"Rosie had been gone two and a had months, it was now mid-December. I wasn't sure what she was doing traveling across France and parts of Europe on some sort of exotic wine hunt (probably just drinking wine, but that seemed too ordinary for her), but it had taken awhile. I flung open the door as an icy blast of wind greeted me, along with a hug from my roommate.
"Thanks! I have so much to tell you. It's gotten really cold since I left, though. I can't believe it's only six degrees out there. The airport taxi had to drive incredibly slow, since they were worried if they slid or something while going out of county I'd sue the company. That's why I'm home later."
"You're not later, it's still pretty early."
"Not for a flight that got in at five am, but otherwise yeah."
"So..."
"Hey, can we watch the news? I've been out of touch for almost three months and wanna know what's been going on."
"Sure." I said, taking a seat on the couch and flipping on the television. A balding man was blaring on about the importance of driving slowly and being careful about black ice. "As you can see, not much has happened since you left. Oh! A gas station was robbed. The thief took a couple six packs, some gum, and the cashier's Costco membership. That's probably the worst and sadly most exciting thing that's happened."
"I wouldn't exactly call it stress free." I mumbled, thinking about what had happened between us. In the months Rosie was gone, she had cut all contact with Washington and solely relied on the locals for conversation and news about the USA. We hadn't talked about that night since the morning after and I needed clarity. I liked her, I still did, but where did she stand? How did those months in Europe change her views? Did they even do anything?
"...and remember folks, if you see a downed power line, call your electric company, do not go near it. For more tips about what to do during power outages call-" Suddenly our television and the light began flickering in a few second things went room completely lit to pitch black.
"The power went out!" I exclaimed. "...guess I'm not going in to work."
"Why not?"
"I couldn't get ready and my roommate just got back, plus the lab uses this power company and chances are if something happened, ice or a damaged line, they would be powerless as well. No power, no heat, no lights, no working machinery no work."
"Ah... lucky you."
"I guess."
"I don't have any type of heater, so no worries about the poison part... don't open the fridge, I know that much. I probably have some candles in the basement between your wine machinery and the wall."
"You set it up for me? Aww, that's so sweet."
"I had time." I shrugged, trying to refrain from blushing. "So, you go look for those, I'll get blankets. I think we're suppose to stay in one room with the doors closed so that way the heat doesn't escape...basically, go as quickly as possible."
"Alright." She said, standing up in her socks and flimsy t-shirt with quarter sleeves. We both headed to our locations, gathering supplies. I took the blankets from the closet that were hideous color, greens and oranges and floral designs, and headed back down stairs. A trail of tea light candles led me from the bottom of the stairs to the living room. On any other day, this would have been a huge fire hazard; this morning I was grateful for them.
"Oh, you found my battery operated stereo!"
"I figured for the news or something." She shrugged, bending down to light another candle.
"I've got blankets and extra socks. They're synthetic wool, so on hundred percent alright for vegans." Neither of us were vegans, but I still bought a majority of household products that were certified as vegan friendly.
"We need to talk, Hazel."
"Yeah... we have nothing but time until the light come back on, I guess." I joked, trying to not plunge straight into serious mode. "Um, you probably should go first."
"Diving right in, okay then."
"We're both adults, we should talk like that then."
"Rosie, I know... I just... I have trouble looking back and regretting it because I don't. Like I've said before, I'd never hurt you, but I liked that night. I'm sorry. Have you talked with Gwen yet?"
"She met me at the airport. I told her... that's why I took a taxi back, she stormed out of the place. We're done. Over... there was two reasons I went on the trip. The first was to put off the breakup." I assumed the second was wine.
"I'm sorry."
"No need to be, I knew. Those two and a half months gave me coping time. She was angry, she said she knew it... the thing is, she almost seemed happy that she was right. I apologized and she got to make a scene. We did what we could to try and make the relationship survive, but in the end it couldn't."
"Do you blame me?" I asked, being a bit selfish. I was having trouble sleeping, thinking that maybe her had decided to cope by hating me; I couldn't live with that if it was true.
"I blame both of us. We both started it... I agreed to cheat, you agreed to help me. I'd like to move on though, from that. Move forward. Not necessarily forget, but not cling to that and label us as that."
"Moving forward sounds great..."
"It's more than okay, it's great. I don't want to have to interview someone else."
"I don't want to have to search the Internet hoping the people posting the ads aren't insane, murderous lunatics." She smiled, taking my hand.
"So you'll stay? I was worried you wouldn't."
"Defiantly am staying."
"We should probably bundle up, it's getting chilly..."
"You know the best way to stay warm?"
"No, what is it?"
"Body heat. You know what would create the most body heat right now?"
"Spooning?" I asked, trying to avoid the gutter.
"Not exactly spooning, but close. I'd say begin with a kiss and go from there."
"A kiss?" I asked, confused now. Was she teasing me and just joking, or did she want me to kiss her?
"What? Of course! But, I thought you wanted to move forward... aren't I from the past?"
"I want us to move forward. Together. I want us to rise from the ashes of our wrongdoings and, together, make something great."
"You're such a romantic." I whispered, staring into her eyes. I never noticed before tonight how beautiful they were. An endless pool of her caring love...
"I try." She shrugged.
"As do I... you just can't tell." I laughed. I leaned forward, taking her hands as we went into a tender embrace, my lips meeting hers, as we kissed, no longer having our relationship be forbidden.
"I was thinking..." I quietly said, as I held her in my arms, "I want a baby sometime..."
"What?!" She exclaimed, pulling back. "Babies are precious, but now? We just started dating... literally, just started."
"Well... It was just, I love having plants to care for. They need me to survive and if I take care of them well, I get fresh and bountiful harvests. During the winter, I don't get to care for them... and it was so lonely without you.
Imagine a giggling child here. I could read to it and teach it about nature, we could go on picnics and nature hikes. See, if I were to raise a child, ever smile, every milestone, it would be amazing and special. And since we technically can't have a baby, I thought, well, if I have a relationship that doesn't work out, it wouldn't be like with a mum and father, since the child would just be mine. I'd need a donor of course or I could adopt, either way... never mind, it's silly."
"It isn't silly, it's sweet. You want a baby and I do want children eventually. Maybe... we should talk more. I'm not going to let you be a single mother, though. I think we should think about having a baby together... After the power comes back on, we can do research, talk more..."
"You're amazing Rosie."
"Why? I haven't done anything amazing lately." She looked at me, her bangs hanging over part of her eye.
"You just are. Also, I mean, you're considering a baby because I want one." I pushed the hair out of her eyes, as I stood on my tip-toes to kiss her forehead. Rosie and I had finally started the relationship I yearned for for so long; a kiss was my paradise and her affection worth every second that I waited.
Rosie Kinnely was a wonderful, caring, intelligent, kind lady who agreed to share all her wonderfulness and intelligence and kindness with me who was considering having a baby, a family, together. What more could I ask for?
Awww they're a cute couple.
ReplyDeleteGlad you think so :) Hazel's waited so long and Rosie's done graving from the losses of their past relationship; they're both ready to move forward together.
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