Post by plantnerd92 on Apr 28, 2012 20:47:55 GMT -6
OOC: This is just something I've been working on for a while. I am embarrassed from my early writing skills, and there were never enough scenes between these two to effectively show how they got into their relationship, so I re-wrote old posts and added new stuff in. Enjoy! BIC:
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Life was all right. Broad shoulders covered in worn black leather entered the empty dorm. Xavier didn't really understand the need for dorm reorganization, but perhaps things would work out. He set his trunk down at the foot of one of the beds and looked around, running his fingers through his jet black hair, the light catching the blood red streaks in it.
"What now," he wondered absently. He gave a shrug and pulled out his head set and CD player and listened to music. Sooner or later someone was bound to show up! It was a matter of waiting; though it wasn’t as if he had anything else to do for the day. So wait he would.
Soon enough, another person arrived. At first, he didn’t notice the new arrival until he heard the sounds of a huge struggle going on. He looked up to see a teenager with their bag stuck in the doorway. He looked at this one for a moment, unable to tell whether they were a boy or a girl for a moment, confused by the short, chin-length brown hair and the way they dressed.
“Crap!” an obviously female voice exclaimed, and Xavier, being ever the gentleman (though he certainly did not look the part), stood up and went over to help the girl. No sooner had he approached her from behind, her bag suddenly came loose, sending her flying backwards into him and knocking them both over. They both erupted into laughter, and he quickly detangled himself from the mass of arms and legs on the floor to hold out a hand to the girl and help her up. She shook her cropped hair out of her face, and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet in one swift movement.
“That was unfortunate,” she said with a laugh as she brushed herself off. “And thank you,” she added.
“I’d have to agree,” Xavier said with a grin. “And you’re quite welcome.” He got a better look at this girl, and smiled slightly. She just needed facial hair, a few wrinkles, and lighter hair, and she’d almost pass for a Keith Urban look-alike. Her dark hair, obviously growing out, seemed to possess the same style, and so did her somewhat loose-fitting clothes. Xavier snapped out of his thoughts, and moved to pick up her bag, but she had already quickly grabbed it up, and swung it over her shoulder, holding it.
“I’m Xavier, by the way. Xavier Peace. Welcome to Dorm 5,” he greeted, holding out his hand. He watched as the girl grinned, her white teeth glaring out from her sun-burnt face. She took his hand in a grip quite a bit more firm than most women… and some men too, and shook it.
“Nice to meet you, Xavier,” she said in a distinctly American accent.
“I’m Rose Ortega. I shake you warmly by the hand,” she joked. Xavier laughed, caught by surprise with her crazy greeting, but discovered that he liked her already, as she proved to be a rather interesting new roommate.
“Nice to meet you too, Rose… I let you shake me warmly by the hand,” he replied in the same teasing manner.
“Excellent!” Rose said, before letting go of his hand, and setting her stuff down on an empty bed. She turned around facing him, that cheesy grin still on her face as she sat down on her newly claimed bed. “Just proves I watch way too many Tim Burton films,” she told him nonchalantly. Xavier just laughed again, liking this new girl more and more. She was funny and sweet, and that was exactly the kind of person Xavier liked to hang around.
"Hey! I certainly have nothing against Tim Burton...’Big Fish’ was pure genius if you ask me," Xavier exclaimed, discovering a genuine smile on his face. He sat down on his own bed which wasn’t far off from hers.
Rose laughed. “Haven’t seen that one yet… But for right now, Willie Wonka and his oompah-loompah’s are definitely my favorite,” she told him.
Xavier nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “That one’s good, but it’s a lot of people’s favorite. Be original,” he said with a wink, making Rose grin and shake her head.
“Oh, forgive me supreme Tim Burton movie master for my unoriginal choice! I will abide your counsel!” she joked. “So, now that we’ve got that settled; How are you this fine, lovely, rainy day?... Eh?” Rose asked, grinning at her rhyme.
