The Criminal's Rose

Dangerous

As it’s a weekend, Rose was on her bed feeling a little relaxed as she had no works. She kept listening to the music while thinking about her life. She took a photo of a little boy, who seemed nearly of eleven to thirteen years age, from the table. Looking at the photo, her lips curved up with a smile and she kissed the photo affectionately.

When she was in her thoughts, Melisa called her asking her to come to a cafe. At first Rose didn’t accept to go as she wanted to spend her time alone but Melisa wouldn’t leave her till she accepted. After few minutes, she reached the cafe and her eyes widened seeing Melisa along with her friends and boyfriend. Rose thought it was only Melisa, who would be at the cafe but seeing Melisa's friends, Rose was perplexed.

“Rose!” Melisa smiled looking at her.

Rose sat with them giving a small smile to her friends. Melisa's friends kept talking a lot that was making Rose irritated a bit. It’s not like Rose wouldn’t talk to anyone but she never liked over blabbering. She was a kind of girl with limited friends, being not much outgoing person and always confined to her boundaries.

“This is James.” Melisa introduced her friend, James, who was nearly 6ft. Tall with charming face, to Rose. From the day James saw Rose's picture on Melisa’s cell phone, he kept asking her to introduce her friend to him and Melisa too wanted Rose to step out from her boring life.

Rose simply nodded to him smiling. She noticed him staring at her intensely that was making her uncomfortable. After few minutes of spending time everyone started to leave.

“How is he?” Melisa asked Rose, smiling.

“Who? Your boyfriend? I already told you, your boyfriend is super cool.” Rose replied.

“No. I’m talking about James. He is cute, isn’t he? His height, his personality, you know, he is a rich dude too and he is amiable and...”

“Melisa!” Rose shouted making Melisa to stop uttering anything further. Rose continued saying “I know what you are doing. You are setting me up with James. I understand I’m not a kid.”

“Wow!” Melisa let out a relieved breath that she had been holding for a while. She said “So is he okay to you? He likes you so much.”

“No. I’m not interested in any kind of relationships now. I told you already, didn’t I?” Rose raised her eyebrow.

“Still how many years you’ll remain like this? A boring girl with no touch of any colours in your life. You can’t always spend your time with your stupid works. Get one life, Rose.” Melisa shouted.

“Oh I’m already leading a life. Leave me like this.” Rose replied rolling her eyes.

Melisa let out an irritated sigh and stopped talking about the boyfriend’s topic. They then wandered the city for many hours and in the evening they ended in an ice cream parlour near to Rose’s house.

“Are you sure about not interested in James?” Melisa asked while licking her spoon.

“Again?” Rose got irritated.

“Okay fine. Leave it.”

After having their ice creams, they started to walk out of there. When Rose was about to step out of the parlour, she saw Michael talking to someone outside. Immediately Rose stepped inside the parlour again hiding from him.

Melisa narrowed her eyebrows seeing Rose's behaviour. She stood beside Rose asking “What happened?”

Rose pointed her finger at the glass door where Michael was clearly visible. She said “The guy in the black T-shirt, he is the one about whom I told. That night, hit with my flower pot, remember?”

Melisa saw the guy through the glass door and she jumped in excitement “Mikey?”

“You know him?” Rose asked.

“Yes. He is the idol of many street racers, an excellent biker. And yes, his handsomeness is another thing we should speak about.”

“What? How do you know about street racers?”

“I went to see a racing competition with my boyfriend once. There I saw him. You should watch his racing once.”

“Huh? I don’t even have the guts to see him and you expect me to cheer for him in the street races?”

“Why are you so afraid of him? What you did was mistake. You didn’t do it intentionally.”

“Yes. But... he looks dangerous and I don’t want to face him.”

Melisa hummed as a response and said “There’s no doubt in that. He is quite dangerous. I heard he was involved with criminal gangs too.”

“Oh god!” Rose let out a sigh.

After she noticed Michael left the place, they then walked out. Melisa walked in the opposite direction to reach her home and Rose started to her home. While she was walking, she heard a voice from behind that made her flinch.

“What’s your name?”

She stood still gulping. Michael stood in front of her smirking “Rose.”

“My name? How?” She was confused.

“I know everything about you. Your name, the office where you work and even your house. In fact I’m about to go to your house to see you.”

“See me? But why?” She shuddered.

Michael bent to her level saying “Because you are disturbing me.”

Rose gulped hearing him and took a step back making distance from him. She asked “When did I disturb you?”

“From the night you tried to murder me.” Michael replied stepping forward.

“I... I have to go.” She tried to go away from there but he stopped her asking “Why are you afraid of me? Chill Rose, I won’t do anything to you.”

“I-I’m not afraid of you.” She tried to sound confidently but the stammer in her voice said another story.

“Yeah! I see it. You know, I want to...” Michael stopped saying for a moment framing the words to tell then he continued “To know about you. So let me introduce myself. I’m Michael, people call me Mikey and I’m a racer and few other things which you shouldn’t know about.”

“I know who you are and I don’t want you to know about me. I request you to forget me and don’t talk to me again.” Rose spoke mustering up the courage to talk back to him. She then ran away from there.

Though Rose won’t scare for little things but Michael’s gaze, his behaviour and the information about his criminal gangs that Melisa told made Rose really afraid of him along with the nervousness to face him. She wished he would never talk to her again as she clearly said she didn’t want to be in his presence.

Tired of roaming with Melisa, Rose took a shower and changed into Pj’s. She then started to write the things that happened from the morning till then in her diary. It’s night she had her dinner and started to clean the utensils that’s when she heard the sound of the doorbell.

When she opened the door, she saw a pair of dark brown eyes gawking at her. A tall man was in front of her smirking at her. As soon as Rose saw him, her expressions turned irritated. She asked “Why are you here?”

“Shouldn’t I come to my favourite relative’s house? I’m in the city after many days and seeing you after weeks, instead of feeling happy, you are questioning me.” Saying that he entered in the house though she tried to stop him.

“Sam! Go away. If you won’t, I’ll call your dad.”

Sam let out an evil chuckle hearing Rose. He mocked “Call the man who threw you out of the house? Stop joking.”

Rose kept quiet not saying anything. Sam asked “So have you considered my offer?”

Hearing him, Rose's eyes turned red in anger but she kept controlling herself. She said “Get out, Sam.”

“Oh come on Rose! I’ll give the information you need and in return I’m asking you a simple thing.” He stood in front of her looking at her with lustful eyes. “Just a night.”

“I said get the hell out of here or I’m going to call the police.” Rose shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Relax. I’m not doing anything. See, I’m not even touching you. I want you to come to me and ask me to take you.” He said smirking. He then asked “Don’t you want to know his whereabouts?”

Rose huffed hearing him and she shouted “I’ve the support of cops. I’m going to find him soon. You’ll never have what you want.”

“Cops?” Sam scoffed. “They had been with you from many years but their efforts are useless. I know where he is. I’ll tell you if you give me what I want or you’ll never find him.”

Rose's heart started to hurt hearing him. She wanted the information so badly but she couldn’t give herself to a man for that.

“I’ll wait for you, lovely Rose.” Saying that he walked out from there after kissing her on the cheek forcibly not caring anything about her.

As soon as he stepped out, Rose bolted the door and sat on the bed irritated. Tears started to stream down her eyes thinking about her hopeless, lifeless life spending between the savage men. With each day passing, her interest to live her life had been reducing. She never had any heartfelt moments, only a depressed one that she had been always bearing. Thinking for few hours about everything she had been facing, she shut her eyes and drifted into sleep.