"Oh, hi, Mrs. Walton. We're just... um..." Rose was undone talking when Mrs. Walton spoke.
"It's all right... You both look like naughty kids who sneaked into your mom's room." she said, looking at their faces.
"Hi, mom. We borrowed one of your lipsticks." Dylan told her.
"Oh, that's mine?" she asked in a surprised tone.
She saw it in Rose's hand. She realized it was one of her most expensive lipsticks. She was a bit upset, but she kept it to herself since her son was having fun with their silly game. "Okay, you can have it." she told them.
"Are you going to stay?" he asked.
"I want to, but work needs me." she answered.
"Okay" he replied.
"That's odd. You're not mad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dylan usually gets mad or become disappointed when she's not staying overnight in the house.
"No, it's okay." he answered. "Rose, give me another one." he told her.
"Here" She put the last object in his hand.
Mrs. Walton was smiling as she was watching them. She was happy her son finally found someone who could handle his behavior.
After their game, Rose grabbed Dylan's phone on the coffee table. "Dylan, smile"
He did.
She tapped the shutter icon and took a photo of his face, then she laughed. "When your sight is back, see all your photos I took in your phone."
Dylan chuckled, but he was unsuccessful in his plan to picture what she looked like even after holding her face several times in their game.
"I'll just get a towel. It's time to clean your 'beautiful' face." she said in an exaggerated tone.
When she came back, she gently wiped his cheeks, nose, chin and forehead.
Meanwhile, Dylan remembered something. "Are you serious about getting a boyfriend at 30? Does that mean you haven't been into a romantic relationship before?" he asked in a curious tone.
"Yes and yes" she answered.
"Why?" he asked, wondering.
"Because I'm not a romantic person. I don't get attracted romantically. I've never been in love. One of my friends told me I'm an asexual person. I don't know what it means, but she said it's what they call to people like me." she answered. She sounded unbothered by it.
"Really? ...I can't believe there are people who can't fall in love." he reacted.
"Yeah, actually, it's also okay for me to live alone until I die. That means I can do whatever I want. No one will tell me what I should do or what I should not. I'm embracing a life with freedom you know. That's why I call myself a wild flower." she told him.
"This is the first time I heard a different description of life. Most people say the same thing. Find a nice job. Get married. Build a family. Grow old, and die peacefully. That's pretty much it." he said.
"Sounds boring to me." she commented. "Mine is like this: Finish college. Get a job. Earn money. Travel. Explore. Get a job again. Earn money. Then, I'll go to another place. Meet different people. Eat different foods. Then, I'll work again. Earn. Then, I'll find another place, and it will go like that until I grow old... I'll die peacefully then." she told him.
Dylan was taken by her words and how she sees the world. It was very much different from his. "You're really a wild flower."
☆•••••○○●○○•••••☆
The next day, Rose didn't show up because it was her day off. Dylan felt bored without her. He tried to call his friends, but they were also unavailable that day.
"Oh god, this freaking silence will kill me." he muttered.
In that moment of extreme boredom, his thirst for sex kicked in. He hadn't done it for more than a month since Patricia left him. When his eagerness kept him restless, at 4 P.M. he told his maid to get him a cab.
Once the cab was ready, Bridgette helped him get inside. Then, he told the driver to take him to Sunny Point Avenue.
"Going to have some fun time, sir?" the driver asked, smiling.
Dylan was a bit embarrassed. "Just take me there."
The driver knew that place was filled with underground strip clubs. After almost half an hour, they arrived. Dylan asked him to take him in front of De Vouge Lounge. He did, because he promised he would pay him double.
When he's there, he also paid the club bouncer to take him inside. After he got a seat, strippers began to surround him. They touched him and kissed him, but oddly, he was unsatisfied.
When they found out he was blind, they began to leave one by one. He was pissed, but he was not sure if he was angry with them or with himself. He didn't stay long. He asked a waiter to assist him outside. He paid the club bouncer again to get him a cab. Once in the car, the driver asked him where he wanted to go. It took him a while before he answered.
"Um... Take me to... to Horde street." he said.
In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived.
"We're here, sir. Where do you want me to drop you off?" the driver asked.
"Do you know an apartment here?" Dylan asked.
"There are a lot of apartments here, sir." the driver answered.
"Okay, never mind. I'll get off here." he said.
He paid the driver and asked him to take him to the sidewalk. When he was there, he took his phone out.
