ROSE

Monday's were already a pain in the ass, to begin with, but today, today put the cherry on top of the Sundae. I had been woken up by a video call from Amira at the crack of dawn. Three hours past since then and we were still on the call. Why? Because of the King of Jerks himself! Somehow, even with him not around me, he still found a way to ruin my day. The mere mention of him had the air around me pricking my skin.

Apparently, from what I could make out during Amira's strangled sobs, Sean had broken things off with her. They weren't exactly an item, to begin with, but Amira took things seriously. So seriously that she may have caught feelings. Continuously sleeping with one another with no strings attached clearly wasn't a good idea because, somehow, strings woven themselves between them.

"I jus—" she whimpered, wiping her red puffy eyes and her runny nose with the sleeve of her fluffy red sweater, "I don't know what I did wrong," Amira scooped a large amount of ice-cream and stuffed it into her mouth in a very unappealing manner, "And I wore my best set for the ass," her words came out muffled due to the full mouth of ice-cream.

I rolled my eyes. It might have been an insensitive gesture; an equivalent of telling her 'I told you so', but I didn't really feel bad for her that. She wasn't as close to me as Dean but she still meant something to me. She meant enough for me to attempt to watch out for her. But Amira being Amira, never listened to my warnings.

"Amira, I have no idea what you want me to say," I breathed out in frustration, "You know how Sean is. Did you really think you were the only flower in his garden? And need I remind you, even flowers die sweety."

Amira stared at me incredulously. She blinked once, then twice, and then burst out crying again, "When did my life start equating to that dumb Instagram meme? I'm one of those girls. Oh. My. God." She began hyperventilating, fanning herself with her hand as she tried to blink away the tears.

"Amira, deep breaths babe," I mumbled, peeking my head out of my bunk to see if Lydia had woken up. The child slept like a rock but I made sure to keep my voice down and use a Bluetooth so Lydia couldn't hear Amira, "I was kidding. Deep down you knew he was fucking around. That's what fuck boys do."

"That's the thing," She croaked, throat dry from her weeping, "he never slept with anyone else, Rose. Trust me I know. If I wasn't with you then I was with him and the only time I wasn't with him was when he needed to study. You'd be surprised how much that boy studies," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

I brought two fingers up to my temple and began massaging in small circles, "I don't know, Amira. Maybe Sean just doesn't like you in that way. Maybe it was all just physical for him. There's no emotional connection."

"Well, what the fuck will it take to form an emotional connection?" She gapped, throwing her arms up in the air, "At this point, I'm willing to do anything. I don't even care if it makes me look like a desperate bitch."

"But it does," I retorted in a clipped tone, "and as your friend, I'm obligated not to allow you to make a fool of yourself. Just get your shit together and move on Amira. There's plenty of fish in the sea."

"Yeah, but I want the one with big dick energy."

"Fine, don't come crying to me when you get your heart broken by being stupid," I grimaced. Talking to Amira was like talking to a brick wall when she had her mind set on something.

"I'm most definitely going to come crying to you even though you totally suck at this while emotional support thing," she sent me a dry look before continuing, "but answer me this, can you name one girl that would be better for him?"

"No," I groaned at the elated look that pasted itself onto her face, "solely because no girl deserves to end up with the King of Jerks. He can suck m-"

"Rose?" Half of Lydia's head and body was hanging off the top bunk, staring at me upside-down. Her two braids swung in the air as she asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Sh—" I began but then remember the no cussing rule in the house, "Amira, I need to go. Lia is awake. I'll check up on you later. Okay?"

Amira's giggle filled my ears, "Yeah, sure. At least you made me laugh. Well, Lia did when she almost heard you say that Sean should suck your whatever..."

"Hope you drown in purgatory bi—" my eyes snapped to Lydia who was staring at me with a risen brow. Plastering a very fake and sickeningly sweet smile on my face, I muttered, "Bye Amy, love you."

