Wilting Roses

Chapter Eleven: High as a Kite

I give the princess the kiss that awakes her from her slumber. She takes my hand and the two of us journey off to my kingdom in order to spend the rest of our lives together. The evil queen, one I had thought defeated the moment I let my heart love, rises up from the ashes, spewing hate and jealousy.

"I will have your happiness if it's the last thing I do!"

She promises and then disappears into the night, silent for now.

Apparently I take too long to go downstairs to answer my door because by the time I get down there, Alice has broken in through my window and is smiling innocently at me, window frame propped up behind her.

"Alice," I start in a tired voice.

She pops a cheery smile and tiptoes up, hands behind her back. "Hey Rosalie."

"You broke my window."

"You weren't answering the door."

I sigh, shake my head. As soon as Bella had texted me that she liked me I had passed the word onto Alice, receiving a text five minutes later that said to open the door. "I wasn't expecting you to come over."

"Well, how could you not-this is big freaken news and I need to hear every last detail of what happened. She likes you! She really does! And she was so romantic about it, speaking in French." Alice sighs romantically and bats her eyes. You'd think with the way she's acting that she's the one with the crush.

But I give in to her demands and tell her word for word what happened. She laps up my story eagerly, laughing at my admittance that I had nearly broke my nose after the kiss. "So, what are you going to do now?"

I shrug. "Take her out on a date?"

"But the two of you have been going on dates for a while now," Alice points out.

"What else can I do?" I've never gotten this far in a relationship before. No one had captured my interest like Bella had.

"You silly," Alice pokes me hard in the forehead. "You ask her to be your girlfriend."

I feel insecurities eat up at me. "What if she says no? What if she only wants it to be a casual thing?"

Alice lets out a huff of air. "Dating isn't rocket science, Rosalie. She made a big step, putting herself out there, and you need to do the same. Take a risk. Did you even respond to her text."

"No," I admit shamefully.

Alice slaps my forearm now. "Then what are you waiting for? She's probably freaking out, thinking you don't like her or something."

"What do I even tell her?"

Alice lets a coy smile twist up her lips. "Do a romantic gesture in return. Use some romantic phrasing."

I've never really been good at expressing my feelings, so I shake the suggestion off. "I'm just gonna stick to simple and easy."

"Noooo," Alice howls in devastation as she clings to my arm as I go to text Bella. "It has to be romantic! Romantic!"

"Alice, I'm not going to let you use me to fulfill some fantasy of yours."

"But it has to be an epic love tale. It has to be!" she pouts at me.

I'm not moved. "You can do that for your love tale. Not mine." I free myself from her vice like hold and go to the bathroom where I text Bella, ignoring Alice's insistent requests for me to let her in.

What a coincidence. I seem to know that that girl you speak of likes you back too.

I hold my breath as I press the send button. There is no coming back from this.

She responds within seconds. Now that we both know we like each other, what are you going to do about it?

I let out a huge exhale, let a smile linger on my lips. Make you my girlfriend.

You better :) I'll see you for our date this Saturday?

My grin is so wide now it hurts my cheeks. Why had I ever been worried that she wouldn't like me back? It all seemed so silly now that I thought about it.

"Rosalie," Alice whines from the other side of the door. "I can hear you smiling in there. Tell me what happened. Don't be a meanie, tell me."

So I do, because I'm in too good of a mood not to.

I'm too giddy to go to sleep that night, tossing and turning in my bed, smiling to myself like a dumb-ass, and burying my head into my pillow to sigh contently into it. Once it gets to be too much, I crawl out of bed and go downstairs, flicking the TV on and making myself at home on the couch with a bowl of cereal.

But even as I try to keep my mind on the nature documentary that's on, my lips turn up into a smile, my joy too much to be contained in my body.

Jasper breaks my self contained bubble a couple minutes later when he comes back.

"You're just coming home?" I arch a brow at him, feeling sister mode switch on. Without our parent's around, it's up to me and him to regulate each other's behavior, to care for each other.

"Uh, yea. What are you doing up?" he says sheepishly before he tries to question me about my behavior.

"I couldn't sleep," I explain, setting my cereal to the side so I can talk more freely, focus more on him. "Jasper, it's two in the morning on a school night. Were you out with the boys?"

