It's almost the end of this semester and finally it's ending smoothly. I and Eric both are peacefully working on our comic writing without arguments and flirtings. Since that day he never tried to get closer to me, never asked me to stay late to complete the work and did less flirting and less teasing even though as per him, his revenge is still there which he said he will take but later, as there's a long time left till my graduation. To be honest this man is insane.
Today we'll be completing the story and will have a brief review over it. The only work left is ours, Mine and Eric's. Does this mean... He and I have to work alone. Ahhhhhhhh!!!...

I'm on my way to his painthouse. I've reached and went in and sit on the couch.

"Alessia? You know it's only going to be us today right?" Eric said.

"Yeah! I know"

"So are you fine with it? I mean if you feel uncomfortable or something so we can go somewhere else too."

"No, it's fine. I don't think anywhere else would be convenient for us to work."

"Ok! As long as you're comfortable." He smiled at me. He literally smiled and it's not any kind of flirtious smile but an honest and clear smile. Why does he looks good while smiling sincerely. Get a grip he's your enemy ALESSIA. I got out of my thoughts

"Yeah I'm. let's start the work"

"Hmm!"

.....

It's 8 at night and we're still together here. The sunset looked so beautiful from his painthouse so I've wasted some time in watching and taking pictures of it as i wasn't staying late here from past few weeks.

"It's late already, don't you wanna go home Alessia?"

"Yeah i have to but First we need to complete this."

"Are you fine staying here late?"

"Yeah I'm fine Eric. Does my presence affecting you in... some way?"

"No it's not! I'm just making sure You're comfortable enough."

"I am Eric. I am. Please don't ask me this question again and again"

"Okay got it!"

"Do you want a coffee?" He asked after seeing me sighting.

"No, I don't like coffee."

"Oh, okay. So what do you like?"

"Tea and only Tea. My first love."

"So should i make you a cup of tea?"

"Can you?"

"Yes i can. Did you underestimated a power of a common man? well i know I'm not a common man but still... "

"yes! a little... and yes you're more common than a common man." i laugh

"Sorry Alessia! But I can't hold back anymore."

"What?"

"You look so pretty when you laugh freely" he said while staring at me. I feel like my heart skipped a beat with his sudden compliment even though i know he only do flirting with me but i don't know why it's the first time I feel confident in myself and my appearance. I rarely laugh like thag cause i feel i look awkward while laughing.

"Are you done flattering me? Now do your work and let me do mine"

"I wasn't flattering Alessia. It was an honest compliment."

"Shhh! Shut up! I don't wanna hear more cheesy lies."

"I wasn't lying Alessia. I swear i wasn't. It's literally the first time i say you laugh so freely in front of me and I'm glad my cheesy words are the reason for it.
And when you smile it feels like the whole world stops at you. I'm sorry if i made you uncomfortable. I wasn't planning to do so but I couldn't hold back this time."

I couldn't speak anything else after hearing him. I never got a compliment for my smile for my laugh maybe that's why it feels different to me. I always thought my smile is too ugly. I don't know if he's lying or telling the truth. Anyways Alessia ignore him do your work so you can go back.

He brings tea to me i drink it and completed the work finally.

"Now it's time to review our comic before submitting."

"I will do it Alessia, it's late now"

"Yeah, it is. Maybe i should go right now. Let me know if there's any need of changes in characters and their expressions, emotions."

"Don't worry I will do it. Let's go i will drop you."

"No need, i can go. Thanks for the offer."

"Alessia it's late and the way to your home is blocked because of reconstruction. So you will have to take a long route."

"Exactly! That's why I'm telling you i can go. Your time will be wasted."

"Alessia! My dear, my time can never waste on you."

"Eric you started it again. It was going too fine these days when you stopped calling me with such weird names"

"Sorry, Darling. But the work is already done so there's no need for me to keep stopping myself from calling you "darling" or "sweetheart."

"Eric please!"

"Okay okay, First let me drop you then we will see what we can do further." He laughs and i too a little.

"When will you come on your senses Eric?"

"Ummm, Maybe never"

"Can't do anything about you. You're sick"

"Sick for you."

"Shut up"

"Okay. Shall we go now? Or do you want to spend a night here, alone with me by looking at all the beautiful stars in the sky."

"Jerk. Let's go"

"Mind your words dear." he looked into my eyes..

"Are you threatening me?"

"I can never think about threatening you my darling."

"Eric i will kill you."

