ROSES & THORNS

- 8 5 -

I barely slept last night, hence the mug of coffee in my hand as my foot tapped on the floor impatiently.

What am I even waiting for?

Probably for the man in my guest room to rise and shine, talk, and then kindly leave... Right?

A knock on my front door disrupts my thought process and I sigh, trudging towards the door and swinging it open.

"Ronny, hey." I say and move aside, letting my friend in who goes straight to the kitchen, pouring himself some coffee.

He's still in his pyjamas with a grey tee on top as he slumps on the stool.

"Good morning to you too." I grumble.

"'Morning." He mumbles, briefly casting a glance at the guest room door before looking back at me.

"Still asleep." I answer his unasked question and he nods, slurping his coffee while I lean against the counter.

"What now?" He asks and I shrug.

"I honestly don't know. Should I wake him up or not? Should I offer him breakfast or not? Should I listen to him or kick him out? I'm so bloody confused." I say exasperated and he purses his lips.

"Go for it." He says and I frown.

"Go for what?"

"Talk to him. Come over to my café when he wakes up, have breakfast there, talk, take a walk, sort shit out, kiss and make up if you want or... whatever you choose to do after that." He explained and I thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

"I don't want to get hurt again." I whisper after a few minutes.

My eyes gloss over, fixed on the floor, when Aaron gets up from his place and walks over to me, wrapping his arms around my frame.

"I know. Heard you crying in the bathroom last night." He mutters and I sigh, closing my eyes tightly.

"I'm scared, Aaron. He's hurt me before, he can do it again. And what's worse, I'll let him ruin me gladly." I whispered and heard his long and heavy sigh.

"Yeah, that sucks. But I guess that's part of loving someone, right? You give your everything to them, bare your heart and soul and give all you can. Because you'd do anything for them." He said, his tone soft and I smiled faintly.

Aaron had been left heartbroken by his girlfriend whom he was together since school, but she suddenly started growing distant and ended up having an affair with a man who had more money.

He was heartbroken, still is, and it hurts to see him this way, because he's such a good man and deserves so much.

"You're right. We both have a knack for ending up with cheats, don't we?" I say, mentioning my ex, Michael, who also cheated on me and Aaron laughs softly.

"That we do. And we will always suffer because they left their mark on us and no matter what we do, we can't get rid of them. But what we can do is move on and hope for the best. And to never, ever, judge people just because your ex was a cheat, doesn't mean others are too." He said and I nodded.

"Thanks Ronny. I think we both needed that. And some serious therapy." I said and he chuckled.

"Definitely, we're messed up." He agreed when a throat was cleared behind us and both of us pulled away, although Aaron's arms were still around me.

"Am I interrupting something?" His deep, sleepy voice made my stomach churn as he looked at the two of us with a glare while I hardened my own gaze.

"As a matter of fact, yes, you did." I said and his eyes snapped to mine, dark with anger as his jaw clenched and he closed his hands into fists by his side.