Xavier just flashed a lopsided grin, running his fingers through his shoulder-length black hair. “I’ve seen better days… but all in all, I’m doing quite well. How about yourself?” he asked
Rose shrugged. “I’m okay. Pretty tired, but I’ll be all right,” she said before flopping back on her bed, stretching her arms up over her head and groaning when several bones in her back cracked back into place. “Ouch!” she said, laughing. Bones popping was a funny pain, like ramming your funny bone on a corner or something like that. “Oh, bedtime, How I’ve missed you!” she exclaimed dramatically. Xavier laughed and shook his head, unable to help himself. And then this girl, further proving how easily they could jump subjects, sat back up and rested her chin in her hand thoughtfully as she looked at him.
“Well, at least they’re giving me a day to settle in before setting me to work. That’s more than I can say for anywhere else. ‘Sides, Stage-handing is pretty hard work aside from hauling rocks and all that great stuff… I don’t really want to get started right away,” she said
with an easy, relaxed smile.
Xavier nodded, just thinking about it… only then did it occur to him.
“Wait! You’re a stagehand too? I can’t believe I didn’t realize it!” he exclaimed. Rose just looked at him.
“That would be because I’m new and just got here… and actually, I’m the new gardener… I just turn into a stagehand when the weather sucks like today, and in the winter… when I’m not shoveling snow, that is,” she said with a grin.
Xavier just smiled at her. “Well, let’s just hope there are many more days like this one so you’ll end up being stuck working with me. Of course, I’m sure there are a lot of people that would want to hang around you. You’re really cool. You’ll make friends pretty easily,” told her.
Rose just kind of paused for a long moment, and Xavier wondered if he saw her face go slightly pink.
“Ha ha… Actually, I highly doubt that one. I’m kind of an anti-social misfit. You’re just a rare case of ‘Hitting it off,’” Rose said. Xavier just quirked an eyebrow in question, but before he could ask, she looked at a man’s watch that was rather large on her wrist and sighed.
“Speaking of rare cases, I’ve got a friend waiting for me. I guess I’ll see you around, Xavier!” she said, slapping a baseball cap on her head, and tipping the brim at him. Xavier just nodded.
“See you later,” he called after her as she left. This Rose Ortega was an odd one for sure.
*
Rose exited her dormitory, rubbing the back of her head thoughtfully. She felt a bit funny, like her mouth had previously been stuffed with cotton, and her stomach had flopped over and tied itself into little knots. It had started up shortly after she met Xavier, right after the nervousness of how much bigger he was than her had passed. Just then, she was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when Lilith came up and jumped on her, scaring her senseless.
“AHHH! Oh…. Lilith, it’s just you…” she panted for a moment, before standing up straight, and looked at her friend who was grinning at her. “You scared the crap out of me!” she said with a laugh.
“I noticed,” Lilith teased, before looping her arm through Rose’s own, and began walking. “Walk with me, dear!” she suggested. Rose shrugged and complied, not really having anything else better to do. “So where were you? It sure took you long enough to come out of your dorm!” Lilith exclaimed. Rose just smiled ruefully and shook her head.
“Ah… yeah, sorry about that. There was this guy – By the way, did you know they run co-ed dorms here? It’s freaking crazy. Anyway, my bag got stuck in the door and then came loose and knocked me backwards when he came to help out… and we both fell flat on our butts. Talk about interesting ways to make friends, huh? I’m on a roll,” Rose stated. Lilith just gave her a look that told her that she obviously thought there was more to this story, but whatever thing she was thinking there was; Rose had no idea…
True, Rose had to admit that Xavier was extremely attractive, and couldn’t look at him for very long without her tongue twisting up uselessly… Wait a minute! Rose mentally slapped her self. She wouldn’t even go there.
“Anyway… What were we doing again?” she asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Shopping,” Lilith said with a smile. “For Lydia’s housewarming party.”
“Oh… Right,” Rose said with a sort of horrified look on her face. She HATED shopping. “Do I know this person?” she asked.
“Nope. But I’m inviting you so you can come and meet her. She’s great!” Lilith exclaimed. Rose sighed in defeat, knowing she wasn’t going to be getting out of this one.
“Lead the way, Lily,” Rose told her.
“Rosario Ortega, you are absolutely incorrigible,” Lilith exclaimed with mock scolding, before laughing, and nudging her in the ribs. Rose just smiled and shrugged.
