The Love Rose

A bouquet of Roses

Just when Alisha thought it would be her last day on planet Earth. Viviana surprises Alisha by hugging her tightly and squeezing the life out of her body frame.

Alisha was astonished by the abrupt hug from her friend. She caressed her hair and patted her head.

"Thank you." She took her arms off her body and hugged Esther.

Esther too gave Viviana pats on her back. Esther also found it odd yet she didn't ask her about anything and let her hug. She discerns the slight trembling and shivering of the girl in her embrace. She glanced at Alisha and saw the worry and concern visible in her eyes. She passed Alisha an assured look to which she responded with a nod.

After a few seconds of hugging, Viviana let go of Esther and greeted them with a bright smile and glittering eyes.

"Let's go home. I am missing my cookies." She showed them a pleading and miserable face to her friends.

Alisha peeped at Esther while Esther gave Viviana a hard stare.

Viviana plopped to the opposite couch, "What? Is my beauty so bewitching that you are turning gay for me?"

Alisha let out a tiny laugh. Viviana winked at her.

Esther scoffed at her friend's overconfidence comment.

Michael was greeted with this scene, Esther staring at Viviana while she smirked at her. Besides his master, Alisha had her small fist on her mouth to muffle the sound of her giggles.

"Master, the car has arrived here."

Esther didn't react but he got his answer.

"Master, I am sorry but I couldn't find any information about the owner of this hotel nor this room. Here, the employees had sealed their lips."

Esther's fingers flattered when she processed his words.

While Viviana offered him her big grin and stood up. Alisha also forgot about her giggles after hearing Michael's announcement.

"Uncle Michael, you are my life saviour. You protected this poor child, me, from the wrath of your cold boss." She joined her both palms and bowed her head a bit.

Esther uncrossed her legs. Elegantly, she stood up. She nodded at Michael and went out of the room without her friends.

Alisha and Viviana followed her closely. They saw Esther pressing the elevator button. They walked behind her and waited for the door of the lift to open.

Michael was hot on his tails. The door unlocked with a ding. The girls strolled inside it with Michael.

It didn't take long before they reached the first floor.

Esther had already asked Michael to settle out their money.

"Viv, I will miss our time when we go back to our old schedule," Alisha mumbled closer to Viviana as they took graceful steps towards the exit of the hotel.

Michael walked behind them. The girls attracted many eyes yet none had the dare to approach the girls and have a chit chat with them.

Firstly, the girls had a royalty aura separating them from the other guests present in the hotel.

The second reason being Michael himself, his bodybuilder and intimidating body scared the shit out of many guys who looked at the girls with leering and lust-filled eyes.

The two girls halted when she noticed the manager standing at the entrance of the hotel waiting for them by the side of her car.

Esther didn't stop and reached her car. She saw the manager there with the receptionist. The young girl had a beautiful bouquet of red flowers but that was not the end as she observed one more girl with the same bouquet. She merely raised her eyebrows at the sight of the biggest bouquet held in the manager's hands.

The manager proposed a business smile at her and forwarded the bouquet to her.

Surprisingly, she took it with her hands. The girls and Michael had their faces contorted to shock, startle and even fear.

Alisha held Viviana's arm tightly in her grasp, "Wait!!! Is that true what I just saw?"

Viviana came out of her stupor due to the hand coiled around her wrist, "Ali..... I think last night somehow we have been teleported to this parallel world."

Alisha kept her eyes stationed at Esther who held the bouquet and sniffed the fragrance of fresh roses.

Alisha's grip got tighter on Viviana that she let out a painful squeal. Alisha sighed as Esther was ahead of them and couldn't hear her scream. She shot her dramatic friend with an awful grimace.

Viviana would have told Alisha it was her fault. But she was focused on her wrist which had turned red because of Alisha's strength. She caressed the red glaring mark on her soft pale white skin. Alisha scrutinised and watched Viviana slightly rubbing her fingers on her wrist only now she observed the ugly mark on her.

Alisha instantly felt guilty and remorseful, "I am so sorry, Viv in my excitement, I forgot about your hands. I feel like the dumbest person. How could I ignore your pain…"

"Shhh…..Don't cry. I can understand what you felt. And this mark is nothing. Don't fret over it. Instead of me, we should watch Esther. Did you not see that she took those flowers by herself?"

Viviana's excitement and thrill could be seen through her gleaming eyes. They shone brightly with an unspoken radiance. Alisha's attention also wavered and she drifted her eyes back to Esther.

They found their anthophobic friend. Esther's anthophobia activated with a mere sight of roses yet that same girl was gaping at the roses with her dull eyes but they saw her fingers grazing at the petals of the rose.

After looking at the bouquet for more time, her eyes widened as if she saw something unexpected.

Rubbing her eyes furiously, she opened them back again but she found the same results.

Viviana tried to hold Alisha's arm, "Ali...Ali...Ali..Listen to...me….Ali…"

As she succeeded in her mission, Alisha was annoyed with Viviana's constant tugging. She roared, "What? Say it. My ears are functioning well."

"Is the bouquet of those roses made by famous roses especially grown in the countryside of France? The Love Rose?"

Alisha frowned and furrowed her eyebrows as she attempted to verify Viviana's words.

With her futile attempts, in the end, she achieved success.

She realised that her friend was indeed right.

The roses used in that bouquet were the renowned 'Love Rose' of France.

"Viv...You are correct. They are those roses."

"You think Seth doesn't know about them?"

"No, our Seth hates roses but she knows every type of flower," Alisha replied in a confident tone.

Viviana made a deep thinking face, "Then why did she take the bouquet?"

"That is something only Seth can tell us."

They let out depressed sighs and stayed there, watching her as if watching a Korean drama episode. The only missing thing was a big bucket of butter popcorn along with cold drinks.