A rose should be red: Part 1 - Secrets

by Akaku Red

This little memory warmed my heart.

  It really showed me that Bob remembered me well.

  “It is a little bit narrow, but let’s get on with our adventure!”

  A beautiful day!

  It was amazing and filled with fun. Charlotte teased Tyler a lot since she saw him sulking a bit. She said he acted this way because he couldn’t spend the time alone with me which led Jeffrey and Bob to tease him even more. They didn’t give him any space. In fact, they made sure that he couldn’t come close to me. Their behaviour was really funny.

  A day I never had before.

  The only people who were missing on that day were Elise, Alice, and Rick.— Also, Dean…

  Yet, the ones who were there did their best to make me happy, and I appreciated all of it.

  Everyone.

  It was such an amazing feeling. The love coming from all of them warmed up my whole body. I felt so much joy that I was afraid that I was feeling too much, and I was afraid that it wouldn’t last… Afraid that it was all a wishful dream.

  It was too good to be true!

  After the amusement park, we went to a restaurant to eat our hearts out.

  Today wasn’t a special day. There was nothing to celebrate, yet we had a day full of celebration! We had so much fun!

  Linette, Charlotte, and Amy could barely talk anymore since their voices were sore from screaming, but they wetted their throats with drinks so that they could resume talking non-stop.

  All the while, I just listened and enjoyed those moments together.

  Jeffrey, Bob, and Tyler weren’t always pleased by the talk from Charlotte since she talked a lot about boys and good matches for me.

  It was a little bit embarrassing, but she was herself and no one should change her.

  All in all, it was an amazing day— And too short since I had the feeling that the goodbyes would be coming all too soon.

  “We should do it again!” Charlotte said loudly while she hugged me like a big teddy bear.

  “But for now, you should give Tyler a little bit of your attention since he didn’t get to be with you today.”

  She whispered the last sentence which made me blush a bit.

  “By the way, Jenny, did you treat your back?” Jeffrey suddenly asked when he remembered my wound.

  I nodded slightly since I didn’t really care about that right now.

  “Good! You need to treat it carefully! If not, it could get infected again,” he reminded me.

  “Yeah, listen to this guy and be careful! Take care of yourself!” Bob added before they turned to get into his car. The girls followed them, since they would get escorted back home by the two of them.

  “See you!”

  A few moments passed while I watched them drive away and before Tyler appeared in front of me.

  “Now that they are gone, I want you to come with me.”

  His voice sounded a bit annoyed, yet he was looking at me with a gleam in his blue eyes.

  Little electroshocks rushed through me when he took my hand and gently enclosed it with his.

  I hadn’t really given him much attention today since I was overwhelmed with all the positive feelings I received from my friends. This was something beautiful, and I felt alive with the joy of the people who were beside me. I wasn’t used to this at all but, well, I wasn’t used to anything, which gave me hope and joy.

  “We need to take at least one ride together!”

  Tyler took me to a Ferris wheel next to the restaurant where we had been minutes ago.

  A good place with a beautiful view on the city, but we couldn’t really see all of it since it was dark outside.

  Only the lights gave us a mesmerising view. The moonlight and the green lights of the city gave us a breathtaking and beautiful display of colours.

  “Wow!” I gasped as we reached the highest point of the wheel.

  The ride stopped.

  “Did you have fun today?” Tyler asked.

  He was sitting in front of me, and his eyes never left mine.

  I knew he had been looking at me for a long time now, observing my every movement…

  “Yeah, it was a beautiful day.”

  The moonlight was shining on him, his blue eyes shimmered with the moon.

  He looked mysterious and handsome at the same time while his blonde hair was all messy from the earlier rides.

  Trying to tame his hair. He ran through it and brushed it back.

  Casually, yet classy! Very pleasant to look at.

  My gaze jerked away to the artificial pond between the restaurant and streets.

  I smiled from ear to ear as I watched the reflection of the moon on the water.

  “Thank you for taking me out … and for the beautiful view.”

  I pointed outside of the cabin at the city lights, the moonlight, the pond … It looked beautiful.

  I knew I was thanking and apologising way to often these days, but I just felt like saying it out loud.

  Because I was really thankful and happy.

  “Well, the view in front of me is way more beautiful and attractive!”

  He pointed at me which made my heart skip a beat.

  “And … I don’t need a ‘Thank you’. If you want to thank me, then you should give me… a kiss.”

  His suggestion made me swallow hard. This was a very bold request.

  “I guess you need to be satisfied with my thanks.”

  As I gave him the answer, the wheel started to move again.

  He stretched his arms, reaching out to me.

  I stopped breathing as he pulled me closer.

  Something cold was placed around my neck. I heard a clicking sound, and then he released me. My hand moved up to my neck just to feel a cold metal around it.

  It was a silver neckless with a pendant as a rose.

  The petals were opened up, holding a white crystal.

  “T-This…” I stuttered.