He laugh again and unexpectedly i did too. Why does It feels like a normal conversation with him? Why am i even laughing on his silly flirtious lines. I should keep him in line.
...
We went to the parking area together and then again unexpectedly he opened the front gate of the car for me which i can never expect from him.

He sit in the car too and suddenly he got closer to me and my heart start beating faster. I felt my breath stoping..

"What are you doing?"

"Seat belt darling."

I don't know if it was fear of being alone with him at night in his parking place or it was the butterflies. Even if it was butterflies it won't take a second to convert into fear. As I've always been scared of a men getting close to me and it's not the first time he get close to me and to be honest even though I've heard he's a womenizer i never felt bad vibes from him, But he still scares me.

"Ohh, you could've just said"

"Don't worry sweetheart there's no way I'm going to harm you specially in the car because, if i wanted to i would have done it when we were alone in my painthouse."

"Hmm, that's true."

"So relax and chill. Take me as your driver even though i never become driver for anyone but you darling you're an exception"

"If i take you as my driver, then i won't be sitting here with you but at the backseat."

"I'm just telling you to think of me as a driver, not to make me a driver."

"Haha, okay Mr driver" i laugh while looking out of the window and suddenly i look at him and he was already looking at my face. His eyes were focused on me and the smile from the corner of my lips disappear not with discomfort but with nervousness. I've never felt such gaze on me before.

Alessia get your senses together. You know he's just flirting as he might do with every other women he meet. Forget it.

"Ohh look it's the Garden of Black Roses. Isn't?"

"Yes it is."

"Stop the car please"

"Why? Didn't you saw it before?"

"No i haven't, i wanted to look at those black roses at night under the shine of moonlight"

"Ohk as your wish Darling. By the way it's a full moon today like we've wrote in our comic that once a year in full moon those black roses spread the fairydust and the magical shine that not everyone can see snd feel it."

"So the things we've wrote is true? aren't they're all fictional stories?"

"Not every story is fictional My dear. Some places are really magical and only the people with the magic within them can feel it."

"I wanna see it. I wanna see what kind of magic is hidden under those roses."

"Okay I'm parking but beware Alessia don't get near them or touch them."

"okay, wait for me in the car or you can leave if you want to. I don't know how longer I'm going to stay here."

"Alessia I'm not leaving you alone here and you're not going to stay much here, it's not safe."

"Okay then wait here"

"I'm not waiting here."

"Then what do you want Eric? You're not letting me see it? You don't wanted me to see the things i wished to see."

"I never said I'm stopping you from visiting the black roses field."

"Then?"

"I'm just saying it's not safe for you to go alone and stay for long time. and from you can't go alone means I'm coming with you."

"You? You're coming with me to see the black Roses at night."

"What's wrong with that? Aren't you alone in my car with me at night too? So can't we see roses together."

"No i didn't mean that i was just saying..."

"Shhhh! Don't you wanna see?"

I noded

"Then come out"

We both walk towards the field and there was a path in the middle of the field and the moment we stand in between the field on the path what i see made me speechless.

The Rare beauty of the moon looking Infront of us from here. It looks like if we walk forward we will be able to reach moon in seconds but it was just because the moon is full and bright today. The light of the moon is spreading all over the roses and they were shining brightly like i have never seen before. I never knew that the black Roses can look so beautiful that i couldn't take my Eyes of them, the full moon and it's shine making the scene perfect.

When my eyes moves from the moon, i saw the stars above me and I've never seen such beauty before. The sky was full of stars. Everything is so perfectly made here. I can't deny the fact that it really do looks magical.

"It's so pretty" I speak unconsciously while looking at all the things around me

"Indeed, it is."

"Everything is so perfectly made."

" Indeed perfect, just like your eyes"

He was talking and i was looking at all the beauties and then i look at him. He was drown in my Eyes while he was speaking.

"I used to think nothing is perfect in this world... But now i can see that perfection can only be seen within the eyes."

I couldn't move after hearing him. Our eyes were locked into each others eyes and my heart started beating faster. As faster as i feel like i will die right now.

Suddenly i felt myself fainting. I don't know what's happening but everything started to become blur. There's some kind of shining dust coming from the Roses. It is so beautiful yet so terrifying. Maybe I'm dying, but how? Am i dying because of the butterflies? Am i dying because these roses are poisonous? What's the real deal ? Eric started to seem distant from me. And the blur in my Eyes become blank. I fall but i feel someone holding me from falling on the ground....
© Soul🥀