I can't believe it only took us just one day to get four chapters done but we're not done yet

Burning roses

Ashley woke up to find himself on the cold floor. He sniffled and stood up to see the man who he met only hours ago. Seeing he was still asleep, the red head got on his knees and leaned the front of himself against the bed. He started humming again as looked at the unconscious man.

The alarm turned on, which caused Raul to jump out of bed and turn off the alarm. "Eleven more hours, please..." he mumbled, and snoozed over again.

"Umm, Raul..." Ashley said and prodded the man's shoulder. "Don't you have to go to work or something?"

Raul get up, and jumped out of his bed and handled his alarm clock like a weapon. "I have an alarm and I'm not afraid to use it!... oh... it's just you..."

He took a deep breath and jumped off his bed. "Thought you were a crook again. Don't scare me like that."

"Oh." Ashley said, a bit scared. "No, It's just me." He looked down to the ground and sighed. There was a bit of silence until he spoke up, "Is... isn't it weird when... Umm, have you ever met someone and thought that you knew them before, or something?"

"It's not weird at all." said Raul, as he fixed his bed. "You see, I also have a feeling I've known you before, or I was meant to bump into you. But if that's not it, then I don't know."

"I guess you're right." Ashley said and stood up, smiling.

After Raul finished his bed, he go in the shower, changed his clothes and brushed his teeth. "I have to go to work in a few minutes, need anything?"

"No, Not really." He blinked a bit and sighed." So, you own a flower shop... must be nice."

"Oh, I feel like I'm on cloud nine every time I enter. It smells beautiful and the inside feels so relaxing... if you'd like, I can show you." he said, and gave Ashley a smile.

Ashley returned the smile. "Oh, yes, please. Flower shops are just so beautiful." He giggled, quietly.

Raul blushed a little. He really did feel like he's known this man since... ever. The both of them walked out and headed for the shop. "So, Ashley, what are you interested in?"

"Simple stuff, ehh I don't know... I really like writing and I'm hopping to become a novelist someday." Ashley replied.

"A novelist, huh? What kinds of novels?" he asked.

"Mostly romance, I've always been inspired by love. Like they say, 'All you need is love'. "Ashley smiled at Raul sweetly.

Raul blushed again. Why was he blushing so much? It didn't make any sense, but he smiled back. They walked a few more blocks until they saw smoke coming from the direction they were headed.

"No..." Raul whispered, and sprinted towards the shop. Someone had torched his flower haven.

Ashley's eyes scanned the burning flower shop. "Oh god..." He whispered. "I'm so very sorry." He placed his hand on Raul's back.

"Who could have done this? What kind of sick and demented freak could do such a thing?" Raul fell to his needs and covered his face. Then he began to cry. "I'll kill the person who did this..."

Ashley sighed and lowered himself to where Raul was. "It's alright..." He wrapped his arms around the man, swaying him back and forth to settle him down. "You can always get another shop..."

"I can't... I'm broke..." He cried. "I don't have insurance on the building... everything I own is gone... I'll live in the streets..."

"You can come to my apartment, I have room to spare." Ashley said in a soft tone.

"No... I'll only be a burden." he said as he wiped his eyes. "I'm alright with living in the streets..."

"No, I insist that you stay with me. You can stay with me as long as you want..." Ashley said and stated to play with the man's hair. "I'm always so lonely, as well."

Raul sniffed a bit. "Ashley... Thank you very much... I don't know what to say..." He tried to stop crying, but couldn't. Fire fighters came and tried to stop the blaze. The fumes smelled like a mixture of sweet roses and flames.

"You don't have to say anything." Ashley whispered softly. "Just promise me that you won't live out in the streets to die."

He got up, with confidence in his face. The fire had died down, and the building was nothing but rubble.

"I'll find myself another job. I won't sink so low as to become a freeloader and leech off you."

Ashley got up as well, arms still around Raul. ''Alright, but we should go to my place first, so you can get used to it."

Raul bent over to pick up a semi-burnt rose from off the ground. "I suppose. How do we get there?" he asked.

"I'll show you, it's not too far off, but it'll take a while to get there." Ashley said and smiled. He guided Raul to where his apartment was.

Raul stayed quiet and thought about lots of things. After a while of walking, he finally spoke. "I should have never left my home..."

"You never know what your mistakes may bring! Or if they even are mistakes..." Ashley said, smiling. "We're almost there..."

Raul eyed the dead rose between his index finger and thumb. "If only I can revive you as well..." he thought.

The two arrived at run down apartment complex. "Here we are." He took out his house keys as they walked to the building.

When Raul walked in, it felt warm. It was more cozy than the basement he lived in.

"Make yourself at home." Ashley said as soon as they got inside. He took off his hoodie and laid it on a torn up couch. The apartment wasn't much, a bit broken here and there, but it was all Ashley could afford.

"It must be nice..." Raul started. "... to own furniture like this, and to call it your own. The basement I was in... those objects weren't even mine. The only thing I owned there was my toothbrush, and these clothes were borrowed... well... stolen..."

