The next day, Rose went out again to meet her friends, but before seeing them, she headed to a shop to get her violin repaired.
"This damage doesn't look accidental to me." the repairman said.
"Yeah, someone cut them on purpose." Rose replied.
"It must be an unruly kid." he guessed.
"Nope, an unruly bitch" she corrected.
He chuckled. "All right, just get it back after two days."
"Okay, thanks" she replied, then she went on her way to the Main street.
In an apartment building, she went up to the second floor and looked for a room number. When she found it, she knocked on the door. In just a few seconds, someone answered it.
"Rosalyn! ...Hey, guys! She's here." Rex yelled with a big smile on his face.
"Hi, Rex" Rose greeted delightedly.
He gave her a hug. "We really miss you."
Inside the room, Rose saw more of her friends. They were on the couches.
"You've been very busy lately." Emma said.
"Yeah... You know I need to earn money for college." Rose replied as she joined them.
"Are you really not going to change your mind?" Rex asked, pouting.
Rose looked down and smiled sadly.
"You don't need to go to college. You're smart. You can live your life without a degree." Emma told her.
"I agree with her. We have each other. We'll live our lives while exploring the world. Aren't you interested in that anymore? I remember, you're the one talking a lot about travelling." Rex recalled.
"I'm still not giving up my dream to see the world, but I made a deal with my boss. I need to wait until his vision is restored." she told them.
"What kind of deal?" Jean asked in a curious tone.
"Sorry, I can't tell you. It's... confidential." she answered hesitantly.
"When will your boss get his sight back anyway?" Paul asked.
"In three months, he'll get a donor for his corneas." she answered.
"Oh, we're also planning to leave roughly after three months. We can wait for you until you finish whatever that deal is. What do you think?" Emma asked eagerly.
"Like I said... I'll go to college after my contract with him. Actually, I just received a full four-year scholarship at a school. I can't waste that opportunity." she answered, feeling a little sad for turning down her friends.
Jean sighed. "Looks like she already made up her mind."
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
Max came to the house to visit Rose. When he found Dylan and Serena in the living room, he quickly noticed the boredom on his friend's face.
"Hi, Max" Serena greeted.
"Hey" he greeted back.
"What are you doing here?" Dylan asked.
"I'm here to see Rose." he answered without second thought.
"She's not here now." Dylan told him.
"Really? ...Where is she?" he asked in a disappointed tone.
"She went out to see her friends." Dylan answered.
"I see. I'll just go back tomorrow." he replied, then he left.
When he got out of the front door, Serena called him. He looked back and saw her approaching. "What?" he asked.
"Let's be frank with each other. You like Rose, right?" she asked directly.
"Yes" he answered with no hesitation.
"I know Dylan likes her too. I can help you get her." she offered.
"And why do you want to help me?" he questioned.
She scoffed. "Isn't it obvious yet? Because I like Dylan... Let's help each other. What do you think?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Thanks, but I don't need your help. I can do it on my own."
She scoffed scornfully again. "Suit yourself. Guess I'll work on my own too." She didn't wait for him to respond. She turned and went back inside.
"Serena!" he called before she got away.
She turned back and looked at him.
"I don't care how you want to get Dylan for yourself, but never try to do anything that will harm Rose with your plan." he told her firmly. Then, he went back to his car without waiting for her reply.
"What did you tell him?" Dylan asked when Serena returned.
"I asked him if he wanted to stay for a while, but he said he'll somewhere." she answered. "Hey, don't you want to go out? I'm so bored. Aren't you?" she asked.
He was still a bit traumatized to go outside, but he couldn't deny his boredom. "All right" he agreed.
"Really?" she asked in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, but let's not go too far from the house." he requested.
"Okay, sure" she agreed excitedly.
After he changed his clothes, Serena assisted him to her car. "How about we go shopping?" she suggested.
"I just want to eat at a Japanese restaurant." he answered.
"Okay. After shopping, we'll eat at a Japanese restaurant." she replied, then they drove off.
At the mall, she dragged him to every expensive brand of clothes she would spot. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Yeah. We've been walking around for hours." he complained.
She chuckled. "Sorry, I just bought some clothes for summer."
