The Little Rose

Who am I?

I cringed in shock when the door slammed shut behind him.  Him.  I didn't even know his name.  Of course I didn't even know my own name... What was going on?  Looking around the sparsely furnished, single room dwelling I had no idea how I had gotten here.  I tried to remember the last thing I could, but it was nothing.  I remembered nothing besides waking up on that thin little mattress on the floor.

My eyes trailed back to the door and I wondered what had made him so mad.  Had I done something to him ?  Had I offended him in some way?  Pulling the piece of cloth I had draped around me tighter I began looking around the small room for anything else I could wear, I may not know who I am or who he was, but I knew I needed to cover my body.  Walking around the room felt odd, my legs were wobbly and my feet were extra sensitive to the small splinters in the wooden floor boarders.

In a bag in the corner I found a few different items of clothing, all of them looked much to big for me, but I needed something to cover my self.  Pulling out a green shirt, I let the sheet float to the floor and pulled the piece of clothing over my head.  It fell to just above mid thigh, which worked, everything was covered now after all.  Pulling my hair out of the collar of the shirt I pulled it into three sections and began braiding it loosely over my shoulder while I looked around the small cabin again, taking everything in.  

I knew right away that there was no way I belonged here.  There were no feminine items in the dwelling at all, that I could see.  When I finished braiding my hair I picked the sheet up off the floor and moved to throw it back on the makeshift bed, only to see the corner of something poking out from under the pillow my head had been resting on only a short time ago.  Looking at it curiously I bent down and pulled the item out from under the pillow, as I lifted it to my face I realized it was a small photo album.

Glancing at the door I was unsure if I should pry, but my curiously got the better of me and I flipped it open, looking over the photos of what looked like a happy family.  Two pretty girls, who looked to be in their late teens were hugging a boy who looked like he may have been the younger version of the man who'd just stomped out of the cabin. His hair hadn't been as long, but just enough to be considered shaggy as it fell across his forehead.  The two girls beside him looked both similar and very different.  One was tall, with white blonde hair and blue eyes and one was much shorter, with long brown hair and brown eyes.  All of them had a similar smile and the same sparkle of life and happiness in their eyes.

The next photo was the same trio at some event, with the boy now wearing padded gear and holding a ball, while the blonde girl was smiling in an outfit that resembled the boys but with more skin showing and the brown haired girl stood between them wearing a jacket.  I flipped to the next page and it was a photo of the browned haired girl with a young man with black hair and blue eyes, he was much taller then her, but the way he held her said they were very much in love, and I felt a pang of envy.

The next photo sent sorrow flooding through my veins, though I had no idea why.  On a couch sat the man I'd just met, but leaned against him was a pretty girl with long frizzy hair and black rimmed glasses perched on her nose, his hand was on her swollen stomach as they both looked at the camera, big, bright smiles of happiness on both of their faces.  It was a beautiful moment, frozen in time, and just a glimpse of it sent sadness and love coursing through my veins 

"What are you doing with that?"  I heard a deep growl behind me and clutched the small photo album to my chest in fright as I spun back towards the door, and the tall and incredibly handsome man glaring at me. 

"I-...I..."  I wasn't sure what I was trying to say, but I couldn't get it out.  He was glaring at me again, anger and hate shinning in his gorgeous silvery blue eyes.  He had water dripping from his long dirty blonde hair and down his bare chest and abs, disappearing into the waist band of the shorts sitting low on his hips. And oh boy what a body for those water droplets to slide down. 

"You seem to have a problem answering simple questions."  He snarled at me even as he crossed the space between us in a heart beat and snatched the small photo album out of my hands.  I expected him to take it and turn and leave like he did last time, but instead he stood before me, his body just inches from mine.  His proximity had my heart racing and my breath drawing in in short bursts.  His silvery eyes were searching my face as if he'd find all the answers we both wanted there.  I just watched him as I witnessed emotion after emotion flint through his eyes.  When his gaze met mine his eyes hardened instantly and he took a step back, like he thought I'd burn him.  

