Unforgotten Memories

Chapter-4

Rose

I hear a knock on my window as I was doing my math homework. I look at the clock hung on the wall, which read 11:28 PM. I get up from my study table and push my curtains aside to see Jackson giving me a sheepish grin.

"Open the window." He says inaudibly from the other side. I shake my head with a soft smile, being fed up with his never ending childishness. I open the window and let him in. As soon as he is inside, I make my way towards the bathroom to get my first aid kit. He abruptly stops me by holding my wrist.

"What? Let me treat your hand, it'll get infected." I say trying to pull my wrist away.

"I don't have the patience for that. I wanna show you something." He says breathlessly. He leaves my hand and takes his shirt off.

"Oh my God Jackson! What are you doing?" I ask as I cover my eyes and turn around.

"Rosie look at me! Trust me, I'm not that ugly when shirtless." He says humorously.

"No, I won't do anything when you're shirtless. Whatever you wanna show me, you can do it with a shirt on." He lets out a chuckle and stands in front of me. He takes my hands away from my face and cups my cheek.

"Open your eyes, Rosie." He whispers and I slowly open my eyes. Since he is very tall, I'm face to face with his chest. I gasp at what I see on his chest and look at him.

"Why would you do that?"

"So that I can have my Rosie with me, forever." He says, taking my hand and placing my palm on his chest, where I can feel his heart beating, where he has got a tattoo of a rose.

"Why did you tattoo a rose on your chest?" I whisper, admiring the beautiful, intricate ink.

"Because that's where you belong, Rosie." He says, looking into my eyes. I place my hands on his shoulders and stand on my tiptoes. I'm still way shorter than him, but at least I get easier access to his lips this way. I make use of the opportunity and kiss him, showering him with my love, which I cannot describe through mere words. I pull away and say,

"I love you, Jack."

"And this is your room." I say, entering the tiny room. He follows suit and puts his luggage bag on the floor with a thud.

"Thanks a lot, Rose. I mean, I really owe you one." He says with a grateful smile. I shake my head and wave my hand nonchalantly with a smile.

"Oh, this is nothing."

"Don't mind me asking, but why is it so quiet in here? I mean where's Mr and Mrs Harper?" He asks inquisitively. My smile immediately drops and I look at my fidgeting hands.

"Daddy had a heart attack a few days ago. The doctors said that he's out of danger for now, but to be on the safer side, he is kept under observation. So mom is staying over at the hospital with him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that, I-I........shit." He says, running his fingers through his hair.

"It's alright. He's okay now and that's what matters at the moment. Why don't you freshen up? I'll cook dinner by then." I say, grinning. He nods softly, giving me a tight-lipped smile. I leave his room and close the door after me. I lean against it and let out a quiet sigh. I still can't believe that there is a man behind this door, who I was head over heels in love with. I'm happy that he is alright. Maybe alright wouldn't be the suitable word to describe his situation because he is anything but alright. At least he is alive, at least he is there with me, for now.

****

"I don't know honey, his condition isn't stable at all. Sometimes his health is improving while other times it is deteriorating." Mom says apprehensively.

"He's going to be fine, mom. He won't go anywhere leaving us. I think it's because of all the stress he has been having lately. I guess it's time he retires. I am a working woman and I earn enough to feed a family of three. I can be the breadwinner of the house." I say as I rub a knob of butter over the steak. I had decided to make Jackson's favourite, steak and potatoes. Mom always used to make some for him, whenever he'd come over as my 'friend'. My parents considered him as their own child, but they didn't know we were dating, of course.

"But Rose, honey you've got a life of your own. You're 24 now. Soon you'll find a person you love, then you'll get married and have children. And then-"

"Mom, just give it a break okay? You guys are my life, and I'm not going to abandon my parents." I say.

"Gosh! My baby has grown up." She says sniffling before she was called by the nurses.

"Alright honey I got to go. Love you."

"You too." I say, hanging up. I put my phone on the counter and run my hands all over my face out of frustration. I climb up the stairs and make my way towards Jackson's room. As I was about to knock on the door, I hear a loud hiss.

"Shit." I hear him mutter as I proceed to knock on the door.

"Jackson? Dinner is ready." I say, waiting for his response.

"I'll be there in a minute." He says exasperatedly.

"Do you need help with anything?" I ask.

"No, it's fine." He says promptly. I shrug my shoulders and turn around to walk away.

"Uhm Rose? I guess I wouldn't mind if I get a hand in here." He says lowly. I can imagine him scratching the back of his head, embarrassed. Jackson never liked asking for help. He'd say that it would hurt his 'male ego'. Some things never change I guess. I twist the knob and slowly open the door. I see Jackson holding a cotton ball near his abdomen, tending to a fresh wound. I push the door wider and gasp.

"Jackson! You didn't tell me you had such a nasty wound! And you're trying to tend to this by yourself? You could've asked me for help." I ramble. I snatch the cotton ball from his hand and wet it with iodine tincture before gently dabbing it on his wounds.

"Fuck!" He hisses, grabbing my wrist in a tight grip. I promptly look at him, apologetically.

"I'm sorry. It stung badly." He says lowly, releasing my hand. I give him a soft smile and continue dabbing. Once I'm done, I begin to dress his wound. As I wrap the gauze bandage around his torso, I can feel his eyes on me. With this level of proximity, his hot breath is fanning against my cheek. Suddenly, my eyes fall onto the tattoo on his sculpted chest. The rose. I brush my fingers across it, as it rekindled memories from the past.

So that I can have my Rosie with me, forever.

I feel pure angst by looking at it. This tattoo symbolized his promise to me, of us staying together, forever. But it meant nothing to him since he didn't even have to think twice before leaving me. I can feel my eyes stinging, threatening to release the pathetic tears. As if he could read my mind, Jackson gently cups my cheek, lifting my face to look at him. I look into his eyes, finding absolutely no emotions in them. At this point, the tears started cascading down my cheeks. His eyes are so cold, so distant. I am craving for the warmth in his eyes, the warmth that I had gotten used to, the warmth that I desperately needed. Unable to control myself, I place a quick, soft peck on his chest, right on the rose. He stiffens at this gesture and takes a step back, which causes the tears to flow down my cheeks twice as fast. I quickly wipe them and turn around.

"Dinner is ready." I say lowly before storming out of his room.