Chapter 74 Rejection!
|| Author POV ||
Rosa’s eyes locked onto the tall mysterious man who stepped out of the car with an umbrella shielding his face.
Slowly, he tilted it upward, revealing those piercing blue eyes. Rosa’s breath caught. Her lips parted in surprise when Killian’s gaze met hers.
His long coat swayed gently as he crossed the puddles. The sound of rain mingled with the soft tapping of his shoes. Rosa’s heart pounded harder and she took a few tentative steps forward, letting the rain soak her as she moved closer to him.
He came without even her asking. A small smile appeared on Rosa’s face.
Killian reached her, silently slipping the umbrella over her head, shielding her from the rain.
“Why didn’t you stay inside?” His deep voice brushed against her ears like soft thunder.
Her innocent eyes stayed fixed on his. Those stormy blues that always saw right through her. She didn’t answer.
Her gaze shimmered, full of unspoken gratitude. He came. For her.
Rosa pressed her lips together, trying to hide the flutter inside her chest.
Killian narrowed his eyes slightly, watching that soft, quiet expression bloom on her face. His gaze fell lower, trailing to her parted small lips. Rainwater glistened on her skin like tiny diamonds.
He exhaled a slow breath, the steam of it curled in the cool night air. Leaning down to meet her height, his gaze locked onto hers.
“Thank you for c-coming.” Rosa whispered, voice delicate like a child’s, eyes shining with innocent affection.
Rosa rose onto her toes, face tilted up toward him. Her eyes fluttered shut in pure trust. Killian’s lips softly captured her bottom lip.
He had been waiting for it all day. So had she.
Killian leaned even more, making it easy for her. Rosa dropped her toes, standing on her little height. His mouth moved over hers, slow and devouring. His large hand cupped her cheek, steadying the trembling that ran through her.
Then he stilled.
Rosa shyly pulled back, leaving a soft peck. Her eyes locked with his. They were full of wonder. She couldn’t describe what he meant to her. How deeply she loves this man.
But something in her heart ached. It wasn’t enough.
She clutched at his collar, her breath faltered and leaned in again before pressing her lips on his, more desperately this time. A soft whimper escaped her throat.
“Mhh.” Killian growled lowly.
His arm curled around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest. The kiss deepened, darkened. His lips were now moving with the hunger he tried to keep hidden.
But then, something shifted.
Killian felt it, subtle at first.
Rosa hugged his neck, pulling him closer, standing on her toes again like she didn’t want to let go. Killian straightened his posture letting her stand on her toes. He didn’t move at first, just let her lips press into his.
Then he tasted it, not just her kiss but salty water.
His brows knit slightly as the taste of her tears mixed with the sweetness of her lips.
“Hff!” A fragile sniff followed, so soft it might’ve been missed by anyone else but not him.
She was crying. Silently. While melting into his kiss like it was the only warmth she had left.
Her lips trembled between his teeth. Killian didn’t pull away. He didn’t know what she was crying for. He just kissed her deeper.
Because if she was going to cry, he’d make sure she did it only in his arms.
She was kissing him like she was afraid. Like she loved him too much. Like something was breaking inside her. And yet, she wasn’t saying a word.
He tasted her sadness. And it was deliciously painful. Rosa melted into the kiss like he was the only warmth in the downpour.
The sound of rain outside masked the soft aching sobs spilling from her chest. Her lips were swollen and her breath ragged. She stood there obediently, pouring all of her love, all her desperation.
And when she pulled back with trembling lips, she stared closely at his lips.
The sounds of rain filled her ear. Her vision was blurry but her voice came out broken, whispering through the cracks in her heart.
“I lov-love you s-so much.”
She choked, voice laced with fear, her palm gently finding his cheek.
She couldn’t look him in the eyes. She was too afraid to see rejection again.
Killian’s expression shifted.
She looked fragile, like a girl who didn’t know how else to show her love but to cry, to fall apart, to tremble in his arms. She got emotional in this beautiful weather, unable to hide it.
He could feel her heart beating in her fingers. She was shaking from the inside out.
Rosa thought it was love. But it was deeper. Darker.
She didn’t even realize, it was obsession and naive she was unknown by this word, even when her tears were falling for simply having him close.
She was obsessed with him, with the idea of him, with the only man who had ever made her feel both afraid and alive at once.
And deep down, Killian knew it was totally opposite for him.
He didn’t love her.
He was obsessed and the first stage wasn’t love. It was always obsession from the very start.
The couple stood beneath the umbrella. Rain painted the world around them in grey silence. Rosalie scaredly stared at his cheek, not daring to meet his eyes but the silence between them–answered everything.
He wasn’t going to say it back. He rejected her again!
Her heart thudded painfully loud and aching in her chest. Her eyes watered even more. Then it cracked.
A small sob broke from her lips as her tears spilled out of her eyes. With trembling arms, Rosa reached up and hugged his neck. Her body clung to him like he was the last solid thing in her collapsing world.
She burst into tears. Her soft cries and hiccups filled his ear.
Killian stood still, holding the umbrella with a tight grip. His jaw locked. His eyes staring into the distance and rain echoed in his silence.
He didn’t say anything. Because he couldn’t.
Even if he tried to love her, even if he forced himself to feel something close to what she wanted–
He would lose her.
Her sobs turned into whimpers with silent questions trapped in her breath—Why can’t you love me back?
In his mind, love was not something he was built for.
Possession? Yes.
Obsession? Always.
But love?
Love demanded a soul. And his had already been buried years ago. His soft emotions were dead. But he couldn’t deny the sharp pang that stabbed through his chest when she whispered her confession.
Beautiful. Painful. Dangerous!
“Shh. Don’t cry. Let’s go.”
Killian murmured in a low voice. He didn’t know how to comfort her or how to be soft.
He exhaled and tugged her closer. His arm curled around her waist. With one arm, he lifted her off the ground like she weighed nothing.
Rosa wept against his neck. Muffled sobs were breaking through her throat. Her hands clutched him tightly. Her tears soaked into his skin like something sacred, something he didn’t deserve.
A soft pleading escaped her lips, not in words but in the way her body begged to be held, to be loved, not psychically but emotionally.
Killian turned back from the street with hard eyes. His jaw clenched. The rain still poured around them, soaking the world in silver but it was her cries that truly drenched him.
Loud in his ears. Loud in his soul.
The sky cried, and so did she.
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 · ｡
Killian entered her room with soundless steps. Her sleeping frame was tucked safely in his arms. She had fallen asleep in the car.
He stared at her for a second longer than he should have. With unsettling gentleness, he laid her down on the bed, tugging the blanket over her body. The innocence in her sleep only made the rage inside him worse.
What the hell was she doing to him?
Killian clenched his teeth, fists tightening at his sides as he forced himself to turn away. No words. No last glance. Just the sound of the door shutting quietly behind him.
He was losing control. And she was the reason.
The thunder roared like a beast outside, shaking the windows as the rain lashed down in furious waves. Rosa whimpered in her sleep. Her fingers clutched the sheets.
Another nightmare had wrapped its cold hands around her fragile soul again, dragging her into a storm even heavier than the one outside.
Tears slipped from the corners of her closed eyes. Her body flinched violently beneath the covers.
Whatever she was seeing–it was destroying her from the inside out.