I was so shaken by my experience at the shop I almost forgot my meeting with the velvet rose. I quickly grabbed an olive green dress and threw it on. The future can not be changed… It can and it will. I was certain about that. I picked up the rose and letter and walked to the square at dusk. I some how knew the velvet rose would pick up my spirits. I looked around at all of the people walking with loved ones. Merlin's Magic was closed, to my relief. Another encounter with that creepy old lady wouldn't be good. I saw a man dressed in black and maroon on the far side of the square. He turned around to reveal that he was wearing a mask. I walked over to him.
"Hello, are you the velvet rose?" I asked him, showing the note and the rose.
"Yes, Scarlet. I am," he responded with a voice of silk. He seemed hauntingly familiar. The deep chestnut eyes, the silky voice, the way and tone of which he spoke in, and even the height, made him seem haunting.
"Do I know you as someone other than the velvet rose?" I asked him. I could see that his blood ran cold at the question.
"Yes. You do," he answered. I gave him a look, queuing him to continue, but he shook his head. "No, Scarlet. You'll have to win my game if you want to know who I am." I pouted at this.
"Game? Is this all a game to you then? Were you bored, so you decided to write a love letter to any old girl in this city?" I almost shouted at him.
"No, no, no! Dear Scarlet, please. I love you with all of my heart and so I told you that in that letter. I just don't want to face your rejection if you knew who I was, because if you did know who I am, you'd run from me," he explained reaching for my hands. He took them, and I could instantly tell he was serious. I felt bad for growing angry at him.
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you, but you must not know as well as you think you do," I responded. He looked surprised at this, so I knew I needed to explain. "I, as a rule, feel everyone deserves a chance. If you were a complete stranger, I would most likely say no, but since you are not a stranger, obviously because you know me very well or you did your research. Now, I suggest you just tell me who you are instead of pulling out your feared rejection, which I feel won't happen." He laughed at this and I gave him a confused look in return.
"Oh Scarlet, I was right when I said you got straight to the point on most things. You are miraculously ingenious. Maybe that is one of the reasons I love you so much," he responded. I felt very cautious to falling head over heels for this mysterious man. Something about him got my skin crawling.
"Alright. If you won't tell me who you are you might as well teach me the rules of your game and how to play," I responded. He smiled at this.
"Now then, my dear Scarlet, I will reveal a little piece of who I am through the thinks I tell you and the things I give you and the one question you can ask me while we are together. You'll just have to figure it out. Like the rose. By the rose, tell me something about me," he responded. I looked down at the rose and looked at it. A yellow rose with a red tip could only mean one thing.
"You are a friend who has fallen in love with me. I'm guessing you're a close friend by the way you know me," I replied absentmindedly.
"Yes, very good Scarlet! I am a close friend. Care to use your question now?" he asked. I shook my head.
"No. I'll use it later. I want to talk with you first," I told him. He smirked a bit seeing what I really wanted.
"If you think you are going to get anything out of me, you're wrong. You sly little girl," he laughed. Dang it! I was so close.
"Hey! I am anything but little! I'm rather offended my velvet rose," I responded playfully.
"Oh don't be that way my love! I was just playing," he whined. He was beginning to sound a lot like… Francisco! That who he seemed like! But that was impossible. What were the odds that we would end up being secret admirers for each other? "What troubles you my Larkspur?"
"Larkspur?" I questioned. Out of all the flowers he could have picked, he chose Larkspur?
"It means beautiful spirit. Now what causes you to look in deep thought?" he asked.
"Nothing. You just seem a lot with my close friend, Francisco," I responded. I looked closely at his reaction. He seemed very surprised and worried.
"Really? I do?" he chuckled.
"Yes. I would like to use my question now," I informed.
"Great! I will answer any question honestly and truly," he said taking a bow.
"Are you familiar with the white wind?" I asked. This took him off guard, just like the last question.
"Yes. She is the fair maiden dressed in white who admires your friend Francisco, is she not?" he answered. The velvet rose was Francisco. I was sure of it. I decided to have some fun with him.
"Yes she is. Do you know of her secret identity?" I asked. This was fun, toying with Francisco.
"No I do not," he answered, not knowing what this was leading to.
