3 GUYS, A GIRL, AND A ROSE
Chapter Forty-Seven
It had been two hours since Tommy had found
Christina gone from her hospital room. He had immediately alerted her mother.
Tommy had had Fabrizio and Jack come along with him as he had driven around
Brooklyn looking for her. Rose, of course, had come along. They had searched
everywhere--the parks, train stations, restaurants, and her apartment.
Tommy had the keys to her apartment, since he
had grabbed her purse on the way to the hospital. It had been one of the first
places they had checked. They had figured that she might have gone back there,
but her place had been vacant. Jack had asked her landlord if he had seen her
around. He was desperately worried about her.
For all he knew, she could have been killed
in an alley. Someone could have raped her. He remembered her mother yelling in
Spanish at her stepfather. If she had only known what her daughter had been
feeling for the past eight months, the heartbreak she had felt, the way she had
cried to herself each night.
If only she had known all that, it would not
have come to this. She had thought that her daughter was insane. It had been
going to lead to her being sent to a place that she did not belong. The only
solution Christina had been able to come up with was running away.
The guys were all tired from searching. They
decided to give up, in hopes that she would come around. As long as she was all
right, that was all that mattered.
*****
After Jack stepped into his apartment, he
dropped himself onto the couch. Rose looked at his concerned face. There were
wrinkles on his forehead from all his worrying. He looked tired and worn out
from all the events of today.
It was a shame, though, that Rose had no idea
about Jack and Christina's heated kiss. He didn't want to hide anything from
her, but he didn't want to hurt her, either. He loved them both very much, and
now he was confused.
There was Christina. His best friend. The
beautiful girl with the I don't give a fuck attitude. The girl who always made
an occasion joyous. Her spunk that aroused everyone when they spoke to her.
Christina, the girl who turned heads as she walked by. The girl who had caught
the attention of two men, causing them to fall madly in love with her.
Then there was Jack's beautiful Rose. His
girlfriend. The sweet soul and free spirit. Her good heart. The tendrils of her
red, curly hair. The Rose who had captured him with her smile. When she looked
at him, it made him feel like he was floating. The one who wasn't afraid to
show her body. The girl who was able to snatch a man's heart away.
The differences between the two girls. They
were both beautifully breathtaking. It was no wonder they both had Jack's
heart. He didn't understand why it had to be this way. Why couldn't he just be
in love with one woman? The games love plays to one’s heart. He was a fool to
think he could just snap Christina out of that area like it was nothing.
Yet, Jack was drawn to Rose. He loved the way
she kissed him. The way she always snuggled up with him. How she was always
there for him. She was a drug he desperately needed. He felt bad for kissing
Christina, but something had come over him. I'll just act like it never
happened! Yeah, that's it! Never happened! Jack told himself.
"You look tired, Jack. Are you all
right?" Rose asked him.
"Yeah. I'm perfectly fine!" Jack
answered.
"Good," Rose said, and sat on his
lap. Jack gave her a kiss, but his guilt took over him, and he pulled away
instantly. Rose knew that something was up, but didn't want to question him.
"Can we just lay down?" Jack asked
her.
"Sure," Rose answered. He lay back
on the couch, and Rose cuddled up to him. Jack could keep telling himself that
he could forget kissing Christina, but he knew that he couldn't. Deep down, he
had enjoyed every minute of it, and he felt like doing it again.
*****
A tired Tommy didn't feel like going home
right away. He looked at the passenger seat next to him to see Christina's bag
lying there. Where are you, sunshine? Where did you go? were the
questions that Tommy asked himself over and over again. Everything was going to
be all right. He had compromised with her mother to let her stay if she went to
Connecticut for the summer. There was no chance of that now.
Christina's escape from the hospital had only
made things worse. Isabella was convinced that her daughter was a lunatic. He
thought it best right now if Christina stayed away from her mother. He might
not be able to see her again.
After dropping Fabrizio off, he decided to go
on a search by himself. Still no sign of her. He didn't know where she could
be. God forbid that he found her dead in an alleyway or some slum area. Tommy
didn't even want to think of the worst that could happen.
