The Final Rose

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Love's Side

A/N: Overwhelmed by all the comments and love about last week's chapter. Let's keep it going!

+ + +

My mom's lasagna was just about my favorite thing to eat. There was nothing particularly special about it, no exotic ingredients or secret family recipe, but it was familiar and consistently delicious. As much as I loved the meal, I couldn't stomach more than a few mouthfuls.

A few feet away, the TV was still on, but the volume had been lowered to a reasonable level. The live studio audience and former contestants were giving their opinions about that night's surprising episode while my mom and Lee politely conversed about the weather, how Lee liked teaching kindergarten, and if she had been in contact with any of the other women from the show. It was decided that it had been unseasonably warm, that Lee couldn't imagine any another profession, and that she hadn't spoken to any of the former contestants—until that night. My mom's trailer home wasn't very large, and it couldn't handle the three of us plus the elephant in the room.

When stiff dinner conversation had dwindled, dinner plates had been cleared, and leftovers had been packed away in Tupperware, my mom made a pot of coffee. We weren't too far into our cups of warm caffeine when my mom stood up from the table. "Well, I think I'm going to call it a night."

I glanced in the direction of the digital clock on the microwave. It was too early in the night for sleep, but my mom wasn't obtuse. Lee and I needed to talk, really talk, and we wouldn't be able to do that with her around.

"Try to keep it down—the talking I mean." My mom stumbled over her words. "Not the ... the ...other stuff. Well, that too, try to be quiet, but you're both consenting adults and I ... well, goodnight."

I rolled my eyes. "Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Reed," Lee followed.

"Goodnight, girls."

I watched my mom's retreating figure disappear down the hallway and waited for the sound of her bedroom door closing. I worried my coffee mug between my hands. With my mom gone to bed, there were no distractions, no reason we shouldn't be able to talk openly and honestly.

Lee cleared her throat. "Hi."

"Hi," I echoed.

"I really like your hair," she noted. "It makes your cheekbones even more dramatic." Her hand reached across the table, but it stopped halfway where it remained. I could tell her instinct was to touch me, but too much time had passed. She'd lost that privilege.

I ran my fingers against the back of my shaved neck. The skin there still felt extra sensitive. The pixie cut had been an extreme change for me, but I'd gradually grown accustomed to it. I was no longer surprised when I shampooed my head or looked in a mirror to discover that my hair was gone.

She dropped her hand back in her lap. "I meant to tell you earlier, but there was a lot going on."

"Why is this so weird?" I vocalized.

"I missed you," she whispered.

My heart lurched at the admission. "Then why did you wait so long to come?"

"The confidentiality contract. We're not allowed to date anyone until our elimination episode airs," she reminded me. "I wasn't technically eliminated," she reflected, "but I still had to wait until tonight to see you again."

"Jacob wanted to marry you."

Lee looked grim. "I know. I feel terrible about it; he didn't deserve that. I should have told him what I was feeling instead of sticking around."