ROSES & THORNS

- 5 1 -

- I S A B E L L E - E D W A R D -

"More?" Lance asked me, handing me another bottle of alcohol and I snatched it from his hands, downing half the bottle in one go while he leaned against the balcony door with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at me intently.

I sat on the floor with my legs crossed in Arthur's over sized shirt and shorts. I put the bottle to a side, my head resting against the cold wall.

Lance sighed, taking off his jacket and sat next to me, straightening his legs. I offered him the bottle and he took it, taking a long swig and handing it back to me.

"How long?" He asked and I thought for a moment.

"Two years should be good." I told him, staring at the dark sky ahead.

"That bad?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yup." I replied, popping the 'p'.

I got it that bad for him.

"Sierra?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Nah. I'll be fine." I flicked him with my hand and continued staring at the starry sky.

"How long has it been?" I asked him, taking another swig of the alcohol and frowned when I noticed it was empty.

"ARTHUR! GET ME MORE BEER!" I shouted and heard Arthur shout back.

"COMING!" I heard him.

"A week." He replied calmly and I frowned.

"That's it? I thought it'd been well over a month!" I frowned and he chuckled.

"Not really, no." He told me. "Your opening's tomorrow."

"Uh-huh." I told him just as I heard Arthur come out on the balcony.

"Beer anyone?" He raised a bottle and shook it, handing one to Lance and one to me, then taking one for himself and sitting beside me so that I was in the middle between them.

"Where's Tristan?" I asked them and heard the balcony door open, just as Tristan walked in.

"You requested for me?" He waggled his eyebrows before sitting on the floor with us, throwing his jacket on the couch outside, and taking a beer from the cooler.

"Are you drunk yet?" Arthur asked me and I shook my head.

"Not even close." I told him.

"Yup. She's drunk." He said smiling. "What about dinner?"

"I'm not hungry." I sighed, running a hand over my face.

"You said that last night. And the night before. And before." Lance said, recounting all the times I said that the past week.

"Anyways, how's the opening preparation going?" Tristan asked me.

"Everything was done last week. All I gotta do is doll up and look pretty tomorrow." I told them and heard them hum in response. I reached for another beer but Lance slapped my hand away.

"No. Come on now, let's get you inside." He said, holding out his hand to me and I eyed it before taking it while he pulled me up and led me back inside my room, where I crashed on my couch, groaning.

"Not here. You can crash in the dining room, come on." Lance said as he tried to pull me off the couch but I wouldn't budge.

"Nooooo. I'm not hungryyyy!" I whined and he groaned in frustration.

"Let me handle this." I heard Gareth and my head snapped to him, while he looked at me with an evil smirk.

"Where'd you come from?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"Work. Come on." He came closer, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"No." I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him as I held onto the couch for dear life.

"Yes." He said, prying me from the couch as Arthur and Tristan joined in while Lance just stood and looked at the scene in front of him with his hands in his pant pockets, amusement clear as day on his face.

He could actually help me.

I yelped when Gareth finally pulled me from the couch and dropped me over his shoulder, while Arthur and Tristan laughed behind us.

"Stop, Gareth! Put me down you asshole!" I screamed at him and hit his back, but he just chuckled.

"I'll put you down in front of dinner." He said and I groaned loudly.

"UGH!" But he only laughed at me, ignoring all the maids and other staff who looked at us with horrified expressions, because I was in a very compromising position right now, and with barely any clothes on.

He went down the stairs, but stopped abruptly.

"What? Why are you stopping now when you've already displayed and carried my ass through half the house for everyone to see? You could've at least let me wear more clothes!" I told him sarcastically and he cleared his throat.

"Right... uh... you've got a visitor." He spoke and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I'm not expecting anyone." I told him, and he turned around, and I raised my head to look who came and almost choked on my spit.

"You can turn back around now." I whispered and Gareth turned around to face the guest again.

"Hey buddy. We're gonna go back where we came from." He said and gave a nervous chuckle.

"Stop." I heard him say and both Gareth and I froze. I saw my brothers standing behind Gareth and raised my head to ask them for help but all of them looked at him.

"Rose. I need to talk to you. Alone." He said and I sighed.

"Should we make a run for it?" Gareth whispered.

"Yeah we really should." I whispered back and Gareth started to move back slowly.

"Please Rose,it's important." I could hear the desperation in his voice.

"He sounds desperate. Do you wanna give it a go?" Gareth whispered.

"I don't know." I whispered back.

"I can hear you you know." Adam spoke and we both shut up.

"I'm gonna drop you. I don't want an angry CEO on my tail." Gareth said and my eyes widened.

"NO!" I whisper screamed but Gareth put me down from his shoulder so that I faced him.

"Asshole." I glared at him and turned around slowly, looking at a very angry Adam whose jaw was clenched tightly as he glared at Gareth.

"Hey, isn't that my shirt?" Arthur suddenly spoke and I gulped.

Great.