“I just figured I’ll depend on your guidance,” she said simply. And laughing, they walked out the door.
*
Rose had finally begun to get into the swing of things after a month of living and working at the opera house. However, she hadn’t really seen much of Xavier lately, even though he was one of her roommates. Granted, this was probably because her time was always divided between work and being dragged off by Lilith on some obscure, senseless, yet fun adventure in the City of Love. That and she always went to bed after everyone was asleep, and was always up hours before any of them woke.
Today, however, was a bit different. While working on the landscaping, she’d slipped and fallen, hitting her head on the rock border as she went tumbling down. Since Rose had a concussion, and a small, stitched up cut on her right temple, the doctor pulled her out of work for at least a week.
He’d finally let her go back to dorm room, and she lounged on her bed in a red tee shirt and a loose pair of black yoga pants, reading
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and stopping every now and then to highlight a passage and write a note. She was taking online classes to get her GED, as she had to drop out of school at the age of fourteen for personal reasons. At age seventeen, Rose was finishing up her senior level, and coming that much closer to finishing her high school education, but she was also juggling college-level classes along with her high school classes.
At the moment, she was studying for a fundamental college psychology class, getting ready for a rather large research paper. Frustrated with her efforts so far, she sighed and pushed her book and laptop away, putting her head in her hands, raking her fingers through her hair and massaging her scalp tiredly.
“Hey Rosey!” a rather familiar voice exclaimed with a touch of surprise. Startled, Rose looked up to see Xavier standing in the doorway. She hadn’t even heard him come in! Flashing him a friendly half-smile, she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
“Hey. Long time, no see, Peace,” she teased slightly. Xavier graced her with a crooked grin that made her insides feel fuzzy, before walking over to his bed, and sitting on it, facing her. Rose stared at her homework for a while, though she was acutely aware that he was watching her.
“I concur… what gives?” Xavier demanded playfully, grinning as he threw a small package that Rose turned around and easily caught, before looking at them. Chocolates. Rose smiled, and held it up.
“Thanks,” she said, changing the subject. Xavier just smiled, and gestured to the gauze patch that was taped to the side of her head, covering her stitches.
“Don’t mention it. You kind of look like you need them,” he said, his face looking a bit worried. “How are you feeling?”
Rose wasn’t used to such a display of concern from a member from the opposite sex, that she was caught somewhere between being touched by his thoughtfulness, and being shocked by it. She just looked at him for a long moment, feeling ridiculous as she tried to figure out what to say. Finally, she just shrugged, brushing the injury off.
“Eh, I’m all right. The dumb doctor pulled me out of work for a week because I had a concussion, but it’s not that bad, really. I kind of needed the break,” she said, pointing to her homework. “The studying which has been procrastinated had to commence,” she explained with a teasing smile. Rose couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt drawn to Xavier in a way that allowed her to be open and friendly with him in a way that she couldn’t with most other people.
Xavier laughed. “You’re burning the candle at both ends, Rosey. Eventually you’re going to burn yourself out,” he scolded her, though buffering the reprimand with a gentle smile and his playful tone. For Xavier, he felt the same draw to young Rose. At first, he thought it was as though he was caring for one of his sisters, but on further reflection, the sister theory didn’t feel quite right. Rose snorted, and waved him off.
“I know, I know. I’m almost done though. After these last projects I’m doing, I’ll be able to take my finals and I’ll not only have my GED, I’ll also have half of my college fundamental classes out of the way,” she explained, and Xavier leaned back against his headboard, folding his arms across his chest.
“Well, aren’t you just the little overachiever!” he teased, and Rose laughed, tossing a wadded up paper at him.
“Hardly. Just trying to establish some normalcy in my life,” she said loftily, before pulling her homework back into her lap, and trying to work on her paper. Rose made a face, because she felt like an idiot every time she tried to attempt the feat of trying to break the story down to the lesson that was buried in its pages.
“On second thought, maybe I can procrastinate on this particular assignment a little longer…” she said, sneakily inching away from her computer and books. Rose looked over at Xavier when she heard him chuckle, and her heart suddenly started thumping heavily when she saw that crooked smile on his face as he laughed, shaking his head at her.
