CHAPTER SEVEN: UNEXPECTED FLOWERS

"Just one instruction, Aella, just one. Don't get drunk, just that, but you still couldn't keep to it." Roman says with a clenched jaw.

I look at him. Like really looked at him. I observe his features, tightened by anger, and can't help comparing him to a fallen angel. I lean all my weight on him, not particularly concerned about how crazy I might look.

"It's not her fault, I got the drink and forced it down her throat." Georgia says, slurring on the words.

"Noooo, that's not true, I was a willing participant." I manage to squeeze out in my drunken state.

"And trust me, princess, you will pay for it." Roman interrupts.

"Why do you always have to be a killjoy? Who gave you the right to tell me whether or not to drink?" I ask angrily, probably jumbling all the words due to alcohol influence.

"No one." "Absolutely no one gave me any right, I took it for myself." Roman says, "And the sooner you understand that, the better it will be for you."

"Why can't you just be like every other normal boy and give me flowers every day until I fall in love with you and agree to be your girlfriend, rather than shove the title down my throat." I almost screamed at him, shocked at the composed nature in which I delivered my speech, considering how drunk I was.

"I'm no boy, Aella." Roman responds before leading me down the massive stairs and after a series of hallways, we end up at a door which apparently leads to the back of the mansion which is just as elegant as the front side.

Roman is quiet the rest of the way back to the car, and only when we get to the car does he ask, "Is that the kind of guy you want? The one that gives you flowers every day?"

I turn to look at his side profile, "That can never be you, and just like you said, I have to understand that."

I hold my breath, not knowing where that came from. It sounded as though I was now almost accepting of this whole situation.

He nods stiffly in acknowledgement before starting the car, and soon, we are on our way back to the hostel.

He doesn't say anything to me until we arrive at my dorm. He turns off the car, and I try opening the door but find that the child lock is engaged. We sit in silence for a few minutes. I'm already thinking about the softness of my bed and how fast I can make it up to my room to vomit the contents of my stomach.

"You get a pass this time." Roman says to me.

"Oh, thank you, for forgiving this, your impertinent slave. Where would I be without your mercies?" I say sarcastically, knowing fully well he was referring to my getting drunk.

He laughs at my antics, "Stay put." He says before stepping out and around the jeep to my side. He pulls open the door and lifts me into his arms, then he kicks the door shut, engaging the lock with the keg fob in his hands.

I wrap my arms around his neck for the second time that night once more, enjoying the feeling of being carried bridal style.

"Will you ever drop me?" I ask out of nowhere. I'm definitely not referring to him carrying me, but about our whole situation. In my drunken state, I reason that maybe one of the reasons I'm not letting go is my fear that one day he would leave me high and dry without so much as an explanation.

When he doesn't answer, I ask again, "This is not a game right for you, right?"

After some moments, he finally responds in a solemn tone, "I would never hurt you."

I don't bother telling him that, that was never my question. I don't bother pointing out that we all hurt each other, either intentionally or unintentionally. That, that is just human nature.

I close my eyes as he leads me up the stairs, feeling the silent tears roll down my cheeks. I'm fully aware that all my initial inhibitions were falling away. I'm back to the state where I'm willing to put my heart on the line just for a few moments of affection from someone. I don't blame myself, though, this was always bound to happen. It's not my fault that my dad doesn't love me enough or at all for that matter.

When we get to my door, he puts me down gently before peppering soft kisses all over my face. He backs me against the door before kissing me gently on the lips, and I'm very grateful I didn't give in to the urge to throw up on our way here.

He bites my lips softly, and at my small gasp of surprise, he plunges his tongue into my mouth. He tastes like pure man and vodka, while I naturally hate vodka, on him, the taste was just so intoxicating. I close my eyes and feel it all, the butterfly feelings in my lower abdomen, the feeling of little ants creeping down my spine, the heady and intoxicating feelings of walking on a cloud, all of it.

The door opens wide behind me, and if not for Romans's arms around my waist, I would have fallen flat on the floor. I entangle myself from Roman at the clearing of throat coming from Aella.

"Good night, princess." Roman says, and with one last peck on the cheek, he turns and walks away.

We both watch his retreating back for a moment before Asley shuts the door with a bang and goes on to scream my ear out. I diligently ignore her and collapse on my bed out of tiredness.

"I just want to sleep, Ash." I say in response to her hundreds of questions.

She concedes and finally asks, "Where did you get the dress from?"

I immediately spring from the bed and carefully take the dress off before placing it on our tables. I make a mental note to return it to Roman as well as the earrings and purse.

"Goodnight Ash." I say, and soon I'm off to dreamland.

_______________________

"Aella." A voice says from very far away.

The voice calls again, and this time, it's almost as if I'm underwater.

Then the shaking starts. It's almost as if someone is about to pull my arms out of their sockets. I roll away from the pain and discomfort, but the voice still follows me, and the shaking almost becomes violent.

I mumble incoherently, trying to get whoever it is to leave me alone, but they refuse to take heed.

The shaking stops, and I'm so glad as I get more comfortable, trying to go back fully to sleep.

However, the person being Ashley, refuses to take no for an answer, and soon she drags me from the bed, and we are both on the floor.

"Ow." I say, clutching my head where it had hit lightly on the floor.

"What is your problem? Why won't you let me sleep?" I ask with a deep frown and with murder intentions in my heart.

"Duh, apart from the fact that you have classes this morning, there is a guy currently outside our door saying he has a package for you and therefore requires your signature." Ashley says while rolling her eyes.

I groan internally, suddenly remembering my stepmother's package of weight loss pills.

I get up from the floor and move to the door with the intention of telling the delivery boy or man to take it back and shove it up Kate's ass.

I however stop short at the amount of flowers I see, bouquets upon bouquets of roses and it figures that they are all irises, my most favorite species of flowers in the world. I can literally give you the history of the iris flowers, of how its history can be traced back to ancient Greece.

"Good morning, I'm looking for one Miss Aella." The delivery guy says while sizing me up.

"That's me." I respond in a very quiet tone, still shocked at the amount of flowers, I'm visibly counting five bouquets already.

"I know right!, that's how shocked I was when I saw the amount of flowers." Ashley says from beside me.

"You just have to sign here, here and here." The delivery guy whose name tag says Todd says to me.

"Who sent this?" I ask, still refusing to believe the flowers were for me. The only other person who knew my favorite flowers were iris, was my dad, and it was very unlikely that he would spend this many resources on getting me something as intangible as flowers. His words, not mine.

"I'm sorry ma'am, we pride ourselves on customer's confidentiality." The delivery guy says with a small smile.

"Well, then I won't sign it." I say with a haughty scoff.

The delivery guy looking visibly stressed says nothing to me.

I eventually take the notepad from him and sign on the dotted lines pointed out to me. When I'm done, he helps us take the flowers inside the room and by the time he's gone and we are settled, there is almost no leg space in the room due to the number of flowers covering everywhere.

"I bet it's Roman that sent all this." Ashely says giddily.

"I honestly doubt, because how did he know my favourite flowers are irises?" I ask, baffled.

"Oh look! There's a note on this one." Ashley says excitedly, handing it over to me.

"Read it out loud." Ashley demands, vibrating from excitement.

"This is not a compromise, merely a concession, I'm trying hard to become the kind of man you want, princess" I read out loud and at the term of endearment I know full well in my heart that this was all Roman's doing.

I'm still shocked that he knows my favourite flowers, but like he said that day at the lake, he knows me just as much as I know myself, if not more.