I laughed at the scowl on her face that formed at the use of Sean's nickname for her before ending the video call. Rolling out of bed, I held Lydia under the arms, carrying her off the top bunk and placing her on my hip.

"Good morning, Lia," I tickled her belly and playfully bit her cheek which made her giggle, "How did you sleep?"

"Well thank you," she beamed and I couldn't help but reciprocate, "how did you sleep?" She asked as I shifted her to my front, allowing her legs to curl around my waist and her arms around my neck.

"I slept good," I carried her into the bathroom, placing her onto a purple stepping stool so she could reach one of the double sinks, "Brush your teeth and then head to the kitchen for breakfast. I'm going to have a shower first."

I waited till she was done, helping her off the stepping stool so she could skip away happily toward the kitchen. The triplets knew nothing of my illness and I wished to keep it that way. They were too young to know of such things and explaining to them would do more harm to me than them. Sometimes I preferred to pretend as if my disorder never existed. I was burdened at a young age with it and although I kept myself from falling off the deep end most of the time, sometimes, I enjoyed drowning in their icy depths.

Grabbing the glass from the medicine cabinet, I filled it with water and then began taking my meds. They cloaked me, made me feel as if I lived in this putrid bubble with limited feelings. My heart ached to be normal, to live normal, or to at least live without having to cacoon myself; but that wasn't my fate. The few times I would risk diving off the deep end, my world would change. Colors seemed brighter, sounds seemed louder, the speed of things seemed faster that sometimes I could barely recall what happened in a day. It felt like blank patches of nothingness, no recollection at all.

My world without the meds that kept me grounded felt as if that putrid bubble transformed into a shimmering shield that sparkled each time the sun caressed it. During my mania, I found myself more creative with energy that exceeded someone who drank ten cups of strong black coffee. I would do some questionable things and then get mad once someone tried to stop me — generally Dylan or Dean.

The lows were the worst. During the depression stages, it felt like every bad thing that happened to me weighed down on my head, pounding relentlessly until I turned into a ghost lingering around people without mentally being present. I would cry myself to sleep as the memories I caged from my childhood set themselves free. Dylan and Dean knew none of what happened so they never really knew how to help me but they tried.

Lacy and Dylan had gotten me the best specialists money could buy; therapists included. I still had appointments with mine regularly. When I moved to New York, Lacy had made sure to find me someone who fitted my needs; someone that made me feel comfortable and didn't look at me with judgemental eyes.

After having a shower, I wrapped a towel around me and made my way to my room. It was getting hotter as the days went by and the heat was becoming almost unbearable. Taking that into consideration, I pulled out a striped white and blue jumpsuit that had white lace embroidered around the waist. I paired it with white sandals and a butterfly necklace that hung around my neck and was attached to my nipples.

The last thing I did was place my hair into a high bun, keeping the thick, long locks away from my body. Once done, I made my way to the kitchen where Lacy, the triplets, and Satan's spawn all ate breakfast together. I scowled when his dark eyes met mine, his perfect lips kicking up into a smirk.

"Took you long enough," Sean quipped, "but I guess the princess needed time to look presentable for her loyal subjects."

Why did he have to spew garbage whenever he spoke? Darn idiot!

I plastered on the best smile I could and spoke in the sweetest tone of voice I could muster, "What are you doing here? Your apartment doesn't let in animals anymore?"

A low growl vibrated in his chest as I took the seat beside him. I would have sat elsewhere, but the sight of bacon made me salivate and I couldn't wait to dig in. Lacy snickered quietly from her seat, watching over Damien and Lance as they ate. Those two had the habit of hiding food in their pockets, claiming that they would eat it later.

"I wouldn't know," Sean finally said, "I haven't taken you to my apartment building yet. Want to test out the theory?" His dark brow raised in question. At that moment, he decided to let his eyes leave mine and trail down my body. Those dark brown orbs of his halted on my breasts — probably because of the piercing — and he licked his lips, "Nice necklace."

