Red Star

Now Part 4

"RED STAR IS BACK, LET'S GO, PEOPLE!" Douglas bellows as they exit the elevator and walk back on the sixth floor of HQ. He's a mess, frantic, but they all are. No one could have predicted this, except Rosa of course, but no one had believed her while she'd been away. As always.

Who's laughing now?

No one! Because we're all going to fucking die.

Quickly, Rosa realises that she hasn't walked on this floor since the day she found out that Ralph had died. She hasn't been in her office since the day she told Ralph she didn't love him and he was shot later that day. And so was she.

She hasn't been in the elevator since the time she and Ralph made out on the way up after a successful mission. She usually always takes the stairs. They thought they'd treat themselves after that particular mission. And treat themselves, they did.

Nothing's changed. The walls are still white and there's still a shitload of potted orchids and tons of windows that reveal the rest of the skyscrapers of New York City. It looks great in the evenings, but it's not the evening now, so it just looks average. Clearly the beauty of the city loses its appeal after a while.

People are screaming. One person cries. Idiots.

Ros simply just struts down that hallway like she owns it. Just like she always used to. Gliding down the catwalk of the hallway, she turns off on instinct into her and Ralph's office. Stopping once she realises what she's doing, she looks inside and sees that it's empty.

It's untouched. Nothing has been moved in three years. She's not sure why she's actually shocked. A paper coffee cup from Starbucks is still on her desk where her name was spelled wrong once again.

Rozzzah, blares out at her in navy sharpie. Rawf, in green sharpie overlooks her from Ralph's desk and she goes to it like a ship to a beacon. Walking closer, the smell of rotted coffee assaults her nostrils. She only stops moving ever so closer when she's stopped by the taste of the coffee. The smell is so pungent she can taste it and it almost hurts because that's exactly what she tasted on the last time she kissed Ralph, which was exactly where she's currently standing.

Wow.

If she knew that would have been the last time, she would have kissed him like she loved him. Which would have been hard.

Generally, Ralph's death has made her a mess. She would never have bothered with ifs before. It's only now that she has begun to regret everything.

If she knew Ralph was going to die that day, she wouldn't have told him that she never loved him and never would.

If she knew how miserable it would make everyone involved, she would have stopped Douglas' wedding.

If she knew that she would lose most of her family in a fire, she would have begged them to take her to a movie or something that night instead of staying indoors.

If she knew there would be a shooting at her apartment, she would have taken her sister to a park after picking her up from school.

If she knew Ralph was going to be her new partner, she wouldn't have had sex with him the night before.

Or would she have? One extra night with Ralph? Maybe she would have held him a bit closer, or kissed him one extra time. Maybe she wouldn't have left at five in the morning while he was still asleep. Ralph was gorgeous when he slept. Gorgeous always, but when he slept.

God, being back here is making her super maudlin. She needs to get out asap or she'll start to cry or something hella weak like that. Turning away to exit, her eye catches on a black velvet box sitting happily on her desk, and when she glances over, she can see one on Ralph's desk too.