3 GUYS, A GIRL, AND A ROSE
Chapter Forty

"Honey, I'm home!" Jack said.

Rose ran out from his room with her hair wet. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"So, let me see what a great job on my clothes was done," Rose said.

"All right, miss." Jack led the way to his bedroom and dropped the laundry bags on the bed. He opened the green bag first and dropped all the clothes onto the bed.

"No folding?" Rose asked.

"It's not our thing. Washing is one thing. Folding is out of our league," Jack said. Rose laughed.

"These look cleaner than when the housekeeper washes my clothes!' Rose said, picking up one of Jack's shirts.

"I told you Christina is a miracle worker!" Rose searched through her pile of clothes, picking out a bra.

"This isn't mine," Rose said, holding it up.

"What?"

"This isn't my bra!" Jack turned to look at her, recognizing it.

"Oh, that's Chris's lucky bra. Must have gotten mixed up." Jack heard his phone ring and left to pick it up.

"Hello!" Jack said, when he picked it up.

"Jack! You have my lucky bra!" Christina said, on the other end.

"I know! Rose picked it out from the bag."

"Oh, Jesus! I needed that bra! Speaking of lucky things, I have your lucky boxers!"

"My lucky boxers?"

"Yeah. The ones that say lucky on them!"

"Oh, those!" Jack said.

"Well, give me my bra back tomorrow!"

"Will do!"

"Talk to you later! Love ya!" Christina said.

"Love ya, too! Bye!" Christina hung up first and Jack went back to the bedroom. He stood by the door to see Rose folding clothes.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"Folding. It may be out of your league, but not out of mine. My housekeeper taught me how to fold."

"Well, you're doing a magnificent job." Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer.

"I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too."

With that, they kissed and made love.

*****

Christina sat on her couch flipping channels She was feeling kind of nauseated, but a lot better than when she woke up.

There was a knock on her door and she quickly got up to answer it. She looked through the peephole and saw Fabrizio's face.

"Pizza delivery!" Fabrizio said, when she opened the door.

"Get in here!" Christina said.

"Thought you might be hungry!" he said, putting the box down on her coffee table.

"I am feeling a little sick. Ugh…I got drunk last night and don't really remember anything. I just remember coming home."

"Tommy told me you got drunk. He said nothing bad happened. You went to sleep. That's about it. I've waited to get drunk with you!" Fabrizio said.

"Twenty-first birthday! We'll both get crazy!"

"That's not for another eighteen months!"

"Hey! It's better than nothing!"

"It's worth the wait. So, you did your laundry today?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Laundry bag by the couch."

"Right. Jack and I did our laundry together like we used to! We mixed up our clothes. So, I have his lucky boxers and he has my lucky bra!"

"Lucky bra? Is that the black one with the pink lace? Victoria's Secret?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Once you wore a white shirt I could see through. You were wearing that bra! It makes your boobs look great! No wonder it's your lucky bra!"

"Pervert!" Christina said, punching his arm. "But thank you!"

"No problem!"

"Jack told me that Rose is spending the whole week with him. He said they told her driver to tell her mom she is staying with me!"

Fabrizio broke out with laughter. "Ha! Rose spending a week with you! It'd be a miracle if she stayed alive!"

"You're telling me! I wanted Tommy to come tonight as well, but he had to cover for someone at work tonight."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Tommy."

"I love hanging out with Tommy. Before, it was all about hanging out with Jack, but we all know who he is with now. Tommy started asking me to hang out with just him!"

"Well, Tommy loves ya! He'd do anything for you!"

"If it weren't for him, I would have never made it to the hospital."

"You never thought about Tommy being more than just a friend?" Christina started to laugh.

"What? Tommy and I? No! I'm sure he hasn't, as well! We're just friends!"

"If you say so. I'll be back. Have to use il bagno!" Fabrizio got up from the couch and left to the bathroom.

Christina started to think of what Fabrizio said. Was it possible that Tommy liked her? She didn't know. As far as she was concerned, she just loved Tommy as a friend, nothing more. What if Tommy did like her as more than a friend? No! That was impossible!

*****

Tommy rested on his couch before he was ready to go to work. He was unable to get Christina off his mind. Especially after last night, she was all he could ever think about.

There were many times when he just wanted to tell Christina how he felt. However, he was afraid. Afraid that he would just end up being rejected. That nothing could possibly ever happen between them. Mostly he didn't want to tell her because she was still in love with Jack. There was no way he was going to tell her while she was still in love with someone else.

Tommy began to wonder. What if she knows how I feel? She just doesn't want to acknowledge it? That's stupid! Of course she doesn't know!

*****

"Maybe we don't have to get out of bed. This could be our spot for the whole week!" Rose said. She was laid out on top of Jack. His hands went up and down on her back as she wrapped her arms around him.

"We all have to get up sometime! Plus, I'll show you all around Brooklyn! It's much different than the city."

"I've noticed."

"I wonder if Christina works tonight. Then we can go to the pub. I highly doubt it, though. She was kinda sick when I saw her," Jack said.

"I’d rather say here and have you all to myself!" Rose said, kissing him.

"It's a plan! I have no idea how I was so lucky to have found you!"

"It doesn't matter. As long as I have you, I'll be all right."

"You're still so young."

"I'm eighteen. Then, I'll be nineteen in October. We're only a four year difference. Cal and I were six years apart."

"You're just amazing!"

"I wish my mom could see the same thing I see when I look at you."

"You want your mom to be in love with me?" Jack teased.

"No!" She laughed. "That's just weird!"

"Yeah. That's why I asked."

"Someday she's gonna see the man I see in you! Somehow she sees it in Cal!"

"She sees his money!"

"You're right. That's all she sees."

Rose rested her head on his chest. She wondered how it was that she came to be in love with Jack. She had never met someone like him before. Jack was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He had filled up the space that was left empty when her dad died.

There was still some weirdness when it came to Christina. Rose still felt intimidated by her closeness with Jack. She wondered if there was ever a time when Jack saw Christina as more than being just a friend.

Chapter Forty-One
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