Arranged

There was the screeching of tires, a loud curse, the slamming of a car door and another curse, but it was the ringing of their doorbell that forced Sade, Shade and Joshua out of their beds in the middle of the night and into the living room. They were all sleepy and ruffled--hell, Joshua didn't even have a shirt on--but they were waking up fast. Whoever was pounding on the bell in the middle of a rainstorm was either crazy or desperate. Shade wasn't sure which he hoped for more.
"Someone's gotta open it," Sade whispered as the person started pounding on the door with their fists.
"Well, I--" Joshua started.
"Let me in!" the person on the other side said, their voice muffled.
"Is that . . ?" Shade asked, his face scrunching up in confusion. If it was who he thought, why would she be here? Had something happened?
Sade looked just as confused, gripping Joshua's arm. "There's only one way to find out." He motioned to the door with his head. "Go on. Open it."
A little more than freaked out, Shade unlocked the door and turned the knob. On the other side, he found exactly what he thought he would: Nessa, soaked and angry as hell. In his driveway behind her was one of Rhone's many cars--the convertible with the top down. The rain was going to kill the interior, but Shade took a little satisfaction in that.
She tugged her backpack over her shoulder, flicking her wet hair back. "Can I stay here for a while?"
Shade's brows rose in surprise and he shoved the door wider, stepping aside. "Uh . . Yeah. Of course."
Nessa's backpack thudded to the floor heavily and Shade noticed that it was stuffed. What in hell had happened?
"Um. . . I'm gonna get a towel," Sade announced.
"And I'm gonna make some hot chocolate," Joshua yawned.
They both left and Nessa stood there awkwardly, her clothes dripping on the floors. "Well. . ." Shade started. He didn't really know what to say to her. He wanted to ask why she was pissed, but Sade and Joshua would want to know so there was no point. He pointed back towards his room. "I'll get you some clothes. Just wait here."
"Thanks," she told him shortly. "I forgot my pajamas."
It was the shortest trip into his room he'd ever made. He just grabbed a clean T-shirt and some unused sweatpants and ran back to her. Sade was there, helping towel her down. They could hear the clinking of cups in the kitchen.
In angry, jerky motions, Nessa took off her jacket and unsnapped her soaked dress. Quickly, Shade turned away and closed his eyes. Leave it to Nessa to do something that made him uncomfortable. Sade seemed perfectly fine, though. He reached around Shade to take the clothes as he needed them, easily helping her.
"Cocoa's finished," Joshua called from the kitchen.
Shade heard stomping steps go past him and he squinted open an eye to see Nessa disappearing around the corner in his clothes. For a long time he'd fantasized about seeing her in just one of his T-shirts, but he hadn't expected it to happen after they broke up. Of course, he hadn't expected to break up. It wasn't as if he could do anything about it now, though. He was the one who had called it quits. Even now that he knew what had happened--that he'd been wrong--he couldn't go back and try again. He would just have to be there for Nessa as best as he could--as a friend. He just had to keep reminding himself that that was all they were.
"--happened?" he heard Sade ask as he entered the kitchen. He took a seat next to Nessa and Joshua set a steaming mug in front of them asking, "Was it Rhone?"
"When isn't it Rhone?" she muttered.
"When it's Shade," Sade put in with a smile. Shade glared at him, but it had made Nessa smile a little so it wasn't all bad.
Joshua sat at the table, joining them after cleaning up. He still didn't have a shirt on and Shade wished he'd go find one. It was gross watching his brother sneak glances at him. "What did he do this time?"
"Pretty much told me he was dating me because he wanted sex," she said calmly. She set her cup down, scowling. "I don't know why I'm so surprised. He'd made it clear from the beginning that the only thing he wanted from me was my body."
"He actually said that?" Sade pressed.
Nessa sighed. She was tired. She wanted to go to bed, wake up in the morning and find out that Rhone Blossom was nothing but a bad dream. She knew that wouldn't happen, but a girl could hope, right?