Blood went straight to my cheeks, probably tinting them a rosy red that did not flatter me at all, "T-Thanks," I stuttered, fumbling with the hem of the table cloth. I couldn't understand why him complimenting me flustered me so much.

He leaned back in his chair, extending an arm over the backrest of mine, "What're your plans for today?" His lips were so close to my ear that his warm breath pricked the skin, leaving goosebumps behind.

"Why?" I breathed, turning to face him. My heart hammered a mile a minute in my chest.

The way his eyes held mine, so empty and yet so playful, had my brain cells running circles around my head. They refused to work the way they should, leaving me a hot mess. It didn't help when he closed the gap ever so slightly, our lips just barely touching. His gaze dipped down to my lips and a second later landed on my eyes again. I gulped, body alive with anticipation.

But then his lips curled into that devious smirk that always played on his face and I knew whatever he was about to say would probably piss me off. No matter how nice Sean could be, he would always revert to being the King of Jerks once again. That was just the way he was and would always be.

"Thought I'd take you to my apartment and see if they stopped allowing animals in," he pulled back, a hearty laugh reverberating through the kitchen.

I hated that I loved the sound. It wasn't something I heard often and it sounded so different from his brother's. Although I hated to admit it, Sean's laugh sounded better, more inviting, and melodious. To be honest, it almost sounded innocent.

A frown weighed the corners of my lips down — not because of his words but because I enjoyed listening to him laugh and that boggled my mind.

Thankfully, before I could think deeper into it, Lacy spoke up, "If you guys don't have anything to do today, can you help me with the coffee shop. It's super busy and I could use the extra help."

Sean held his hands up, "I'd love to help you sis, but I'm going to see Maria today and I was thinking of taking Rose with," he paused, winking at me after purposely saying my name with the sultry tone he always used. It had me both annoyed and swooning, "Maybe some other time."

I scrunched my nose at the thought of spending the entire day with Sean, "I don't mind helping you out since I have nothing better to do today. Anyway, if I'm free, Amira might decide to phone me and start ranting again. I love her, but my ears need a break."

"Ranting?" Sean snorted, clearly amused, "About what?"

"You," I shot with a glare, "you dumped her and I have no idea why when clearly she loves you. You need a little love in your life, maybe then you will stop acting like you have a stick shoved up your poop hole!"

"Rose!" Lacy warned, gesturing to the children whose eyes were all on me.

At least I censored the word!

"Love," Sean scoffed, "love is for fools, that shit doesn't exist."

"Sean," Lacy sent him a warning glare, placing her hands on her hips, "I'll have you know, Dylan and I are still very much in love from the first moment we met. So are Macy and Axel mind you."

Sean rolled his eyes, "Fine, love is rare and that's not what Amira feels for me. Trust me when I say that. It was always just..." He trailed off, looking at the children before returning his attention to me, "you know. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Whatever," I grimaced, piling bacon and eggs onto my plate, "Sort your life out and do something with Amira because as much as I love her, I hate having to hear about you all the damn time."

"Am I that bad?"

"Yes," I deadpanned.

I began eating my breakfast, small talk going around the table with the boys. It surprised me how well Sean was with the boys. He entertained them, even if what they said barely made sense. It was similar to the way I entertained Lydia, playing dolls and dress-up with her. A smile found its way to my face. Sean would make a wonderful father one day if only he didn't have such a warped concept of love. His view of the world seemed very one dimensional and he needed someone to show him the 3D view.

Breakfast went by quickly and soon Lacy had us all piled in the back of her mini-van, heading down to the coffee shop. Sean begrudgingly stuffed himself along with us since he took a cab to the house. I wondered why he did that when he had plenty of cars at his parents' house — with them being wealthy and all — but I knew Sean didn't get on with his dad the way Dean did. It wasn't any of my business but I knew it had something to do with Lacy.