  It was hard for me to find the right words.

  “A gift,” he whispered.

  “It looks amazing. And… expensive! I can’t-”

  He interrupted me by taking my hand.

  “It took me a lot of effort to get this.”

  The butterflies were rebelling in my stomach.

  “But… Why?”

  He chuckled when he saw my troubled expression.

  “When I went to your room— I didn’t think your room was very High-school girlish. You don’t have anything like that.”

  My cheeks started to glow.

  Somehow, I felt embarrassed.

  “It’s a gift, for being with me.”

  A smile was on his face as he looked me deep in the eyes.

  “You don’t need to! Besides how am I supposed to repay you?”

  “Hmm … That’s right!”

  He looked at the moon, whispering the next words with a soft voice.

  “Wear it every day! Never take it off for even a moment.”

  For a few seconds, my head was spinning, and my heart was beating fast. I was afraid he could hear it.

  I tried to distract myself by looking somewhere else. However, when Tyler sighed slightly, I somehow felt guilty. It seemed that he was disappointed and … he didn’t say anything after this.

  We silently watched the view before we got out of the wheel.

  My heart felt heavy after the ride, even though everything was perfectly fine.

  Well, I was sure the conversation with Tyler was the thing which made me feel so … insecure.

  I didn’t want to give him the feeling that I disliked him!

  It was just …

  I was at a loss for words.

  But then… he took my hand on our way to his car. This gesture showed me that he wasn’t angry at me which made feel a little less guilty.

  He knew I wasn’t an average girl, and I couldn't really understand how people felt, also I couldn’t identify my feelings.

  I only know fear, pain, anger, and worries. The new emotions are beautiful an
d … scary at the same time.

  We had nearly reached the car when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me.

  “Please, close your eyes!” his deep voice demanded.

  I did as I was told without arguing which made him burst out laughing.

  “You trust me too much! I just said that, and you did this without asking why?”

  His comment now was confusing me.

  Why would he laugh about that?

  “But … you told me to do it?”

  He let out a loud breath before he released my hand.

  Somehow… I felt like I had said something wrong.

  His behaviour was baffling, and the next thing he did was even more confusing.

  Tyler wrapped his arm around my waist, his other hand gently touched my cheek.

  “Would you be this obedient with anyone?”

  I felt the heat creep into my face.

  He was way too close…

  I didn’t know if … it was his words that made me feel embarrassed or if his touch, which made me feel hot, were the reason for my blank mind— but one thing was for sure!

  I didn’t mind him being this close.

  “N-No! I-I mean you are Tyler.”

  My stutter was unavoidable.

  “So, because I am Tyler, you would do anything I say?”

  His voice was mesmerising, his blue eyes pulled me into his, and they sparkled with great excitement.

  “Anything?”

  The delicate touch got clearer, warmth suffused my body and … I felt safe, even though I didn’t understand my feelings.

  And because I couldn’t give him an answer to his question, I quickly did as I was told to do seconds before.

  I closed my eyes again.

  He started laughing, a beautiful laugh which vibrated through my ears.

  “I give up.”

  His thumb brushed over my chin, before I felt his forehead on mine.

  “Why?”

  I didn’t know why this question left his mouth or what was running through his mind, but all I knew was that, as he touched my lower lip, I stopped breathing.

  I tried to move his hand. Yet he grabbed mine and intertwined it with his, just to pull it closer to his mouth.

  His warm breath on my fingers made my heart skip another beat, my hand started to tingle, my whole body was trembling.

  I opened my eyes again when he started to kiss my fingertips.

  My vision blurred, everything around us was out of focus.

  It was just him and I— Nothing else seemed to catch my attention.

  The air around us started to crackle as if charged by electric waves.

  It was an exchange of feelings which was frightening, yet I felt good.

  Alive …

  Yeah, every time he came in contact with my skin … I felt alive under his burning touch.

  The desire, the yearning, the feeling of being something precious to him…

  It was amazing.

  His eyes were closed, but when he opened them again, he looked straight into mine. He was taken aback for a moment, maybe because he had still thought that my eyes would be closed.

  Surprised by my gaze.

  The way my body was longing for more wasn’t normal at all, and it was at this very moment when his yearning got through my skin.

  Tyler was in a daze, and he came closer without really realising it — but it didn’t matter now.

  Yeah … nothing else was important.

  I felt his breath on my lips. They started to tingle in a crazy way.

  An uncomfortable heat was rushing through my body as he kept staring at my mouth.

  “Tyler?”

  My voice sounded low and rough as if my throat was sore.

  His eyes widened in surprise.

  Did he realise what he was doing?

  Why couldn't I read his mind?

  I looked away because the feelings and the situation right now were too much for me to handle. Since we had arrived in London, a lot of things had happened, and due to the lack of sleep, I couldn’t really think straight— but in the end, I made the wrong move.

  I was caught off guard when I felt soft lips on mine.

