Roses Are Red (Edith's Fatal Love Trilogy Book 1)

by Alexis Murrell

  She grabs me and gives me a hug, squeezing me tightly.

  “I’m so glad you’re here. How was last night?” She picks up her paintbrushes and paints, putting them all away.

  “Last night was surprisingly great. Nancy took us to this hot new restaurant called Delfino’s, and underneath the restaurant is a night club called Dungeon,” I gush while helping my mom clean up. “After eating, we went to the night club and danced until it closed.”

  “Wow, sounds like you guys had a great time. Nancy came through, I see,” She sneaks a peek over to me, giving me a smirk. I roll my eyes, trying to fight a smile. She knows about the other times Nancy has planned something for us, and how they didn’t always turn out well. “Come on; I need to start dinner. I’m assuming you’re staying for dinner, right?”

  Checking to make sure I’ve helped her clean everything up, I follow her back into the house. “Yes, I’m staying. Sorry I wasn’t here this morning. We ended up crashing at Nancy’s house, and I overslept,”

  “Oh, you’re fine, sweetie. I’m just glad you still came over.”

  Turning on some music, we pull out the items we need to cook dinner and get started. I help my mom chop up some vegetables and prepare the meat. I sneak a peek over at my mom in the middle of cooking, watching her dance and sing along to the music. She looks so happy and free; I don’t know what’s caused this change in her, but I’ve missed seeing this side of her. This is how my mother used to be before my father passed.

  A smile spreads across my face as I watch her. It feels like old times again.

  Once all the food is cooked, and the table is set, we sit and eat.

  I don’t waste any time digging into my food. “Mm, Mom, this is so good,” I praise.

  “Well, thank you, baby. I’m glad you like it.”

  I smile, taking another bite. “So, Mom, what’s happening with the house? I see you’ve made some big changes lately. Is something going on?”

  She sets her fork down, giving me her full attention. “Well, I felt like the house needed a new look. I was able to save up enough money after helping you pay for school to make some changes.” She looks around the room. “I felt like it was time to begin a new chapter. It’s been four years since your father left us, and now you’ve graduated from college and started your own life. I wanted to start living mine again.”

  My heart smiles, hearing her say this; I’m glad that she’s finally getting back to doing the things she loves. I didn’t think this day would ever come, with my father being gone, but I know he would be proud to see her like this.

  “I wish Dad could see you. He would’ve been so happy to see you getting back to doing the thing you love so much.”

  She nods her head slowly as her eyes get glossy. She sniffs a couple of times, trying to stop herself from breaking down. I get up, walking around the table, and come to wrap my arms around her, placing my chin on her shoulder.

  “No, baby. I wish your dad would have been here to see you.” She grabs onto my arms, squeezing them tight. “When you were born, your dad would tell me that he couldn’t wait for the day he would see his baby girl graduate from college. It was the one thing that motivated him to keep fighting.”

  A tear drops from my eye; hearing my mother talk about my father wanting to see me graduate tears me up inside.

  “Yeah, Dad would have gone crazy just seeing me walk across the stage.”

  My mom nods her head, smiling as she runs her hand through her hair. I don’t want the room’s atmosphere to shift talking about my father, so I change the subject, giving my mother an update about my friends who are moving away. We spend the next couple of hours chatting before we finish eating and clean up.

  “Come on, let’s go outside and look at the stars,” Mom suggests.

  Getting up, we walk outside onto the patio and sit on the steps, looking up at the night sky. We sit in silence with our arms around each other, enjoying this moment we’re sharing.

  My phone vibrates in my back pocket. Unwrapping my arms around my mother, I reach for it.

  Who could this be?

  Unknown number: Hey, I wanted to reach out to you. I hope you don’t mind?

  Staring at the screen, I don’t recognize the number. I know that I haven’t given out my number to anyone recently; therefore, this must be someone random messaging me.

  I’m deep in thought when my mother leans over to check my phone.

  “A hot guy texting you tonight?”

  Quickly closing the message, I put my phone away.

  “Nope, no hot guy. That was just some random person contacting me.” My mind drifts back to the message. I have a strong feeling in my gut that I know who this maybe; I just don’t want to admit it.

  “Oh, come on. You know you can tell me these things. Is that a guy texting you?” she pushes.

  Groaning, I rub a hand down my face. “Mom, please just let this one go.”

  She pulls back with her arms crossed, giving me a pointed look.

  “You’re not getting out of this one.” She raises one eyebrow at me. “I can tell by the way you’re acting that this is about a guy. Tell me who he is; I want to know. You haven’t spoken about a guy since—”

  I raise my hand, stopping her before she says his name. The name of the man I made her and Nancy promise never to mention again. It’s been years since I’ve talked or thought about him, and I want it to stay that way.

  She sighs, shaking her head; she hates that I’m still acting like this after so many years have passed. But she’s not the one who had to deal with losing her father and the love of her life at the same time. I’m still having a hard time dealing with those feelings, because he was my everything, and it’s the way I lost him that still hurts.

  Even though she stopped herself from saying his name, she doesn’t drop the conversation. She sits there, waiting for me to answer her question.

