Over the past few days I'd gotten to know Blake a lot better. He made me smile, he took my mind of things. I was actually kinda starting to like him.
He was flirty without pressuring me or being in my face, he was kind, strangely protective, and just.. Blake.
I smiled to myself, bouncing Anna on my hip gently as she gurgled her baby noises.
''What are you smiling about?'' Blake smirked, taking her from me as he walked into the family room.
I blushed, shaking my head, ''Nothing.''
''Nothing?'' he raised his eyebrow.
''Nothing!'' I giggled, hitting his arm.
''Hmm.'' he smirked, walking back out, only to return a second later with the rest of the kids following close behind, shouting and laughing and running.
He winced.
''We got left with all of them.'' he informed me, ''Park?''
''Sure.'' I smiled, excited to spend the day with him. Yeah, there would be like a zillion kids there, but they'd be too busy playing.
I helped all of the children get their coats on and got their hats and scarves secured, discreetly smiling at Blake every so often as he interacted with them. He was so childish, yet mature at the same time, as he talked animatedly with them all, his eyes wide, his smile big and friendly, goofy, at the same time as he fixed their hats and scarves and zipped up their coats.
He was going to make someone a lucky wife one day, and his children were going to love him.
When everyone was ready, we all joined hands, Blake and I on the outside of the chain of children as we made our way across the road to the park. It took us all of 60 seconds to get there and the kids dispersed, running in different directions to all the swings and slides and roundabouts, quickly joining in with other children their age they must have known from school and nursery.
I laughed under my breath at them, shaking my head.
I missed the days when you didn't care who a person was, what they were into, who their family were, where they came from, you just saw the good in them and could make friends instantly.
I felt a warm hand engulf mine, and blushed, looking up at a smiling Blake, cheeks rosy from the cold.
''C'mon.'' he gestured, pulling me towards the swings, where we sat in a comfortable silence, watching the kids running around. This was a great park, and I'd come here a lot when I was growing up, but it'd been so long since I'd seen it.
''So.'' Blake said suddenly.
''So?'' I asked, grinning.
''Why are you here?'' he asked.
''What do you mean?'' my brows furrowed.
He smiled, as though he was laughing at his own private joke.
''Come on, a gorgeous girl like you, mysterious and quite all the time, randomly shows up at her home she hasn't been to in months and doesn't expect questions to be asked? Surely there's more to it than a visit...?'' he said, trailing off curiously.
My smile fell a little, I tried to pull it back but he noticed.
''You don't have to tell me.. I was just curious.. You seem a bit troubled sometimes and I don't like it. I like it when you smile, it's beautiful.'' He grinned.
I blushed and looked down at my hands.
''I just want you to know you can talk to me.'' he finished, taking my hand in his again.
I nodded, meeting his eyes.
''Long story short, had a bad break up, couldn't really stick it there any more. I needed some time away so I packed up my stuff, got my online classes and here I am. I did really miss Uncle Luke and everyone though too, I grew up so close to them, it's really hard to be away for a long time, you know?''
Blake nodded in understanding.
''Mutual or one sided?''
I paused.
''To be honest I don't even know. I guess I'm the one who ended it, but there wasn't really anything there to end any more.''
I sighed.
I didn't like talking about this, but I trusted Blake. There was something about him, something special.
''Well, he was an idiot, Rosie, to destroy something with someone so beautiful.''
I smiled, and he tilted my face up to meet his eyes again with his thumb.
''Thank you.'' I whispered.
He shook his head, wiping the tear that rolled down my cheek.
I found his warm arms around me as he hugged me, comforting me. I lay my head on his shoulder, smiling.
After a few minutes, I pulled back, feeling much better, and we started talking again.
I found out even more about him, and got to see more and more of his playful side every time he opened his mouth.
He was hilarious, everything he said made me giggle.
