A rose should be red: Part 1 - Secrets

by Akaku Red

  “Jenny, I made some sandwiches, you should come— Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?”

  I turned my head to the voice.

  Tyler was standing there, he looked fresh. His stubble had vanished from his face, his blond hair was slicked back but in a messy way, and for the first time, I saw him with comfy clothes on.

  I was used to his suits and seeing him like this was different.

  He looked younger, his hoodie was oversized, but his wide shoulders couldn’t be hidden under it.

  His black sweatpants matched his hoodie.

  Handsome, even in those clothes.

  I think he could wear anything and would still look good.

  “You didn’t, I am wide awake.”

  Pushing myself up from the bed, I noticed his gaze on me.

  He bit his lips, as if he was forbidding himself to make a remark.

  As I got closer, I smelled his fresh cologne. I walked pass him and moved to the corridor.

  “We can watch a movie after that,” Tyler said when he followed me.

  “But you still look tired, isn’t it better if you slept?”

  I took a seat in the dining room where some sandwiches and some drinks had been placed on the table.

  “If you let me sleep on your lap again … Then I will consider it.”

  His comment made me think that he was joking, but when I saw his serious look, I knew that he wasn’t.

  “For real, I can’t fall asleep. The last time I had a good sleep was on your lap, even though it was short.”

  It seemed like he also had a problem with falling asleep…

  “If the sandwiches are good, I shall consider it.”

  His breathtaking smile was on his face again, which made my heart skip a beat.

  “Thank you, but I hope that you won’t let other men sleep on your lap so easily.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I took a sandwich and started eating. It tasted similar to the sandwiches my mother made, but it had its own flavour — it was good.

  “I mean, I would burst with envy if there was another man close to you.”

  “Well … you are the only one.”

  His smile faded a bit.

  “You are just telling me that because you don’t want to hurt me. I know you are afraid of men.”

  He sighed. “And I am not-”

  I stopped him by gently poking his smooth cheek with my finger.

  “Because it’s you, I am not afraid,” I said before I resumed eating.

  Tyler stopped talking. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked away.

  His deep blue eyes gleamed with joy.

  “I think… I am in trouble,” he muttered, before he did the same as me and started eating.

  We didn’t speak again until we had finished eating, I had cleaned the table, and we had both made ourselves comfortable in his living room.

  He already had chosen a movie to watch, and of course it was something about lawyers.

  A very intense case with corrupt cops and judges.

  Tyler made himself comfortable and laid his head on my lap.

  The sofa was big enough for him to stretch his legs comfortably, and it was okay for me to sit with him on my side.

  My arm was hanging above his chest since he laid on his side, facing the TV.

  My other hand caressed his hair.

  He fell asleep before the action in the movie had even started.

  But I couldn’t blame him, he looked really tired and he deserved to sleep.

  I just couldn’t really believe that his position was comfortable, which was why I tried move him a bit.

  Before I could pull my hand away, Tyler grabbed it and held it tight. Because of his sudden touch, I thought that he was awake, but his steady and calm breath showed me otherwise— he was still asleep.

  The movie started to take place in court which had my full attention now.

  I really felt that scene in which the lawyers started to question the victim. The person in the movie had been wronged. She was a victim of cruel rich people who wanted to blame her for something she hadn’t even done. She had been kidnapped and mistreated, yet still… she was strong and faced all the questions by answering them without stuttering.

  Unlike me, who couldn’t even talk at the time.

  I was unknowingly comparing myself with the character in the movie, and because of it, I felt even more insecure and weak.

  She was a strong protagonist who stood up for herself and fought against the unfair and cruel system. The movie had a happy ending. The culprit got a well-deserved sentence, she won and started anew with the love of her life— I closed my eyes and sighed.

  Sadly, the reality was crueller.

  In movies it looked so simple. Everything was perfect after she won. She could let go of her past so easily, and she was happy.

  Unlike me, who was still suffering from everything.

  My gaze went from the TV to the roof terrace. It was dark outside, yet it was still raining.

  The terrace had light chains which lit up the dark atmosphere.

  It looked good, even though it was raining heavily.

  I grabbed the blanket which Tyler had prepared for me and covered him with it.

  It wasn’t cold, but I thought it would be more comfortable like this.

  He was still holding my hand, and I continued to caress his hair.

  The movie had ended a while ago. His TV already had a countdown on. It would turn off by itself if I didn’t press a button on the remote control, but I didn’t even bother moving … I just let it turn off by itself.

  I didn’t want to move so that Tyler, who was sound asleep, wouldn’t wake up because of me.

  He needed it… as for me, I was sure that I couldn’t sleep.

  The movie had reminded me of my past. My heart felt heavy as the image of Thomas’ face flashed in front of me. His glaring eyes, his hateful look. Even today I could feel it.

  This man … he was cruel, so damn cruel, Thomas and his best friend Daniel Willson, the monster who was dead … they really made me hate myself.

