Bittersweet Romance

Roses and Ring

Today's the day that I'll be celebrating my 18th birthday. I wore the dress Petunia picked for me when we went shopping and have one of our maids help me dress up. After I finished, I looked at the mirror to see how I look like.

I got surprised for a second. I never thought that I can be as pretty as the maiden in front of me. I touched the mirror to see if it really was my reflection, she followed my every move. Her scarlet hair that is normally loosed is now tied back in a bun with a few loose strands of hair at each side and pins to avoid the bangs block her view. Her crimson orbs staring straight into mine with a light pink blush. Her pinkish lips a little open. Her looks complement her simple dress which is pale gold in color. Simplicity is indeed beauty.

As the party started, I was greeted by a lot of people. Some are our relatives but most are strangers who I haven't met in my entire life. I have received a lot of presents from them which are sent to my room. As I look around for anyone who I know, I spotted Petunia approaching me. She wore an elegant sky blue dress which I recognized as one of the dress she bought a week ago. Beside her, I saw a tall guy with short brown hair.

"Flaky!" she called. I waved at her feeling a little shy at the company she's bringing. When she drew near me, she held my hand and greeted, "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, Petunia." I replied.

"I already have your present brought to your room. Oh! By the way, this is my boyfriend, Handy. Handy, my cousin, Flaky."

"Hello." I said timidly.

"Happy birthday and nice to meet you." He greeted.

"Nice to meet you too, Handy." I replied, just noticing his arms. He seems to spot my gaze and joked, "Ironic, right?"

I don't really know how to respond in these situations. Good thing, Cuddles showed up and greeted us.

"Yo, Flaky! Petunia!"

"Hi Cuddles!" Petunia said cheerfully. I giggled and said my hello as well.

He also brought his lover in the party and introduced her to us. Her name is Giggles and she seems like a jolly person. We sat down on one of the round tables and chat with each other. Giggles and Petunia have some things in common which are why they became friends immediately while the two guys talk about "manly" things. Feeling a bit out of place, I excused myself saying that I need a drink.

As I near the table where the food are located, I was met by a mysterious man dressed in black suit with a fedora hat which covers half of his face with its shadow. He bowed, took my hand and kissed it.

"Happy Birthday, Bella. [1]" he greeted, straightened back and looked at me. I can feel him staring at me even though I cannot see his eyes.

I muttered a thank you to express gratitude, hoping that he heard me as he handed me something and spoke again. "Well then, I'll be going now, see you around."

As he turned around, I caught a glimpse of his smirk. I inspect the thing that he gave me and saw a small, black, velvet box with an orange and a black rose intertwined [2] on top. I opened the box to see what's inside, already having an idea on what it is. There I saw a silver ring with an intricate, dark red ruby embedded on the center. I glanced up to search for him only to see him gone from my sight.

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[1] Bella means beautiful in Italian. I actually don't know if they are Italian but since Mafias originated in Italy, I guess I'll be using that as their setting. ^^a

[2] Orange means desire and Black symbolizes death, farewell, mystery and new beginnings. Two intertwined roses means "marry me".

Sorry, took me too long to update. OTL I lost my notebook with my writings on this story along with the later chapter ideas. T.T Also I'm getting a bit busy with life ^^a. Sorry again for the short chapter orz And I think it'll take me a long time before I update again since I need to find that notebook and get back my motivation... ^^;