Chapter 15
“Um, can you tell me what just happened? Because I’m not sure that I processed it properly.” Rosalie’s voice was faint when the words came out, and she wasn’t sure whether or not Eric had heard her. She waited for a few minutes, and was just about to open her mouth to ask again when he cleared his throat. She looked over at him and saw that his face was beet red. Had she said something wrong? Had she embarrassed him in some way?
“I, um, wasn’t going to do it that way, but sometimes my mom can just get under my skin. She’s been pushing me to go out with the girls from the cotillion whenever I’m at home, and it just gets annoying. I’ve been staying away from the house for as much as I possibly can. I wanted to tell you earlier that I had strong feelings for you, but I couldn’t seem to find the words. I had bought the ring because I knew that I wanted to marry you some day, but I wasn’t quite sure on the when and the where yet. I was going to carry it around whenever we were together and hope for a really romantic moment to do it in. Unfortunately, my mom pushed me past the breaking point, and I did this more to get a point across to her.” Rosalie knew that she was in love with Eric, and she would have loved to say yes, but she didn’t know just how long this was going to last. She’d had a good reason to say no, but she’d made it clear that it wasn’t really a no so much as a not yet.
“I honestly didn’t expect you to do that ever. I’m not really a catch of any kind, so I didn’t expect you to want to be with me very long.” That was the truth, even though she had fallen head over heels for him in the last two months and some part of her still hoped.
“Why wouldn’t you? What is it about yourself that you think isn’t good enough for me?” They were parked now so he took the time to stare at her. With him looking at her so intently, Rosalie’s face got hot.
“I’m not like those girls that your mom wants you to be with. I’m not rich or some socialite princess. I can’t give you that elevated status that she wants for you. I’m just a poor little dorm mouse trying to be a doctor that’s going to work hard for everything she has and wants.” It was something she was proud of, but she knew right now it wasn’t going to be good enough. If it was just up to matters of the heart, then she wouldn’t be afraid, but in today’s world, it was all about what you had and what you could do and what you brought to the table. Right now, she didn’t have anything, she couldn’t do anything, and she brought nothing to the relationship. She’d finally gotten a writing job online like she’d been praying for, but she hadn’t gotten paid yet for it. Technically, that meant that she wasn’t working yet because she had nothing to show for it. What could he possibly see in her?
“That’s exactly why I want to be with you! You’re not like those girls that my mom wants me to be with! I want someone who knows the value of what they have because they worked for it. I want someone who will do what needs to be done because they aren’t afraid of hard work! I don’t want some prissy girl who has a maid to do everything for her. I want someone who has had some experiences in life so that when we finally start a family, we raise our kids the right way! How could you possibly think that I would want all of that with anyone but you?” A smile spread across Rosalie’s face. If what he was saying was true, then they would be together for a long time yet, if not forever because he claimed he wanted everything that she was. Tears started in her eyes, and she couldn’t stop a few from falling down her cheeks. Eric reached out and gently wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. He put his hand under her chin and pulled her face up so she was looking at him.
“I don’t ever want you to think that you aren’t good enough for me. You’re everything to me. I don’t care what my mother thinks, or if she disinherits me. I have the grades and the schooling to get a job, and if I had to, I’d go work so you could go to school. I can see that you’re so passionate about your schooling and the career that you want that I will do whatever it takes to get you your dream.” Those words made something deep inside of Rosalie melt. The tears came back, and this time he had to hold her. She shook slightly with the emotion that she felt, and he was her rock, holding her until she was ready to go inside. When she was, he walked her to the door and made sure that she was alright before he left. Vanessa and Blaze were watching some horror flick in their pajamas when the couple came in, and Blaze stared daggers at Rosalie. She didn’t have the energy to fight right now, and she just ignored the girl. Eric, however, saw the look this time, and followed it to see where it landed. Once he realized that Blaze was looking at Rosalie as if she wished she would swallow poison, his jaw clenched. He would take care of that problem before he left, too.