  Disgusting… Their filthy hands were all over me, as if I was a puppet.

  And my mother Cindy … She hated me, she hated me with every part of her body, with every inch of her soul.

  She would chain me up like a dog and make fun of me and my wounds.

  Beat me up or spit on me, wanted me to die …

  They all were cruel and dangerous…

  I tightened the grip on Tyler’s hand, I had the feeling of losing myself in those cursed memories.

  I needed to hold on to something … to someone.

  Yet, even though Tyler was next to me and I felt him … I still couldn’t focus on the present.

  I looked out the window again and watched the never-ending rain.

  Until the first sunrays started to appear …

  I hadn’t realised that morning had arrived already.

  My gaze had just been constantly on the deck, without sensing anything around me.

  When some birds landed on the light chains, I started to return to the present again.

  The sun was already up, Tyler was still asleep. He had a soft expression on his face.

  He moved his body so his face was facing my stomach. His hand briefly let go of mine, only to grab it again and to hold it tightly.

  I let out a quiet breath. I would let him sleep a bit more.

  My lap was numb, but since it wasn’t hurting me, it was okay.

  I looked around his living room and noticed that there weren’t any pictures of him or his family. He didn’t really have decorations in this room.

  The other rooms didn't have any pictures, either, only books filled up the empty spaces of the shelves— somehow, it looked lonely.

  Again, more time passed.

  Tyler started to move more, and then he stretched his arms out with a loud, deep growl.

  Like a bear waking up from his hibernation.

 
; He blinked his eyes a several times before he looked straight into mine.

  “Good morning!” I said with a gentle smile on my lips.

  A few seconds passed before Tyler jumped up and looked out the window.

  “You-I! Oh god! Does your leg hurt?”

  His voice sounded husky and concerned at the same time.

  He sat back down and started touching my leg, massaging it, and grabbing it to move it up and down.

  My face turned very red, it made me gasp in shock.

  His strong, yet gentle grip got my blood rushing back to my leg in no-time.

  This part of my body wasn’t really a place he should touch like this.

  I stopped him by taking his hands.

  “I-I am fine! Everything is okay.”

  After seeing my red face, he suddenly realised what he was doing and apologised.

  He also became shy, and I swear I saw his ears turn red.

  “I hope you had a good sleep.”

  He nodded.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up? It must have been very uncomfortable for you to sit like this the whole night.”

  I shook my head and assured him that everything was fine.

  “Err … Thank you, I did sleep well. For the first time in a while.”

  His breathtaking smile was on his face, my heartbeat was irregular, and my stomach started to tingle like crazy.

  I thought that I was imagining those feelings due to the lack of sleep but …

  Somehow it was just the reality.

  I felt some things I had never felt before when I was with him.

  Things that made me feel alive… A smile crept into my face.

  “I should prepare something for breakfast,” I said and got up.

  It was very important to get up slowly because I was afraid to feel dizzy if I went any faster.

  “You look pale.”

  Tyler touched my cheek with his hand, which made me blush again. It seemed as if whichever part of my body he touched… my blood would start to boil right there.

  “I am fine.”

  “I got another plan. We should go out and have breakfast outside before you meet up with Jeffrey. But just to make sure, are you really okay?”

  The concern in his eyes gave me the chills, and before I realised, I already had put my arms around his back, and hugged him tight.

  His body was still warm from the blanket, it gave me the feeling of hugging the sun.

  Maybe he was… because everything he had done so far was beyond my imagination.

  He was there for me, even though he didn’t need to. He didn’t know me before, yet he still approached me in a careful … most gentle way possible. Tyler took care of me and helped me out, showed concern … and a lot more things that he didn’t need to do.

  We weren’t related in any way, even if he knew my mother, he didn’t need to be there for me. He didn’t need to do anything for me— yet he did.

  “That’s foul play.”

  Tyler had muttered those words, but I could still hear him loud and clear.

  He wrapped his arms around me and took a deep breath.

  “Today, we are going to have a lot of fun.”

  Chapter 14

  My head felt heavy, but I was used to it.

  In the past, I hadn’t been able to sleep for days, and I still managed to go to school and do some things— and today wasn’t going to be different.

  Elise called me in the morning and apologised that she hadn’t been able to contact me yesterday.

  She had a lot of things to do in Denmark, but I wasn’t mad about it.

  I understood her situation, and I assured her that she didn’t have to worry much about me. After the heavy rain last night, the weather was starting to improve.

  Today was sunny and warm, so I took fitting jeans and a black blouse with me to the bathroom.

  I freshened up and took some medicine for my headache before I started to change into my clothes.

  Sadly, I couldn’t look anywhere else besides the mirror in front of me.

  With an emotionless face, I looked at my naked body.

  Each scar brought back a memory… a painful memory.

  Even the scary voices filled up my mind … the way they laughed, shouted, and made fun of me.

  I covered my ears, even though it couldn’t really shut out their voices.

