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Chapter Two

December 1964

It was dark when Tim left Buck's, slightly drunk but not too far gone that he couldn't drive. He'd intended to go home, but somehow ended up driving in the other direction. The streets were empty, the houses he passed changing as he entered the neighbourhood that boarded nice. Any further and he would well and truly be out of his comfort zone.

Driving past a park he had thought about turning around, but hesistated when he saw someone sitting on the benches. Looking closer he saw that it was Rose.

Tim hadn't much thought of her since they met. He'd seen her once since then at a party at the Curtis' house. She'd waved at him, but he'd been too caught up with Jeannie Baker whispering dirty things in his ear to pay much attention to some kid he hardly knew.

And yet, something had him pulling up at the curb and getting out of the car.

As he walked closer, Rose watched him with her steady gaze, but said nothing. Her curly hair was falling messily around her shoulders, her face free of any makeup, and by the slippers on her feet he guessed she'd been planning on going to bed before she'd ended up in the park.

"What're you doing here?" Tim asked. "It's fucking freezing."

"I didn't know it'd be this cold." Rose admitted, her voice was soft and defeatist, and Tim hated it. She'd been so entertaining last time they talked. Kind of annoying with her witty remarks, but entertaining nonetheless.

"Course it's cold," Tim said, sitting down next to her. "It's the middle of winter."

"It's December." Rose pointed out.

"So?"

"January's the middle of winter."

Tim couldn't help but smirk at her remark. Even when she was looking at him with that dejected expression she still managed to be mouth off. If she was any other girl the backchat would've annoyed him, but he found he rather enjoyed it with her. Besides, it was hard to be angry when she was sitting there looking so pathetically sad.

"Why you out here?" He asked.

"No reason." Rose shrugged.

She was hoping that the vague answer would be enough to stave off further inquiries. After all, she didn't suppose he really wanted to know, he was just being uncharatistically polite.

It wasn't as if she would have told him even if he genuinely cared to know. He was still a stranger. She wasn't about to unload her troubles on him when they really weren't all that bad.

But then he raised his eyebrows at her in disbelief.

"I had a fight with my Mom." She admitted. "It's nothing."

Tim nodded, not looking like he believed her anymore now. But who would? You didn't run away to the park after a fight if it was only something minor.

Rose hadn't really planned on running out, she just needed to get out of there. Her mother had been talking about how happy she was in Tulsa, and Diego had begrudgingly agreed. Now he had a girlfriend and suddenly Tulsa was heaven on earth. It wasn't fair. He hadn't even wanted to move and now he had settled in like he'd lived here his whole life.

Sure, Rose had friends now and was living the normal life of a teenager. And still there was this emptiness inside of her. A yearning for more and more that she'd never been able to satisfy. Perhaps because she didn't know what she wanted other than to leave. And you could only leave so many times before you start to wonder if you're the problem.

Everything in her wanted to hate her family for being so delighted about their new life. She knew it was unfair. Her mother needed this new life in Tulsa with Sam, after everything she'd been through. And Sam was a good guy. He adored her mother and was always kind to them.

And Rose had wanted to get out of Miami just as much as them. Tulsa was supposed to be a fresh start, and maybe it could be. If only she hadn't spent her entire life constantly wanting to be anywhere but where she was.

They sat in silence as she gazed out into the darkness of the night, and for that she was thankful. Tim didn't seem like the kind of person who felt the need to fill silence with empty words, and neither was she. There wasn't any point in saying something you didn't mean for the sole purpose of saying something.

"Does it snow here?" Rose asked.

"In January." Tim answered. "Why?"

Rose smiled softly. "I've never seen snow before."

Tim was glad she didn't look so depressed anymore, and even more thankful she hadn't started crying. If there was one thing he couldn't handle it was emotional girls. That usually just ended him being slapped for saying something wrong.

"It ain't all that great." He told her. "Not that much of it either."

"It'll be great the first time." She said. "Things are usually best the first time because it's new. Everyone loves the novelty of new. It's old and consistent things that are taken for granted."

That was a little be too introspective for Tim to want to deal with at that moment. Next they would be contemplating the meaning of life.

"I don't know if that applies to sex," he said. "I think sex just keeps getting better. For me at least."

Rose rolled her eyes at that, but she was still smiling so he didn't think he'd offended her sensibilities too much.

A cold wind swept through the park, sending a chill down his spine. He pulled the cigarette packet out of his pocket, shoving one in his mouth and lighting it. The smoke filled his lungs, providing him with some warmth. He looked up to see Rose was watching him so he took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it out to her.

Rose shook her head. "I don't smoke."

"C'mon," he said, "it'll keep you warm."

Somewhat reluctantly she took the cigarette from him. She gently placed it in her mouth in a way he found way too attractive, before taking a drag. But when she breathed the smoke out she started coughing, practically dry heaving really, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"That's disgusting." She said, handing the cigarette back to him. "Why do you smoke that?"

"You get used to it." Tim chuckled.

"Somehow I don't think I could." She said, her eyes turning downcast. "My parents are probably worried about me. Running away was a stupid thing to do."

"Yeah it was." Tim agreed.

"What?"

"It was a dumb thing to do." He affirmed. "Sitting out here at night. Never know what hood will come up and hassle you."

"But this is your neighbourhood," she said, "isn't it?"

"Yeah." He replied. Technically his neighbourhood ended a good twenty blocks away. "So?"

"So." She drawled, leaning forward ever so slightly so he now had a better view of her ample chest. "If some guy hassled me I could just come to you, and you could set him straight."

She was watching him with dangerously playful eyes, smirking at him in a way that made him want nothing more than to kiss it off of her. Not that he thought he'd be able to stop at just a kiss, and he didn't think screwing her on a park bench in winter was a good idea. They might end up with hypothermia.

But that didn't mean he couldn't tease back.

"And why would I do that?" He asked with a devilish grin.

"Out of the goodness of your heart."

"Ain't much good in my heart." He told her, straightening his back so he was no longer leaning into her, and looking back to his car.

"You got somewhere to be?" Rose asked.

"Home." He replied. "Where you should be?"

"At your home?" She asked, coyly.

Tim gave her a sly grin. "I'm assuming you live near here."

Rose nodded. "A couple blocks."

"You good to walk?"

"Yeah." She said, getting up from the bench. "See you later, Tim."

Watching her stalk off, Tim wondered how attempting to do the right thing had landed him in hot water.