Royce's pale eyes sparkled in the bright Tuesday afternoon sun; he looked at Rosalie Hale with an intense possessiveness that made her feel as though she was the finest prized possession in all of Rochester. She looked up at him with all the adoration she could muster, despite only meeting him less than twenty-four hours prior. Rosalie searched his eyes for something to say as she hung upon his arm. She could feel the eyes of everyone they passed in the park. Royce King II, even if they did not immediately recognize his face, was dressed in the finest suit that was only slightly darker than his stonelike eyes. His gaze was piercing as he gazed back at her, Rosalie shivered and closed her eyes.

She imagined Royce's gaze just a touch softer. She loved to be adored, but something about this look was… off. Perhaps it was that his chest puffed with just too much pride, or that his lips turned upwards in an odd appraisal as he lazily looked down at her. This wasn't soft, but perhaps it could be passionate? If it were passion that he looked at her with, could it be comparable to the beginnings of love?

She wanted the kind of look she'd seen Benjamin give Vera- complete and utter selfless love. She wanted effortless smiles and the security of a husband who would give her the world. She shook her head- these things took time. This was their first outing. Soon, she would have everything Vera had. And more. Her heart thudded as she leaned into his arm and breathed in his rich cologne; the smell of cigars and sandalwood relaxed her as they continued their stroll.

Suddenly the clouds moved, giving her the much desired shade she wanted. It immediately felt cooler as the sky became overcast; the sun was no longer anywhere to be seen, and for that she was immensely thankful: she hadn't worn a hat to their outing in order to show off the lovely new brooch in her hair. A few loose curls drifted about her face in the light breeze and she sighed contentedly.

"So, Miss Rosalie. I take it you've lived in Rochester your entire life?" Royce began, cocking his head to the side as he waited for her reply.

"Well yes," she began, carefully deciding which parts of her life would sound most impressive to him. "I recently graduated from Freeman Clarke, I was top of my class…"

"That's nice," Royce spoke over her, looking past her at something beyond what Rosalie could see.

Noting his lack of focus, Rosalie turned the questions immediately to him as he placed her hand in a bold move on his chin to turn his gaze back to herself.

"So, Royce, what about you?" She searched his face for something that could tell her more about who he was. She yearned to know him as Vera knew Benjamin- his hopes, his fears, his likes and dislikes. As Royce's sharp eyes swept over her face and his eyebrows raised in obvious appreciation, she felt the flutter in her stomach of nerves that she translated into excitement. She smiled back at him.

"What about me?" he asked, dubious. "I suppose your father told you of my position?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Well, of course, but I want to get to know you." Royce frowned and Rosalie back tracked hastily. "Shall we start with something simple then? What's your favorite color?"

They paused to sit on a park bench. Rosalie folded her hands in her lap, as she shifted to sit closer to him. This would've been considered inappropriate, but there was only one other family on the other side of the park now, as the sky became darker, grey clouds gathering overhead as they threatened rain.

The family walked as a condensed unit, the mother and father doting upon each other, thoroughly lost in themselves as the teenager focused on the path before his feet. They were closer now: a young mother, father, and a teenage boy. They were far behind Royce, turning following the winding path that now led further away, but Rosalie's gaze followed them... before she felt Royce's hand on her cheek and she felt her skin tingle as a blush crept across her face. The tips of his fingers touched the apple of her cheeks, as she watched him watch her. The intensity of his eye contact made her shiver.

"Blue," he murmured. She was shaken from her stupor and had honestly forgotten the question. "Like your eyes. They're just so lovely."

"Thank you." It wasn't often that Rosalie Hale was speechless. Yes, she chose her words infrequently, but she always had an opinion. She cleared her throat carefully, covering her mouth before looking back up at him. "I think I can agree. Your eyes are lovely too."

Royce smirked and Rosalie answered in a bright smile.

Then, he looked from her eyes to her mouth. Rosalie paused, pulling away for just a moment, reaching through the silence for another question she could ask.

"And what about your family?" Rosalie frowned at how off topic her own question sounded. Royce only chuckled.

"What about my family?" His chin inclined, jutting out to make his jaw tense and sharp. As Rosalie thought as quick as she could for a suitable question, she noticed more movement behind Royce. The family was walking back this way.