"What he said," she told them, "was that he just wanted to fuck what was his." Nessa glared at Sade and Joshua, but it wasn't them she was angry at. Hell, it wasn't even Rhone. It was herself. She was pissed that she'd allowed herself to feel anything for that rat bastard. It was her fault for getting swept along by his charms and forgetting his real nature. "I'm not an object," she said firmly. "And I'm not a blow-up doll. I have feelings, and after Louis attacked me, I expected them--"
"Woah," Shade interrupted, trying to process what she'd said. "Back up. You said that Rhone's dad attacked you? Attacked you how?"
"That son of a bitch," Joshua gritted, his hands forming fists on the table. "I'll kill him."
"No point," Nessa told him. "Rhone already knocked him on his ass and kicked him out." She took another sip of the cocoa, letting the sweet liquid warm her. "After that, he thought the greatest therapy was to have sex apparently."
Sade grimaced. "Ick. Bad move."
"Yup," Nessa agreed. "When I told him so, he said that you didn't need feelings to have sex. He may be that kind of guy, but I'm not that kind of girl. So I told him to pretty much fuck off and that when he grew a heart, he could call me."
"Ouch," Sade murmured. Shade nodded in agreement. "You just left him like that?"
She nodded. "I shoved some clothes into my backpack, some important papers, and left."
"Important papers?" Joshua asked, sitting straighter. "What papers?"
Nessa stood silently and left. They heard the rummaging of her backpack and the shuffling of papers before she came back in. A packet landed on the table. It was official and thick. "These papers." She crossed her arms, her expression solemn. "The Blossom name doesn't just work for Rhone."
Shade, Joshua and Sade all looked at each other. It was obvious Nessa was serious. Her signature was there, clear as day, showing just that, and the stubbornness in her eyes wasn't something any of them could win against. They all knew how long she'd worked at getting her hands on these, but things had been going well. At least, they had thought so. So there was only one question they all had: How long had she had divorce papers?



Rhone was going crazy trying to find Nessa, but there wasn't enough time in the day. She didn't come to school Friday or Monday, and Sade and Shade weren't talking. Joshua was MIA as well and Rhone had found Nessa's cell in her room. It's like she had just disappeared, but he had a feeling that she was at the twins'. He just didn't know where that was, and nearly four days of searching hadn't done him any good. What with practice for the V-Day concert, it was hard to find time to look for her without her hiding somewhere in town and making it even more difficult.
"Young Master?"
Rhone had just dropped his stuff on the floor. It was closing in on midnight and tomorrow was Wednesday. He had another full day of practice after school. He was pissed, tired, and annoyed, so Marissa (Nessa had made him memorize the staff's names) had better have something important to say.
She held out a large manila envelope, her eyes down on the floor nervously. "T-This came in the mail for you today."
Rhone took it from her, sighing. He was ready to snap, but it wasn't Marissa's fault he was in a bad mood. "I'll be in my room. You'd better head to bed. You look tired."
"G-Good night."
"'Night, Marissa." Rhone turned and headed up the stairs towards his room, the envelope tucked under his arm.
By the time he reached his room, he was defeated. He knew he couldn't find Nessa even with help, so he could do nothing but wait. He had never been a patient man, especially with women. He had never even really cared about how the girls he'd slept with felt, but it was obvious that he'd hurt Nessa. He hadn't meant to, but he'd been so angry and jealous that he hadn't thought about what he was saying. He had just wanted to make her his so that no one could take her away. So that he wouldn't have to worry so much about the possibility of her leaving.
Like now.
Rhone tossed the envelope on his bed and grabbed his pajamas, heading into the bathroom for a shower.
He missed her. The giant house seemed empty somehow without her presence. She just brightened the rooms, made everything sparkle. She was always looking for something to smile about and ready to laugh at whatever lame joke he'd say. he missed the way she smelled, too. It was a flowery sort of scent that he couldn't match with any bouquet. Fuck, he even missed their sniping. Underneath the anger and the sharp words, he knew she meant well and he didn't mind giving in because it was Nessa.
He'd give anything just to have her back. To apologize. He wanted to press the "reset" button on that night, but knew it was impossible. But if she came back, maybe he could explain, maybe she would understand. . .