"I'm sorry."  I mumbled, not sure what exactly to say.  But he was right, I did seem to have a problem answering simple questions.. especially with him so close.  He smelled divine, like the sea and sunshine.  I didn't even know someone could smell like sunshine.  "I shouldn't have touched it without permission."

One of his eyebrows shot up arrogantly as he watched me cautiously, he didn't trust me at all, not that I could blame him.  I didn't trust me.  

"So... if you don't know who I am, how did I come to be in your home and in your bed.."  I trailed off for a moment before adding the last part with a softly chuckled. "Naked, I might add."

Both of his eyebrows shot up in surprise this time before scrunching together low over his eyes.  He turned from me and moved to the opposite side of the room, putting the small photo album on the table and keeping his back turned to me.  "I found you, on the beach yesterday evening.  You were already... with out clothes."  I couldn't see his face, but I just knew he blushed as he said that last part, I could hear it in his tone.  

"Thats rather odd.. isn't it?"  Something in me said that being found on a beach, naked and without memory is definitely not normal, but how would I know when I can't even remember my own name.

"Yeah, I'd say its odd.  I've lived here, alone, for six years and I have never found another person washed up on the shores."  He still had his back turned to me, his words curt, but I'd gladly take curt over the angry snarls he'd been giving me.  "Can you really not remember your name?"

"I can't, I'm sorry... I don't know why I can't remember who I am."  I sighed in exasperation, wrapping my arms around my self for comfort.  "I honestly can't tell you a single thing about myself.  I tried to think of the last thing I could remember, but nothing comes to mind past waking up this morning."  I heard him  snort in disbelief and narrowed my eyes at his bare back, ignoring the flush of heat that trailed up my neck as my eyes trailed over the muscles there.  "Excuse me?  You don't believe me?"  I asked in confusion.

"Of course I don't believe you!  This isn't the movies, this is reality, and in the real world beautiful young women don't wash up on beaches naked with no memories."  He spun around and advanced on me, his hands going to my shoulders and gripping them tight enough to make me cringe in pain.  "Stop lying to me!  She sent you, didn't she?  To torture me?  She hasn't put me through enough in the past seven years?  She just had to continue her little game?!"  He was yelling now while his hands held my shoulders in a bruising grip.  I felt tears prick my eyes as fear washed through me, but I also felt anger and pride well up with in my chest, giving me courage.

Raising my hand I slapped him across the face, the sound of flesh hitting flesh vibrated through my ears even as my palm began to burn.  His face snapped to the side, and he held it there, like he was shocked I had dared to physically assaulted him.  The grip of his hands on my shoulders loosed and I pulled back, stumbling over a lose board in my haste and spinning on my heels, dashing for the door.  Once I was out I jumped from the porch and ran for the trees, but it didn't take long for me to burst through the small tree line and find my self on a sandy beach overlooking miles and miles of unencumbered calm waters.  Looking up and down the beach I started running through the hot sand, looking for any way of escaping.  Before long I realized my misfortune, this was an island, and a small one at that.  No wonder he'd not followed me, he knew I had no where to go.

Sinking down i to the hot sand I drew my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, looking out into the water, the sound of the waves gently lapping at the sand smoothed my emotionally raw heart, the ocean seeming to call to me.  Just as I'd decided to stand and go for a swim, I saw him walk out from the tree line.  Our eyes met and seemed to be second guessing himself before he decided to walk towards me.

Looking back out over the water I choose to ignore him, even as I heard him plop down a few feet from on the small beach.  We sat like that for a few moments, just sitting in silence as we watched the water.  After a while he let out a sigh and picked up a handful of sand, letting it fall slowly from his clasped fist.

"Look, I'm sorry."  He started, his voice soft and full of emotion, the tone of which made me slowly turn back towards him, my eyes raked his face even as he refused to pull his own gaze up from the sand.  I watched as his other hand pushed through his damp hair and he released another frustrated sigh.  "I shouldn't have put my hand son you, that was wrong.  I really am sorry for that, it's not who..."  He trailed off for a moment as he seemed to contemplate what he was about to say.  "I was going to say it's not who I am... but at this point, I'm not sure who I am anymore.  I know it's not who I use to be."

