Rose
"What is that good ass smell?"
The first to enter was Gage.
My eyes widened as I gazed at him. The man hadn't really changed besides shortened hair. His grey eyes struck at me as they locked eyes with mine. My breath was stolen away as my heart thumped hard against my chest.
He wore a plain, pine grey shirt with some tracksuit bottoms. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened.
"Holy. . ."
My fingers fidgeted around with each other under the table and I offered him a small smile as he continued to intensely gaze at me.
"Hey. .Gage. ."
I stood, beginning to walk to the man who was staring at me in utter astonishment. As soon as I wrapped my arms around him, I felt warmth. It took a moment before he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back.
"I missed your protective ass," I whispered, holding onto him tightly as I tried not to cry.
"Rose," he breathed out, hugging me. He pulled away and met my eyes, his eyes filled with shock. "W-What are you - how did you-"
"Gage, the-"
Then Genevieve entered, standing on her own two feet which surprise me. She had changed so much from the woman who was laying in a coma for a year. Still, she was magnificently beautiful. Her long hair was in a high ponytail and she wore a floral, tight, long dress that showed off the bump.
The bump.
She was pregnant.
She had a ring on her left finger too.
What the actual hell?
You leave for a year and-
He's changed
So, so much
I nervously smiled at her. "Hey, Genevieve. You look so beautiful with that dress," I complimented her with a smile. She looked at me in shock before parting her lips, about to respond until the door opened and Tori entered.
"Oh my gosh! Rose!" She practically screamed, running to me and jumping on me. I was utterly shocked and didn't expect her to jump on me. I fell back into the floor, holding back from crying out from the horrible pain stinging me from the painful bruises on my back.
"You're back! Wait. . .how are you back?"
"Well, come off me and I'll explain," i muffled out, my voice muffled from her hair. She moved off me, a wide grin on her face and held me up. I smiled at her, about to reply until the door opened again.
"So, I gotta carry two babies and holy shit!"
Then there was Dax.
Holding Mira. An older Mira.
And a newborn.
"Rose!"
"Dax!" I laughed back as his wide eyes stared at me. He spluttered, the two children in his arms holding him back from moving.
"Holy shit! Rose! I would hug you but-"
"The last time I smelt paella this food was then-"
"Rose!"
"Jordan!"
"Rose!"
"Jordan!"
"Rose!"
"Jordan!"
Then I was grabbed and spun around in the air. I laughed once I was finally on the ground, hugging him back tightly. "I missed you so, so much, Rose! I swear, I haven't been eating processed or ready made food! I've been learning to cook! Holy shit cakes! What are you doing here! I missed you so much and I love you and don't ever leave me again! Rose, I'm a dad now and-"
"Jordan! What are you doing!"
He pulled away and turned and there was Cameron, holding a baby in her arms, the baby girl's head to her chest.
I looked at her in surprise, smiling. "Hi, Cameron."
Then Gage looked into my eyes and said, "you need to explain everything."
I chuckled, "so do you guys."
So, during dinner, everyone had a chance to explain everything. Cristiano was not there. In fact, he had slipped off while everyone greeted me and I did not even realise.
Starting with Jordan, he was a father to a beautiful little girl named Skye. I held her and she was a sweet baby that had the same blue eyes as her father. Cameron and Jordan were dating but taking things step by step each day at a time.
Genevieve and Gage were expecting a baby boy. They didn't want to wait anymore after losing a year with each other, life was too short. They also got married; it wasn't anything too extreme or extravagant, but a small wedding done in a small period of time. Still, her dad wasn't comfortable with Gage but her mother was.
Dax and Tori were engaged. After I had gone, Tori found out she was pregnant with their daughter, Everly. Mira saw Dax as her father and it seemed they were now an adorable family of four.
I was happy for all of them and how they moved on and made something with their lives. But I was also saddened as Dax and Tori were getting ready to move out to their own home to raise their family. Gage wanted to leave too and eventually, Jordan would.
