────── ✾ ──────
october 2002
────── ✾ ──────
As known, Rosemary Venice wasn't a stupid girl. Since the very first day in London, she could tell that Theo wasn't feeling too well although every time she asked about it, he said he was fine. But he wasn't. Every single time a stranger with blonde hair walked past them, Theo would flinch or quickly hide his face by turning around.
She felt bad for him ― she was the one who wanted to go to London and basically dragged him there against his will.
Theo however convinced her that she didn't drag him there. While he was having some rather intense flashbacks of his life when in London, he was almost glad because he needed to move on.
Rose was nearly falling off of her seat as she leaned further and further to see the performance in front of her.
Theo had surprised her with tickets to the London Symphony who was playing Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto ― which also happened to be Rose's favorite piano concerto.
She wasn't just listening the orchestra playing but she was intensively observing the piano soloist. She watched how the pianist's fingers moved so effortlessly and softly, like she was moving her fingers on the surface of water. There was something so elegant about it which made Rose wonder if she could do it. She was gifted ― playing piano among many of her talents ― but she has never thought about aspiring to become a pianist.
Theo was listening the music but he wasn't observing the people playing it ― he was too busy at staring Rose.
The light hit her just right, making her blonde hair shimmer so brightly against the dim audience. She was gorgeous and Theo felt like the luckiest man in the world.
"This is my favorite part," whispered Rose, not directing her words to anyone specific.
Thirty-three minutes later the performance was over and Rose felt like walking on clouds. She could still hear the music dancing around inside her head, wishing that she would have a piano back in the hotel so she could go and try.
While music has been always important to Rose, Theo hasn't shared the sentiments until meeting Rose. With her help, he was able to vanquish those ghosts of his past with music. It didn't alway work but it made him feel at least a little bit better.
Rose skipped around the pavement, small drops of rain hitting her and everyone outside. She didn't mind it ― she has grown to like rain.
Her mothers always say that rain symbolizes new beginnings. For example, it rained like crazy the day Mr Kane brought Rose to London's central hospital where Mima May worked as a nurse and was the one who looked after Rose when she was in the nicu.
May fell in love with the little baby Rose was, so she and Ellen adopted Rose.
"Shouldn't we go inside?" Asked Theo.
Rose turned to look at Theo, still walking and enjoying the feeling of rain against her skin.
"Have you ever read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?" Asked Rose and Theo frowned at her words for not getting a straight answer.
Theo however knew Roose and knew that she has a point which will be revealed soon.
"I have not," said Theo, the word wizard making him slightly uncomfortable.
"You really haven't? God you grew up weird," grinned Rose. "But in the story, the Wicked Witch melts away by the touch of water. Imagine how awful that would be. You couldn't walk in the rain or even have a shower."
Theo rubbed the back of his neck ― the fact that Rose was talking about wizards and witches made him feel a little uneasy but what he didn't know was that Rose was feeling the same way.
Rose wasn't even sure why she had brought the story up.
"Maybe we should go inside tough, it's getting a bit cold," finished Rose.
After running away from the rain which was getting heavier with every passing minute ― Rose and Theo found a nice little pub. It wasn't empty but not crowded either. The pub was old ― probably been there even through wars.
The walls were mostly red pricks and some black tiles which were there to cover up for the broken and old ones. There was a sensation of disappearance in the air ― like this place was the place to be if one wishes to be gone for awhile without any further complications.
Theo and Rose ordered coffee each and went to a far corner of the cafe where a empty table and couple of chairs were waiting for them. They were drinking their coffees in silence before Theo placed his cup on the table and reached for his pocket. He took out a small box and smirked.
"Don't worry. It isn't a ring," he told Rose. "It's a gift."
Rose's favorite birthday gift ever was her dog Ozzy.
She had begged and begged her mothers to get her a dog for months so on her fifteenth birthday, Rose got the surprise of a lifetime when a beautiful Siberian husky ran to her room. Ozzy was definitely her favorite present but the one Theo had in his hands at the moment really competed with the dog.
Theo was holding out a bracelet ― a beautiful golden bracelet. There was something engraved within the bracelet, something that for some reason sparkled past and history to Rose.
Rose carefully took the bracelet from Theo. "It's beautiful," she sighed, her gaze changing between Theo and the bracelet.
"It was my mother's," said Theo, looking at the bracelet with a soft smile. "It was one of the only things I took with me when I left home."
"Oh, you...you shouldn't give this to me," said Rose as she locked her eyes with Theo's. "It's important to you."
Theo grimaced. "It is but so are you. I want you to have this."
Rose smiled widely, leaning forwards to place a gentle kiss on Theo's lips. "Thank you. I love it, and you."
The Nott boy gave her a soft smile before his lips disappeared behind his cup of coffee. While Rose drinks coffee like a crazy person ― even she couldn't top the amount of coffee Theo drinks. At one point, he drank it to avoid sleeping since every time he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, he ended up having nightmares.
Now the power of coffee has fled from his system since he drinks it so much but it didn't mean he has stopped or ever will.
"My father actually hid it from me," started Theo once placing his cup down on the wooden table in front of him. "Then my best friend's mother found it. She yelled at my father, screaming at him that I had the right to have my mother's belongings if I wanted so."
"Well that was nice of her," said Rose, offering him a gentle smile.
"Yes. She was nice," admitted Theo. "She loved her son more than life itself. I think she loved me as well. It was nice to be surrounded by someone like her from time to time."
While Rose didn't know the woman who practically raised Theo, she understood a mother in her case ― mothers ― can be very pampering and overbearing. The thought of not having a mother seemed so odd to Rose, especially because she has two but she was glad that Theo had his best friend's mother in his life.
"What was her name?" Asked Rose carefully.
