Chapter 6 He's so Annoying!

Rose's POV

“I think this is too small, it won't fit…maybe the other one will?” he whispered in a small voice. He struggled to pull his arms out of the sleeves, and he could see the difficulty of dragging them out because of the dampness.

“Let me help you with that”, I blurted out. I walked over to give more apportunity to get it off and pulled the hem. However, I quickly realised how stupid it was. Because I’d shifted too close to him, feeling his breath, seeing the heat radiate from his skin. I tried to stay calm, the problem was trying to be so careful and steady but ended up barely grazing his amazing skin, causing my breath to hitch.

Calm down, rose!

I worked quickly, peeling the shirt away, avoiding any further contact with his skin.

“Try this one,” I said, picking up the other shirt and handing it to him. I tried my best not to look him in the eye.

“Okay,” he said, taking the shirt and putting it on. Even without it buttoned up, you could tell it fit him perfectly. “There you go, you can wear this to the party tomorrow,” I said bravely looking him in the eye.

“Yeah!”

“I should be on my way. See you later Remy!” I said, almost letting out a relieved sigh as I made my way towards the door. However, his voice stopped me.

“Rose...”

I stopped in my tracks, inhaled sharply and turned around to see him making his way towards me.

“The bespoke watch with my initials,” He whispered into my ear. His cheek brushed against my cheek giving me a slight shock. “That one was perfect.” I took a few seconds to realise he meant the gifts. When he moved back to look me in the eye, all the air left my lungs.

“Thank you for going to so much effort to get me these gifts.” He said with a small smile, then gently pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. Oh my goodness! Just his touch sent shivers down my spine. “You're welcome!” I squeaked, my face turning bright red with embarrassment. Not wasting any more time I spun on my heels and rushed out of the room. I could have sworn I heard him laugh.

****************

I watched everyone enjoying themselves on the dance floor and having a great time dancing with their partners and friends. My eyes landed on my dad and Mira dancing My eyes landed on my dad and Mira dancing together. They were having a great time. I couldn’t help but smile. They looked so adorable together and my dad looked like he was having an amazing time.

My dad has faced so many struggles since my mum left but didn't stop being the perfect father. I wanted to see him happy and Mira was going to make sure that infectious smile of his never left.

“Hey rose!” A smooth masculine voice broke through my daydream, I looked up to see Remy walking over and sitting on the stool next to me. His blue eyes locked onto mine.

“Hey!” I looked up at him. I didn’t notice what he was wearing straight away. His red shirt looked amazing on him and as always he always had a few buttons undone to show off his muscular chest that not only drew my attention but drew the heads of admirers; ladies.

He smiled slightly. “What’s got you smiling?”

I looked back at my dad and Mira. “Nothing much, just my dad has found someone who really makes him shine. I’m just happy to see him having a great time and being loved.”

“You love your dad a lot?” It was more of an observation than question. “He's all I have but I'm getting Mira as a family now so it means a lot.“

“Speaking of which, you rarely talk about your mom. Why is that?“ His voice held some curiosity to it. Hearing my mothers name however made the smiled slip off my face.

Something had come up inside me, all those old resentments and anger. I hated to do this but as always I pushed it down inside me. “she isn't my mouth.”

“Well she may have given birth to me but she hasn't ever been there for me. Since I was five my dad has been looking after me. So if anyone has always been there for me it has been him and I Know he will always be.”

I said it in a harsh manner but it wasn't directed to him.

“I don't really like to talk about those who have left me in the past. Sometimes its best to just cut people out,” my voice had a slight shaky feel to it.

We sat there in an awkward silence for a matter of seconds while I gazed blankly at the dance floor. Remy broke the silence.

“Here is your favourite, red wine,” he said holding out a glass to me. I blinked in shock.

“How did you know?” I asked in amazement. He just looked at me with a smirk forming on his lips. “Just like how you found out vodka was mine favourite too,” he replied with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

Memories of when I rescued him from temptress Helen's evil grasp back flooding.

“So, you also used to stalk me then?” I asked without thinking.

He looked into my eyes. Something about them made me feel like I had said too much. Dammit. I couldn't take back what I had said. I am such an idiot. Why couldn't I just stay quiet?

“Not really,” he replied with a chuckle. “But, I have seen you sneak out with bottles of wine on more than one occasion.” My face turned a bright pink. I didn't know he saw me back then, sometimes I would stay up after picnics and sneak off to the cabs to have a drink.

I would sometimes wonder off into daydreams about Remy Alexandre. Although, I was praying he hadn't heard my embarrassing noises.

Before I could really get lost in my own thoughts, a voice cut right through the peace. “Hey, handsome.” I looked up and saw her; Helen. I swear, she was more circus than human, decked out in a clown costume instead of anything remotely normal, and she made a beeline straight for Remy, practically breathing down his neck.