“All right, what subject is it?” he asked, seeing right through her. Rose grimaced, and told him, making him smile affectionately at her.
“Well, come on then, let’s see it. I might be able to help,” Xavier told her, and Rose raised an eyebrow at him.
“Well that’s an odd thing to think about. Aren’t girls supposed to be better at English and literature than guys?” she asked, making Xavier give her an odd look before he started laughing.
“That has to be one of the most sexist remarks I’ve heard yet! English is my best subject,” he teased her, before standing up and walking over to the edge of her bed, and plopping down next to her. Rose was startled, not really used to being this close to another guy, and hesitantly scooted away from him slightly to put a bit of space between them. Another reason that she wouldn’t admit to anyone, including herself, was that she probably would start drooling on him if she was much closer. Every time it reared its head, Rose denied that growing attraction she felt towards Xavier.
As Xavier began to explain her homework to her, Rose was surprised to find that he really was good at this stuff, though as time went by, she began to pay less attention to her homework, and more attention to him as he spoke. Her eyes memorized the strong set of his jaw, the warmth of his dark brown eyes, and the curve of his lip as he flashed his signature crooked grin at her, revealing rows of straight, white teeth. His brown, almost black hair looked soft, and though it was pulled back at the nape of his neck, there were a few loose strands hanging down in his face in a way that made Rose’s fingers twitch with the urge to tuck them back behind his ear, if she ever dared to do so. Also, Xavier’s warmth and proximity to her, as well as the scent of his aftershave set her head reeling, unable to think about anything else but him sitting there, right next to her, on her bed. Her ears were treated to the low, soothing sound of his voice, lulling her under his spell as he spoke
“Does that make sense?” he suddenly asked, snapping Rose out of la-la land. She jumped, startled when she realized she hadn’t been paying attention at all to what he was trying to explain to her. Swallowing, she tried to come up with an answer.
“Huh? Oh… Yeah!” she managed, inwardly kicking herself at her stupidity. “That helped a lot! Thanks!” came the recovery as she shifted slightly away from him, before her body decided to curl up into him and fall asleep with her face buried in his chest. That would have been weird.
Xavier, sensing Rose’s discomfort, grinned, and patted her on the shoulder before he went back to his own bed, though he himself also felt a bit puzzled. For being someone who was not his girlfriend, Rose smelled intoxicatingly good. Her scent was almost like cherry blossoms, but there was a darker, more enticing undertone to it. She smelled clean, and judging by the curl of her hair, Xavier figured Rose must have taken a shower after the doctor released her from his office. Her dark gray eyes possessed a golden sunburst around her pupils, casting flecks of gold throughout the charcoal irises, and making them rather captivating. For one small, but thrilling moment, Xavier forgot about Ember, his senses focused entirely on Rose… who was seventeen and still trying to get her high school education. With that thought, Xavier stiffened slightly, and shook those realizations about Rose from his mind.
Rose was Xavier’s friend… his minor, juvenile friend. Okay, well, maybe that wasn’t quite true. Just by looking at her, Xavier could tell that Rose had seen more things by far than possibly someone twice her age. It bothered him that she might have, but there was nothing to be done for it. Unfortunately, he just then remembered that he had to meet his girlfriend, and by looking at his watch, he realized that he was late. Ember was going to kill him.
“Bloody Hell!” he grumbled as he got up from his bed. He smiled at Rose, and ruffled her hair teasingly, making Rose shoot him a glare (though it was obvious she was fighting a smile) as she swatted his hand away. “I hope my two cents helps, but I’m going to have to run. See you later, Rosey,” he told her, and walked out the door as Rose hesitantly said goodbye in return. Xavier left, feeling slightly confused. What was it about that girl that made him feel so unsure of what he was doing? He loved her like a sister… didn’t he? If that was so, then why was it that every time he was near her, Ember ceased to exist in his stream of consciousness?
Rose, on the other hand, as awkward as she felt, she didn’t want Xavier to leave, silently longing that he would change his mind and stick around with her instead of going to meet his girlfriend. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky. She watched him go, and sighed when the door shut behind him, before resignedly doing her homework.
