Page 28 of Rum and Roses
I ended up eating two slices, and Silas somehow ate five. I never understood how boys managed to somehow always have such a great metabolism. It didn’t matter how much he ate or of what, his abs remained rock solid. It was unfair, truly.
Silas leaned back against the couch, pulling me with him. I giggled, settling against him with my head on his chest. His arm snaked around me, pulling me closer. I melted into his embrace. Home was wherever Silas was. I nuzzled him affectionately. “You know,” I began, breaking the silence “this is perfect.”
He chuckled. “Pizza, you, what more could I ask for?”
I shrugged. Happy, content, and full.
Silas smirked. “I almost forgot…”
I tilted my head to look up at him. “Forgot what?”
“Tickles,” he replied, his fingers finding my sides and tickling my most sensitive spots.
I squealed, squirming and wriggling with laughter. “Silas! No! S-stop!”
His fingers danced relentlessly. I squirmed, trying to escape his grasp, but he held me firmly. His laughter joined my own.After a few moments of endless tickles, Silas stopped. “Okay, okay! You win!” I said between breaths.
Silas grinned, his eyes sparkling. Leaning down, he kissed my forehead. “I will always win, sweetheart.”
We lay together in comfortable silence, the echoes of our laughter still resonating in the air. Then, Silas shifted, and his expression turned serious as he looked down at me.
“Rosalie,” his tone low and intimate. He lifted his hand, his fingers grazed my cheek. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
My heart skipped a beat with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation that washed over me.
What could he possibly want to talk about?
“What is it?” I asked hesitantly.
He took a deep breath. “I have been doing a lot of thinking lately… about our future, and the life I want us to build together.”
I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.
“We both know I can’t keep you in my basement forever… and we can’t stay in this shitty small town either…” He trailed off. “I’ve come to a decision.”
The anticipation was too much; my pulse rang in my ears.
“We need to leave Colorado, and I think we should move to Nevada. Las Vegas, specifically.”
His words hung in the air. I blinked. Struggling to process his words.
Leave? Actually leave? Everything? My apartment? Wait. Actually leave the basement? And go outside? Perform on a stage again…
Silas took my hand; his grip firm yet reassuring. “This place… isn’t safe for us. There are too many people here who want to control us, to manipulate us. If they find out that… you’ve been here with me the whole time… They’ll throw me in jail and you—” He sighed, composing himself. “They’ll lock you up in some sort of psychiatric rehabilitation center, pump you full of mind-numbing drugs, and ruin you for the rest of forever. I just can’t allow that to happen. I won’t! I won’t let anyone threaten our happiness, or what we have. There are too many risks and factors that neither of us can control if we stayed here. ”
Unease rocked through me, disliking the blatant fact that our safety was at risk. I understood. I trusted Silas. He would never put me in harm’s way. He loved me. If he said we needed to leave, then that is what we would have to do.
Silas pulled me closer. “Say something… please,” he whispered. “I would kill for you, and I have. I will do it again every damn fucking day if necessary. I would die for you. I don’t just love you, Rosalie. I’m in love with you.”
I lifted my head to look at him. I had never been loved before, not until Silas came into my life. “I’m in love with you too,”
Silas lifted his hands, cupping my cheeks with his palms and pulling me into a soft kiss. “I’ve been researching. There are opportunities there, a fresh start, a place where we can be ourselves… you can dance… we can build the life we want without looking over our shoulders.” Silas explained every last detail, from finances and everything else in between.
I truly and wholeheartedly believed he was being honest.
“And,” Silas added, softening his voice, “I promise you, Rosalie, the first thing we’ll do when we’re settled is re-enroll you in ballet classes. You can continue to pursue your passion. You’ll have your own studio, your own space—you can dance until your heart’s content. Whatever you want, I will make it happen.”
Tears welled in the corners of my eyes.