Rose taught him how to use voice access. He gave commands to his phone and called her.
While he was busy, two men nearby noticed him. It's almost 6 P.M. and the sky was beginning to get dark. He was not aware of it.
Him: "Rose?"
Her: "Hey, why'd you call?"
Him: "I'm outside."
Her: "Outside? ...You mean outside your house?"
Him: "No... I'm on the street right now."
Her: "Really? Are you with Max?"
Him: "No... I'm alone." (hesitant)
Her: "What? Where're you going?" (confused)
Him: "Um, well... I'm actually... here on Horde street, but I don't know where exactly. The cab driver told me I'm in front of an old shoe store." (a bit embarrassed)
Her: "What are you doing there?" (shocked)
Him: "Um..." (tense)
Her: "Are you looking for me? Horde street is my street."
Him: "No, I'm just... Um (sighed) Okay, yes. I'm looking for you."
Her: "Why? What do you want? It's my day off today, remember? It's Sunday."
Him: "Well... the truth is... I really got bored alone at home." (embarrassed)
Her: "Oh god, so you came here all by yourself?" (upset)
Him: "Yeah" (low and shy tone)
Her: "Are you crazy? (sighed) All right, I think I know where you are right now." (angry)
She went to the rooftop of the apartment building and tried to find him from up there. At a distance, she spotted someone standing in front of a shoe store she knew, but she couldn't tell if it was him because the place was a bit far.
Her: "Dylan, wave your hand."
Him: "What? Why?"
Her: "Just do it" (bossy)
Him: "That's embarrassing. Waving to no one?" (complaining)
Her: "Do it!" (impatient)
Him: "Fine!" (upset)
When he did it, she confirmed it was him.
Her: "I can see you right now, but you're a bit far from where I am."
Him: "Really? Where are you?"
Her: "On a rooftop. Okay, listen. I will instruct you. Just do what I say, okay?"
Him: "Wait, are you sure I will not get hurt with your plan? Or get hit by a car?" (complaining)
Her: "Dylan, it's getting late. If you don't hurry, I will not see you anymore from up here." (annoyed)
Him: "Can you just come here and pick me up?"
Her: "No, it's not my fault you got stuck there."
Him: "Fine, where should I go?"
Her: "Turn to your right"
Him: "Okay"
Her: "Now, start walking"
Him: "I'll blame you if I stepped on a shit."
Her: "Shut up... Okay, stop. Move two steps to your left."
Her: "Now, walk again"
Her: "Are you really alone?" (bothered)
Him: "Yeah"
Her: "I think someone's following you." (suspicious)
Him: "Whoa, really? Please, don't joke like that." (alarmed)
Her: "Okay, let's see... Stop walking."
When the two men behind him also stopped, she confirmed her suspicion.
Her: "Walk again. Do it a little faster this time."
Her: "You're about to cross a road."
Him: "Am I really being followed?" (nervous)
Her: "Yes"
Her: "Okay, the green light is on. Run!"
Her: "Stop. Turn to your left... Now, walk straight. Don't stop. I'll meet you down there."
Rose hurried to the stairs. She went back to her room and grabbed something, then she ran back to the stairs. When she reached the ground floor, she kept running through the hallway towards the exit door. Once out, she saw a man pressing Dylan against the wall.
"Get away from him." she said in a firm and fearless tone.
The two men looked at her. One of them pulled a hand knife out of his pocket.
"I said get your fucking asses away from him or I'll shoot your fucking brains out of your fucking heads." she threatened in a mean and serious voice.
"Whoa, chill out young lady." the man with a knife said. He put his weapon back in his pocket and raised his both hands in front of him.
The other man did the same. "Fine, we'll go. Just take it easy with that gun, okay?" he said as they were slowly moving backwards.
Then, they fled.
"Tsk! It works every time... Okay, they're gone now." Rose told Dylan.
He was still on the wall unmoving and breathing heavily.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind to come here alone? ...See that? You almost lost your neck." she told him in an upset tone.
"Do you... Do you really have a... a gun?" he asked in a terrified voice.
"Oh, this? Don't worry. It's just a toy. Here." She handed it to him.
He confirmed it was really just a toy because it was lighter compared to a real gun.
"I always bring that... Just put up a bit of drama and no one can ever hurt you. Clever, huh?" she told him, chuckling.
Then, all of a sudden, it started to rain.
"Oh, shit" Rose grabbed his hand and took him inside.
*
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*
To be continued....
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