The one person he loved had a life that was
falling apart. Everything was wrong. There was not a moment of peace that went
by for Christina. Oh, how he wanted to be there for her. Hold her and tell her
that everything was going to be all right. There was just too much destruction
going on in her life.
After an hour of searching for her, he gave
up and decided to go home. He really hoped that nothing was wrong, and that
Christina wouldn't do anything drastic--again.
Tommy took his keys out of the ignition and
stepped out of his car with her bag. It was frustrating looking for parking in
Brooklyn--anywhere in New York, for that matter.
He stepped into his apartment building and
pounded on the buttons of the elevator. He was a tired, nervous wreck and just
wanted to go to bed. The first thing he decided upon doing in the morning was
searching for her.
As he stepped out of the elevator, he walked
to his door, his head down. His hand was in his pocket, playing around with his
keys. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen his wallet around. Maybe
I left it at home without realizing it and thought I brought it with me! he
wondered.
He took his keys out, picking the one for his
door. He hummed himself a little tune in his head. Just as he arrived at the
front of his door, he saw Christina sitting on the floor in front of it.
*****
It had felt like she was on a mission
impossible. There wasn't even an escape plan. She just did it. Her mother
buying her clothes and seeing Tommy's wallet were all too tempting--not like
she had been stealing his wallet, though. She had just been borrowing money.
Christina was going to pay it back. All she had needed was cab money.
She had quickly taken off her hospital
clothes and changed into her outfit. Then she had grabbed his wallet. She
couldn't leave without the daisies Tommy had bought her, so she had taken them
along with her. Christina had dashed out of the room, seeing the exit stairwell
and running out to the side of the hospital. Luckily for her, there was a car
service office nearby and she had immediately gotten a car. God forbid that
anyone had seen her outside waiting for a car.
It was then that she had realized that there
was no getting inside of her apartment. The only place she had known to go to
was Tommy's. For some reason, he was the only one she had trusted at the
moment. She had kind of liked it. It was like Tommy was her bodyguard. Her
protector. He was always there for her, and they had connected on an emotional
level. It had always felt right with him, no matter what the situation was.
However, she just couldn't tell him everything when it came to Jack.
She had just known, though, that he was the
only one she could turn to at a time like this. So Christina would just wait in
front of his door until he came home and found her.
*****
"Christina, what are you doing
here?" Tommy asked her. Christina stood up from the floor and dusted her
butt.
"I was waiting for you," Christina
replied, clearly tired. Tommy pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. She
responded by throwing her arms around him. He pulled away and kissed her
forehead, removing strands of hair from her face.
"Thank God you're all right! You know
how scared we all were when you ran away?" Tommy practically yelled,
cupping her face in his hands.
"I'm sorry! I just couldn't stay there,
knowing that my mother was going to send me into a crazy house after
this!" Tommy sighed as he looked at her. He opened the door and led them
both inside. "You're the only one that I trust right now, Tommy."
"You really shouldn't have run off like
that, sunshine," Tommy told her as she sat down on his couch and placed
the daisies on the table stand next to it.
"You're not going to tell anyone I'm
here, are you?" she asked, starting to tear up. It was hurting him to see
her like this. He knelt down before her and held her hands.
"No! I wouldn't do that to you! Whatever
you want, you got it!" Christina smiled at him.
"Thank you. I really need you right
now." Christina threw her arms around his neck, and he patted her back.
"Everything will be all right," he
said, and broke free from her embrace. "Here's your purse, by the
way." He handed it over to her. "Which brings me to ask you…how did
you get here?"
Christina looked down, feeling ashamed of
what she had done. "I took your wallet. I put the change from the cab in
there, as well. I'm sorry. I'll pay you back!" Christina reached into her
bag and grabbed money out of it. "Here!"
Tommy laughed and shoved her hands away.
"It's okay. It doesn't matter, as long as you're safe."
"Thanks."
"There is a problem, though. Since you
ran away, your mother is convinced that you are indeed insane. She wants to
lock you away. You really should have not run away. I had convinced her to let
you stay as long as you went to Connecticut for the summer."