  I huff, “Fine; I met this guy last night. Well, it’s more like I ran into him.”

  She listens to me tell the story. “So, you think that it may be him who’s messaging you, but you’re not sure?”

  I nod my head. “If it is him, then I don’t know what to say, or if I’m even ready to get back out there again.”

  Mom grabs my hand, squeezing it. “Sweetie, you’ll never know if you’re ready unless you try. My advice: text whoever that is back, and if it is him, then see how things go. You don’t have to jump right into a relationship; just get to know each other, go with the flow.”

  She kisses the top of my head and gets up, going back inside. I stay outside for a few more minutes, thinking about our conversation.

  She’s right; I need to get back out there. I’ll never find love if I continue to let my fear control me.

  I’m going to give it a try. What could it truly hurt?

  Grabbing my phone, I reply to the message.

  Me: It depends, who is this?

  Sending my message, I hurry inside.

  Here’s to giving love a second chance.

  After hanging with my mother a little longer to make her famous red velvet cake, I went home.

  Opening the door, I throw my keys on the table and put the cake in the refrigerator. I’m so tired from being out all night with my friends then having to wake up early today to meet up with my mother. All I want to do is take a quick shower and call it a night. I put my phone on the charger and noticed that I’ve received a message.

  Unknown number: For a second there, I didn’t think you would text me back.

  The message bubble appears at the bottom, showing me that he’s still typing a message. So, I wait for him to finish.

  Unknown number: I don’t know if you remember me. But we ran into each other yesterday. My name is Aiden.

  It’s him.

  I sit on the edge of my bed, biting my fingernails, wondering what to say back. I don’t want to text back too fast and seem desperate.

  Trying to think of what to say, I type out a message, then c
lear it, re-typing another. A couple of times, I do that before finally building the courage to send my message, and not think twice about it.

  Me: Oh, hey, I’m Edith, and yes, I remember you. How did you get my number?

  Aiden: Your friend, Nancy, she came up to me last night and gave it to me.

  Nancy!

  I pull on my hair. She doesn’t know when to stop. I should have known she was up to something from her comment this morning. I don’t even know when she had the time when she was with me the entire night.

  Well, maybe not the entire night, but most of it.

  The little message bubble pops up on my screen again.

  Aiden: I hope that’s okay. She made it seem like you wouldn’t mind.

  I roll my eyes.

  Of course she would make it seem like that. I mind, but I won’t tell him that.

  Me: Oh, no, it’s fine. I don’t mind.

  Ten minutes go by, and he hasn’t messaged me back. I don’t want to sit here all night waiting for him to reply, so I toss my phone on my nightstand and finish getting ready for bed.

  As I’m coming back into my room, my phone begins to ring. No one typically calls this late unless it’s Nancy or my mom, and I’ve seen both today. So, I know that they wouldn’t be calling me. I grab my phone, and Aiden’s number appears on my screen.

  This is interesting. I guess he would rather talk on the phone then continue to text.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sorry to call you this late. After you sent me your last message, I ended up getting caught up in a meeting and paperwork,” he sighed.

  His voice sends a shiver down my spine. I love hearing his thick Italian accent; it just does something to me. I could stay on the phone all night and listen to him speak.

  I must have taken too long to answer back because he starts calling out to me to see if I’m still on the phone.

  “Edith? Are you still there?”

  “Sorry, I’m still here.” I get up and get underneath my covers, getting comfortable. “Seems like you need a break from working?”

  He laughs, “Unfortunately, yes, it never ends for me. Someone always needs something done that they can’t seem to do themselves, putting me in the position where I have no choice but to step in and get it done.”

  He really needs to go on a much-needed vacation. I can hear the tiredness in his voice.

  “Do you ever take one? Take a trip somewhere when you’re working this hard to help clear your mind?”

  “To be honest, no, I’m usually too busy to even think about going on a vacation, and if I do go on one, someone is bound to call me about something.” Someone must have come into whatever room he’s in, because he shifts the phone away from his mouth to speak to them, switching from English to Italian. His voice changes to a harsh tone, and a hand slams onto a table, making me jump. Then I hear a chair being pushed back and footsteps.

  “Um, would you like to talk to me later? It sounds like you are needed,” I say hesitantly.

  He comes back to the phone, switching back to English. “No, no, you are fine. I’m just taking care of something really fast. I can do that while speaking to you.”

  Reaching over, I turn off my light and lay on my pillow, looking out my window.

  “Well, I think it’s time for you to go on a vacation. You’re working yourself too hard,” I suggest.

  “Are you offering to take me on vacation?” he teases.

  I wish; he surely needs it, and maybe he would finally get the rest he deserves.

  “Maybe,” I tease back.

  “We will have to make that vacation happen for our first date, then. What do you think?”

  I’ve never heard of someone going on a vacation for the first date. Especially when you don’t know that person, it sounds nice, but I know I need to decline.

  “I don’t think we should go on vacation for our first date. I mean, I don’t even know you yet. You could be a serial killer or something,” I snort.

  “I’m not. But okay, let’s go on a date so you can get to know me, and I can get to know you. Then we can go on vacation.” I can hear the smile in his voice, causing me to smile too.