"Really? I thought all of you secret admirers knew each other's true identities. Hmm, looks like I'm the only person who knows," I teased.
"Really? Who is she? I must know!" he whined.
"Why? So you can run off with this fair maiden dressed in white and leave me with a dying rose and a lying love letter? I think not!" I accused.
"What? No, I'm just so curious, my dear," he replied. Just curious my arse.
"But what if you were to tell Francisco? The white wind would never forgive me! Wait, what if you are Francisco? She would hate me for all eternity!" I exclaimed.
"But, I've heard so much from my talks with Francisco! I would really like to know, my love," the velvet rose said, taking my face by my hand. I was sick of this joke.
"Francisco, I know it's you. I'm not an idiot. Just cut it out with this sick joke," I said. He looked back at me, stunned. He took off the mask and looked at me, still stunned.
"Curio was right. You are too smart for this," he replied. I just glared at him, tears welling up. I can't believe he would make fun of me like that, but then again, he didn't know that I was the white wind.
"If you want to play a game, don't play with my emotions. This was just cruel and sick," I spat. I spun around to leave, trying to keep from crying in front of him. He grabbed my writs. I spun around to face him, trying to jerk my arm away.
"Scarlet, this wasn't a joke. I'm serious about this," Francisco said. He looked honest, but I knew this was some sort of fantasy or dream.
"No you aren't. I know you too well. Mocking the white wind. You've got a lot of gall mocking her and to me too! Don't trick me like this," I said, yanking my wrist away. He didn't object this time.
"What about everyone deserving a chance?" he called after me. I hated my words. I spun around, giving him a glare.
"I know about the white wind. You're in love with her, not me. Besides, don't you have some other woman that you're in love with?" I asked.
"How do you know so much about the white wind?" he asked.
"She tells me everything," I responded.
"But Scarlet, you're the other woman! I'm in love with the white wind and you!" Francisco yelled after me.
"I don't believe you!" I yelled though my tears. "Just stop! Please! I can't handle all of this!" I buried my face in my hands, letting out everything I felt. The pain from being betrayed by one of my best friends and the man I love, the fear of rejection, the frustration of not being able to tell him, the hatred I felt towards every one of his fan girls and every woman he's ever touched.
"Scarlet, I don't want to hurt you, but you have to listen to me. I love you so much. Please believe me," he said, guiding my face up with his hand, holding my wrists with one hand.
"I can't. If I do, I know I'll just get hurt," I told him.
"No, I promise you. I will never hurt you. If I do, you have permission to rip out my throat," he reassured. "Scarlet, if I am the sun, I want you to be my sunflower. You are a larkspur, a beautiful soul and I've told you that. I never should have disguised myself, because I've lost your trust. I've lost my sunflower. I've lost you, and that is the worst thing I could have lost. Please believe me when I say, I love you. With all my heart," he finished. I tried to find the words, I hate you, but I couldn't find them. I just shook my head.
"No," I managed to whisper before he pressed his lips to mine. I felt washed over in chilling warmth. I yelled at myself, trying to convince myself that I hated him, that he would only hurt me, but I failed. I gave in to him. This was the single most passionate act I ever had experienced. I couldn't fool myself into hating this man. He was so sweet, caring, romantic, protective and just perfect for me. The only problem now was the white wind. I couldn't tell Francisco after this whole argument. I told him he shouldn't play with my heart like the white wind, but I played with his heart like I was a cat, and his heart the fake mouse. I didn't think of that until our kiss had broken. He looked at me with his chestnut eyes not understanding why. Why was everything so complicated with love? Why can't everything just fall into place?
"That's how the plot of our lives gets more interesting,"
Oh, yeah. I said that, didn't I… but I never asked for an interesting plot. Never. What ever divine being up there writes our stories is sick and twisted. I hate them for tangling me up in this. You here that? I hate you.
"Scarlet, do you trust me?" Francisco asked. I looked at him, still teary eyed.
"I don't want to. I want to hate you, but I can't. Francisco, I love you more than you can imagine," I said, taking his lips back down to mine. Life was blissful. All I needed was him close to me, and then everything would be alright.
And this is where something just has to go wrong.