Now she had to acknowledge that she felt a little deeper about Xavier than just a friend. It sucks when life decides to throw curves at you. This time, Rose wasn’t sure which curve to throw right back.
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Life was all right. Broad shoulders covered in worn black leather entered the empty dorm. Xavier didn't really understand the need for dorm reorganization, but perhaps things would work out. He set his trunk down at the foot of one of the beds and looked around, running his fingers through his jet black hair, the light catching the blood red streaks in it.
"What now," he wondered absently. He gave a shrug and pulled out his head set and CD player and listened to music. Sooner or later someone was bound to show up! It was a matter of waiting; though it wasn’t as if he had anything else to do for the day. So wait he would.
Soon enough, another person arrived. At first, he didn’t notice the new arrival until he heard the sounds of a huge struggle going on. He looked up to see a teenager with their bag stuck in the doorway. He looked at this one for a moment, unable to tell whether they were a boy or a girl for a moment, confused by the short, chin-length brown hair and the way they dressed.
“Crap!” an obviously female voice exclaimed, and Xavier, being ever the gentleman (though he certainly did not look the part), stood up and went over to help the girl. No sooner had he approached her from behind, her bag suddenly came loose, sending her flying backwards into him and knocking them both over. They both erupted into laughter, and he quickly detangled himself from the mass of arms and legs on the floor to hold out a hand to the girl and help her up. She shook her cropped hair out of her face, and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet in one swift movement.
“That was unfortunate,” she said with a laugh as she brushed herself off. “And thank you,” she added.
“I’d have to agree,” Xavier said with a grin. “And you’re quite welcome.” He got a better look at this girl, and smiled slightly. She just needed facial hair, a few wrinkles, and lighter hair, and she’d almost pass for a Keith Urban look-alike. Her dark hair, obviously growing out, seemed to possess the same style, and so did her somewhat loose-fitting clothes. Xavier snapped out of his thoughts, and moved to pick up her bag, but she had already quickly grabbed it up, and swung it over her shoulder, holding it.
“I’m Xavier, by the way. Xavier Peace. Welcome to Dorm 5,” he greeted, holding out his hand. He watched as the girl grinned, her white teeth glaring out from her sun-burnt face. She took his hand in a grip quite a bit more firm than most women… and some men too, and shook it.
“Nice to meet you, Xavier,” she said in a distinctly American accent.
“I’m Rose Ortega. I shake you warmly by the hand,” she joked. Xavier laughed, caught by surprise with her crazy greeting, but discovered that he liked her already, as she proved to be a rather interesting new roommate.
“Nice to meet you too, Rose… I let you shake me warmly by the hand,” he replied in the same teasing manner.
“Excellent!” Rose said, before letting go of his hand, and setting her stuff down on an empty bed. She turned around facing him, that cheesy grin still on her face as she sat down on her newly claimed bed. “Just proves I watch way too many Tim Burton films,” she told him nonchalantly. Xavier just laughed again, liking this new girl more and more. She was funny and sweet, and that was exactly the kind of person Xavier liked to hang around.
"Hey! I certainly have nothing against Tim Burton...’Big Fish’ was pure genius if you ask me," Xavier exclaimed, discovering a genuine smile on his face. He sat down on his own bed which wasn’t far off from hers.
Rose laughed. “Haven’t seen that one yet… But for right now, Willie Wonka and his oompah-loompah’s are definitely my favorite,” she told him.
Xavier nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “That one’s good, but it’s a lot of people’s favorite. Be original,” he said with a wink, making Rose grin and shake her head.
“Oh, forgive me supreme Tim Burton movie master for my unoriginal choice! I will abide your counsel!” she joked. “So, now that we’ve got that settled; How are you this fine, lovely, rainy day?... Eh?” Rose asked, grinning at her rhyme.
Xavier just flashed a lopsided grin, running his fingers through his shoulder-length black hair. “I’ve seen better days… but all in all, I’m doing quite well. How about yourself?” he asked
Rose shrugged. “I’m okay. Pretty tired, but I’ll be all right,” she said before flopping back on her bed, stretching her arms up over her head and groaning when several bones in her back cracked back into place. “Ouch!” she said, laughing. Bones popping was a funny pain, like ramming your funny bone on a corner or something like that. “Oh, bedtime, How I’ve missed you!” she exclaimed dramatically. Xavier laughed and shook his head, unable to help himself. And then this girl, further proving how easily they could jump subjects, sat back up and rested her chin in her hand thoughtfully as she looked at him.