  My eyes were wide open as he pulled me closer and moved his lips demandingly against mine.

  Panic spread through my body.

  I was too shocked to feel anything good about this, especially after all these past confusing days!

  Tyler was slowly getting aware of the fact that I was tense which made him break off the kiss. He was breathing fast as he looked at me.

  Softly, he brushed my hair out of my face, which had fallen from his grip.

  Then he found my lips again.

  Tender and soft, as sweet as my favourite vanilla pudding.

  As if a switch was suddenly flicked, my feelings went crazy.

  His beautiful scent obscured my mind, his tenderness made me forget all the bad things in the world.

  Slowly, I closed my eyes … and gave myself to him.

  I enjoyed every touch, each of which gave off an intense heat.

  My stomach was tingling from the sensation of his taste, but this time, it was different!

  It was the first time in my life that my body had giving me these kinds of feelings.

  Timidly… I responded to him as I kissed him back. I was to verdant in this field, I couldn’t put the feelings into words which were rushing through me.

  Yet, my body did everything on its own.

  I put my hands on his shoulders, pulled him closer and gasped into this kiss full of desire while he wrapped his arms around my back and moved his hands up and down as he was feeling me up.

  Tyler was the one who was leading this loving kiss, which made me yearn for more, but unfortunately, I was getting short of breath.

  Even though I didn’t want to stop, I still pulled away from his lips and breathed heavily in and out.

  My face was burning hot, and I felt muzzy. I opened my eyes and found myself looking into the beautiful blue eyes of Tyler.

  His eyes were dark, and I was confused.

  “T-Tyler…” I stopped myself from talking and bit my lower lip.

  Oh my god!

  Wait …

  He had said that I should close my eyes …

  But …

  I slowly realised what had just happened…

  We kissed!

  How could this-

  I mean … why?

  I was totally confused about this situation, and his silence didn’t make the awkward situation any better.

  “We should go.”

  His deep voice made my body shiver hard.

  Was this the only thing he was going to say?

  Nothing else?

  I didn’t really know what I was waiting for, but surely those weren’t the words I had wanted to hear right now.

  Tyler cleared his throat and turned his back on me. He moved without saying another word.

  This reaction left me speechless!

  It took me a moment before I could get control over my legs … and my arms again.

  This kiss had been … beautiful.

  Really beautiful…

  But— I touched my lips as I started to follow Tyler.

  Why didn't his behaviour a moment ago match the current one?

  Had he suddenly changed his mind?

  My heart felt heavier than before, also my lips prickled as if they had been given electric shocks.

  I still could taste him.

  But why … did it turn out like this?

  Was it normal to share such a kiss and then to act as if nothing had happened?

  Was it bad?

  Did I do something wrong?

  Maybe I was thinking too much, but … somehow this made me really sad.

  We reached the car. I went the passenger seat and faced the window besides me.

  I couldn’t face Tyler at this moment.

  An awkward silence surrounded us, which just made me want to
go home, snuggle into my bed, and forget this awkward moment.

  My whole body felt heavy, my mind was spinning.

  The sound of the car moving and the view out the window calmed me a bit.

  Yet, I didn’t feel good at all.

  I started to count every streetlamp that passed by to distract myself because I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to lose myself in my dark thoughts again. After I had counted about fifteen streets lamps, I felt that it was more difficult to keep my eyes open.

  And before I realised, my eyes closed again, and I dozed off into a deep, scary sleep.

  Chapter 17

  Something was moving around.

  Then I felt a weight on my side which made the hard thing I was laying on lower from the pressure.

  I opened my eyes to find myself in a dark place… on a mattress.

  A familiar place …

  I didn’t feel well, as if something had crushed my whole body.

  “Today, you did something really stupid.”

  This creepy monotonous voice!

  Creepy, because it never changed in volume or pitch. You couldn’t distinguish any feelings from his voice.

  Daniel Wilson.

  A faint light shone on his face.

  His eyes brought out the emotions, not his voice.

  At first, you would think that he was a fragile, innocent small man. His hair was brown and trimmed, his stature casual. He always had a smile on his lips, which made his long nose seem bigger. Everything about him seemed normal, average. His body language didn’t show any hint of danger. It was his eyes that revealed it.

  His eyes couldn’t hide his true evil. Daniel was the devil in person.

  A perfect match for Thomas. They were best friends who shared one toy.

  Me…

  I felt my body again, it trembled in fear. I couldn’t move.

  The smell of metal lingered around me.

  “You know you are mine.”

  My vision became clearer, red liquid was dripping around Daniel’s face.

  He was licking his fingers and breathed in the scent.

  The scent of the blood…

  My blood!

  All my wounds were opened up. He smiled as he picked up a needle.

  “I will fix that for you!”

  He wanted to stitch them up again.

  “Every time this asshole touches you … It just makes me want to cut off your skin he came in contact with.”

  The needle stabbed harshly into my skin.

  “It makes me so damn mad!”