Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“It will be best for you if we stop seeing you,” I say. “We all knew from the start that we weren’t meant to be together, and this is a good time for things to end.”
“I can’t believe you’re listening to my brother! You’ve been telling me that I need to stand up for myself and what I want, and you’re going to listen to what he’s telling you to do or not do?”
“We’re not doing this because of what he said.” Zipper finally gets to his feet. “We were already talking about it before he came here.”
Now it’s Rose who looks like she’s been stabbed in the heart. She stares in disbelief, then twists her head, looking for a way out. She’s not far from the door, and she reaches for it, but then she stops, straightens, and turns back to face us.
“No, you know what? I’m not running out of here. I’m not leaving until you explain yourself. If it isn’t because of my brother, then what is it?”
“You said yourself how different we are,” Zipper says. “We have very different outlooks on life.”
“We’re much older than you. You’re just getting started in life,” Christian says.
Rose’s brow furrows. “I didn’t think you had a problem with our age difference.”
I slide my hand into my pocket to keep from reaching out to her. “We don’t, but you should.”
“We’re not what you’re looking for in life, and you know it,” Zipper says.
Frustration is written all over the girl’s face. “I don’t know that. What if you are what I’m looking for?”
Zipper keeps his eyes locked on her. Somehow, his voice is emotionless. “It wouldn’t work. We’ve tried it before, and the woman involved got hurt. Things weren’t what she expected, and things weren’t right between all of us, either.”
She looks around at all of us, as if searching for different information, but she doesn’t find it. “Oh. Oh, I see. You say this is about me and our differences, but it’s really about all of you.”
“It’s the right thing for all of us,” I say. “You’ll understand that someday.”
She shakes her head, refusing to hear it. “Things would be different with us. Things are different.”
“We’ve been through it, Rose,” Christian says, his tone softer. “We know what it’s like. We know how it goes.”
“Right now, you’re looking at things through rose-colored glasses,” Mace says, not seeming to realize his unintentional wordplay. “Things aren’t always bright and happy, and most of the time, things don’t end well.”
Again, her eyes go from one of us to another, and hard as it is, I’m proud that we all stay firm and keep Rose’s best interests at heart. None of us truly wants to end things with her, not even Zipper, even though he won’t admit it, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s what we need to do so that she can get on with her life. We can’t hold her back.
She must see our resolve, because her face slowly changes as she accepts the truth. “Okay. I’m going to go, then,” she says, sounding so broken that I can hardly bear it.
“Wait. C’mere.” I pull her into a hug. I have to. I need to feel her soft body against mine one last time. “We enjoyed every minute with you, Rose.”
Her body trembles in my arms, and I’m sure she’s crying, but when I manage to pull away, I find that her eyes are dry.
Inside me, things are crumbling like poorly-constructed buildings during an earthquake, but on the outside, I stay strong. This hurts like hell, but I’ve made it through other hard times, and I’ll make it through this, for Rose’s sake.
After pressing a final kiss to her forehead, I let her go. Christian hugs her next, then Mace, then Zipper.
Then she stands tall, straightens her shoulders, and walks out, taking any bit of light and joy along with her.
38
ROSE
I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing my tears.
Not that I believe they want to cause me pain—despite hurting me badly, I know that wasn’t their intention—but they think I’m young and naïve and that I don’t know how the world works. They’d expect me to cry, and so I won’t. Not in front of them, anyway.
My eyes stay dry all the way back to my apartment.
My brand new apartment.
This was supposed to be such a happy day, a new start full of hope and possibility. A step toward having my own life. I’d envisioned at least one or two of them spending my first night here with me, but now I’m all alone.
Maybe it’s anger that’s keeping me from crying. Why do they get to suddenly decide things are over? Just because they’re older than me, they think they know how everything will turn out. Nobody knows that.
Of course, I have a different outlook on life than they do, but I didn’t think they’d be quitters. I didn’t think they’d thrill me, charm me, make me fall in love with them, and then abruptly tell me goodbye.