"Well, when your here, everything is both yours and mine." Ashley explained. "You are lucky I came across you, otherwise... I'm kind of scared of might've happened to you."

Sora heard some voices coming from the door, he looks and sees "Ashley! There you are!" the brunette said with smiles. "I was waiting for you all day... " he paused. "Who's this?" he asked.

Raul blushed for the third time that day. "Thank you, for being my saviour." he pulled out the rose again, but this time, it was different. It looked good as new and fresh.

"Ashley..."

"Yes?" Ashley said, getting a bit closer to Raul. Then he noticed Sora coming his way. "Oh, uh, this is Raul, Raul, meet my roommate, Sora."

Raul looked up to see a young boy. "Roommate? Uh..." Raul said hesitantly. He hid the rose behind his back. "I am Raul! Please to meet you!"

Sora took one look at Raul, "He-hello...Raul" he said embarrassed and looked at Ashley." If I knew you were bringing company, I would have cleaned a bit more..."

"No, no. The house is fine, Sora." Ashley shook his head. "Umm, Raul, want me to show you where you'll be sleeping?"

He felt a little nervous knowing Ashley didn't live alone. If anything, Raul was pretty insecure. "Uh... s-sure..."

"Something wrong?" He whispered as he led Raul to his room.

"No, nothing at all. I guess I still need some getting used to." he replied.

"Ok, okay..." The two of them came into Ashley's room, which looked better the the other parts of he house. There was a queen size bed, a desk full of papers, a type writer and closet full of his clothes. "I don't have an extra bed, so I hope you don't mind sharing one."

Sora looked at both Ashley and Raul and giggled, "They'd make a cute couple" he thought to himself heading to his bookshelf. "Lesse what to read..." he sees the book "The name of the Rose" and reads on the floor.

There goes blush number four. "I don't mind. Uh... Ashley? What happened to Sora's parents?"

"I'm not really sure," Ashley answered. "He just showed up here."

"Showed up?" Raul was still a little confused. "Did he just show up at your door or...?"

"Found him on the streets when I was going to work, poor boy." Ashley sighed and shook his head

"So you took him in... Did you ever try to talk about his real home? His family?" He didn't want to sound knowsy, but it all seemed depressing, especially when it's a child who was left alone in the streets.

"He couldn't remember, anything, I'm not sure if he had family..." Ashley looked over his shoulder back at Sora. "He seems like a well educated boy, though." He said and shrugged.

Raul turned to see the boy reading a book from afar. "Well, at least he's not sick or dead. Hm... funny. You seem like a little boy yourself Ashley." he said, giggling.

"Oh, really?" Ashley said, raising an eyebrow. "How so?" A grin grew on his face.

"You take in anything you see in the streets without knowing if we have a disease or a disfigurement." he chuckled a bit. "Not like we do..."

"Ehh, yeah I know. I'm a sucker for lost and lonely, but I can't help it." Ashley sighed.

Raul laughed a little harder. "It's alright. Just don't get carried away and bring everyone you see."

"Yeah, but then if I didn't help other people, how would you be here? Hmmm?" Ashley asked.

"How do I know you're not just taking me in just for your... pleasure...?" Raul came back. But Ashley did have a point.

Ashley glared at Raul. "I'm not, unless that's what you wanted..."

"Not at all" Raul pulled out the fresh rose again, and waved it at his face. "You see, I don't sleep with men I just met less then 24 hours ago. I rather have a long relationship than to jump that far, thank you... and I don't think the kid will like the noises."

Ashley burst out in laughter at what Raul last said. "Well, good, 'cause you ain't getting any." He said, still laughing, and placed his hand on his hip.

"Good, because I can do better than that." he said, playing with his hair.

Sora stops reading for the day and bookmarks the page, walking to Ashley's room he knocks on the door. "Hey guys are ya'll hungry? I can make something to eat if you like... "

"Better how?" Ashley asked right when Sora spoke. "Oh, umm, I'm not hungry, Raul might want something..."

"Sora, I'm surprised you can cook. I can't even cook for myself." Raul smiled.

Sora smiled back, "Well it's 'cause I read a lot, I picked up a couple of cookbooks sometime ago."

Larene peeked through anxiously at the apartment next to her old one and whispered quietly, 'Urm, hello? I know you think I'm a parrot but, can anyone come out please? " '
She clutched on the book she read earlier, and it was about making desserts, and Larene only popped in because she heard that they were cooking.
Larene then just rubbed her hands and, with her other hand, she produced a survey sheet, then remembered that she can't pay her rent, she would probably be in the streets by next week . and decided to stay in that doorstep until someone comes and at least does the survey, so that she could at least have enough money to buy food, since her parents kicked her out of the house after graduation, and they told her cruelly to fend for herself. Larene sat down on the doorstep and waited, then rang the bell, sat down again and waited. She rang her parent's house, leaving her phone on anonymous and started to curse them out loud, in a deep voice so they won't recognise her.

Ashley heard the door bell ring and so he ran for the door, "Be right back." He called to them and opened the door to find a woman outside. "Can I help you?"

Got this one is so sad I feel sorry for Raul I hope he'll get a new flower shop