“Well, at least they’re giving me a day to settle in before setting me to work. That’s more than I can say for anywhere else. ‘Sides, Stage-handing is pretty hard work aside from hauling rocks and all that great stuff… I don’t really want to get started right away,” she said
with an easy, relaxed smile.
Xavier nodded, just thinking about it… only then did it occur to him.
“Wait! You’re a stagehand too? I can’t believe I didn’t realize it!” he exclaimed. Rose just looked at him.
“That would be because I’m new and just got here… and actually, I’m the new gardener… I just turn into a stagehand when the weather sucks like today, and in the winter… when I’m not shoveling snow, that is,” she said with a grin.
Xavier just smiled at her. “Well, let’s just hope there are many more days like this one so you’ll end up being stuck working with me. Of course, I’m sure there are a lot of people that would want to hang around you. You’re really cool. You’ll make friends pretty easily,” told her.
Rose just kind of paused for a long moment, and Xavier wondered if he saw her face go slightly pink.
“Ha ha… Actually, I highly doubt that one. I’m kind of an anti-social misfit. You’re just a rare case of ‘Hitting it off,’” Rose said. Xavier just quirked an eyebrow in question, but before he could ask, she looked at a man’s watch that was rather large on her wrist and sighed.
“Speaking of rare cases, I’ve got a friend waiting for me. I guess I’ll see you around, Xavier!” she said, slapping a baseball cap on her head, and tipping the brim at him. Xavier just nodded.
“See you later,” he called after her as she left. This Rose Ortega was an odd one for sure.
*
Rose exited her dormitory, rubbing the back of her head thoughtfully. She felt a bit funny, like her mouth had previously been stuffed with cotton, and her stomach had flopped over and tied itself into little knots. It had started up shortly after she met Xavier, right after the nervousness of how much bigger he was than her had passed. Just then, she was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when Lilith came up and jumped on her, scaring her senseless.
“AHHH! Oh…. Lilith, it’s just you…” she panted for a moment, before standing up straight, and looked at her friend who was grinning at her. “You scared the crap out of me!” she said with a laugh.
“I noticed,” Lilith teased, before looping her arm through Rose’s own, and began walking. “Walk with me, dear!” she suggested. Rose shrugged and complied, not really having anything else better to do. “So where were you? It sure took you long enough to come out of your dorm!” Lilith exclaimed. Rose just smiled ruefully and shook her head.
“Ah… yeah, sorry about that. There was this guy – By the way, did you know they run co-ed dorms here? It’s freaking crazy. Anyway, my bag got stuck in the door and then came loose and knocked me backwards when he came to help out… and we both fell flat on our butts. Talk about interesting ways to make friends, huh? I’m on a roll,” Rose stated. Lilith just gave her a look that told her that she obviously thought there was more to this story, but whatever thing she was thinking there was; Rose had no idea…
True, Rose had to admit that Xavier was extremely attractive, and couldn’t look at him for very long without her tongue twisting up uselessly… Wait a minute! Rose mentally slapped her self. She wouldn’t even go there.
“Anyway… What were we doing again?” she asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Shopping,” Lilith said with a smile. “For Lydia’s housewarming party.”
“Oh… Right,” Rose said with a sort of horrified look on her face. She HATED shopping. “Do I know this person?” she asked.
“Nope. But I’m inviting you so you can come and meet her. She’s great!” Lilith exclaimed. Rose sighed in defeat, knowing she wasn’t going to be getting out of this one.
“Lead the way, Lily,” Rose told her.
“Rosario Ortega, you are absolutely incorrigible,” Lilith exclaimed with mock scolding, before laughing, and nudging her in the ribs. Rose just smiled and shrugged.
“I just figured I’ll depend on your guidance,” she said simply. And laughing, they walked out the door.
