The Rose
Chapter 1:
If one were to be standing outside the door to apartment five, the smells of cinnamon and vanilla would assault their senses, along with the crisp, cool morning air. A young woman in her twenty-third year stood in her kitchen, in the process of putting her long blonde hair into a bun as she made breakfast. She was off to her first job in a few minutes, and was just finishing getting dressed. Looking in the mirror, the young girl brought a few strands of hair down to frame her face, put on pearl stud earrings, smoothed out her knee-length skirt and blouse, and returned to the kitchen.
She just took a bite from her cinnamon bun when the phone rang. Setting the warm bun back down, she chewed quickly before answering the phone on the wall.
"Hello?"
"Bonjour, Madeline!"
"Oh bonjour papa. How are you?"
"I'm fine, my dear. I just wanted to see how you were doing- we haven't spoken in a few days!"
Madeline went back to her food and began to eat during the intervals of their conversation. "I'm fine, thank you. I know, I'm sorry, I have been so busy lately. What, with the waitressing job, and now I just got that job at the chocolate store..."
"Really? You did not tell me you found a second job! Félicitations!"
"Merci, papa. It was a little sudden, but I thought it would both keep me busy during the summer, and the extra income..." She swallowed down some milk before walking over to the sink and cleaning off her dishes.
"Ever the clever one. Well, as long as it isn't too much for you..."
"No no, it will be just fine. I have had a few shifts there already and it is nice. And speaking of which, I'm off to the restaurant now. Call you when I get home?"
"That sounds nice. Have a nice shift, Madeline."
"Thank you! Have a good day, talk to you later!"
After she hung up with her father, she grabbed her purse, keys, turned off all of the lights, slipped on her low heels and was just about to leave before the phone rang again. Darting to it, she picked it up quickly.
"Hello?"
"Hello, beautiful."
"Lars! Hi!"
A deep chuckle from the other side of the line. "You sound busy."
"I'm sorry, I was just stepping out the door to go to work."
"That's no problem. I was just curious if we were still seeing each other tonight?"
Madeline smiled softly at the uncertainty in her boyfriends voice. "Yes, yes we are. I'm off at five and you were going to pick me up...?"
"Yes! Yes I am. So I'll let you go, and see you then?"
"I look forward to it. See you, Lars."
"'Til then, Maddie."
She hung up the phone with a faint smile and finally left her home. Her work was close enough- a ten minute walk if she is lucky so she had no reason to drive. The weather was beautiful out, the sun warm, its rays warming her skin and illuminating her golden hair. The skies were clear, and when she checked the radio, there was no report of rain in the forecast. Perfect.
She was admiring all of the houses and trees along the street, wishing that she could live in a little home of her own. Madeline had that little dream, a dream of raising a family, running a household, growing her own garden, and growing old with the man she loved. She wanted to see her grandchildren grow up and hold them to her- tell them stories of herself and her family.
So lost in her daydreams, she did not notice a man walking in the direction she was coming from. He too was slightly lost in his own thoughts, but they were slightly different from hers. He was thinking of how different civilian life was in comparison to the military. He just left due to injury, but he lived that life since he was eighteen so it was hard to adjust a little. But with his charisma and insatiable curiosity, it wasn't too hard for him to find work and friends. He fiddled with his tie absentmindedly before his hand curled to the back of his neck.
The two did not notice each other until it was too late. Luckily Madeline was able to turn her head before her glasses were smashed against the man's broad chest. Surprised, he looked down and quickly grabbed her shoulders to steady her.
"Whoa! I'm sorry, miss, are you alright?"
Madeline shook her head slightly, adjusted her frames and looked up at the man. He was tall with short, golden hair. He had one tuft of hair that did not want to stay down- something she knew all about. The sun reflected from his thin frames, but it wasn't enough to hide his eyes. His eyes were like the sky she had just admired- a beautiful clear blue. They had a look of concern in them which snapped her out of her little inspection.
"Y-yes! I'm fine, thank you very much. Sorry about that, I was lost in thought."
"It's no problem, I was as well."
She noticed that he was looking at her quite intently, an easy smile on his face, and a particular look in his eyes. Raising an eyebrow, she could tell that this man was probably the type all the girls went crazy over. A trait that usually meant they were a walking red flag to stay away from.
Straightening her shoulders, she shrugged him off slightly. "Well, sorry again about that, but I must be going."
He took that as his cue to let go, which he did and stepped to the side. "Have a good day, miss...?"
She really did not want to tell him her name. She had no interest in him at all-
"Madeline."
Her name escaped her lips before her thought was even able to finish. He flashed that grin to her again before taking one of her hands and bowing over it.
"My name is Alfred. Alfred Jones."
Rolling her eyes, she took her hand away, nodded, and began to pass him. She was not aware of how pink her face was becoming, nor of the sky blue gaze trained on her back.