  “I will get you!”

  “You are the ugliest thing on earth.”

  “SCREAM! YOU LITLE BITCH! SCREAM! NOBODY IS GOING TO HELP YOU ANYWAY!”

  “Look, nobody dares to rescue you.”

  “Why don’t you just die?”

  “Are you ready, Jenny?”

  Tyler!

  His gentle voice made the others disappear from my mind.

  I wiped away the tears, which had left my eyes without really realising it.

  Avoiding my reflection, I started to put on my clothes, without treating my wound, and then I washed my face again.

  Tyler was waiting already in the living room.

  Today he was wearing casual clothes, making him look like a handsome teenager.

  “I am hungry, we should get going now.”

  Taking my hand, he pulled me closer.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded while trying to hide my face.

  He was very sharp, and I didn’t want him to notice my swollen eyes.

  “Good.”

  However, his concerned voice already showed me that he was aware of my condition.

  Still, he didn’t ask again.

  We both got down with the elevator, into his car, and then he started to drive.

  He turned the radio on, so at least there wasn’t an awkward silence.

  For a long time, there was music blasting through the sound bars but after a while, the news came on.

  I didn’t really listen to it at all, my mind was filled up with my own thoughts, but when Tyler suddenly turned off the radio, I returned to reality.

  “We don’t need to listen to the bad news,” he said, explaining his actions.

  “What happened?”

  Tyler’s grip tightened on the wheel.

  “They were talking about a man who was conspicuous because he was strolling around schools and such…”

  After hearing these words, I felt my blood run cold.

  “Where?”

  “I don’t really know, but I think the police will find him soon.”

  What if this man was the one I had seen last time?

  “It seems like he is searching for a girl. Many suspect him to be a private detective. He is considered suspicious because he asked a kid about that said girl. Her brother saw him, and he attacked the man. And now he is spreading rumours about him… An easy case. You know, people always tend to make mountains out of molehills.”

  He shrugged and talked as if the man was a normal person, as if he wasn’t suspicious at all.

  “How do you know?”

  “Well … I tend to not judge the people like the media does.”

  His words made sense, yet still … nobody really knew the motive of that man, so we couldn’t judge either way, we only knew one side of the story.

  “You think too far ahead.”

  My comment made Tyler sigh deeply.

  “It doesn’t matter! We should focus on the good things.”

  Tyler had his own plans. He knew I was going to meet with Jeffrey, but he was making sure that the rest of the time, he would spend together with me.

  Which is why he took me out to a beautiful bakery where we ate a delicious breakfast!

  We both had much fun. He was giving me a feeling of being a normal girl.

  Well, not normal … more like special.

  He was observing, watching me silently and helping me out. If I made a little mistake, he would correct it and laugh about my clumsiness, but he didn’t really laugh at me … he said that I was cute, adorable and complimented me when I smiled. Telling me that I was beautifu
l.

  He made me feel good, he was stealing my heart in the most tender way possible.

  When it was time for us to part ways, he escorted me to the park where Jeffrey was already waiting with his little dog.

  My heart was overwhelmed with joy. Seeing them both was truly amazing.

  I jumped over to Rex.

  He recognised me right away.

  Rex barked excitedly and wagged his tail when he noticed me.

  Tyler wasn’t really pleased when I ran towards Rex and hugged him tight, tuning out both Tyler and Jeffrey.

  “Wow, I was replaced quickly,” Tyler said.

  “Well, you are not the only one!” Jeffrey added.

  Rex was a German shepherd. He had grown up the past years, but he was still cute.

  “Anyway, you should leave! We can take care of her know!”

  Tyler sighed and knelt down to touch Rex, but it was impossible since the dog wouldn’t let him get near us.

  Rex was barking and growling deeply when he tried to do so.

  “Guess the dog comes after its owner.”

  Tyler said, with a cheeky smile on his lips.

  “Well, I think I should go. If you want me to pick-”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Jeffrey stopped him.

  “No, you won’t be needed! I will take her back after we finished.”

  Tyler put his hands in the air, acting all innocent.

  His blond hair moved a bit when he shook his head.

  “Wow! Bow-wowing me from all sides.”

  Jeffrey glared.

  “I won’t be easy on you.”

  Rex and I watched them both. Tyler giving Jeffrey a teasing smile when Jeffrey looked like he was going to attack him at any moment.

  They were acting really crazy.

  “Sometimes you have to retreat to win a war,” Tyler finally said after taking a few steps back.

  “See you later, my beautiful lady.”

  He blew me a kiss and laughed when Rex gave him a little snarl in response.

  “A funny guy, he is.”

  Jeffrey clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.

  Then he shook his head while appearing to think about something.

  I couldn’t really tell what he was thinking about.

  “So, how are you?” I asked, trying to change the topic.

  “I am fine, how are you?”

  We started walking while Rex followed us happily, trotting away on his little four paws.