exactly what you're doing, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean... no, I don't know. I'm getting weird vibes and shit. I've never met him but I want you to have the best man ever, okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye babe."

"Bye babe and baby." She hung up and I crossed my arms over my chest, thinking about what she had said: was I really in to be with Chris? Was I sure that I wanted him? I even thought about my mom's advice when she told me to make sure I was out of love in order to do it again. With all of these questions, my answer was yes.

I stepped out of my room to find Chris returning to his spot on the couch where he had left to wash our plates. He looked at me, his eyes glistening, and his arm reached out for me. I grabbed it, following his pull and I sat on his laps, faced him, and cupped his cheeks that smiled in my hands.

"'This time, next year, what will it look like?'" I whispered the lyrics of the About Time interlude.

"I-I don't know." I looked at his beautiful eyelashes when he closed his eyes, taking away the captivating blue before giving it back.

"And that's okay," I said. "I have accepted the things I cannot change." He pursed his fine lips and when he released them, I kissed him. It was just as rich as the first kiss we had shared and so much more.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, slowly sliding them down and he softly squeezed my butt. He then rubbed it and I slid closer to him, feeling him in the lower parts of his body.

"I want you to be my boyfriend," I breathed. "I want you to be everything to me."

"Oh, Thea," he sighed. "I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"Ask?" I repeated, a frown forming on my face. "I'm not asking you... I'm telling you." He chuckled, burying his face into the nape of my neck where he laid kisses that made butterflies form in my stomach.