Chapter 18
Tears slid down Rosalie’s face as she turned towards the house. Memories of the cotillion swept through her. She’d been so happy to be there with Eric, and the fact that they had teamed up against his mother’s archaic societal dreams was something that she would never forget. Pain stabbed through her heart. She needed to get out of there before Eric or anyone else came out of that house. She turned towards the open end of the street, shuffling along. It would be a few hours of walking before she got anywhere near the campus, but maybe she could hitch a ride. Rosalie was so lost in her own little world, that she almost didn’t see the horse in time. She jumped to the side, looking at the beautiful white horse, dressed to the nines in shining harness, pulling a beautifully polished carriage. The man on the driver’s box tipped his hat to her, and she smiled. It was really something to see a horse and carriage in today’s world, and it warmed her heart. She wanted to look over her shoulder to watch it, but that would bring Eric’s house into view, and she didn’t want to hurt herself more.
“Rosalie! Wait! Come back!” The blood drained from her face. It was Eric. He was outside. She silently cursed herself for not sprinting down the road to get away from the house. Now he was outside and he saw her. She didn’t want to see him or talk to him. It would only make her cry to hear him say that she was getting tossed to the curb. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She kept walking, straightening her back and squaring her shoulders to give her a false positive look. Inside she was crushed, but outwardly, she looked like nothing phased her. Footsteps pounded the ground behind her, and she could tell that he was running. She winced, wishing that he would have never come outside. “Rosalie! Hey!” He finally caught up to her, because she didn’t want to embarrass herself by taking off like a bat out of hell. She took a deep breath and turned to him.
“Hello, Eric. I’m sorry that I darkened your doorstep, but my soon to be ex best friend drove me to your front door and dumped me.” There. Now he knew that she hadn’t come on her own free will. A hurt look crossed his face, and she almost felt bad for what she’d said. It had been the truth, but the way she’d said it and the words she’d used could have been gentler.
“What do you mean? I told Vanessa to bring you here. This is your birthday surprise.” Rosalie let out a breath that she hadn’t even known she was holding. Why was he being so nice to her when he was breaking up with her? None of this made any sense.
“Your gift to me is to let me see you one last time while you break up with me? Thanks, but no thanks.” Rosalie started walking again.
“What? Why would I break up with you?” Was he being serious? He was going to make her spell it out herself in front of him? Oh, he was such an ass. She gritted her teeth in anger.
“You’ve been ignoring me and completely distant. That to me says that you’re in the process of dumping me. I haven’t heard from you, so that confirmed it for me. I didn’t know we were coming here, or I would have never gotten in the car. I can’t get over it if I have to see you. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start my walk back to my dorm.” There. She’d managed to get it all out without crying or screaming loud enough for everyone in the neighborhood to hear her. The stunned look of shock on his face was even worth it, and she almost smiled when she turned around to head back down the street. He caught her arm before she’d even taken a step.
“Rosalie, you’re being silly. I’m not distant. You called when I was half asleep, and then I realized that I’d forgot to make plans for your birthday. I haven’t been talking much because I didn’t want to accidentally ruin the surprise for you.” Her heart started to race, but she didn’t want to let herself hope. Could he be telling the truth? Had she been making it up in her head all along? Or was this the trick now?
“Really? You weren’t thinking about getting rid of me?” She held her breath and searched his eyes. There was nothing but truth in them, but she didn’t want to jump in with both feet again. This time she’d be careful.
“Of course! I wouldn’t have proposed to you if I didn’t want you to be in my future.”
“But you only proposed to shut your mom up! And I didn’t even say yes! How could I know that you were going to ask again? I gave you six months to decide if you still wanted to, remember?” He started to pull her gently back towards his house, and Rosalie grudgingly put one foot in front of the other, back towards where Vanessa had so unceremoniously dumped her on her ass.
“The way I did it, right there in front of her, was to shut her up, yes, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t mean it.” A warmth spread through her, starting in her core, then spreading slowly towards her fingers and toes, before returning back to her core. If this was true, then they could go back to how things were.
“Really? So you weren’t getting tired of me and wanting to break up?” Her voice was soft, almost like she was hanging on to every word he said to make sure that it didn’t crush her spirit.
