Resisting Rosaleen (18+)

11

"My mom caught my dad in bed with another woman. She let is slide, but then it happen two more times," I laughed, "Three different females. All redheads, all working for him in the office."

I played with my fingers, wanting to put my attention to something physical instead of my emotions, "They fought that night. My dad never hit mom despite her throwing him whatever she can get her hands on. They didn't split but their relationship turned cold. The turning point, as Wyatt and I called it. Everything changed. They didn't argue anymore and dad brought as many girls home as he could, given that mom wasn't around and I accidentally just caught him sneaking them in and out. It's like they weren't even trying to resolve things."

"It didn't take long for mom to get involved with other men too. Dad's colleagues and wealthy business partners. She started coming home with tons and tons of shopping bags which were not bought with dad's money. She went on vacations and didn't bother taking us. She was rarely home and when she was in town, she'd be out all day, attending events. Dad, on the other hand, was busy with his own affiliations and making his business grow. They were both living the time of their lives without each other and without Wyatt and I."

"When Wyatt was legal and stable enough, he took me under his wing. Thank fuck it didn't take him too long because I was forced to stay with my mom's very religious cousin who used to cover me up when I wore tank tops—as if me in a tank top would cause havoc in the world."

"And here we are now—neglected, but okay with it. I don't need my parents to redeem theirselves. I don't want them to. All I ask is for them to stay away because I'm doing just fine without them. And... I guess that's why I don't believe in loyalty, Nikolas."

There was silence. Comfortable silence which meant that he was processing what I just told him. I stood up and pulled the door open. Nick sat on the floor, his back against a wall and his blazer off. He stood up and I stepped aside to let him in. He shook his head.

I smiled sadly, "Thanks for listening. You should switch to Guidance Counsellor."

"Ha-ha," he rolled his sleeves up, "You're welcome, Rosaleen."

We stared at each other again, tension still thick.

"I won't stop, you know," I brought my gaze to my feet, "I still want you."

"I know," he let out a shaky breath, "I'll just need to endure it for four more months."

"You really won't give me a chance? You know I don't believe that, right?"

"I love my wife, Rose," he shuffled on his feet, "I won't give in for a hook-up that'll put my occupation and marriage in jeopardy. Someday..." he patted my shoulder, making me meet his eyes once again, "You'll find someone who you'll wanna be completely faithful to. Who you'll love so much that you won't even think of anyone else," he smiled genuinely, "You're young. You have a lot ahead of you."

"Bianca's not that someone for you, is she? You touched me and I'm pretty sure that's not in the Faithful Husbands 101 handbook."

"Goodnight, Rosaleen," he turned, "See you on Monday."

After that, I cried again in my room. Eventually, I fell asleep again only to wake up with a grumbling stomach. I padded downstairs, sure that everyone else was asleep, then grabbed some leftover dessert in the fridge.

I caught a glimpse of myself on a glass door. My hair and dress were disheveled, my mascara was runny and had dried on my cheeks, and my lips were dry. And for some reason, my neck hurt like shit.

I stared off in the distance. Since I've already cried about it, I was kinda feeling that I had overreacted. Dinner could have gone a lot more smoothly if I had checked myself enough. I shivered and realized that I left my robe or even blanket.