In the Life of a Rose

April 25, 2021

In the Life of a Rose...

I liked glitter. Or, dazzling in jewels head to toe in diamonds that shimmered in the beaming light. The gown I was wearing was something cream colored and covered in sparkles. It went straight down and hugged my body, accentuating my figure. There were cups holding my boobs but they didn't touch in the center and twisted with the only part that wasn't designed.

My hair was carved into a master piece of Marilyn Monroe and my bright red lipstick made everything perfect, especially with my white teeth. My jewelry was silver, making the bling even more than I imagined.

The small slit in my dress made way for me to show off my nude heels against the red carpet. Outside, the sun was still out and all of the extra people behind the line were wearing masks. I felt uncomfortable without mine but it was only for pictures and once we got in, I'd put it back on.

I waved gracefully, posing, by putting a hand on my waist and turning every so often. In the corner of my eye, I saw a bright yellow dress and turned to see Zendaya approaching me and I laughed, overwhelmed in seeing her. I gave her a short hug and we took some pictures before she had go take an interview.

Me and the rest of the people were ushered inside and I was sat at a single table with another seat in front of me. My mask was on, hiding my face and the man who came to sit across from me. His white hair stuck up and his sunken-in, downturned eyes looked at me as if I'd felt them on me before.

"Stephen Ujlaki," he introduced himself, unbuttoning his suit jacket. "We were the only ones that came."

"Yes, I didn't spot anyone else," I answered. He seemed to have known who I was and I knew it supposed to be a discreet arrival. "If we're supposed to hidden, why are we front row?"

"I put us here, Thea."

"Thank you then," I said. A waiter came and popped open a bottle of champagne and poured it in our glasses.  "Thanks."

It was all the same thing: clapping, standing, listening. I yawned under my mask. I was kind of biased now that I thought about it; I had been a part of the planning and now I hated it. Even before my position, I hate the ceremony; just mail the damn award and call it a day. However, most people wanted to be congratulated and all for their work and I had to respect that.

After a millennia, the show was over. Stephen and I stayed in our seats as the rest of the guests moved out to the after-show photographs. Then, we got up and made our way outside.

"Are you going to any parties?" Stephen asked.

"No, I think I might just stay in," I said. I saw my ride pull up to the curb and I waved a goodnight before climbing in. I got the chance to use my phone and when I opened it, I got a text from Chris:

'I have a surprise for you,' it wrote.

'Like what?' I responded and he left me on read which made me scoff. Once I was home, I quickly went to the front door to open it and walk in. I was frozen, standing in the doorway, as I stared at Chris in the living room.

"Where's the surprise?" I asked.

He could only laugh as I went into his arms and be engulfed by his warm. I squeezed his neck tightly and he began to choke before I pulled away.

"Awe, you missed me that much?" he chuckled.

"Maybe," I responded. "Where's Dodger?"

"Over there, asleep," he said, gesturing to his spot on his bed next to the office table.

I was now barefoot as I walked across the hardwood floors to the brown dog and crouched to pet him. His ear twitched at my touch but I assumed that he could smell me and was comfortable to continue sleeping.

"When'd you come in?" I asked.

"When you left, actually," he told me. "I then watched the show on the tv and you looked beautiful. You still do even though you're tired."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm gonna take a shower." He nodded and sat back on the couch as I grabbed my shoes and climbed the stairs. When I reached my room, I tossed the dress onto the floor next to the heels and stretched. Since my hair was still intact, I put on a shower cap to protect from the water, and cleaned the makeup off my face with a wipe.

I let the water run for moment until it got warm for me to get in and the pellets that hit my body was soothing. I was humming some song as I washed my body and suddenly, I didn't feel tired anymore. I assumed it was the dreading show that made me look ridiculous, or, it was the fact that Chris was here to make everything better.

Everything was better when he wrapped his massive arms around my body and I melted into them. I didn't care that we hadn't seen each other naked because we were above that level of immaturity.

He pressed his lips onto my shoulder, my neck, and chin. With my eyes closed, relishing in this moment, I turned around and found his lips to kiss. My head fell against his shoulder as I wrapped one arm under his armpit and stood there, feeling the rain fall on my back.