"No, I was over at Alice's place," he admits with something like pride and embarrassment.

Alice's house? Was there a new development that I hadn't heard about, because I was too busy being wrapped up in my world of me and Bella? "And?" I edge, hoping he will tell me more.

"And good night. I'm going to bed now." He sprints up the stairs and I go to the stair bottom to glare up at his retreating back.

"Jasper Hale, you better tell me the truth about what's happening."

"Alice is your best friend. Why don't you ask her?"

I narrow my eyes in thought but go back to watching TV. Has Alice been keeping a secret from me?

Now that too keeps me up at night.

When I get to school that day, the lack of sleep isn't enough to make me drained and cranky, because the thought of Bella, my now girlfriend, is enough to keep me feeling like I could run a marathon. All the way to the moon.

Cheesy and ridiculous, I know.

But it's Alice I need to see first. I catch her just as she's coming out of her car. Usually she's here before me, but today I came to school early because I couldn't stand to sit still at home.

"Alice!" I wave her over to my car and she slings her bag over her shoulder before skipping her way over.

"What's poppin'?" she asks and I cringe at her new terminology. Ever since she started watching Cardi B videos, she's trying to speak like her, and I've told her multiple times that only Cardi B can act like Cardi B and make it look cool. Alice just looks like a little kid who can't speak right.

"Jasper was over at your house last night," I get straight to the point because I don't have the patience to wait longer. "What was that about?"

She furrows her brows, no doubt taken aback by my early morning interrogation. "He came over to watch a movie with me. He told me I just had to watch it with him, so I did."

"And that was all it was?" I grill her, arms across my chest. I knew Jasper had once had a thing for Alice; it was when they first met. But he had always been too shy to do anything about it, citing that he didn't want to complicate things before them and that he was just content to be there by her side.

I had thought he had gotten over her, since he'd stopped hanging out with her so much one on one, and talking about it to me. But maybe something remained between them? Maybe Alice was the one who liked him now and was trying to hook up with him?

If that was the case, I was going to get royally pissed because here Alice was, obsessing over Bella and me, and not breathing a word of her own romance. I was her best friend, I deserved to know things that were happening on her side too.

She tips her head in confusion. "Yea, why would it be anything else?"

She's not faking this confusion, so that means nothing has happened. I don't know what Jasper's point was in getting me to ask Alice.

I shrug, trying to come off indifferent now. "It was just late. And on a school night. So, you know..." I trail off pointedly.

"OMG Rosalie," she slaps me on the arm, finally getting it. For someone whose so into romance and dating tips, she's so clueless when it comes to people liking her. She can see the signs between other people but not when it comes to her own life. "I wouldn't- you know," she blushes. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear- or tries to, for her hair is still short- and looks away. "He's your brother," she finishes softly and one of my eyebrows floats up.

A-ha.

So that's what Jasper was doing, the little shit. By getting me to ask Alice about last night, he could through me, inadvertently find out her reaction to this all. I was the middle man to him finding out about her feelings. I was going to have a good talk to him about being a coward- which was ironic since I had been a big wuss too, but you know, I was allowed to. I was in lesbians with Bella. He was in hetero with Alice. Confessing to one was way easier than to the other.

"Nevermind, Jasper was just being a little shit and all mysterious about what the two of you were doing and I was curious."

"Well, nothing happened," Alice said, adjusting the designer bag on her back. I try to read into her words and the way she says it, but I cannot tell if she's disappointed by nothing happening, or relieved. I frown. Surely, Alice would have told me if she had feelings for someone. She's not the type to remain quiet about her emotions.

"Okay," I say and together we walk towards the school.

Inside the halls I catch a glimpse of brown honey hair and my lips quirk up into that damn goofy grin I just can't seem to temp down. Alice notices and she smiles too. "Go talk to your girlfriend, Rosalie. I'm going to go find Emmett."

As if Bella now has powers thanks to us being girlfriends, she senses me before I even say something to call her attention, turning around and smiling when she sees me.

"Hi," she says.

"Hi," I whisper back as we pause in the middle of the hallway, totally ignorant of the people trying to make their way around us.

"So, this Saturday?" she questions.

"What about it? Where are we going?"

"Well, since it's out first official date as a couple," she says, lacing her fingers with mine and squeezing them before pulling away, "I thought you could come over to my house?"

