Chapter 9 Rose Seran

Rose and Kyoya were sitting in her living room. Kyoya had had the most frustrated and upset expression on his face and sound of his voice. She listened quietly and held his hand firmly. The words came from his mouth but they never registered in her mind.

After Kyoya finished he just leaned into her and took a few deep breaths. Finally, Rose asked, "Why did you say all those things to your dad?"

Kyoya was silent for a second.

"I'm tired of trying to prove myself to him."

Rose was baffled. "I still don't understand why the fact that he doesn't approve of me set that off…"

Kyoya sat up really quick. He turned to her and placed his hands on her face. "It has everything to do with you. Everything about me involves you now and he's going to have to accept that."

Rose looked at him in awe. "Am I that important?"

Kyoya smiled softly and nodded. "More than you will ever know."

Several weeks passed after Kyoya and his father's argument. Now, Rose and Kyoya were sitting in his art gallery. She was sitting on one side of the canvas and Kyoya on the other. He was painting her.

"If you're only painting something in the colors of my eyes, hair, and personality, then why am I posing for you?" Rose was growing impatient. She wanted to see what he was painting!

"Because I need to make sure the colors are perfect and the light is catching everything perfectly."

He continued to paint and paint. An hour or so later, he laid down his brush and took her hand. He led her over to the painting and Rose's jaw dropped.

"How did you do this?!" Rose was amazed.

"Well," he pointed to the soft pink rose floating in the water, "this shows your soft features and how your name suits you." Then he motioned to the deep blue ocean surrounding the flower, "This represents how your eyes swallow me up like the ocean." Last he pointed at the bright golden sun. "This is my favorite because it shows your personality, which is as radiant as the sun; just like your hair."

Rose couldn't believe it. "You see me like no one else."

"No, I don't. I see you as you truly are." He took her hand again and led her to the middle of the room. He pulled out his phone and turned on a slow, smooth waltz. He positioned her hands, feet, and body before they began making sweeping circles around the room. Every now and then he would turn her and then he would lift her arm up and spin underneath it.

Rose laughed and smiled as they danced. The entire time she was trying to think of a way to describe how she felt with Kyoya. Nothing came to mind. Rose couldn't think of a single word that described every drop of happiness she felt.

They stopped dancing and Kyoya led to a library. He pulled out Romeo and Juliet and they walked outside. They held hands as they made their way to their spot in the clearing. When they got there, he opened the book and began to read aloud to her.

Rose watched as his eyes flowed over the words. She watched his mouth for the words. She listened to his voice as it lingered around them in the still, fresh air.

This reading session lasted a while and it was dusk when Kyoya finished the book. Rose watched him set the book down gently and she admired the dappled, golden sunlight on his skin,

"Is that your favorite play by Shakespeare?" Rose kept her voice soft so that the moment remained serene.

He turned to her. "Yes, it is."

She tilted her head. "But why?"

He smiled. "I love it because Romeo and Juliet are so free and in love. They don't care if their parents don't approve. They just care about each other and how they can be together."

Rose smiled at how much he seemed to relate to the story. He really loved that play.

"You need to get home." He stood, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her up the path.

Later that night, Rose laid in bed and thought of Kyoya. She thought of their awkward beginning and of their happy present. But then there was their future. She imagined marrying Kyoya. The thought made her smile.

She could hear his voice in her mind.

"An interesting notion in its own way."