He turned off the taps and toweled off, dressing on a sigh.
The manila envelope greeted him as he came back into his room and he crossed the floor, picking it up before sinking on the bed, tired. His head was so full of Nessa that he barely registered the law firm's logo on the corner of the packet as he tore it open. However, the glaring black font and legal jargon caught his attention quickly, but not as quickly as the word "divorce".
His heart shattered and he froze, suddenly finding it impossible to breathe. What was this?! It couldn't be real. It just couldn't. There was no way. Nessa couldn't be serious! He hadn't even had a chance to apologize yet. How could she be thinking divorce?! But her signature on the bottom was all the reality he needed.
Rhone's hands were shaking so bad that the documents were getting crumpled. Why had she gone this far? Was what he had said so unforgivable? Couldn't they talk it over? He didn't want to divorce her. It was Nessa. He loved her. He wanted to stay with her. Didn't she feel the same way? They had barely started. Sure, they had had their ups and downs even before they had started dating, but nothing was so bad as to warrant this, right?
A tear splashed onto the pages and he threw them onto the bed, frustrated as he stabbed his thumbs into his eyes, rubbing them and trying to make sense of the situation.
What was he going to do? What should he do? If Nessa really wanted this, he should sign them, shouldn't he? He'd been selfish all this time, demanding that she follow along at his pace and do things his way. He had never really put her feelings before his. Maybe it was time he did. . . But, damn it, he loved her. Didn't that mean anything at all?
With his heart turning to ash and his body going numb, Rhone reached for the papers. He sniffed, gritting his teeth and trying not to cry like a girl as he went and got a pen from his messy desk. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he steadied his hand and finally gave Nessa what she wanted.



"We have to look over them and go through the legal venues, but she should have them by the fourteenth," one of Nessa's lawyers informed Rhone through the phone. "Is that okay?"
Rhone bit back a sigh, looking out his window. Three days. In just three days Rhone would be a divorced man. In three days Nessa would be gone from his life. He felt like a part of him had died. "Yes. That's fine." He had the concert on the fourteenth. That would keep the thought of her away on some level.
"All right," the man said, his tone business-like. "We'll keep you posted, sir."
Rhone didn't thank him, hanging up almost immediately. It was Thursday, so he had to go to school and then there was rehearsal again. He just didn't feel up to any of it, but he needed something to get his mind off of his life. Anything to help him stop or ignore the pain that he felt.
It was all his fault--he knew it was. He hadn't appreciated her enough, he hadn't paid enough attention to her, and he hadn't told her how he felt for her. Maybe if he had listened more, let her know he loved her, actually said the words he'd been so afraid to say, then she would have stayed. But he hadn't done any of that. He'd been so focused on his own feelings that he hadn't been bothered to think of Nessa's. That had proved to be the worst decision of his life and he was paying dearly for it.
"Day by day," he reminded himself. "Just do it day by day."
Repeating this over and over in his head, Rhone grabbed his backpack and headed for the door.



The fourteenth came sooner than he expected, but Rhone tried his best to ignore his breaking heart and focus on the concert he was about to put on.
"You sure you can do this?" Grant asked. For the V-Day concert he'd left his long, blond hair down and was wearing white and pink. Well, they all were wearing white, pink and red in different styles. His grey eyes were outlined in black and he looked damn good, Rhone admitted. "You look like shit."
Rhone frowned, but couldn't muster up any real anger or annoyance. "I'm fine. I can do this." Besides, he was already dressed. With his hair left straight to fall over his left eye and those same eyes done up with smoky black liner, he was every girl's dream in white jeans, sneakers, and a white leather jacket with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows. It was his favorite jacket by far and was ordered all the way from Korea. The collar was perpetually popped and wide, coming together in a V where he'd left it unzipped halfway from the right-side zipper. The red of his tie peaked out from the V and he had rolled his sleeves of his button-up over his jacket for more of a rock and roll effect. Yeah, he looked good physically.
Jerry laid a big hand on Rhone's shoulder. The man had spiked his short brown hair and looked even more huge in white. "Sometimes breaks are needed."