"Getting me to meet the parents? Isn't that moving too fast? Next thing you know, we'll be exchanging wedding rings by the end of the month."

She rolls her eyes. "No, it'll just be us there. I want to cuddle with you and watch movies on the couch. Plus, I was hoping to cook dinner for you."

"Wow, talk about wife-y skills. We might be getting married after all."

She laughs at that, something sweet and crystal clear. "If that's the case, I expect a huge diamond ring and a stunning proposal."

"Sure thing."

The bell rings and unfortunately we have to part ways. We stand there awkwardly in front of each other, not wanting to leave without touching each other somehow, but not sure how to. I don't want to be so...gay, for a lack of a better term, with my affections towards her and I know she can see my hesitation.

So we both settle on a hug. A hug that is too short. A hug infused with her soft vanilla scent and the warmth of her body.

"I'll see you after class. Meet me for lunch in the library?" she asks as we walk in separate directions.

"Okay." I wonder why she wants to meet in the library but I don't inquire deeper into it, just go to class.

Class takes forever, the teacher droning on and on and I don't wish to hear his boring voice but Bella's soothing tones. Lunch cannot arrive soon enough and I rush to the library to find her. She's sitting somewhere in the back, book propped up on her lap as she sits on the rug cross legged.

Her eyes reach up to search my face as I come in and she pats the spot next to me. Normally I wouldn't dare entertain thoughts of sitting down on the carpet but with her I don't mind.

"What are we doing here?" I ask in a hushed tone. "Why aren't we in the lunch room?"

She shots me a coy look, closing the book she's been reading. "We're here to make out, obviously." And then she leans in and captures my lips with hers.

My mind just melts, because this kiss is more than the first kiss she ever gave me. That had been a precursor, a teaser. This was the real deal.

My fears at being caught, at someone seeing us, don't make it out my mouth, because Bella is moving in, hugging the back of my neck with her arms, pressing the full weight of her body onto me.

I moan and press back into her, making out furiously with her, hands raking up the back of her shirt, bunching the material hard. I'm the ice queen whose walls of ice are slowly melting with each glide of Bella's lip on my lip, with each small gasp she releases into my mouth.

We're so into each other we don't even register that lunch is over until the bell for class has rang.

We pull apart with a pop and Bella licks her lips for traces of my lip gloss, running a thumb over my lip to remove any smudges. "I've always wanted to make out like this with someone in the library."

"Someone?"

"You," she admits, biting her bottom lip, as if flustered by her own answer. She runs her hands over my head, smoothing down my mussed up hair. "I might have ruined your look a bit." For once I don't care. I used to be obsessed with looking perfect all the time, even during gym class on a hot summer day, but I don't care right now.

"And you look flushed, like you've come back from a hot shower," I add, taking in her red cheeks, swollen lips, and lowered lids.

"Mmmm, is that a suggestion from you on us taking a shower together?" she asks in a low voice and I gulp because how is she such a better flirt than me? I've flirted with tons of guys before, and I've always reduced them to this lust soaked stupor like she is to me.

"Only, after we get married at the end of the month," I say in a shaky voice, trying hard to keep images of a naked Bella and me out of my head and failing terribly.

"You're one of those old fashioned girls," Bella nods her head playfully. "Well, then, you better wife me up and quick because I don't know if I can wait that long around you." She ducks down to kiss my lips quickly before she helps me up.

I may have missed lunch but I'm full on Bella's kisses.

I make it to my English Lit class late, sliding into my seat next to Alice. She shoots me a look that causes me to flush. I didn't have as much time as I wanted to touch up my makeup and to fix my hair so Alice knows something is up. "Had a good break with Bella?"

"How do you know I was with her?" I scoff out.

She rolls her eyes, whispers, "I know the two of you are dating, remember?"

I roll my eyes back at her. "Just because we're dating, doesn't mean we're always together when we're not around you guys." I'm still too insecure about my relationship with Bella, about being gay for her. And I know Alice is accepting of me...it's just different talking about it in school because it makes things so much more real.

"Alright, then, what did you do, without Bella," she says, feigning to take down notes when she sees the teacher pass us by to hand out notes.

"Uh, read a book."

"Sure," she snorts.

"I do read from time to time."

