Blue Rose in a Dark Room

••☆ Chapter 5: "Independent Girl" (Part1) ☆••

Max was impressed by her story. He remembered when she fought for herself against the man who harassed her at the restaurant. "I think being independent is also fun." he commented.

"At first, you will really feel lonely and sad, but once you get used to it, you will learn that life has different stories. Every existance is unique. One would jump for joy finding a dollar bill on the ground. Someone else would probably ignore it." she replied.

When Max looked at her, he could see contentment and ease on her face. He smiled.

After only a fifteen-minute drive, he pulled over in front of an apartment building.

"Thanks for the ride" she said with a smile.

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

She got out of the car and waved to him.

☆•••••○○●○○•••••☆

The next day, Rose arrived at exactly eight in the morning. When she didn't find Dylan in the living room and in the dining room, she approached a housemaid and asked her about her boss's whereabouts.

"He's still in his room." the maid answered.

"Okay, thanks" Rose replied.

She went to his room and knocked on the door. "Dylan? Are you awake? Your helper is here." she called. She waited, but he didn't answer the door.

Thinking that he might still be sleeping, she went to the living room and stayed on the couch while she was waiting for him.

After almost an hour, he still didn't come out of his room. She went back to his door and knocked again.

"Hey, Dylan! When do you plan to wake up?" she called, but he still didn't answer.

She began to feel bothered, so she tried to turn the doorknob. She was surprised when she found out it was not locked. "Okay, I'll just check if he's still alive." she whispered.

She gently opened the door and slowly peeped inside. She saw he was still in his bed. He was facing down and his one arm was hanging down on the edge of the bed. He was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts.

She hesitated to go inside. "Hey, Dylan!" she called from the doorway.

When he did not move, she became worried and curious why he was not responding. Even though she was nervous, she summoned up her courage and quietly entered his room. She walked slowly to the bed and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, wake up." she called.

When he slightly moved his arm, she felt relieved he was really just sleeping. Then, he suddenly mumbled a word. She bent over to hear what he was saying.

"Pa... tricia"

She did a sour face when she inhaled a strong scent of alcohol from him. She finally understood why she couldn't wake him up.

After another hour, he finally went out of his room. Rose quickly approached him. "Sleeping beauty is finally up."

"Sorry, I drank too much last night." he reasoned in a dry voice.

"Come on, your food is waiting." Rose guided him to the dining table. While they were eating, she noticed he was unusually quiet and dozy.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah... I just remembered my ex-girlfriend." he answered.

"Oh, Patricia?" she asked.