“Of course. I swear it.” There was honesty in his face, and he looked at her with such intensity, almost like he was trying to mentally make her believe him. A small smile crept across her face. It was tentative at first, but soon it was back to her usual one hundred watt smile. Eric pulled her into a hug, and she could feel her walls cracking and tumbling down. She’d hastily erected a wall around her heart, and she’d been working on bricking a heavier duty one, but now it looked like that wall wasn’t even necessary.
“I’m sorry. I guess I was just overreacting.” By this time, they were back in front of Eric’s house, and he was holding her hand.
“It’s ok. I wasn’t exactly being forthcoming about it, either. But we can put that all behind us. Come on.” He handed her up into the carriage, and Rosalie settled down on the plush cushion. Eric climbed in after her, and signaled to the driver that they were ready to go. The man clucked to his horse, and the beautiful animal started to prance. Rosalie’s heart soared. She almost felt like Cinderella going to the ball. The two of them sat on opposite ends of the cushion, and Rosalie found herself wishing that Eric would hold her. As the carriage pulled out of the neighborhood, she spotted a rundown car with rust stains on it. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing it as Vanessa’s. The girl was looking out of the driver side window, waving enthusiastically and giving her the thumbs up sign. Rosalie grinned and winked at her friend, mouthing the word, ‘sorry’ to her friend. Vanessa just shrugged like it was no big deal, and then she was out of sight. Rosalie took a deep breath, gathering her courage. Eric was looking out the other side of the carriage, and she leaned up against him, nudging him subtly. He turned to look at her, and the smile he gave her melted her heart. This was why she loved him. The way that he could make her feel like she was on top of the world, even when she felt lost and unsure really meant the world to her.
Eric put his arm around her, pulling her close. Something in her heart clicked. Like they were meant to be together, and she was home. He held her tight, and snaked his hand into hers. They leaned back, enjoying the ride. People turned to stare at the beautiful carriage that was coming by, and Eric started to wave to them like he was an ancient king in a parade. Everyone laughed and waved back to him. The horse took one last turn, then came to a stop with a snort. Rosalie had been looking out of Eric’s side, so she didn’t see where exactly they had stopped. Eric got to his feet, her hand still in his.
“Well, my lady, this is where we get out. Let me help you.” She let him help her step down, then looked at where they were. A man in a tuxedo stood by the door, almost like one of those British soldiers that can’t move unless they have orders. As they neared the door, he sprang into action. Grabbing the handle, he swung the door open and bowed them in. Rosalie couldn’t suppress the giggle. It was almost like Eric was a king on his parade. He had deigned to eat here, so they bowed and scraped to let him in the door. Maybe his socially royal blood gave him some advantages that she didn’t know about. She wanted to comment on it, just to tease him, but her words were stolen by the scene in front of her. The floor was thick glass, and she could see fish swimming below them. Two of the walls were giant fish tanks, almost like you would see at an aquarium. The other two walls were beautiful mahogany, polished until it shone. The tables were small, in cozy little alcoves that promised privacy, and the lighting was low. It was meant for romantic rendezvous, that was for sure. Her heart began to flutter. This was very intimate in a way. A woman in an evening gown came to a silk covered podium. Eric gave her his name, and she went down the list she had. Checking him off, she had them follow her to one of the little alcoves.
“Oh my goodness! This has to be the most expensive restaurant in the whole city!” Rosalie wasn’t sure he’d heard her at first, because the words had come out in no more than a whisper. She was still in shock over where they were.
“Only the best for my girl.” A tear slid down her cheek and she quickly dashed it away, but not before Eric saw it. “Why are you crying?” Rosalie shook her head, as if she were saying she didn’t want to talk about it.
“Thank you. For everything. There’s no way that I could every repay you for any of this.” Eric waved off her explanation. They sat together, enjoying the mood of the place. A man in a tux with a violin came over to their table and began to serenade them. Eric looked up at her and smiled, seeing the lights sparkle and dance in her eyes. The smile on her face was permanently placed, and nothing would take it off. That meant that he’d done what he had set out to do. He wanted to put her in a fantasy world where everything was perfect so he could propose to her again and give her the sweet and romantic proposal that she deserved. He still beat himself up about the way he’d blurted it out in front of his mom. Not because he’d asked Rosalie to marry him, but because he’d just blurted it out in anger. He’d wanted to make it more romantic and give her what he knew he should. The waitress arrived with the menus, and even though Rosalie dove in to look at the food, Eric was too busy staring at the beautiful woman in front of him.