"Whose?" Theo asked, not sure who Rose was referring to.
"Your best friend's mother."
Theo sighed. "Oh, her name was Narcissa."
"Narcissa? Like the flower?" Wondered Rose, she hasn't heard a name like that before.
Theo nodded. "Yeah."
"How come you've never said her name not even once over these years?" Asked Rose, her surprisingly dark brows knitted together.
"I don't know. I guess it just makes it all so much more real."
Rose's frown deepened. "But she was nice, right?"
"She was really amazing. I have never felt parent's love but I received it from her and from her husband. They looked after me, cared for me and all. As you know my own father was an arse," explained Theo. "I just don't like to talk about her because in some ways, I feel like I betrayed her."
"How come?"
"You know, I left. She... she wasn't the reason but yet I left her and her family," said Theo, his eyes looking as lost as they did the afternoon Rose first met him. "I don't regret leaving because it was the right thing for me. My father had grown more and more demanding and angry, I feared for my life but I sort of wished I had made an effort with Narcissa and her family."
Rose offered Theo a smile, unsure what she should say. Her family life has always been good ― she had a loving family while Theo's was a mess.
"Anyhow, it is what it is," shrugged Theo as he desperately wanted to end the conversation. "Can't change the past."
"But you could change the future," suggested Rose. "I don't want to pressure you but maybe you should consider meeting them."
"No," said Theo before he even gave another thought to the idea.
Rose didn't want to pressure Theo ― she knew that the subject of family was very delicate subject.
"Okay," said Rose before reaching for her cup which happened to be empty. "I'll go and get a refill."
She left the table and headed towards the counter where two pots of coffee were waiting. She felt slightly bad for making Theo talk about the people of his past but sometimes it felt like she didn't know her boyfriend at all. Everything he has ever told were vague answers to her questions. She understands him and that because his life hasn't been the easiest ― he doesn't want to talk about it too much but sometimes she needs more than a shrug.
"That piece of shit. He is so..."
Rose heard the person next to her muttering.
"Boy problems?" Asked Rose, interrupting the girl.
"He's a fucking git," said the girl, turning to face Rose.
Pair of blue eyes met Rose's. The girl was around her age, maybe a little older with blonde hair that however wasn't as shockingly blonde as hers. There was something odd about the girl but Rose couldn't tell what it was. The girl looked a little out of place ― like she didn't belong among the people in the cafe.
"They often are," smirked Rose, earning a grin from the girl. "Do you need help with the git?"
The girl shook her head. "No thank you. He's actually just my friend but he's a git. A very big one. He's going through an identity crisis or something so he's quite frustrating at the moment."
"Aaah, mysteriously sulking guy. They are my specialty," said Rose.
"Oh really? You know many?"
Rose grimaced. "My boyfriend to mention one."
"Maybe we should get those two sulking and whining boys together," the girl chuckled.
Rose poured herself her much needed second cup of coffee before responding. "It might do him some good."
Suddenly a tall figure approached the two blonde girls. The figure belonged to a young man who was much taller than Rose and this other girl. His skin was darker than theirs and his eyes were brown. He was very handsome ― Rose had to give him that ― but he had that very similar looking sulk written all over his face.
"They don't serve alcohol here. Let's just go..." the young man muttered, competently unaware of Rose's presence.
"I know, that's why we came here," said the girl, turning to her friend.
The boy huffed.
The girl turned back to Rose. "This is Blaise, my sulking friend."
Blaise frowned at his friend for the weird introduction but did however manage to give Rose a thin lipped smile.
"Hey," said Blaise.
"Hi," Rose returned the favor.
"Oh my, I am an idiot. I haven't even introduced myself, I'm Daphne," said the girl whose name turned out to be Daphne.
Rose smiled at Daphne. "I'm Rosemary, but you can call me Rose."
Blaise cleared his throat ― an obvious sign of his desperate need to leave the cafe. Rose quickly glanced at the young man. He looked around, disgust covering his face.
"It was nice meeting you," said Daphne, not missing her friend's wish to leave. She tucked her arm to Blaise's and graced Rose with one more smile before turning around and leaving.
Rose stayed still for a few seconds, her cup of coffee getting colder with every second. She had stayed to rethink the names she received from these two strangers.
Daphne.
Blaise.
"I began to worry," Theo's voice reached Rose's ears and in no time, Theo's arms found their way around Rose's waist.
"Oh sorry," said Rose. "They were out of coffee.I had to wait for some more."
Theo frowned ― he didn't really need an explanation for why it took Rose so long to get her coffee.
For the rest of the evening, Rose kept thinking where she had heard those two names before. It wasn't until she and Theo had found their way to their hotel and she was changing into her pajamas when she remembered what those names meant.
Blaise and Daphne were Theo's friends.
Rose felt like the world was laughing at her. She had promised Theo that he wasn't going to run into any of his old friends ― and now she had done it. She met Theo's friends and she talked to them. And they were nice but a little weird which she didn't mind but she wasn't sure should she tell this to Theo.
After changing her pajamas, Rose fell on the kingsized bed with exhaustion. Theo was already laying there, his arm stretched to his side so that Rose could snuggle next to him.
"You've been surprisingly quiet," observed Theo when Rose didn't say a word. "Normally I'm the one who doesn't speak."
Rose sighed, snuggling closer to Theo. She turned to her other side so she could face him. She laid her hand on his chest and looked at him from underneath her darker lashes.
"When I went to get coffee, I ran into a girl. We talked a bit and then I also met her friend. The friend's name was Blaise and hers was Daphne, and I swear I didn't have any idea and...." Rose stopped when she saw Theo flinching.
Theo didn't say anything for the rest of the evening. He kissed Rose good night and stayed up the whole night.