  I should tell him no; however, part of me is tempted to say yes.

  “It’s like I can hear the wheels turning in your head.” He laughs. “Don’t think too hard about this; just tell me, what are you doing this Friday? Allow me to take you for dinner, at least,” he asks.

  I can’t believe I’m about to do this. If Nancy and my mother were to see me right now, they would be so proud that I am going on a date.

  “What do you say?”

  He grows quiet as I run my hand through my hair, thinking about what I should do. If I don’t jump and just go, then I’ll always wonder what could have happened.

  “Okay, let’s do this Friday,” I reply.

  “Sounds good, I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Edith.”

  “Goodnight, Aiden.”

  Hanging up the phone, my mind starts running a mile a minute as I lay there thinking about our date on Friday. Nancy’s going to freak when she finds out that I have a date this week.

  I’m so excited that I am having a hard time calming my excitement enough to fall asleep. I look at the time, seeing if I should send her a text now. I already know she’s asleep, so she wouldn’t get it until in the morning. After checking the time, I change my mind; I won’t tell her until I’m ready, maybe after we’ve gone on our first date together.

  Shrugging my shoulders, I roll over to make myself go to sleep. Friday can’t come fast enough.

  MY SHOES POUND ON THE track as I push through my last two laps. All week, I’ve been thinking about my date with Aiden. So much so that I needed to go running to clear my head. My lungs heave on my last lap as I push myself harder, feeling the wind hitting my face. I’m about to reach the finish line when I spot Nancy coming over to me. I cross the finish line and bend over with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

  Nancy rubs my back, helping me to calm down.

  “Girl, are you trying to kill yourself running that fast?” She hands over my water bottle and towel.

  “I needed to run and clear my mind for my date tonight,” I explain.

  She gasps, placing a hand over her heart; she’s so dramatic. “What are you talking about a date? Why in the world am I just now hearing about this?” She crosses her arms. “You better start talking right now, Edith!” she scowls.

  “I’ve been so busy this week with work and helping Nick and Jonathan move. I totally forgot to tell you about it,” I lie.

  To be honest, once I thought about it, I wasn’t planning on telling her until after I have gone on my date with Aiden. The reason being is that she would make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. It’s just a date. But for her, it’s like a dream come true. After years of not wanting to date, her best friend is finally getting back out into the dating world.

  “Yeah, whatever. You owe me.” She bounces on the heels of her shoes. “I can’t believe you’re going out with Aiden.”

  I didn’t tell her that I was going out with him.

  “It’s interesting that you mention him because I never told you the name of the guy I was going on a date with.” Placing my hands on my hips, I raise my eyebrows at her. “Why do you bring him up?”

  She stops bouncing, seeing that she’s messed up. Instead of telling me the truth, that she’s the one who gave him my number, she comes up with a different answer.

  “I assumed the date was from the man you saw at Delfino’s. It’s him, right?”

  She has some nerve.

  “You know it’s him, don’t pretend like you don’t.” I raise my hand to stop her from commenting back. “He told me you gave him my number.”

  We walk over to the bleachers, watching the other runners run on the track.

  “Yeah, about that. You see, I saw how you both were looking at each other, and I knew you just wouldn’t take the leap and go talk to h
im,” she explains. “I could tell he wanted to talk to you and probably would have come over, but all of us went back out on the dance floor a second time. When he saw where we were going, he sat back, watching your every move. He saw you dancing with Jonathan, and I thought it might look like to him that you guys were together. I didn’t want him to get the wrong impression, so I went over to him and gave him your number, letting him know that you’re not dating Jonathan. You know guys can misread things when they think another guy has already called dibs. I had to make a move.”

  I hardly remember what happened when all of us went back out to dance that night. Some of it is a blur. I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking, and it doesn’t take much to get me tipsy. I know that I had a couple more shots and that all of us kept dancing for the rest of the night. I know I didn’t just dance with Jonathan. I danced with everyone, so there’s no way he should have gotten that impression that I was with Jonathan.

  “It’s fine. But next time, I’d like it if you would ask me first before giving out my number to random people,” I order.

  She holds out her pinkie towards me, something we used to do when we were in high school. This was our way of promising each other that we wouldn’t do something again or would keep something a secret, carrying it to our graves. I smile and loop my pinkie around hers, shaking it.

  She moves my stuff out of the way and scoots closer.

  “Tell me everything that happened? I’m guessing he messaged you that day you left my house,” she says excitedly. “I want you to tell me everything.”

  I shrug my shoulders, making it seem like our conversation wasn’t anything impressive.

  “He texted me; I texted back. We talked for a little while, then that’s it,” I say casually.

  It really was just an ordinary conversation; I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.

  She hits my arm playfully. “Stop it. We tell each other everything. Why are you suddenly starting to keep things from me? Tell me what really happened.”

  “You’re not going to let this go, I see,” I whisper to myself. It’s either now or never. “Our conversation wasn’t that interesting. He texted me while I was at my mom’s house, then once I got home, he called me, and we talked on the phone. Somehow the conversation shifted, and we talked about going on vacation with each other, then planned our first date.”