After four hours of exhausted costumers and coffer, the shop was finally empty, the last costumer just left. My boss told me I was almost ready to go, so I quickly cleaned the tables and made my way towards the back, when I heard the door opening and being shut.

I turned around and walked back towards the front, ready to face the new costumer, to be met by nothing.
I frowned, I was sure I heard the door.

My eyes scanned to shop to see a rose lying on the table, the one next to the door. I did not see it there earlier.
I frown and look outside, nothing.

I walked towards the table and picked the red rose up, carefully so I would not touch the thorns. It was beautiful, simply beautiful. Who left it here?

Suddenly I thought about the door; I heard it shutting and before that I cleaned the table and saw no rose.
So someone was here, indeed.

I know it was him, who else would it be, it was always him. Playing tricks on me and cathing me off guard.

I put on my jacket and my eyes caught the rose, lying on the table. Picking it up and throwing it in the bin, I got rid of it. I do not want his roses. I do not want anything to do to him.
I can buy my own, thank you very much.

After coming home, I figured out my mother was already in bed, so I just sat in front of the television, watching some stupid show.

I was in the middle of watching some game they were playing, when my phone turned itself on, a message showing on the screen.

'Oh my love is like a red, red rose,
that's newly sprung in June;
oh my love is like the melodie,
that's sweetly play'd in tune.'

An unknown number. I immediately thought about him. After a long time of thinking I finally gave in, so I decided to reply.

'How did you get my number? Who are you? Leave me alone.'

I tried to watch the the movie until I got a message, again;

'I won't.
You should have kept the rose. The moment I saw it, I thought of you. Just as beautiful as a rose.
Now, go to sleep, darling. You need it.'

I shook my head and decided to just leave it. No matter how hard it is.
Darling. I shivered.
He used that word when he spoke to me. I fell asleep on the couch.

That morning I woke up in my bed, I looked around and saw I was wearing my nightwear.

I ran downstairs to see my mum.
"Goodmorning sweetheart," she greeted me, "did you have a good night of sleep?"

I nodded and instantly started my question,

"I fell asleep on the couch yesterday evening, right?"
She looked at me and thought about it. "I don't know, I was asleep. Did not hear you coming upstairs, though. Why?" I shook my head and said a nevermind.

I was sure that I fell asleep on the couch, in my working clothes.
But I woke up in my nightwear in my own bed. Something was off.

I thought about the rose, he gave me one, and mentioned the beautiful flower. A red rose;
sacrifice, immortal love, health, memorial, passion.

And then his strange message. There was something creepy about all of this. He uses poetry,
he must know I adore poetry.

When I could not sit home anymore and I just wanted to do something, I made my way towards to the mall. I was planning on buying myself some new shoes.

°

At the end, I found myself sitting on a bench, with still no purchased shoes.
I was watching all the people walking past me, when suddenly someone - all too familiar - walked around the corner, leaving my sight.

The first things I saw were his curls and the roses he was holding.
I quickly got into action, and walked after him. I made my way around the corner, to be met by those same roses, laying on a bench. I grabbed them and saw a polaroid photo lying underneath them.
With me on it; in my work clothes on the couch, in the living room, sleeping.

It was him.
He was inside the house last night,
he changed my clothes and put me to bed. I dropped the roses and the photo out of schock, on the floor.

/////•


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