He was nineteen, although I knew that already, he didn't grow up here though, his parents were back home and he was living with his Aunt, while he studied at university. He was taking art, and music. He had one sister. He got bored easy and didn't have much to do in his free time so took on a job babysitting for Luke about five or six months back, and he loved my family, he said the children were just adorable and could always lighten his mood and the adults were all amazing too.
I told him a lot about myself as well, but we tried to keep away from Josh related topics.
When the children got too cold we headed back home and by now everyone else was there. Abbie and Sam took their kids home, Mike and Chuck had already collected baby Anna before we even went to the park and Kieran and Cara took their kids home as well.
Luke and Sophie came home and listened to their children tell them all about their adventurous day at the park before the kids went down for a nap and the couple went to make dinner.
Everyone went to bed early apart from Blake and I who were watching a movie in the family room. I wasn't tired at all and he didn't seem to be either.
We were sitting a safe distance apart on the sofa, and I could occasionally feel his eyes on me, a smile at his lips, but I tried to ignore that and the feeling I got in my tummy when he did that, and watched the movie.
Somehow, the sounds and voices of the movie started to drift farther and farther away until I couldn't hear them any more, and I fell asleep.
When I woke up, I was so warm, and so comfy, I just didn't want to get up.
I don't remember the bed in the spare room being this comfortable..
As I slowly opened my eyes, I realised I was tucked into Blake's arms, and he was still asleep. I could hear the TV from where it must have been playing all night and the gentle movement of Blake's chest as he breathed.
I smiled, surprising myself by not being uncomfortable and just snuggled further into his embrace. He stirred a little, groaning quietly as he gripped me tighter and pulled me closer, probably still more asleep than awake and not even noticing what he was doing.
I giggled to myself, closing my eyes again, and drifting back to sleep.
Josh's P.O.V
I hurt.
Everywhere.
My body ached, my head hurt, my arms and wrists stung, my stomach was killing me, both from the hang over and the fact I hadn't eaten in weeks.
I hated myself. I've never hated myself so much in my entire life.
I just wanted it all to end. I hadn't been this bad in a long time, but for the first time in ages, I just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.
I had nobody.
Dad, was gone.
Rosie? She left me, he hated me.
My friends? Didn't want to be near me when all I did was be rude to them and not exactly be much fun to be around.
Mom? Avoided the fuck out of me, probably ashamed.
And Sasha? Oblivious as to why her big brother never talked to her any more, why he barely left his room, why he was falling apart.
Why he just wanted it all to end. The pain, to stop.
I wasn't happy, I didn't know how to be happy without Rosie.
I got out of the shower, drying quickly, and struggling to lift my arms above my head or even keep my eyes open long enough to pull on a shirt.
A shirt, that didn't fit me any more, because it was too big.
I went to splash cold water on my face, trying to wake myself up, but I saw the blood splatters on the sink, and felt my stomach turn as I left the sink and threw up in the toilet, wincing.
It hurt, so bad.
I felt the tears prick at my eyes but I rubbed at them angrily, storming back into my room and towards my bedroom door. I got down the stairs and tried to pass the family room into the kitchen, but Sasha called out to me.
''What.'' I snapped.
She ran over to me, her bare feet slapping against the floor before she wrapped her arms around my legs and hugged me.
I could see her smiling, a big childlike smile. She was probably trying to comfort me. I wanted to pick her up and hug her tight, but I didn't. I don't know why I didn't, I just... I dont even know.
''Josh.'' she whispered. ''When is Rosie coming back?'' she asked, her big blue eyes wide and curious as she looked up at me
I stiffened.
''Josh? When's she coming back?'' she urged, shaking my jean leg.
I snapped. I didn't mean to, but I snapped.
''SHES NOT COMING BACK SASHA, GET OVER IT ALREADY! I HAD TO.''
It was true. I'd been weeks and she didn't seem to be coming back. Even then, it didn't matter, she still hated me.
Her eyes filled with tears as she stumbled back away from me and I turned on my heal, slamming my bedroom door after stomping up the stairs and falling into my bed.