Royce had taken her silence as bashfulness, chuckling to himself as he began to brag about his societal standing. Beyond proud, he carried on about how he'd been the only son of a millionaire and a model- born into great wealth. Droning on and on about uncles and grandfathers, she tried her hardest to listen. However, it was like Royce's voice had been muffled to her, Rosalie's attention now completely on the family she could see just over his shoulder. For all Royce was paying attention, it looked like she was giving him undivided attention as she watched the strangers just past his right ear.

She could see their faces more clearly now as they approached on the gravel pathway. All three of them were absolutely exquisitely beautiful. Rosalie felt her eyes grow wide as if she were a third party observer to her own body, her heart racing despite the fact that there had been no other stimulus besides their devastating beauty. She raised a hand to her heart to ground herself, hoping Royce still wouldn't notice or better yet think that she was reacting to whatever family member he was going on about.

The handsome blond man was dressed in a pristine white, three-piece suit. He was nearly as pale as the suit, his features chiseled as if he were a Grecian statue. One arm brandished parasol, the other displayed a lovely young woman. The woman was no more than ten years Rosalie's senior. Her caramel curls fell softly around her face, highlighting her equally pale skin. Her hair color was similar to the boy's- his was a dark auburn with golden touches, as it twisted windswept away from his handsome face. Yes, he was very handsome. His strong jawline was tense as he followed a couple paces behind his young parents. The couple seemed so incredibly young. There was no way the two of them, both no more than thirty years of age had a boy who seemed to be Rosalie's age. Adopted, perhaps?

At that thought, she saw the boy imperceptibly nod, as if he were answering her question. Of course he hadn't, she watched his parents as they spoke animatedly, and realized he was most definitely talking to them- not her. How silly of her. She shook her head, closing her eyes, to clear it.

When she opened her eyes again, the boy was staring at her and her eyes widened. She gasped without thinking before she looked back at Royce.

Royce was still babbling on about his family, now deep in a tale about his grandfather that had a handful of unfamiliar names that he undoubtedly had introduced when she hadn't been paying attention. He hadn't even noticed her thoughts, or her focus, drifting. She smiled, thankful for his seemingly unobservant nature.

Rosalie smiled up at him, ignoring the way the teenage boy looked past her now directly at Royce. The boy's fists clinched violently at his sides as he couldn't help but continue his piercing stare. He whispered to his father, asking a question with a deep frown, but the blond man shook his head. With a terse nod of his head, the boy quickened his pace past his parents and out of sight. The parents followed.

As the family left the park, Rosalie and Royce were completely alone. A rumble of thunder overhead startled the two out of their conversation.

"I think we best head elsewhere," Rosalie murmured, her hand casually sweeping across his lapel. "It looks like it'll rain soon-"

"We can't have you ruin your pretty dress," Royce interjected. "Of course, I could buy you hundreds more just like it."

Rosalie tilted her head, smiling as his obvious flirting. She grabbed his hand as she stood from the park bench. He followed her, losing his balance at her tug. He stumbled into her and pulled her close to stop his fall. He looked down at her through heavy eyes, tilting his head down before a crash of lightning jerked him away. Suddenly, it began to rain.

And they were off, running wildly towards his car. He hadn't parked more than a block away.

The steady rain increased until the two were thoroughly soaked. Rosalie's smoothed out her drenched dress as the reached his car, before she laughed at the useless notion.

Royce removed his hat as he opened the door behind her, throwing it into the car before he shut the door again. She turned to him in blatant confusion; however, opening her mouth to ask, she found herself immediately caught up in a passionate kiss against the side of his car.

She returned his kiss, throwing propriety into the wind as she found herself looping her arms around his neck. He deepened it, pulling him to her with both hands on her waist.

When she pulled away, she rested her forehead on his. He looked deeply into her eyes, his eyes glossy in a glazed stupor.

"Violets," he whispered. "Your eyes are like violets."

Rosalie smiled politely back at him, meeting his intense gaze with an arched eyebrow.

"My favorite flowers, in fact. I'm so flattered." She was positively beaming up at him. He returned her grin, kissing her quickly once more.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

Rosalie lived for adoration, so Royce was drowned her in it. She looked around the empty lot, still seeing no one, before she grabbed his lapels to bring him down for another kiss. Feeling his lips spread in a grin against hers, the butterflies in her stomach fluttered and she found herself laughing and leaning into his embrace. Her heart felt so light that she couldn't help but feel this was what love should feel like.

This was the happiest Rosalie had ever felt.