"What? Shit, I ruined everything!
Really, Tommy, you can't tell anyone I'm here!"
"I won't. I promise you that. Now, do
you want me to take you home?"
"No! I can't go there! Not now, at
least. Let me stay here for a while!"
"All right. Is there anything you
want?"
"Yeah. A shower!"
*****
Christina took her clothes off and walked
into the shower. She turned the faucet on, letting the water soothe her. It was
relaxing to her. She lathered herself with the soap, scrubbing her whole body.
She let the water soak her hair. Christina
felt as if it needed some cleansing. It all felt too good for her. The last
time she had taken a shower was the night before, but it had been a depressing
one. The water had felt too cold, making her feel as if she was in the freezing
water of the Atlantic Ocean after the Titanic sank.
Not wanting to waste the warm water from
being in the shower too long, Christina turned the faucet off and stepped out.
She wrapped the long black towel around her body. With another towel, she dried
her hair. Her hand wiped the fog off of the mirror and she looked at herself.
She felt livelier than she had for the past few days.
Afterwards, she left the bathroom to see
Tommy reading a book as he sat on the couch. Christina looked at him,
inspecting his physical features in a way she hadn't before. Tommy really was a
handsome guy. Not that she hadn't known that before, but it was more clear to
her now. She had just been too fixated on Jack to notice.
Christina snapped herself out of her stare
and coughed to get Tommy's attention. He turned his focus on her. He just
stared at her, not able to take his eyes off her. There went his fantasies again
about his beautiful friend.
"Um…Tommy…are you okay?" Tommy
shook himself at the sound of Christina's voice.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. There's some
clothes on my bed for you."
"Okay. Thanks." Tommy looked on as
she went into his room. It seemed to him that the more he looked at her, the
more beautiful she got.
When she stepped into his room, there was a
pair of blue plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She came to the
realization that the only underwear she had was the pair she was wearing
before. Luckily for her, she always kept an extra pair in her purse just in
case of an emergency. She dashed out into the living room, smiled at Tommy,
grabbed her purse, and ran back into his room. She changed into his clothes and
looked into his mirror. Being the girl that she was, like any other girl, she
even had a brush in her bag.
Christina passed it through her long, wet
hair. It seemed to be that the more she brushed it when it was wet, the quicker
it dried. As weird as it might sound, Christina liked that. She hated wet hair.
When she was done, she went back into the
living room. Tommy was watching wrestling. Christina smiled and seated herself
next to him, where she planted a kiss on his cheek. Tommy looked at her and
blushed, placing an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his.
They watched what was left of the program.
Christina was yawning, and her eyes were feeling heavy.
"I'm so tired," she said.
"You wanna go to bed?" Tommy asked
her.
"I think I should. I'm beat."
"All right. Go lay on my bed."
"Where are you going to sleep?"
Christina asked.
"I'll just crash here on the
couch." Christina smiled, knowing that it was just like Tommy to give
something up for her.
"Why don't you stay with me the night? I
really don't want to be alone. Please?" Christina pleaded. Of course,
Tommy wasn't going to say no. He just smiled, and Christina knew the answer.
He followed her as she went into the bedroom.
They both lay on the bed together. Christina curled up to him and wrapped her
arms around him. Tommy was relaxed with her next to him and wrapped his arms
around her body.
"Good night, sunshine."
"Good night, and thank you for
everything, Tommy," Christina said, and kissed his mouth. Tommy felt like
he was floating above the bed, and started to blush. He watched her close her
eyes and fall asleep in his arms. He planted a kiss on the top of her head,
intoxicated by its scent. He hoped everything would be all right after this. He
admired her beauty for a little bit, and eventually fell asleep next to the
girl he loved.
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Turning in circles confusion
Is nothing new
Flashback to warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories,
Time after.
Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you have said
And you say go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds.
If you're lost you can
look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time
Time after time.
After your picture fades
and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows I'm wondering
If you're okay
And you say go slow
I fall behind
The drum beats out of time.
If you're lost you can
look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time
Time after time.
Song: Time after Time
Artist: Eva Cassidy