*
Rose had finally begun to get into the swing of things after a month of living and working at the opera house. However, she hadn’t really seen much of Xavier lately, even though he was one of her roommates. Granted, this was probably because her time was always divided between work and being dragged off by Lilith on some obscure, senseless, yet fun adventure in the City of Love. That and she always went to bed after everyone was asleep, and was always up hours before any of them woke.
Today, however, was a bit different. While working on the landscaping, she’d slipped and fallen, hitting her head on the rock border as she went tumbling down. Since Rose had a concussion, and a small, stitched up cut on her right temple, the doctor pulled her out of work for at least a week.
He’d finally let her go back to dorm room, and she lounged on her bed in a red tee shirt and a loose pair of black yoga pants, reading
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and stopping every now and then to highlight a passage and write a note. She was taking online classes to get her GED, as she had to drop out of school at the age of fourteen for personal reasons. At age seventeen, Rose was finishing up her senior level, and coming that much closer to finishing her high school education, but she was also juggling college-level classes along with her high school classes.
At the moment, she was studying for a fundamental college psychology class, getting ready for a rather large research paper. Frustrated with her efforts so far, she sighed and pushed her book and laptop away, putting her head in her hands, raking her fingers through her hair and massaging her scalp tiredly.
“Hey Rosey!” a rather familiar voice exclaimed with a touch of surprise. Startled, Rose looked up to see Xavier standing in the doorway. She hadn’t even heard him come in! Flashing him a friendly half-smile, she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
“Hey. Long time, no see, Peace,” she teased slightly. Xavier graced her with a crooked grin that made her insides feel fuzzy, before walking over to his bed, and sitting on it, facing her. Rose stared at her homework for a while, though she was acutely aware that he was watching her.
“I concur… what gives?” Xavier demanded playfully, grinning as he threw a small package that Rose turned around and easily caught, before looking at them. Chocolates. Rose smiled, and held it up.
“Thanks,” she said, changing the subject. Xavier just smiled, and gestured to the gauze patch that was taped to the side of her head, covering her stitches.
“Don’t mention it. You kind of look like you need them,” he said, his face looking a bit worried. “How are you feeling?”
Rose wasn’t used to such a display of concern from a member from the opposite sex, that she was caught somewhere between being touched by his thoughtfulness, and being shocked by it. She just looked at him for a long moment, feeling ridiculous as she tried to figure out what to say. Finally, she just shrugged, brushing the injury off.
“Eh, I’m all right. The dumb doctor pulled me out of work for a week because I had a concussion, but it’s not that bad, really. I kind of needed the break,” she said, pointing to her homework. “The studying which has been procrastinated had to commence,” she explained with a teasing smile. Rose couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt drawn to Xavier in a way that allowed her to be open and friendly with him in a way that she couldn’t with most other people.
Xavier laughed. “You’re burning the candle at both ends, Rosey. Eventually you’re going to burn yourself out,” he scolded her, though buffering the reprimand with a gentle smile and his playful tone. For Xavier, he felt the same draw to young Rose. At first, he thought it was as though he was caring for one of his sisters, but on further reflection, the sister theory didn’t feel quite right. Rose snorted, and waved him off.
“I know, I know. I’m almost done though. After these last projects I’m doing, I’ll be able to take my finals and I’ll not only have my GED, I’ll also have half of my college fundamental classes out of the way,” she explained, and Xavier leaned back against his headboard, folding his arms across his chest.
“Well, aren’t you just the little overachiever!” he teased, and Rose laughed, tossing a wadded up paper at him.
“Hardly. Just trying to establish some normalcy in my life,” she said loftily, before pulling her homework back into her lap, and trying to work on her paper. Rose made a face, because she felt like an idiot every time she tried to attempt the feat of trying to break the story down to the lesson that was buried in its pages.
“On second thought, maybe I can procrastinate on this particular assignment a little longer…” she said, sneakily inching away from her computer and books. Rose looked over at Xavier when she heard him chuckle, and her heart suddenly started thumping heavily when she saw that crooked smile on his face as he laughed, shaking his head at her.
“All right, what subject is it?” he asked, seeing right through her. Rose grimaced, and told him, making him smile affectionately at her.