"You skipped lunch, to read a book." Alice sounds in disbelief and it isn't a very believable statement, coming from me. I'm smart, but I don't read books for fun.

"The book was very engaging." I argue, attempting and failing to hold up my weak charade.

"Was the book Bella?"

I shoot her a look, cheeks red like apples.

"So, it was a good break with Bella," she chuckles, smug.

I huff and busy myself with some of the work that is being passed around. "You can never stay out of my business, can you?"

"I just want to make sure things are going smoothly. I care for you and your happiness, Rosalie." Sometimes I don't know what to do with Alice's blunt honesty.

"Thanks," I say, because this time I do. The moment doesn't last, for I cannot take any more of it's sweet intensity. "But you're only trying to butter me up because you want to copy my answers for this worksheet."

She pouts. "Please? The short story he assigned us was sooooooo boring. I just couldn't read it."

"Alice, no," I snatch my paper away from her grabby hands. "You do this every time."

"Just this once. Please, it'll be the last time I ask," she clasps her hands together and pouts even harder at me.

"Alice, that's what you said last time. And the time before that." I try to make my voice hard.

She begins to whimper and I sigh out heavily. "Fine, but this is the last time," I stress.

Her pout fades into a cocky smirk. "That's what you said last time, and the time before that."

"Hey," i growl out at her, "watch it with the snark."

She just cheerily hums and looks over my shoulder so she can see my work.

The silence between us doesn't last long. "Eddy was concerned during lunch."

"Why?" But I know why.

"Both you and Bella were missing, and he knows how you feel about Bella."

"But it's too late for his concern. Bella's my girlfriend now." I get a thrill every time I say that because I still can't believe how lucky I am for her to be mine.

"He doesn't know that."

"So you want me to tell him?" I don't like the idea of that. Oh, who am I kidding, I'd love to rub it into his face.

"It would be nice to do so. He is our friend."

"I'll text him," I make a move to pull out my phone sneakily from my bag, but Alice's small hand stills mine.

"Do it in person. It's the nice thing to do."

I roll my eyes. "Fine," I groan out. "I'll tell him in person."

Saturday arrives, and with it my visit to Bella's house. I'm a bit nervous as I pull my car up to the address she has given me. I've even dressed up for this, though we won't be going anywhere. If her father and mother are here I want to make a good first impression. She opens the door up to my constipated looking face. She takes one look, understands and laughs, wiping her hands on this apron she's wearing that makes her look like a housewife.

"You can relax. My dad's not home."

"But your mom still is."

"I don't live with my mother."

"Oh." And now I have opened up a potentially dangerous can of worms. Way smooth, Hale, I scold myself. Already bringing up the shitty topics.

But Bella doesn't seem to mind; apparently the hurt between her and her mother is an old hurt, or she's just great at masking the pain. She invites me inside and I sling my jacket up on the coat rack.

She gives me a brief tour of the house, because she doesn't want to leave her chicken unattended. She introduces me to the den, the dining room, the upstairs bathroom, and her bedroom. The room is surprisingly pink.

"I didn't know you were secretly obsessed with princesses," I tease, spotting the castle and cloud print bed sheets.

"Its Charlie. He hasn't changed the room ever since I was a young girl, and when I moved back in, I didn't have the heart to change it. He still can't believe I grew up and am no longer his little Bella."

There is so much I don't know about Bella, and her inviting me here to her house clues me into that. I want to know more about her. Want to know her hurts and her highs, be there for all of it. But I do not pry for now, wanting to just enjoy my time with her. If she wants to tell me more, she will, and I will listen eagerly.

Dinner is served shortly and it's delicious. "You should be a cook," I tell her.

"It's just chicken Alfredo and rice."

I gasp, mock offended. "Just chicken Alfredo? Are we perhaps eating different versions of this meal because mine is scrumptious!"

She rolls her eyes but secretly loves my flattery. "You're only saying that so you can get seconds."

I grin. "Yes, please," and hold up my plate so she can refill it.

After dinner we cuddle up on the couch under a blanket as she flicks something onto the TV. "What do you want to watch?"

"I'm not choosy. Pick something you like."

"But I want to pick something you might like."

I throw her a gracious smile, because she's being really cute. "Let's pick something we both like."

