Tennessee Rose

Chapter Three - Rose

Written by: Ilyluna13

I am internally trying to keep my cool since Marshall, I mean Ryan, sat down next to me. Who am I kidding? He’s made it easy. He’s kind of rude, but I know he isn’t from around here. So he is forgiven for now. His confidence is both irritating and intriguing. Wait, what did he just say? I think he just asked me to lunch. Yep, that’s it and now, he's looking at me for an answer. What do I say? He’s joking right… I don't know what to do or say. He half-smiles at, what I assume is, the look of confusion on my face

"Lunch? With me?" Real smooth, Rose....

"Uh, yeah.. Tomorrow around one." He said it so confidently like he already knew my answer.  I can feel the panic rising in my chest and I don’t know why.

"Sure." I managed to choke out. I grabbed my bag and started to walk/run out doing my best to stay calm.

"Ay yo, wait. I need your number to plan for lunch ,ya know,  tomorrow." Gosh, his voice was kind of overwhelming. He handed his phone over. My hands were shaking so much as I typed in my number. "Here!" I nearly threw his phone back at him and ran out the door as tears were threatening to spill from my eyes. I think he called after me, but I really don’t know.  What the hell is wrong with me?

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I had managed to keep my cool on my walk back to the hotel.

As I walked back into my hotel room,  I heard my phone vibrating in my bag. With knots in my stomach, I pulled it out and answered without looking at the caller.

"Sis, did you see that ending?! What a game!"  I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized it was my brother. I spent the next twenty minutes listening to my brother go on about the game and the team he would soon be a part of.  He was so ecstatic so I assume we won.

As we said our goodbyes, my brother offered his usual love and well wishes, but this time he added, "I hope you find whatever you're looking for this weekend. I am definitely ready for you to come home." His words brought that sense of panic back to me and I began to sob into the phone. With concern, he managed to get an explanation out of me as I recounted my entire evening to my little brother. 

After the initial shock of my meeting Eminem wore off, my brother tried his best to calm me. He had a way of speaking to me that no one else really had.

"Sis, you know that it will always be okay to miss them, but you're still here. They are gone, but you aren't. Don't stop living." Some wise words from a 17 year old boy.

"But how am I supposed to have lunch with someone else? I mean I doubt his intentions with me are romantic, but it still feels like I am betraying someone. I'm damaged and probably very boring company these days. I was finally starting to feel okay again. Why am I freaking out over nothing? Am I crazy?"

"Rose," Whoa, he never calls me Rose, "are you even listening to me? Live a little. Don't question everything. You aren't boring, damaged or crazy. You've been through a horrible tragedy followed up by another horrible tragedy. But, you are strong and you HAVE to move on.  Besides, I am betting that you are imagining meeting him anyway so you're getting worked up over nothing... What business does HE have in Nashville of all places anyway?"  For some reason, his last statement sent me into a fit of giggles....

"I guess I'll have to ask him at lunch tomorrow you smart ass."  With that, we said our goodbyes and I was all alone with my thoughts again.

I've always been a fan of his, but I can't think about that right now. It's like I didn't meet Eminem. I just met someone "Ryan" off the street. However,  I am starting to wish I wouldn't have agreed to this. He’s going to want to know about my life. What do I tell him? I really just want to go home now. I want to do this, but it feels so much like I am doing something wrong.  Maybe I'll just get up early and head home. Would he even care if I just didn't show? Who would ever even know? Tristan? No, he would keep this secret, if I asked him too.

My thoughts were overwhelming as I tried to sort them out. My eyes were finally getting heavy. As I was dozing off, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I debated on ignoring it, but the blinking light was all I could think about so I grabbed my phone and glasses off the nightstand. The text was from an unsaved number and through sleepy eyes, I read some very sweet and well written words.

Well damn it...