“Well, come on then, let’s see it. I might be able to help,” Xavier told her, and Rose raised an eyebrow at him.
“Well that’s an odd thing to think about. Aren’t girls supposed to be better at English and literature than guys?” she asked, making Xavier give her an odd look before he started laughing.
“That has to be one of the most sexist remarks I’ve heard yet! English is my best subject,” he teased her, before standing up and walking over to the edge of her bed, and plopping down next to her. Rose was startled, not really used to being this close to another guy, and hesitantly scooted away from him slightly to put a bit of space between them. Another reason that she wouldn’t admit to anyone, including herself, was that she probably would start drooling on him if she was much closer. Every time it reared its head, Rose denied that growing attraction she felt towards Xavier.
As Xavier began to explain her homework to her, Rose was surprised to find that he really was good at this stuff, though as time went by, she began to pay less attention to her homework, and more attention to him as he spoke. Her eyes memorized the strong set of his jaw, the warmth of his dark brown eyes, and the curve of his lip as he flashed his signature crooked grin at her, revealing rows of straight, white teeth. His brown, almost black hair looked soft, and though it was pulled back at the nape of his neck, there were a few loose strands hanging down in his face in a way that made Rose’s fingers twitch with the urge to tuck them back behind his ear, if she ever dared to do so. Also, Xavier’s warmth and proximity to her, as well as the scent of his aftershave set her head reeling, unable to think about anything else but him sitting there, right next to her, on her bed. Her ears were treated to the low, soothing sound of his voice, lulling her under his spell as he spoke
“Does that make sense?” he suddenly asked, snapping Rose out of la-la land. She jumped, startled when she realized she hadn’t been paying attention at all to what he was trying to explain to her. Swallowing, she tried to come up with an answer.
“Huh? Oh… Yeah!” she managed, inwardly kicking herself at her stupidity. “That helped a lot! Thanks!” came the recovery as she shifted slightly away from him, before her body decided to curl up into him and fall asleep with her face buried in his chest. That would have been weird.
Xavier, sensing Rose’s discomfort, grinned, and patted her on the shoulder before he went back to his own bed, though he himself also felt a bit puzzled. For being someone who was not his girlfriend, Rose smelled intoxicatingly good. Her scent was almost like cherry blossoms, but there was a darker, more enticing undertone to it. She smelled clean, and judging by the curl of her hair, Xavier figured Rose must have taken a shower after the doctor released her from his office. Her dark gray eyes possessed a golden sunburst around her pupils, casting flecks of gold throughout the charcoal irises, and making them rather captivating. For one small, but thrilling moment, Xavier forgot about Ember, his senses focused entirely on Rose… who was seventeen and still trying to get her high school education. With that thought, Xavier stiffened slightly, and shook those realizations about Rose from his mind.
Rose was Xavier’s friend… his minor, juvenile friend. Okay, well, maybe that wasn’t quite true. Just by looking at her, Xavier could tell that Rose had seen more things by far than possibly someone twice her age. It bothered him that she might have, but there was nothing to be done for it. Unfortunately, he just then remembered that he had to meet his girlfriend, and by looking at his watch, he realized that he was late. Ember was going to kill him.
“Bloody Hell!” he grumbled as he got up from his bed. He smiled at Rose, and ruffled her hair teasingly, making Rose shoot him a glare (though it was obvious she was fighting a smile) as she swatted his hand away. “I hope my two cents helps, but I’m going to have to run. See you later, Rosey,” he told her, and walked out the door as Rose hesitantly said goodbye in return. Xavier left, feeling slightly confused. What was it about that girl that made him feel so unsure of what he was doing? He loved her like a sister… didn’t he? If that was so, then why was it that every time he was near her, Ember ceased to exist in his stream of consciousness?
Rose, on the other hand, as awkward as she felt, she didn’t want Xavier to leave, silently longing that he would change his mind and stick around with her instead of going to meet his girlfriend. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky. She watched him go, and sighed when the door shut behind him, before resignedly doing her homework.
Now she had to acknowledge that she felt a little deeper about Xavier than just a friend. It sucks when life decides to throw curves at you. This time, Rose wasn’t sure which curve to throw right back.