I didn't even try to hold it back as I buried my face in my pillow and the tears fell.
Rosie's P.O.V
It'd been weeks, and I was finally starting to heal.
I was happy here, I didn't want to go back. I missed my Mom and my dad, but I didn't want to back to the one thing I'd been successfully hiding from for some time now.
Blake was a big part of all this, I felt like Bella from Twilight to be honest. Josh was my Edward and Blake... Blake was my Jacob.
As I walked past the kitchen, I heard Blake's angelic voice talking, I presumed he was on the phone, with the door shut.
''Naomi-...''
''No, you can't meet her-...''
''She's special-...''
''I know-...''
''I think I lo-...''
I heard him sigh.
''Okay, Love you to sis-...''
I could only hear snippets of what he was saying and I couldn't really understand any of it, and I wasn't particularly interested anyway.
The door opened just as I was about to walk in, and he jumped a little, flushing.
''Where did you come from?!'' he exclaimed, startled.
I laughed.
''Jumpy much?''
He rolled his eyes.
''Where's the kids?'' I asked.
''Nobody home, just us.'' he informed me, smiling.
I smiled back. ''oh okay.''
I sat in one of the kitchen stools, and he sat opposite me, playing with his hands.
''Where you on the phone?'' I asked, curiously.
''Yeah.'' he gulped, with my sister.
I grinned.
''What's your sister like? You've never told me about her.''
He smiled fondly, and told me all about her.
''She's my twin, she's blonde, she's absolutely crazy to be honest. At the minute she's mad in love with her boyfriend ZacK though, she's recently had his baby actually-''
''WHAT!?'' I yelled, my eyes wide.
He looked a bit offended.
''Well I know its young but it's not like she's a wh-''
''No! That's not what I mean!'' I exclaimed, ''I think I know her!''
He gaped, ''seriously?''
''Seriously! Is her baby called Stacy?''
''OhMyGodYes!'' he said.
I laughed. ''She's lovely!'' I told him.
He grinned.
''Wanna make cookies?'' he asked suddenly.
I smiled, ''really?''
''Really!''
I laughed, ''sure why not.''
Soon I found myself carefully studying a recipe book we'd found, while Blake was getting the ingredients as I called them out to him.
I sighed, my weight on one foot as I chewed at my nails in concentration. I could feel Blake's eyes on me, but I ignored him, too busy concentrating, figuring out exactly how to make these and if we had what we needed.
A large pair of hands gently clasped my hips and warn air blew across my neck as Blake's chin rested on my shoulder and I gasped, jumping slightly.
''Look who's jumpy now.'' he challenged, while I burned red.
''Shut up,'' I mumbled, trying to pretend to be busy. His arms stayed around me though and my cheeks remained a burning red.
He turned me around in his arms so that my back was to the counter and my eyes stared up into his sparkling green ones. His eyes dipped down to look at my slightly parted lips and I subconsciously ran my tongue over them to moisten them.
Slowly his eyes came back up to meet mine and slowly, he leant forward.
I didn't notice his hand reach behind me, until poof.
A cloud of white blurred my vision and I coughed, realising what he'd done as he snickered and my brows furrowed in frustration, pushing him away from me.
''BLAKE!'' I exclaimed, grabbing my own handful of flour and chucking it as his back as he ducked away from me.
A handful of chocolate drops showered over me, followed by some more flour, and suddenly we found ourselves rolling on the kitchen floor, laughing, covering each other in cake supplies.
Blake rolled over me so he was on top, his hands carefully guiding me to make sure I was comfortable, before he grinned down at me, keeping his hands around me.
I smiled up at him contently, as he watched my every move.
''Rosie,'' he said quietly. ''I can tell you're not ready yet... and that's okay...''
I bit my lip, knowing where this was going.
''But I really like you, and one day...'' He smiled, ''One of these days I'm going to ask you to be mine.''
His lips came down onto mine so gently I could barely feel them, and slowly, lovingly, he kissed me.