𝘖𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤- mysterious and entrancing; beyond ordinary understanding
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She's never been outside of her house.
It hadn't ever been a problem until now.
But now she's alone.
The only closure she has is a singular lette...
𝘈𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦- To accept, submit, or comply reluctantly but without protest
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Rose's POV:
An ominous black figure stares back at me from the once-blank canvas. I can't help but shiver at the emotions it projects; the painting seems to hold a hidden message but no matter how hard I try to decipher it, I come up empty-handed.
"Oh god..." I whisper in shock as I quickly turn the painting away from me so I can no longer see the nightmarish scene it contains.
Giovanni quietly picks it up and turns the canvas around so he can see what I painted. "What is this Fragolina?" he questions.
"Um, I- I don't know..." At least that's what I'm trying to tell myself; deep down I know what I painted, I just refuse to admit it.
"Oh, but I think you do. Would you care to enlighten me?" I begin to shake my head 'no' but he gives me the don't-lie-to-me look and I know that I have no choice but to speak the truth.
"It's kind of a long story," I say in hope of persuading him to not make me tell him.
A perfectly sculpted eyebrow raises, "And we've got plenty of time."
I sigh in exasperation; why is he so stubborn!?
"Okay, well a couple of days ago, I received a mysterious letter from an anonymous person. Then, an unknown number called me and being the inept I am, I answered and it only creeped me out more. It was a man and he alluded to the fact that he's going to see me soon. Maybe I'm just overthinking things and letting my anxiety take over though. I'm probably just blowing it out of proportion."
Gio doesn't answer for a bit as he seems to be deep in thought. "Did this have any connection to your nightmare?"
I hesitantly nod my head.
"Were you planning on keeping this a secret Rosary?" He used my actual name, oh no. Did I disappoint him? I don't want to make him angry and cause him problems! It's the reason I didn't tell him in the first place.
My eyes begin to tear up, "I'm sorry" I whisper out. "I-I didn't want to bother you. Please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry!" In one swift movement, Gio sets my painting down, picks me up, and places me on his lap.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad, I'm just concerned. Rose baby, how about we head back to my apartment and then you can tell me everything you remember."
"O-okay," I blubber out like a baby.
Gio stands up with me in his arms, grabs my bag, and starts walking back to the car but I stop him before we get far. A soft sniffle leaves my nose before I speak, "Wait Gio, what about the rest of our stuff?"
"Don't worry Pricipessa, I'll have someone pick it up after we leave," he answers.
I'm not one hundred percent sure what he means by that but I trust him so I just nod my head and place my head on his chest.
After a relatively quiet ride home, Gio instructs me to sit on the couch and get cozy.
Once I put an old instrumental record on for some background noise and set my tote bag down, I grab a fluffy white blanket and curl up on his nice couch. A few moments later, Giovanni walks into the room with two mugs filled with steaming liquid (after further examination, I find that it is tea for me and plain black coffee for him; typical).
I decide now would probably be a good time to start talking;
"A few days ago when I walked into my room at my old house, I saw a crimson-red teddy bear that I've never owned, let alone seen before. There was also a note with the teddy bear and it alarmed me. It's probably just me overreacting though." I pause to retrieve the note in my bag for Gio so he can see what I'm talking about.
I continue when he begins to examine the slip of paper, "I still don't know how it got into my house either; I always lock all of the windows and doors. I didn't have much time to dwell on the mildly concerning note though because a few seconds later someone random called me."
"Do you happen to remember what they said?" He looks up at me for my answer.
"Well he didn't say much; in fact, I thought it was a prank call at first and was going to hang up but then he said my name. I got really confused then because you're the only living person who has my phone number and knows my name; well that's what I thought. Then when I asked who he was, the creepy man just laughed and told me I'd know 'soon' and then he hung up." I put air quotes around the word 'soon' to emphasize it.
"And it's probably just my anxiety talking, but lately I've felt like I'm always being watched. It gives me the creeps." By the time I've finished my story, Giovanni is holding both of my hands in a tight grip as we sit across from each other.
"I don't think that's just anxiety Rose and I want you to know that your concerns and emotions are valid. But you should have told me; why didn't you?" He gazes into my eyes and for a moment I see the vulnerability he is feeling swimming around in his green irises. It hurts me to see him in pain, especially because of me. Gosh, I'm such a horrible human being!
"I'm so sorry Gio," I pause as I wipe some tears off of my flushed cheeks, "You've seemed so stressed lately and I- I didn't want to bother you with my silly fears and be a burden. I feel like I've already been too big of an inconvenience for you and I feel awful. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you; God I'm so stupid."
Before I can curl up into a ball and sob my eyes out, Giovanni pulls me into his lap and begins rocking us back and forth. It's amazing how quickly the simple action calms me down.
"Shh my fragolina. It's alright; you are not stupid, don't ever say that. You are so smart, you're my little smart angel okay?" He says with fierceness in his voice.
"You say it like it's true," I respond not believing his words.
"I only speak the truth to you. And as for being an inconvenience to me? Nonsense. If I didn't want to take care of you, then I wouldn't. It's as simple as that."
In my vulnerable state, I find myself voicing one of my biggest fears, "But what if you are only nice to me because you feel bad?"
Gio's arms squeeze me tight suddenly, "Oh baby, I can assure you none of that is true. Yes, I want to take care of and help you, and yes, I'm concerned for you, but Rose, that isn't because I feel bad for you."
Since fills the air for a moment as I absorb his powerful words. And then he says something I never thought I'd hear him say;