"Summer? ...You're preparing way too early." he commented.
"Nah, clothes can wait. Now, come on. I saw a Japanese restaurant over there." She held his hand tightly and dragged him again.
At the restaurant, he ordered three different dishes. Serena assisted him. After she put a piece of sushi roll in his mouth, she used her thumb to wipe his lips.
He quickly jerked his head backwards when he felt her finger. "Where's the napkin?" he asked.
She was hurt after she got a different reaction from him. "Oh, here. Sorry. I thought they forgot to give us napkins." she reasoned.
After eating, Dylan asked to go back home.
"It's still early. Let's take a walk for a while. There's a nearby park around here." she demanded.
He was hesitant, but he later agreed thinking that she was spending her time to help him. "All right, but we have to go back home before it gets dark, okay?"
"Sure" she agreed.
After a short drive, they arrived at Roosevelt Park. Serena held Dylan's hand as they were walking.
"Hold my arm" he told her.
"What's the difference?" she asked, sulking.
Without answering, he took her hand and put it on his arm. She didn't like it, but she kept her annoyance to herself and didn't complain.
After walking for half an hour, they sat on a bench to rest.
"Dylan?" Serena called softly. "Tania told me you and your ex-girlfriend broke up after the accident... so that means you're single now, right?" she asked.
He smirked as he was recalling his foolishness in his former relationships. Then, he thought of Rose. "Yeah" he answered, smiling.
Serena knew he was hiding something behind his expression. "Are you in love with someone now?" she asked. Although, she was really scared to ask about it.
It took him a while before he answered. "Sorry but... that part of my life is confidential as of the moment."
After she heard that, she looked away and sighed. "When you can finally open your eyes again, can I be there?" she asked in a low tone.
"Yeah, sure... but there's one thing I would like to see first." he answered.
She felt sad learning it was not her, but on top of that, she was angry. "Oh, is that Max?" she said all of a sudden.
Dylan turned his head to her. "He's here?"
"Yeah... Oh, and he's with Rose." she added.
"What? Are you sure?" he asked in a bothered voice.
"Yes, Max is hold her hands... Oh my god!" she reacted.
"What is it?" he asked tensely.
"Whoa... You told me they're not a couple. Then, why are they kissing?" she asked in a confused tone.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
Dylan didn't speak a single word on their way back home. Serena observed his expression. She could see he was deeply affected by what they discovered. "We're here." she told him after she parked her car in front of their house.
"Go home. I can handle myself from here." he replied in a dull and a bit scary voice. Then, he opened the door and got out of the car.
Serena watched him traced his way to the front door. When he got inside, she flipped her hands and looked at her palms. They were shaking.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
Rose got back home on time before dark. When she entered the gate, she quickly noticed that Serena's car was no longer in the parking lot. "The bitch left early today." she mumbled.
She proceeded to the house and headed to her room. When she turned on the lights, she was surprised Dylan was sitting on her bed.
"Whoa, you scared me. What are you doing here?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
She noticed something strange in his expression. "What's wrong? Did something happen to you?" she asked as she was approaching him.
He got up and grabbed her forearm aggressively. "Don't lie to me. Where did you really go?" he asked in a low, but deep voice.
She was surprised. "Hey, what's your problem?"
"Answer me!" he roared.
"I told you. I went to see my friends." she answered tensely.
"Friends? Really? ...How long have you been lying to me, huh? Are you fooling me because I can't see?" he burst out.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to pull her hand off his tight grip.
"You're meeting up with Max behind my back, aren't you? You didn't go to see your friends. You went to see him. Do you think I wouldn't know about it?" he questioned in an angry voice.
"What? ...Are you out of your mind? I was with my friends." she insisted.
"Liar... You're no different from Patricia!" he yelled, then he calmed down. "Is Max better than me in bed?" he asked, seething with anger. Then, he pushed her onto the bed aggressively and forced himself on top of her.
"What are you doing? Stop!" she shouted, but he didn't listen.
He seized her hands and forced his lips on hers.
"Dylan, please, stop!" she begged, then she felt a sharp pain from her surgery. She flinched and moaned.
Dylan only stopped when he heard her crying.
*
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To be continued....
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