Rhone shrugged off the giant's hand. "I don't need a break." He needed Nessa, but he knew he wouldn't get that after today. So he offered his band mates a sad excuse for a smile. "Besides, I sing better when I'm brokenhearted."
Rhone stepped on stage and into the glaring afternoon sun. The crowd erupted in screams and applause, but Grant and Jerry stayed behind a little longer, watching their leader sadly.
"He's never been brokenhearted before," Grant said with a grimace.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Jerry asked. He crossed his arms. "Ten bucks says he doesn't make it through the first half."
Grant sighed. "Only one way to find out. Rhone needs us, Jer. Let's give it all we've got."
"Roger." And so, they stepped on stage to help support their friend.



Nessa was at Manor House, picking up more clothes when the doorbell had rung. She hadn't answered, knowing Sade, Shade, Joshua or one of the staff would get it. She had just finished packing her suitcase, knowing Rhone had the concert today. It was another concert she'd missed and she felt sorry that another promise had been broken. But that's all she seemed to have with Rhone--broken promises and no love. Or, at least, no love on his part. That was probably what hurt the most.
"Nessa," Joshua's soft voice and knock came from the door. He came in when she looked up, extending a manila envelope out. "Hey. This came for you."
She took it after snapping her suitcase closed. "Thanks. I'm almost done."
Joshua stared at her for a moment. "You're really leaving?"
"Yeah." She opened the envelope and laughed bitterly, holding up the divorce papers. They were signed and official and it broke her heart. "See? There's nothing left for me here."
"Are you sure?" Joshua asked, concerned. Nessa was trying so hard to be strong and he couldn't do anything but watch her fight her tears. "It's just a piece of paper."
"No," she told him, looking at the ceiling. She let go of her leaf necklace, forcing herself not to grab it. She didn't know why she still wore the thing, but she couldn't bring herself to take it off. Not yet.
Finally, she was free, but she really didn't want to go. Ironic, really. As soon as she wanted to stay, she could go, but when she wanted to go, she had to stay. Such was her life, and, man, she was tired of it. "They're not," she told him. "It was a test, you know? To see if he really cared. If he had, he wouldn't have signed--because that's Rhone." She sat the papers on the bed, ready to leave them there. "He doesn't keep things that aren't of use to him. He told me so himself."
"Nessa. . ." Joshua made a frustrated noise. "Are you really sure? You're going to give up just like that?"
"I'm just--"
"Don't give up!"
The shout cut her off and caught her off-guard. Both she and Joshua turned to the door to see Rhone standing there. He was leaning heavily on the door frame, sweating, red-faced and out of breath. If he hadn't looked like he'd ran a marathon, Nessa would say he looked like a god. Decked out in white with a blaring red tie, the setting sun played gold and red through his hair and the white leather of his jacket. Nessa felt sloppy in comparison in her jeans and butterfly, long-sleeved shirt that always fell off one shoulder. She wished she hadn't left her hair down.
He stumbled in, his sneaker catching on the threshold. Rhone's eyes were desperate as he grabbed her arm, completely ignoring Joshua. "Don't give up," he repeated.
Nessa's mouth was open, her eyes wide with shock. She looked to Joshua for help.
"I'm gonna go. . . do something," he said, sneaking towards the door, "over there." He retreated out the door quickly, shutting it behind him and leaving them alone.
"Nessa," Rhone puffed out. "Don't give up. Please. I need you."
Nessa's breath hitched, her stomach twisting in knots and her heart pounding hard. She didn't want to get her hopes up and she didn't want to make a mistake again. "But you signed the papers," she warbled, already near tears. Why was he here? What else did he want from her? She tried to jerk away from him, but he grabbed her other arm, shaking her. "You signed the papers!"
"I did it for you!" he shouted, angry. Suddenly, he dropped his voice, hanging his head. "I did it for you."
Nessa didn't understand. "Then why are you here?"
Rhone was quiet for a long time, the question hanging in the air around them heavily. When he looked up, his eyes were begging and watery. It made her heart pound and rattle against her ribs.