It was like all five of us had just split. The family wasn't the same anymore - it didn't even feel like they were brothers. I noticed how distant they were to each other. When they spoke to one another, their words weren't filled with kindness and warmth anymore. The guys had changed and it seemed their friendship has gone downhill too.
They had all either prepared for a baby, gotten engaged or married, or made something of their lives. Where did that leave me? I was nothing and I had nothing. My life was falling apart.
As I walked down the stairs, there was Cristiano, gulping down a bottle of water. His shirt was off and on the floor of the boxing ring. He exhaled, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he drank but my eyes were fixed upon his tone, rock hard muscles.
"I need to talk to you," I began, catching his attention. His hazel eyes flickered upwards and locked eyes with mine.
He closed the cap on his waters and wiped his face as I leaned against the ropes, licking my lips.
"Why didn't you stay for dinner? What, do you not like paella anymore?"
His beautiful eyes sparkled as he chuckled softly, a small, sad smile on his face. "No, I love it. . .I just don't eat with anyone anymore."
My eyebrows creased and I looked at him in utter confusion. He added, "things changed between all of us when you were gone. I don't really talk to the guys anymore."
"Oh."
I looked at him in surprise and he averted his eyes elsewhere, licking his lips and clearing his throat. I bit my bottom lip, wanting to be angry but failed and felt sympathy.
Damn me for being so sympathetic and sweet
"I . . . Can't stop thinking about you."
His eyebrows slowly raised in surprise, his eyes filled with indescribable love.
"Like. . ." I hesitated, a lump rising in my throat. I swallowed roughly, my eyes beginning to tingle. "Remember w-when we found out we were pregnant? I think that was the last sweet memory we had together. It's like, from the miscarriage, things just went downhill." I sniffed, my eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"I can't stop thinking about you and it's so annoying!" I bursted, all my confessions coming out. "I still love you, dammit! I still fucking love you and it hurts every single damn time I see you because-because you hurt me so bad! But I hate you! And I love you - I don't know what's wrong with me! You messed up all my feelings."
I sniffed, wiping my cheeks and not caring that the makeup was coming off my face and bringing out my scars. "I just don't understand. We were good, weren't we? Loving you hurts and I just can't forgive you. Why did you do it, Cristiano? I loved you, why? Just why?"
He looked at me, blinking rapidly before looking away to compose himself. The fists by his sides weakened and he buried his head in his hands, exhaling loudly as I watched him. I sniffed once more, wiping my cheeks again.
"I wish I could tell you, mia cara, I wish I could," he whispered, meeting my eyes once more with his pain filled ones. I shook my head at him, struggling to stop crying.
"You don't even wanna know half the stuff Stefani did, Cris," I practically whispered, my voice going quieter. I shook my head at the thought of him, shuddering a little. "You, out of all people, put me through that. That's the worst part."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing softly. "Rose, I . . . I can't ever change what I did, but I can try to make it better."
"What do you want me to do?"
I stared at him, those seven words hitting me.
What do I want him to do?
I didn't even know. I thought for a moment, gazing into his hazel eyes tearfully before responding, "I want you to show me how much you love me and how far you'll go to make things right because despite the fact that I hate you, I still love you and. . .for some reason God just keeps pushing me and pushing me to you even when I don't want to. I need that . . .reassurance or healing you could call it."
"I'll do it. I'll do anything for you."
I stared into his eyes before mine slowly dropped down to his lips. I hit my bottom one and automatically looked away, not wanting to get tempted. I ran my hand through my exhaled in exhaustion.
"Rose?"
I met his eyes once lord. He licked his lips, his eyes studying my face as he told me, "those scars, those memories, the pain will all fade away in time."
I squeezed my eyes closed and changed the subject by saying quietly, "I'm gonna go check on Saph. . .I still hate you."
Then I turned and left, Stefano's haunting face daunting in my mind.
________
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