Remy’s discomfort was obvious. He shifted away as soon as she got too close, clearly uneasy but trying to play it cool. “Hi, Miss Helen,” he said, clinging to whatever politeness he had left.

She leaned in, all fake sweetness, and that weird little smile creeping across her lips. “I must say, you look extremely handsome today,” she said, trailing her nails along Remy’s cheek. Watching that made my skin crawl. Her fingers slid down to his neck, and I honestly just wanted to punch her right there.

Damn, this woman gets on my last nerve.

Remy’s face said it all, annoyance, confusion, barely contained irritation. He looked just as fed up as I felt, but Helen wasn’t backing off. She clearly wanted Remy and didn’t care who noticed.

“You’re a married woman, Helen,” I snapped, jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth might crack. She just shot me this bold, nasty look. “Well... do you see my husband anywhere?”

What a joke. Either the booze blasted away whatever shame she had left, or she never had any in the first place.

“No, but that wedding ring is right there on your finger,” I threw back, fighting the urge to embarrass her even more. ”So maybe stop acting like some desperate reality show.”

Helen just rolled her eyes, slurred, “Listen, little girl, what we adults do isn’t any of your business, got it?” and stumbled just enough to look ridiculous. She practically dared me to slap her, flicking off her ring and dropping it into her purse. “There, now you don’t have to look at it.”

The audacity. I could practically feel steam coming out of my ears as she nonchalantly ditched her ring, acting like she’d just solved everything. I was seconds from unleashing every insults from the dictionary, but then Remy reached over and gently grabbed my hand. He gave me this tiny, calming smile, and somehow, that was enough to keep me from going wild.

Behind his smile, I caught a hint of desperation, he really didn’t want things to blow up. “Let’s find some other place to sit, Rose,” Remy said, getting up and steering me away from that toxic energy of this bitch.

But she wouldn’t give up. “Wait, let’s have a dance,” she said, reaching for Remy’s hand like she owned him. That was it, I snapped. I stepped between them, blocking her. “Can’t you just get it through that head back f yours that he’s not into you?” I hissed. “Before I toss you out for making a scene, just leave.” She crossed her arms, glaring.

“He didn’t say that yet,” she shot back.

“If hearing it from me will finally end this, then fine,” Remy cut in, his annoyance clear. “I’m not interested, and I have other things to do. Please, just go.”

I saw her shock like she couldn’t believe anyone would reject her so bluntly.

“Did you hear him?” I taunted, and watching her face go through every shade felt weirdly satisfying. “About that dance? He already promised it to me. Better luck next time.” Then I grabbed Remy’s hand and led him to the dance floor, refusing to acknowledge her anymore.

“Fucking bitch,” I muttered, barely audible, while I settled Remy’s hands on my waist and pressed mine to his chest. Damn! I was still angry, but there I was letting him touch me. Where was my dignity?

After a moment, I glanced up at Remy. He looked amused. “What’s so funny?”

“You get angry so fast,” he chuckled.

“You’re an adult, Remy. You should know how to handle women like her,” I said, letting my frustration show. “That’s twice now I’ve had to rescue you.”

He pulled me closer, and his touch sent a shiver down my spine. Suddenly, I was hyper-aware of how close we were. The dance floor was packed, so nobody noticed us, but something electric buzzed under my skin. It wasn’t nerves. It was something else, a feeling I couldn’t name. Why was I feeling this way when the world couldn’t care less about us?

“The colour red suits you, Rose,” he said quietly, pulling me into the rhythm with him.

I shot him a confused look. “But I’m wearing black tonight.” Honestly, I thought he’d gone colourblind or something.

He just smiled, a little mischievous. “I meant the colour on your cheeks. You went pretty red when you got mad.” That threatened to make me blush even harder, but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. “Ha! Funny,” I snapped, tossing my reply back with a sarcastic laugh. He actually laughed, which only made me want to roll my eyes harder.

After a beat, he leaned in and asked, “So, tell me what made you come to my rescue twice?”

“Oh please, you act like you know every secret I have,” I said, letting the words fly without second-guessing them. For once, I didn’t regret it.

He looked at me, almost thoughtful. “You do seem to keep a lot of secrets.”

“Or maybe you just ignore all the signs,” I shot back.

His blue eyes locked on mine. Something about that look sent electricity through me. Then, he spoke again, and the whole mood shifted. “Sometimes, it better to leave somethings that.”

Honestly, screw his philosophy.

I glared at him. “You know what? I should’ve just left you with Helen,” I spat, my anger flaring. “At least I wouldn’t have to deal with your weird wisdom.”

He saw how mad I was, but stayed quiet. I tried to catch whatever meaning lingered behind his expression, but honestly, I didn’t care anymore. I was done playing his games.

“Go back to her and dance!” I fired off, every ounce of exasperation packed into the words. “I’m done.”

I spun away, stomping off the dance floor and refusing to look back. Let him figure it out on his own.