a/n: We're down to the last rose. Make it count, girl.
All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but Rosalee is mine.
Rosalee didn't bother to relax her hands. It was all she could do not to crush the rose's stem in her fist, but better than that wasn't going to happen. She knocked on Irina's door with more force than necessary and tried not to call herself stupid. She wasn't even sure that Irina would be there. Maybe she was asleep. Or maybe she wasn't alone. Rosalee could barely kept herself from banging her head against the door. Instead she knocked a second time.
The door slid open and Akulov stood in the doorway. Dressed in casual clothes, and no one Rosalee could see in the small room behind her. Rosalee couldn't stop a deep sigh of relief.
"Lopez. Anything up?" Akulov's beautiful silver eyes were calm and impersonal.
Rosalee knew she was standing too close, but she couldn't bring herself to step back. "I brought you something. A rose. It's for you." This smooth delivery was accompanied by a blunt presentation of the flower. Rosalee couldn't do anything more complicated, because she was busy memorizing everything about Irina, probably for the last time.
Irina looked at the flower, then gave Rosalee a slight smile. "Um, that's nice."
Rosalee blinked several times, then opened her dark eyes wide. She closed the gap just a fraction. "It's not nice. I'm giving you this rose for every reason somebody could possibly give you a rose. Because it's beautiful and precious, just like you are. I want you to know that somebody feels that way about you. Not somebody, me. I feel that way about you, and I wish like anything you could feel the same way about me."
"Uh, Rosalee…" Irina finally looked surprised.
Rosalee tried so very hard not to sound angry, and maybe she managed it, mostly. "Never mind. I get it, I get it. Have fun with that Curator … friend of yours. Just know that somebody in NLA thinks the world of you, loves you, and you can do better. Could have done better." She stopped talking sharply and twitched her head to the side, a skittish and wild creature smelling trouble on the wind. "Whatever. I'll see you later." Her muscles felt like they'd snap as she forced herself to walk away, follow the bend of the corridor, head to the elevator, and face whatever came next.
a/n: Oh baby, I tried so hard to set you guys up.
Why are we not done? We're out of roses. Next up: Irina.