Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose
Disclaimer: Yes! They're all mine…not.
Challenge: Home
Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive.
Summary: She felt at home in his arms.
He had surprised her with a trip to the beach, just for the two of them, to walk under the stars. He was a true romantic, Rose thought happily, and she loved the stars besides. The fact that Mack remembered this made her love him all the more.
He was completely silent, and so was she. It was such a nice silence that Rose hated to break it with the question that she knew she had to ask him eventually. She glanced down at their entwined fingers, remembering how Mack had always supported her and how she tried to do the same for him. "Mack," her voice came softly, "What are we going to do when this is all over?"
"I've never thought about it, not really. Why do you ask, Rose?"
"My parents want me to go back to London and finish school."
His face noticeably brightened under the moon and starlight. "You and me in London? They wouldn't know what hit them. We'd paint the town red."
"Pink," insisted Rose. "And I'm sorry to say, Mack, but I think you're the reason they want me to go back in the first place." Here she bit her bottom lip, looking at him carefully to gauge his reaction to this bombshell. "I mean, they liked you, but they don't like that we're so serious, that we say, 'I love you,' and they don't like that you don't go to school. I'm sorry for it to come up now when you obviously thought up this little romantic night and everything…" Rose's voice trailed off.
"I see," Mack replied. "And now I have two questions for you, Rose. Do you love me?"
"Of course I love you, Mack, you know I do. But whether I love you or not isn't the question here."
"Oh but it is, Rose. It is. And you say you love me, which I don't doubt for one second. So my next question is this: do you still want to be with me, despite what your parents say?"
"Yes, Mack, I love you and I want to be with you and…where exactly is this going?"
"Rose listen to me. If you love me and you want to be together, than why does anything else matter? I get that they're your parents and you want them to be proud of you, but why would you let them stand in our way?"
Rose yanked her hand away from his and then threw herself into his arms with such force that they were both knocked to the ground. "Do you know what you are, Mack Hartford?"
"Very turned on by my insanely beautiful girlfriend lying on top of me on the beach with no one else around for miles?"
Rose took his face in her hands, kissing him softly. "No," she said one she'd pulled away. "You are perfect."
"I'm far from perfect, Rosie."
She just shook her head, closing her eyes, feeling at home in his arms.