“I’m ok. I think I just want to lay down for a little while.” The secrets and the feelings that had made it to light this morning were overwhelming. Even though they were all great and made Rosalie happy, it was still a lot to take in, and she needed some time to process it all. He hugged her tightly, kissing her, long and slow, just the way she liked it, then tucked her into bed. He locked the door, then pulled it shut behind him. That’s where the niceness stopped. Both girls in the living room were staring at him, horror movie forgotten.
“Hey, Eric. Nice to see you. I didn’t even know you’d come to pick her up. I thought she was still sleeping.” Vanessa’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment that she’d been naïve enough to think that Rosalie was still in bed at this hour when she was usually up and moving about long before now.
“Hey, Vanessa. Yeah, I picked her up early this morning. We tried not to wake you up.” The sour expression on Blaze’s face could have curdled milk.
“We just thought she was being lazy.” The girl couldn’t resist getting a dig in at Rosalie. Eric’s face went stark white and he rounded on her. He was so angry that his words came out between clenched teeth.
“That girl is so far from lazy you don’t even know what you’re talking about. She actually goes to class, unlike you, and she passes those classes, unlike you. She is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, and all you want to do is tear her down. For what? For me? Please. There is nothing in the world that you could do that would make me choose you over her. That girl,” he had to take a breath and point towards Rosalie’s closed door, “Is going to be my wife one day. I’m not sure when yet, or where, but it’s going to happen. The next time I see you disrespect her like you just did, I’ll bury you.” His eyes blazed with anger as he left the dorm room. Blaze stared after Eric like she’d lost the most important thing in her life. Vanessa, meanwhile, was staring at Blaze with a look of satisfaction. It had been Vanessa who had told Eric exactly what was going on. She’d warned her friend to leave Rosalie alone, and even though she hadn’t done anything per se to sabotage Rosalie’s relationship, she was tired of hearing Blaze put her down. Now she’d been put in her place by the one person she actually cared about. Vanessa hoped that would be enough to teach her a lesson.
Eric drove home, where he was instantly confronted by his mother. He cursed himself for letting himself get lost in thought, because it always put him on autopilot when he drove, and autopilot meant home.
“Where have you been? Don’t tell me that you’ve been with that little gutter mouse the whole time.” His mother was fuming, and he didn’t care. He loved her to death, but lately, she’d been driving a wedge between them with all the dating talk.
“Yes, actually, I was with Rosalie. And I meant what I said at the club. I’m going to marry her. She might want six months for me to be sure, but I can promise you that I am serious as a heart attack. I don’t care what you have to say about it, and I don’t care if you disinherit me. I’m going to be with her, and I’m going to give her everything she ever dreams of.” The vehemence of his words were almost like a slap in the face for her, and she looked stunned that he’d talked to her that way. Before she could gather her thoughts, Eric walked right past her and into the house. His thoughts were still on Rosalie. In a way, he was kind of happy that she’d asked him to wait. He realized now how selfish he’d been by trying to prove a point to his mother by using her, and springing a proposal on her out of nowhere like that. He was lucky that she didn’t flat out tell him no. He decided that he was going to start putting together a resume right away to apply for a job. He didn’t care what his mother said or thought. He was his own person, and he was going to live life his own way. Right now, Rosalie was his world, and he was going to make sure that he took care of it.
He sat down at his laptop and started typing. It hit him that he really didn’t have much work experience, and that was going to hurt him in the long run. He chuckled sarcastically. Now was the time that he actually needed to use his real name. If he was lucky, they would see that and want him to be a part of whatever company he applied to in the hopes that his parents would make donations. All in all, he was a hard worker, and very determined. If it got him his foot in the door, his attitude and work ethic would keep him the job. A half hour later found his resume finished, and him scouring help wanted ads online, applying to what felt like hundreds of jobs. Every time he read one, all he could see was Rosalie’s face. If he had to work two or three jobs to make sure that she had the money for her tuition, he would see to it. The laptop was something she’d needed, and it was something he’d been more than happy to give her. Just like he was more than happy to give her the world. After submitting the fortieth resume, he decided to call it a day. He hoped that some of them would call him back, because he really didn’t have anything else to do for the rest of the day. But he would be damned if he left his room and let his mother start in on him again…