"I love you." She felt his hands shaking and he sank to his knees as if his legs couldn't hold him up anymore. "I love you, Nessa. I can't live without you. Not without your voice, your laughter, your weird sense of style and humor, or the way you yell at me. I can't live without any of it. I need you in my life or I can't do anything. I know I can't. Everything is worthless when you're not around."
"Rhone, are you--" Nessa's brows drew together in disbelief. "Are you crying?"
His head came up sharply, his eyes red and his makeup smudged. "So what? Boys aren't allowed to cry?!" He started at her for a long time, obviously waiting for something, but whatever he thought he saw in Nessa's face made him let go of her and stand up, turning away. "It's okay. I get it." He gestured to her suitcase, his voice bitter and hard. "You want to leave, so leave."
She was in shock. Nessa didn't know what to say, but what she wanted to know was what she asked in a very small voice. "Do you want me to go?"
He slammed his hands on the windowsill. "Of course I don't! I never want to let you go. If I had it my way, I'd--" He stopped, frustrated. "Just go, Nessa. Please. Now. If you stay any longer, I won't let you walk out that door."
Nessa couldn't believe her ears. Rhone loved her. He really loved her. He'd said so. She was floating on air, she was so elated. He was crying, he loved her so much. This was spectacular!
"You love me," Nessa said in a bemused voice, a smile splitting her face.
Rhone rounded on her. "Yes, I-- Nessa?" He looked confused. "What is it? Why are you so happy?"
Nessa couldn't stop smiling. She was so happy she was crying. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She covered her face with her hands, completely embarrassed. "Why didn't you just say it?"
"Nessa? Say what? What are you crying about?"
"You said you love me," Nessa muttered into her hands happily.
Rhone was at a loss, but suddenly he didn't feel sad anymore. A weird sort of calm understanding filled him. He grabbed her wrists and gently pulled her hands down. "Of course I love you." He tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling. Looking down, his smile grew wider. He placed his fingers on the necklace he'd designed for her, awed. "You're still wearing it." His heart thudded hopefully. "Nessa, do you love me?"
A hand smacked across his cheek, sending him sprawling to his ass on the floor. "You idiot! After all we've been through, you're asking me that!" Nessa wasn't really angry, but she needed something else to focus on or her heart would pop out of her chest. "How can I not be in love with you! You drag me from place to place, buy me things I won't ever need, and make me angrier than hell."
"Aren't those all bad things?" Rhone argued, confused, his hand on his cheek as he looked up at her.
Nessa swallowed. "Of course they are, but you made me love those parts of you too, you asshole."
Rhone's voice was soft as he asked, "Then why are you leaving?"
Nessa's lips trembled miserably. "You signed the papers. I'm not your wife anymore."
They were back to this again. Rhone reached out and grabbed her hand, not wanting to risk standing again in case she felt like whacking him. "Do you want to be my wife?"
Nessa froze, her breath hitching. The air around them turned still as the weight of what he'd asked fell on them. "Are you asking me to be?" she breathed.
Rhone looked her square in the eye. He didn't even hesitate and he hoped beyond hope that she wouldn't either. "Yes. Nessa, marry me--again. For real this time."
Nessa's heart was pounding so hard it hurt, her cheeks flushing. "A-Aren't you supposed to get on one knee or something?"
Rhone stood, leaning in close to her. His voice was a whisper between them. "Aren't you supposed to say 'yes' or something?"
"I'm a handful," she warned, looking away.
"So am I." He leaned in close.
"But I talk in my sleep," she countered, her nervousness making her desperate.
"I'll get you a muzzle." His mouth was only a breadth away. "Say 'yes'."
"But-- But--"
"Nessa," he cut her off. "Shut up and be my wife again."
Nessa couldn't answer because Rhone kissed her. His arms crushed her to him and, though he wanted badly to hear her agree, a kiss was all he needed in order to know. He loved Nessa and she loved him right back. Nothing else mattered beyond that, and they knew they finally had it right. Through all the drama and the lies, the shouting matches and misunderstandings, somehow they had managed to find each other and fall in love. It was almost scary. In fact, they could even say it might have been arranged.