It takes us half an hour to finally settle on a movie that we're both fine with. However, even as it plays, the both of us are more interesting to in casting glances at each other, in letting fingers play under the blanket.

"Pay attention to the movie," Bella teases.

"I am. You're the one not paying attention to it."

"I so am."

"Then what's it about?" I turn to her, knowing I've got her there.

She wrinkles up her nose in thought. I want to kiss it because she's just too cute right now. "Um...explosions? And manly men fighting...?"

"Close but no cigar."

"As if you know any better what it's about."

"I do." I quickly recount the plot to her, leaning in closer to her, letting our shoulders brush together.

She narrows her eyes suspiciously. "I think you cheated."

"I may or may not have watched this movie before," I admit shiftily.

"Cheater!"

"It's not cheating if I'm educated on the topic."

"Oh, that's what you call it these days?"

As we tease each other, our faces draw closer together, movie steadily forgotten. Our words taper off and we just look at each other, hazel eyes searching brown.

I don't know who kissed who first, but once we started we couldn't stop. It was like kissing was the new breathing. We had to keep doing it in order to stay alive. Her lips were soft on mine, tongue a sneaky little vixen that kept plundering my mouth in search of treasure. I fought back with my tongue, trying to one up her.

"You're so competitive," she laughed into my mouth, hands on my hips, thumbs making circles on clothing that covered skin too heated. "It's okay, I already know you're a great kisser."

"Really? And how's that?" I suck on her tongue and she lets out a small groan, eyes fluttering shut before she can compose her answer.

"Because you're Rosalie Hale." She says as if that is a widely known fact. I'm flattered either way.

For that I suck extra hard on her tongue, my hands going up to cup her chin. Our kisses are getting more heated than before. She huffs in arousal, breathing hard through her nose.

"Mmmm, we need to stop," she murmurs out though she makes no move to stop.

"And why's that?" I leave hot kisses up and down her neck, nibbling on the hint of collarbone I can see peeking out.

"Because-" she lets out a soft moan here and cranes her neck back so I can do more. "My dad is here."

That's enough to freeze the blood in my veins and I pull back. Sure enough I hear the rattle of a key in a lock.

"Act casual. I haven't told him about us yet," she whispers into my hair and we both moved a foot apart on the couch and watch the TV. I have no idea what's playing, but I pretend like it is the most engrossing thing in the world, hand on chin contemplatively.

She affects the same demeanor, even going so far as to scroll through her phone.

He comes in a couple of seconds later, stopping when he sees me there. "Bella, you have guests over?"

"Yea, I told you about it in the morning," she says, looking up at him.

"When you said guests I didn't expect Rosalie Hale to be on your couch."

Ah, so he's heard of me.

"Is there a problem?" I ask, jerking up my chin. How does he know me? Have I ever gotten in trouble with the law?

"I know your parents," he turns to me, admiration and respect in his eyes. Oh, good, someone does, because I don't. I bitterly think, because it's been months since they have walked the halls of our home, and weeks since they've even texted me and Jasper to ask how we are. "They worked with the police department, donated us some new cars. It was very nice of them."

"Yes, very," I say through a thin smile.

"Your parents are rich?" Bella turns to me, curiosity on her face. "I mean, I knew you had money to dress nice, and that you lived in a nice house, but they're the 'rich enough to donate' type?"

"They're philanthropists, flying around the world and helping people in need." My face feels tight as I say this, and I hope my discontent can't be heard in my tone. "If you've ever heard of Hale Home and Hearts, my parents created that charity for orphans in need of temporary shelter and health care."

"Wow, that's so cool! You must be so proud of them. Are you thinking of continuing the work?"

Well, the company will be handed down to me anyways, but I don't know if I want to fly around the world. I do know for sure that I want a stable life, a typical family. I want to be there for my kids. "I...don't know. Depends on what my parent's want," I say at last.

"Pass on the word that the police department is still grateful for the donation," Charlie adds. "I'll get out of your hair now and let you girls get back to your movie." He trudges up the stairs, leaving me and Bella alone.

I can't seem to get my good mood back, tense at the mention of my parents. "I think I'll head home." I get up.

"Do you have to?" Bella pleads.

I nod my head. "Your dad is here. It means our date is up."

