Girl In Red (R.HALE)

18

"You want to go on the couch?" Lorrie asked. 

Leigh shook her head. "Bed." 

Lorrie nodded. "You want anything to drink? Tea?"

Leigh nodded, moving toward the stairs. She felt a little steadier on her feet, patting Daniel's arm to thank him for his help, using the bannister to haul herself up the stairs. 

She almost had a heart attack when she opened her bedroom door. 

Rosalie was stood by the window, arms folded across her chest and golden eyes gleaming in the slight shadow of the light behind her. Leigh's eyes widened and she shut the door immediately, moving across the floor as quickly as she could manage.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "If my mum finds you, she will throw holy water at both of us!" 

"Don't worry," Rosalie replied. "I'll be out the window before she gets up the stairs." 

Leigh relaxed a little. She was too tired to be anxious for an extended period of time. 

"I came to see how you were feeling," she added. 

Leigh rubbed her eyes. "Tired." 

Rosalie's lips twitched into a small smile. "Sleep." 

"I was going to, but then you turned up," Leigh mumbled.

"I can go if you want-

"No," she cut in, taking Rosalie's hand. 

"Well, get into bed, then." 

Leigh looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. 

"Not like that." 

Leigh smiled in amusement, heading toward her bed and not letting go of Rosalie's hand. 

Suddenly, her cool grip was gone. 

Leigh's bedroom door opened just as she collapsed onto the mattress, Lorrie walking in with a mug of tea. Rosalie was nowhere to be found, just as she'd said.

"Here you go, honey." 

Leigh offered her a sleepy smile, kicking off her shoes and letting them tumble to the floor. Lorrie draped the duvet over her as she snuggled down into the pillows, before perching on the edge of the bed and placing her hand on Leigh's forehead. 

"Well done," she said softly. "I'm proud of you." 

Leigh let her eyes closed as Lorrie began to stroke her hair. "Love you, mum."

There was a breath of silence. 

"Love you too, honey." 

Lorrie slipped back out of the door, the door clicking softly shut behind her.

Leigh opened one eye, lifting her head ever so slightly and looking around her room. It was empty. 

"What are you looking at?"

She almost fell out of bed in shock, Rosalie's whisper tickling her ear. She rolled over, clamping her lips shut so she didn't scream, finding the blonde laying down beside her, head resting on her folded arm. 

"Jesus," Leigh breathed, relaxing. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Rosalie reached forward, a little hesitant, brushing Leigh's cheek with a curved finger before picking up a strand of her hair. Leigh looked at her, chest tightening and relaxing, and tightening, and relaxing. Every second or so, she'd feel a spasm in her chest, as if a phantom hand was plucking at her heart strings, the vibration spreading down into the base of her stomach and shaking up her butterflies all over again.