iMate

Rose blew out a sigh as she stepped into the house. She took a long drag from her caramel Frappuccino and turned to lock the door. “Mum, I’m here!” she yelled as she twisted around expecting her mother only to find the person she least expected. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she shoved passed him quickly before starting into the kitchen. “Mum!” she whined as she entered the room. “Why is he here?” she stomped like a child before she crossed her arm.

She could hear her mom sigh, and she watched as she shook her head before she looked up and peered at her through her glasses. “Well, it’s his mother’s birthday, of course. It’s going to be a surprise party, baby,” she smiled. Her mom was an older version of Rose, and she got everything but her eyes from her. “Now, stop your whining and get the decorations up,” she grinned before she returned to the papers before her. It was probably for catering and such.

As the girl went to gather the bags of decorations on the kitchen tops, she could hear the toilet down the hall flush. Her head turned to find the beautiful brunette from the day before approaching the group, and she could feel her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach as she realized just how pretty she was. Her beautiful brown locks cascaded and spilled down her shoulders. Her brown eyes were smoldering and breathtaking, while her own brown eyes were boring and simple.

Louis was the type of guy who enjoyed looking at stunning girls, and Eleanor was absolutely stunning. It was a reason why Louis had probably cheated on her. Rose Darrian was simply not beautiful enough for him, and she agreed with him. “Hello,” Rose said as she offered a smile. Though she didn’t particularly want to be around Louis’s girlfriend, she had no right to be angry or rude to her because of Louis. She liked being a nice person. She was a kind person to everyone but Louis. “Um, we met yesterday, but I’m Rose,” she nodded.

She would have offered a hand, but her arms were full of bags and decorations. “Eleanor,” the girl replied as she took a seat at the table. “It’s nice to meet you, Rose,” she grinned as she offered up a blinding white smile. With a slight lick of the lips, she nodded before she went to slip out the back doors. She dropped the bags of decorations onto the ground before she examined the area and where to place what.

“Remember when we first kissed in that tree,” a warm breath whispered into her ear, and she felt a shiver travel up and down her spine as she jumped a foot up in the air. She hurried to place room between each other before she crossed her arms and stared at him.

Her brown eyes were narrowed once more, and she breathed out a large breath before she said, “Your girlfriend is in there.” She went to point towards the window that featured into the kitchen. “I don’t need you coming around me and acting like a pervert,” she hissed before she grabbed a bag of ribbons from the ground. She ventured away from him and marched to one side of the yard away from him.

Louis had longer legs than her and matched her strides easily. “I can help,” he grinned before he went to take some decorations out of the bag. She said nothing, and they worked in silence as they set up the yard. By the end, it was rather beautiful, and the sun was quickly setting. Her dad had arrived home, and he and Louis went to place the tables up, though her dad wasn’t fond of Louis. Not since what he had done to his little girl. “I should get going,” Louis said as he scratched the back of his neck. “I need to get my mom,” he nodded before he went inside to get his mom. She watched him go but did nothing before she glanced around the yard. Fairytale lights were up and decorating the yard, illuminating it. It placed a nice glow in the backyard. Ribbons were up on the wooden fences, and she smiled as she looked at the candles that burned here and there. It was all very pretty, and she was sure Johanna would enjoy it.

By the time, she heard a door slam, and loud laughter from the front of the house, everyone was in the back. The lights were off, so Johanna wouldn’t expect anything. Rose was just ready to get this over, but she had a smile on her face as she stood near the switch that would turn on all the lights when Johanna came out.

“Where is everyone?” a voice said as footsteps clicked and clacked against the wooden floor.

The backdoors opened, and the lights went up as everyone yelled, “Surprised!!” The look on Louis’s mother’s face was absolutely priceless, and Rose couldn’t help but laugh softly. Johanna’s eyes instantly scanned the crowd before they landed on her. She and Rose had a tight relationship, even when Louis and she broke up. Of course, the relationship weakened a bit over the year, but she was sill another mother to Rose.

“Rose!” she said and hurried over to hug her. “You look absolutely gorgeous as ever,” she complimented her. She had gone home to change and wore a white dress that had a belt at the waist. The dress held beautiful patterns over it, and her hair wasn’t its usual mess. Instead, it was brushed and neat with a yellow headband. She didn’t look that great compared to others.

“Thank you,” she replied, and Johanna was quickly torn away from her before they could speak any longer. She stood off to the side with a cup of water in her hands. She hummed as she drummed her fingers against her leg and watched everyone talk. Most of her friends had moved away to college, and she was left here because she enjoyed Doncaster. She liked her home.

“Not the social box you once were, eh?” a voice came from behind her, and she jumped, almost causing the water to spill on her.

She turned and looked at Louis as she sighed. “Do you always have to sneak up on me?” she asked as she went to place her water down instead of on her. “Do you enjoy scaring me to death?” she ran a hand through her hair before she smoothed out her dress.

Louis shrugged as he smiled and said, “Maybe.”

“I really don’t want to talk to you,” she replied. She had noticed that Eleanor hadn’t showed up, and she wondered where she had gone. “Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?” she asked as she tilted her head to the side. Louis moved forward as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“What girlfriend? I broke up with her,” he said with a slight smile as he went to pull her close. Her heart was beating quickly as she remembered the times when they snuck into the depths of the woods and kissed and talked under the stars. She still couldn’t believe how her hands seemed to perspire still from just the simple touch of him, and she also didn’t understand how he made her stomach explode into a circus after all this time. Of course, she couldn’t forget that time. That horrible, heart-wrenching time, and she quickly stepped away from him before she breathed in deeply.

“I'm not doing this again," she breathed out softly. It was like her heart breaking in two again. She felt as if she was being used by him. He was going to use her and then toss her to the side when he was done. “I don’t want to be with you, Louis. Now, stop it. It’s your mother’s birthday,” she told him in a soft voice before she turned and went to join a her parents and a group of neighbors.