She looks reluctant but nods her head. "Ill walk you out-"

"I've got it." I wave my hand, snagging my coat off the rack and not even looking back at her as she rises with the intention to walk me out. I know I'm taking out my lingering frustrations with my parents out at her, but I can't stop myself. To amend things a bit, I shoot her a small smile over my shoulder before rushing out. "See you at school."

I kind of forget to tell Eddy about me and Bella dating. Though, to be fair, she keeps distracting me.

In our secret alcove in the library she plies me with kisses until she makes me love drunk and all I can do is think about her and how much longer until we can make out in the back of my car.

Our hands have gotten bolder, and our needs louder, getting harder to ignore. She let's me get to second base in my car one afternoon, but before it can get too good, we're interrupted by Alice who knocks on the window. "You might want to tone it down. The car was starting to rock." Bella pulls down her shirt in her shame and I hide my face behind my hair. We continue it at her house, because her father is never home either, and at my place, Jasper is there too often and he would have too many questions to ask if he saw us there.

It's been only three weeks of us dating but it feels like much longer. Like we have known each other for an eternity. I'm at her place during the afternoons more than my own house; it's like her home has become my home. She cooks dinner for us, and I help her sometimes, though I never was a cook. We watch movies afterwards, or play board games- she turns out to be a terrible cheat- or do each other's nails and hair.

It's simple and it's nice.

As the month draws to an end, I begin to think on my words prior. I had joked and said we would get married at the end of the month, but it would be kind of cute if we really did. Not that I was ready for marriage now, as she wouldn't be either, but perhaps a set of false rings, promise rings, would be nice. It would be symbolic. And after our marriage we could cross the line to more 'adult' activities.

I want to pick out a nice set of rings for us, so one weekend I go shopping for some. On my way I stumble across Edward and Emmett who are out clothes shopping. We're planning a spring break trip to Cancun and the boys need beach clothes. Being Alice's best friend means she's already gone out of her way to buy me a ba-gillion different clothes for the trip without me asking or needing it.

But that's Alice for you. Overly concerned and thoughtful.

"Rosalie, there you are," Emmett booms out, giving me a bone crushing hug. "I haven't seen you or Bella around in ages. Where do the two of you disappear to during lunch?"

"The closet," Edward says snidely before I can answer.

"What?" Emmett raises his brows in confusion.

"We're working on a special project together," is the first thing that blurts out of my mouth.

"Real special."

I don't need this sort of attitude from Edward so I shoot him a nasty glare. "Emmett would you excuse me and Edward for a bit."

"Uh, sure." The big guy is confused by the animosity between us but walks into the store in the shopping center and leaves us be.

"What is wrong with you," I hiss. "Are you trying to out me? To put public information out there that shouldn't be public."

"Emmett is our friend, or are you worried he might be disgusted with you for your sick romantic inclinations."

My stomach twists in anger. "I hope I just misheard you, because I will not be dealing with your homophobic attitudes."

He scoffs, tucks his hands in his pocket, and looks away.

"Edward, you are being ridiculous," I start and he grits his teeth.

"No, you are being ridiculous. You didn't even tell me- you just-" he pauses here, clenches his jaw. I know the look; it's the same one I get when I'm trying hard not to cry.

"I meant to tell you," I say softly, crossing my arms over my chest. "It- it just wasn't easy to. But I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Well, that was a lie. I had wanted to tell him right away through text but Alice had said to do it in person, and then Bella had gotten me distracted, and now, looking at Edward's hurt face I didn't want to rub it in anymore. I just wanted everything to be okay between us once more.

He exhales through his nose, trying to compose himself. "I cared a lot about Bella, Rosalie. And you stole her from me."

"I didn't steal her. She came to me. You need to stop and get our your silly little crush-"

"Easy for you to say when you got the girl!" his voice rises and several people look in our direction. "And it wasn't some silly little crush. I really fucking loved her. And I still do!"

I couldn't feel what he felt, but were his feelings for Bella so strong as to call it love?

"Eddy-"

"Don't call me that," he hisses, eyes dark. "I don't want to speak to you ever again."

And now I'm fucking pissed. Here I was, feeling bad for dating Bella, trying to apologize to him, and he was behaving like a little bitch about it. "That can be gladly arranged."

He throws me a dark look and storms off.

A/N: Drama alert- Edward's throwing a hissy fit, not the first or last of many.