1 "It won't last too long," the girls' friends joked, teasing her about the new fling she had gotten herself into. "You always get bored, why not take a break and spare the poor boy's heart?" one of them added, sitting back in their chair as they turned their gazes onto the younger girl. "Why should I? It's fun." she snapped back, leaving no room for ambiguity. "You don't even have any feelings for that boy, it's wrong." another one chimed in, setting her glass down on the table as the girls were gathered for lunch. "You don't have to have feelings, it doesn't always have to be serious." Rosie rolled her eyes as she turned to pack her belongings back into her purse, getting irritable hearing the scoldings from her friends. "I think what I do is my own business, yeah?" she growled, gathering her jacket as she got up from the table, wishing her friends goodbye as they disembarked from their lunch date.

she began making her way back to her dorms, passing by a small souvenir shop that always seemed to catch her attention, specifically the person working day in and day out, keeping the small shop nice and tidy. "ah! it's you!" the man glanced up from his register, hearing the small bell chiming as Rosie made her way into the shop. he stood up straight waving to her as she glanced around, looking at the new items the store had acquired. "mhm, it's me." she nodded, walking up to the register as she sat her purse down, gazing up to the boy's golden brown eyes. rosie hated to admit it, but they always caught her attention, especially in the sunlight. "what have you been up to recently? been while since you've visited me, heh." he chuckled, resting his arms on the wooden counter, focusing his gaze on her features.

"let me guess, the usual? who are you dating now, hm?" he placed his hand over his mouth hiding his laugh as she rolled her eyes, playfully swatting at him as she scoffed. "none of your business, but in fact, it's been a while, I'm serious this time." she crossed her arms, furrowing her brows as she began going on about the boy she was seeing. he kissed his teeth, feeling a light sense of bitterness in his chest as he raised an eyebrow. "serious? please." he teased her some more, rolling his eyes dramatically as he chuckled a bit hearing her whining. "very serious. it's been a month already, maybe?" she smirked, knowing well it hasn't been that long at all, she just wanted to see his reactions. but he wasn't laughing at her, instead, the room had fallen quiet, Rosie's smile faded as she noticed the boy's expression, one she couldn't quite explain, but she knew for sure how he was feeling, it wasn't anything new to her how he felt about her. and maybe she felt the same way too.

she stayed oblivious, though. lying to herself continuously, she knew this boy loved her, and maybe she even loved him too. commitment isn't something she was looking for, he knew that well. the two settled for being friends, the unspoken rule of their feelings had never been addressed, not once. "hey, leo-" she broke the silence, about to bring that taboo topic to light until as if almost on cue, a customer suddenly came through the door, the two turning their attention to the man as he came up to the front counter. "sorry, rosie. hold on a bit?" the boy cut her off, attending to the customer as he left her at the side. she waited patiently, grabbing her purse as the customer soon made their way out after his purchase.

"sorry, what were you saying?" he turned his attention back to her, gazing down at her expressions. she stood up straight, shaking her head as she hugged her purse against her chest. "mmh, it's nothing. I should go now though, there's class in the morning." she excused herself from his store, barely letting him get in a simple goodbye.

during that walk home, rosie allowed herself to think. thinking long and hard about the boy she's come to know the past couple of months. she tried to shake off her thoughts of him, blaming it on his attractiveness and mannerisms she's come to know recently, however, the more she tried to stop thinking of him, the more he'd pop up in her mind. his brown eyes, his inked arms that he always seemed to catch herself gawking at. she knew how she felt about this boy, and how he felt about her, but she still refused to admit it. she refused to admit she loved him

because of that sense of pride, she distanced herself. dating around from boy to boy to try and distract herself from her feelings, she knew well who she wanted, but she just couldn't and wouldn't admit it. and maybe by chance, that boy felt the same way. maybe, he loved her unconditionally but knew well that she isn't someone who just anyone can have. rosie let her thoughts linger and wander for days, weeks even; thinking about her feelings for leo even as she would sleep through the night. he had a hold on her that no boy could replicate, she loved him.

after a long friday night, rosie found herself back at leo's shop late in the evening. not so sober as she made her way into the dimly lit store. "sorry— we're closed." leo groaned as he came out from the back room, noticing rosie wandering to the counter as she threw her bag onto the table. "rosie?!" he ran up to her, taking her by the shoulder as he glanced around her disheveled appearance, smelling alcohol. "are you drunk? have you been drinking?" he mumbled, a look of concern filling his eyes as he shook her a bit. "hey, look at me." he whispered, tipping her chin as she glanced back up to his features.

maybe under normal circumstances, she would've lied to him, and tried to play off her drunken state. however tonight; maybe it was the alcohol or the way he looked with his hair a bit messy, his tatted arms exposed in his white tank top, or maybe the way he held onto her with care and concern. "i'm confused." she mumbled low, laying her head down on his chest. he furrowed his brows, biting his lip as he didn't know what to say, after all this time he's known her she was never the type to be touchy. 'maybe it's because she's drunk,' he thought, as he placed his arm around her waist, caressing her skin in the dress she wore. "that's.. okay, confused about?" he mumbled low, lowering down to her ears, whispering so only she could hear.

she didn't say anything, only staying in his comforting embrace as she felt his warm hands against her skin. "hey, you okay? let's go sit down, come on." he whispered against her ear, waiting for a response as she only nodded against his chest. he lead her to the back of the shop, turning on the light in his office as she sat against his couch, laying back against the cushions. he swiftly grabbed some water, sitting beside her as he checked on her state. "hey, rosie? what's the matter?" he mumbled low, leaning in against her features as he placed his hand on her arm, caressing her skin. "haven't seen you in awhile, then you show up here in the middle of the night." he sighed, pulling back from her as he gazed down on her expressions. "I've been wondering about you." he bit his lip, itching his head as she turned her gaze away from him, hiding her face in her palms.

she whined, peeking back over at him, lowering her gaze down to his inked arms. "are you mad i came this late?" she mumbled, avoiding making eye contact with him as he swiftly shook his head. "of course not." he sighed, noticing her lowering gaze as he raised an eyebrow. "hm..? something on me?" he teased, crossing her arms as she whined a bit, turning her gaze away from him once more. "mmh.. maybe." she mumbled, turning back to him as she got dangerously close, placing her hands against his chest as she leaned in against his features. "so pretty.."

"me..? pretty?" he chuckled a bit, lowering his arm down to her waist as he pulled her against his build, holding her. "i think.. you're prettier, rosie." he whispered against her lips. rosie placed her lips against leo's, whimpering against his lips as she deepened their kiss, passionately making out with him as he laid back against the couch a little more, allowing rosie to straddle him. he wasn't sure if she felt the same way as he did, he wanted to think that this confirmed his beliefs, even if she might've just been acting on impulse due to her current state. despite this lingering thought, he ignored it, allowing himself to enjoy the moment while he still could.

their slow kissing turned hotter, quickly undressing each other as leo embraced her, whispering soft and sweet words of praise in her ear as he took her. his gentle nature she's come to adore, and love. she loved him and was ready to tell him herself. through sloppy kisses and passionate thrusts, she muttered a soft "i love you." against his lips, not sure if he heard as she didn't receive a response from him. afterward, they were both a sweaty mess as they cuddled with each other against the leather couch in his office, she was exhausted and he was content. playing with her hair and caressing her soft skin as she nodded to sleep in his arms, desperately trying to stay awake. "it's okay, rosie. sleep." he mumbled low against her ear, only to be met with soft whines as she buried her head against his chest, dozing off to sleep as she held him close. he lowered his head against her ear, whispering soft words once more.

"I love you too, rosie."