The coffee shop we were heading to belonged to an old man for years. He ran a program for troubled teens that Lacy, Dylan, and even I was apart of. Out of everyone who was in the program, Lacy and Dylan were the closest to him. With no family around, it was only natural that he left the shop in Lacy's name and she carried on the work he started, even expanding it into other continents.

We arrived at the shop and I nearly cried at the number of people inside and out. The place was always popular for its coffee and baked goodies. The new ice coffee added to the menu brought in even more customers than before. When Lacy said she needed help, she should have mentioned that entering the coffee shop was no different from entering into the wild.

"You owe me, princess," Sean hissed, grabbing me by my elbow, "If I have to go through this and spend the day here then I get you for the entire day tomorrow, no ifs and buts about it."

"I never asked you to stay. You're more than welcome to go about your day," I muttered under my breath as I shoved my way through the crowd to get into the back. If someone from the crowd touched my ass one more time I was going to be throwing ice coffees at their faces.

Sean growled behind me, "If you wish to keep those fingers buddy, I would rethink what you're about to do," the deepness of his voice had my heart stilling. He sounded angry, almost as if he contemplated really cutting the person's fingers off.

I turned with Sean's hand still grasping my elbow. The turn had me curling myself into him, his arm now around my back and holding me close to his side. The poor guy Sean had been threatening looked at me with fear lighting up his golden eyes.

Sean proceeded to press his lips onto my temple, the action causing a swarm of wasps to buzz in the pit of my stomach. Every single hair on my body stood up as his lips lingered there longer than necessary, "See this," he began, pulling me in front of him and snaking his arms around my waist, "belongs to me. Don't fuck with what belongs to me."

His words should have bothered me but I was too absorbed in how good it felt to have his arms around me. Dare I say it, but it felt right to be in his arms. The fire that lit up my body was different from anything I had ever felt. I had been held many times by Dean and neither one of those times felt like this. 

"S-s-sorry bro," the guy stammered.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to her," Sean grunted, gesturing down at me, "It's her you were about to touch, not me."

The guy looked at me and gulped as if swallowing a rising bile, "I'm sorry," he mumbled, if he had any confidence in his disposition it vanished at the sight of Sean's scornful gaze.

"It's fine," I waved it off, although it wasn't. If Sean hadn't threatened to cut his fingers off for touching me I probably would have. The difference being that Sean would actually do it and I probably wouldn't.

Sean then decided to shove me through the crowd after that, remaining close behind until we reached the door leading to the back. Employees were running around preparing orders behind the counter and in the back room, a few waiters were taking a break. It was a busy morning so no one could really blame them for doing so.

I walked up to one of the hooks on the left adjacent wall that had spare aprons hanging from them, grabbing two and tossing one to Sean, "If you're going to be here, might as well make yourself useful," I said, tying my apron around my waist. It just so happened to be longer than the jumpsuit I wore.

He grunted, "Sure, try not to get completely devoured out there, princess."

"I don't think that will be a problem."

He scoffed, quirking a perfectly arched brow at me, "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently, princess?"

"That's a dumb question," I snorted, "Of course I've looked at myself in the mirror recently," to prove my point, I opened one of the slate-gray lockers that had a mirror hanging in it, "See, I'm looking in one right now."

Sean positioned himself behind me, so close that I could feel his warm breath down my neck and the heat of his body all over my back. His hands settled on my shoulders, flowing down my arms and leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. I watched him carefully, eyes glued to his in the mirror. He bent down just enough for his soft lips to graze the outer shell of my ear before whispering, "So how have you not realized that you're every man's wet dream, princess?"

My world stilled, his words playing on repeat in my head. By the time I had broken out of my stupor he had left, the door to the back swinging wildly signifying his hasty exit.

I just realized how much I love writing this couple.. I have so much to do for them, seriously! Y'all are going to loooovveeee this book coz i already do. The banter between these two make me swoon!

Happy holidays! Merry Christmas (I know I'm late but whatever) and happy new year in advance! Stay safe, stay alive, sanitize, but most importantly: HULK SMASH THAT STAR AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN.