Black Rose

Giving in.

The first thing I realised when I woke up was that I was in an unfamiliar bed. It wasn't the one in my room in the basement, it wasn't Gwen's, and it wasn't the one in the torture room. It was soft, and warm, and covered in silky blue sheets and a woven grey duvet.

The second thing I realised was that I wasn't alone.

Blake was on one side of me, his arm draped across my torso. Then Gwen was on the other, her hand tangled in my hair.

I jolted, pushing Blake's arm off me and pulling Gwen's fingers away from my head. Both of them started stirring, but I was too confused to care. I scrambled out of the unfamiliar sheets and stood, stopping to look back at the two of them.

"Rose..." Blake mumbled, barely awake, lifting his hand barely.

Some part of me wanted to pretend that everything was okay, that I would be fine. I wanted to crawl back into that bed, back into the warmth and comfort that I had felt as I fell asleep.

I didn't want to listen to that part of me.

So instead I turned away, and focused on the ground, letting myself wake up and get my bearings. I was still in the house, of course. I knew that from the sloping window of a wall to my right. It was a new room, though, one that I hadn't been in before. From the dark furniture and neat décor, I figured it had to be Blake's bedroom.

It was laid out similar to Gwen's, with two doors along one wall, and one adjacent. I figured that had to be the exit, so I headed towards it.

As I was reaching for the handle, Blake spoke again, "Rose, don't go."

That made me pause, turning to look back at him. He had pushed himself up in bed, and was looking at me with heavy eyelids, his hair skewwhiff, and his face pleading. He gestured to the bed beside him. "Come back, Rose."

"I can't," I said, quietly. He gave me a smile.

"You can." He said. "Rose, we have nothing to do and nowhere to be. Go on and have a look outside."

He nodded at the window. I glanced at it, but all I could see was sky. Blake smiled, leaning back against his pillows. In a quiet voice, he said, "Look closer."

I stepped back toward the window, inching closer, but letting my gaze linger on him for a moment. When I looked out the window again, I couldn't help but let out a quiet wow.

The outside landscape was breathtaking. Completely covered in snow, the white was like a blanket, placed over everything in sight. There wasn't a single disturbance, no tire tracks on the driveway, and no footprints down the path. There was just snow, white and untouched, shining in the early morning sun.

It was beautiful.

"It never gets old, Rose." Blake said, his voice musky and quiet.

I broke my gaze away and looked back at him, to find that he was looking at me, not the view. My chest tightened. He held out a hand and gestures for me to return to bed. Reluctantly, I stepped back across, and crawled in between him and Gwen, who was still mostly asleep. He let out a content sigh and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close. I let a shaky breath into his chest and let my eyes drift shut. We stayed like that for a few moments, just lying there breathing in the soft morning sun.

"I love you."

He said it so easily, as if he was telling me the weather, or what was for breakfast. How could something said so easily hold so much weight?

I wanted to spit in his face. I wanted to push him away, to hit him, and curse, and ask him how the fuck he could do all of this if he loved me.

But I didn't have the energy. So I just shut my eyes and let him hold me. After a few moments, he pulled away a little, and reached up to tuck a stray hand of hair behind my ear. He smiled at me.

"My precious rose," he murmured.

Then, slowly, gently, he leant down, and pressed his lips against mine.

I let him kiss me, motionless.

"I love you so much, my beautiful rose."

No. No you don't.

He leant back, looking at me with a dreamy look on his face. I just stared at him. Slowly, his expression grew irritated. However, before he had the chance to say anything, Gwen stirred beside us. She slowly stretched and squinted across at us, taking in the sight of Blake cradling me like a lost fucking lamb. She frowned, still half asleep. Blake smiled at her and reached his hand past me to take hers.

"Good morning, Iris."

She glanced between his face and mine for a moment, and I could see the emotions shifting in her eyes. Then, all of a sudden, she pulled her hand away and climbed out of bed, stalking towards the door.

"I need to check on Jackson." She said icily.

Blake just sighed. He didn't try convincing her to come back to bed as he had to me. He just let her go, then kissed me gently on the forehead. I watched Gwen go, then turned back to him, letting my eyes drift shut.

Sometime after Gwen stormed out, Blake kissed me on the forehead, and untangled himself from my body, then climbed out of bed as well.

"Come on, Rose. Let's go downstairs." Blake said. He held out his hand, and I sighed, but nonetheless took it and let him pull me out of bed. Standing again, I was suddenly wary of the clothes I was wearing. Or, rather, the lack of clothes I was wearing.

Blake or Gwen must have helped me undress last night because I was in nothing but my bra and underwear, and I suddenly felt very exposed. Blake must have known what I was thinking from my sheepish face because he chuckled. "Follow me, Rose, I'll let you wear one of my shirts."

So, I let him lead me across the room, to the closet. He pushed it open to reveal a closet just as big as Gwen's, but occupied by suit jackets, button-up shirts, and pressed pants. Along one side was a rack full of shoes. Along another was shelves and drawers, filled with casual clothes and the other necessities. It was there that Blake went, grabbing a plain worn-out t-shirt and passing it to me. I put it on quickly, taking note of how the fabric clung to my skin.

It was big enough that it fell to my mid-thigh, so Blake didn't bother passing me any shorts.

I didn't love wearing his shit, but I figured it would have to do.

Blake gave me a warm smile and held out his hand.

"Come on. Let's get you some breakfast."