There was so much raw emotion in his words that I wasn't sure what to say, I didn't want to ruin this moment.  I unwrapped my arms from around my knees and crossed my legs, my fingers playing absently in the sand as I looked back out over the water.

"Who is 'she'?"  I asked, glancing back at him as his head snapped in my direction at my softly spoken question.  "Earlier, when you were yelling at me, you said 'she' sent me, that 'she' was torturing you.  Who is 'she'?"

His brows drew together again in a look I was beginning to recognize as his stumped expression.  He knew something, but he didn't know how, or if, he should tell me.  "The she I was referring to is someone from my past who I have a lot of anger and resentment towards."  Was all he said, but I could tell by the tone of his voice that there was more to it then that.

"Well, I may not know who I am, but I assume you know who you are?" I paused for a moment going back over that sentence in my head before nodding my head and smiling at him.  "Yeah, that made sense in some weird way."  The soft chuckle that left his lips was like music to my ears and and made my pulse quicken with excitement.

"You are an odd woman, you know that?"  He laughed, leaning back on his hands in the sand as he watched me with a thoughtful expression on his ruggedly handsome face.  Odd that that expression ran through my mind when I couldn't conjure the face of another man to compare him to.

"I mean, I showed up, literally at your door step I might add, naked and with no idea who I am... I'd said weird is putting it nicely."  His deep, husky laugh floated around me again and it took everything in me not to smile at him like a love sick little girl, but the sound of his voice sent shivers through my body.

"True."  He added when he was done laughing at me.  "My name is Orion, Orion Slade."

The name tickled something at the back of my mind, like a memory I couldn't quite grasp ahold of.  "Thats a nice name."  I said softly, only glancing at him briefly from under my lashed, my cheeks growing warm when I realized he was staring back at me.

"You don't recognize it?"  Orion asked curiously, watching me as if the answer to this question meant something more then I knew.

"No, I can't say that I do.  Though it is a very nice name... Orion."  I rolled his name off of my tongue and glanced at him again, surprised by the heated way his eyes were looking at my mouth.  My tongue darted out to damped my suddenly dry lips and the way his silvery eyes began to swirl white had me gasping.  "Your... your eyes!"  I exclaimed, moving closer to him to get a better look, only for him to close his eyes and roll away from me, climbing to his feet and moving back towards the tree line and the small clearing beyond.

"You must be hungry, come on, I'll get you something to eat."  He yelled, refusing to looking back at me again as he strode off. 

I sighed but climbed to my feet as well, dusting the sand from my skin as I followed the same trail he had taken.  Once I entered the clearing I watched in appreciation as he began a small fire at a brick lined fire pit a little ways away from the cabin.  Every time Orion moved muscles ripple under his deeply tanned skin and I found myself watching his every move, until he glanced up at me, as if he could feel my eyes on him, a suspicious look marring his brow.  I just smiled at him, which made him darken his scowl further.

"So, I know your name.  But what are we supposed to call me?"  I asked playfully, walking over to sit across from him as he got the fire started and added kindling and logs.

"Roisin."  He mumbled softly, almost to low for me to hear, his eyes refusing to look at me.

"Excuse me?  What did you say?"  I asked, moving closer, even though the heat from the fire mixed with the humid heat around us felt like it was roasting me alive.

"Roisin."  He said again, a little louder, his remarkable eyes flicking up to lock with mine.  "We can call you Roisin.  It means 'Little Rose'.  For your hair, it reminds me of rose petals."   My breath caught in my throat as our eyes locked over the flames.  I didn't know who Orion Slade was, I didn't know who I was, and I didn't know how I had gotten marooned on this little island he called home, but I knew one thing with every fiber of my being;  Orion was mine and I was his.