A Rose by Any Another Name

Thank you so much to all of you who have left me comments (good and bad) and voted! Lots of you have told me you wish I posted new chapters more often and I just wanted to let you know that my job (as a pediatric nurse, ha!) and my kids keep me pretty busy so I don't have a lot of time to write. It means a lot to hear from you though so please keep commenting and I'll do my best to write as much as possible!

*

The days went by and still no word from Mike. He hadn't called work again and his apartment seemed empty every time I drove by to see if he had come back home. Kevin hadn't heard from him either and was just as concerned as I was. Even though I was worried sick, I got more and more furious every day. I couldn't believe that after all the times he had told me that he loved me and needed me, I meant so little to him that I wasn't even worth a goodbye or an explanation. I couldn't believe that he had given up on us after just one single fight or that he thought I wasn't worth fighting for. He had always seemed so honest and genuine, but I was starting to wonder if it had all been a big lie, or maybe just a way of getting into my pants until he got fed up with me and decided to find someone else.

Whether I was pissed off, worried, scared or heartbroken, Mike was always on my mind. I couldn't sleep, I didn't eat and I had a hard time concentrating at work. Nicole was concerned and did her very best to make me forget about him, a task that seemed impossible. She had basically moved in with me temporarily to take care of me – she cooked and made sure that I ate three times a day, she set the alarm so that I would get to work on time and she motivated me to get out of bed on my days off. As often as possible, she reminded me what an asshole Mike was and insisted that I was worth so much better. I knew without a doubt that I didn't want to be with anyone but him, but I couldn't stand listening to another one of her speeches, no matter how well-intentioned they were, so I kept that information to myself.

When Nicole realized that none of us worked that Saturday night, she decided it was time to take me clubbing to try to take Mike off my mind. Of course, I would much rather have changed into my pyjama and spent the night watching

Friends

reruns on TV while binging on my favorite chocolate chip ice-cream, but Nicole was one of the most strong-willed people I knew.

"I'm not going to let you sit here all night thinking about that pathetic excuse for a man," she said in a firm tone. "I don't care where he is or what he's doing, he's nothing but a jerk and he's definitely not worth any more of your tears."

"I'm done crying," I lied. "I'm just too tired to go anywhere right now."

"You're not too tired, you're too depressed," she pointed out. "Which is exactly why we're doing this."

"Please, Nikki," I pleaded. "Call them and tell them we'll do it some other day."

"Sorry," she said and handed me a tight blue dress that still had the price tag attached to it. "This is happening. Now, get up and get dressed because we're meeting them in 45 minutes and I still need to fix your make-up."

Admitting defeat, I sighed and slipped my sweat pants off.

"I'm only doing it for you," I muttered. "If you want me to go clubbing and be miserable all night, so be it."

She ignored my snappy comeback and helped me get dressed.

"We're going to have an amazing night," she assured me. "You deserve it."

We met David, Luke and Sarah at a trendy rooftop bar with a large dancefloor and the latest music. I did my best to look happy and carefree, greeted everyone and pulled up a chair next to David who ordered me a beer.

"How have you been?" he asked. "We haven't talked in a while."

"I've pretty much just been working," I said, stretching the truth a little. "It's exhausting but I really like it."

"I know what you mean," he said. "I feel like I haven't had time to do anything else lately. Where's your boyfriend, by the way? Is he on call?"

"No, he's taken some time off work," I lied. "He couldn't make it tonight."

"That sucks," he said. "It would have been fun to meet him. But hey, at least you have a boyfriend! I signed up at an online dating website before we graduated but I haven't had time to go on a single date since I started working. Gotta love those late nights on the weekends with sweat running down my face and my scrubs covered with vomit and blood."

I smiled for the first time since my fight with Mike.

"My three-month-old patient pooped all over me right after I took his diaper off a few days ago," I chucked.

"You know what? I don't even feel the least sorry for you," he said with a grin. "Babies are adorable!"

"Yeah, I know," I admitted. "I love my job."

"I bet you do," he teased. "So would I if the hottest doctor of the hospital had swept me off my feet on my first day at work."

"You make it sound like I'm a slut," I laughed, pretending to be offended. "But I bet that's how Nicole told you the story."

All of a sudden, David got a serious look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that. You know I like you a lot and I'm really happy for both of you, even though part of me wishes it could have been me instead of him."

"Yeah, well, things aren't always like they seem," I muttered, looking down at my beer glass.

"What's what supposed to mean?" he asked. "Did something happen?"

I hesitated, not knowing if I should tell him the truth or not, but I felt the need to talk to someone other than Nicole since she had a tendency to be somewhat stubborn and close-minded when she had made up her mind about something.

"I think we kind of broke up," I explained, still looking down at my beer.

"You

think

?" he asked, puzzled.

I opened my mouth to say something but I didn't know what exactly. I was getting teary-eyed and I didn't want David to see it.

"Hey, look at me," he said and gently placed his hand on mine. "What did he do?"

"It's nothing," I mumbled, starting to change my mind about telling him.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said empathically. "But I hate seeing you like this, and you know I'm a good listener, right?"

"We had a fight," I told him. "And now he's gone and he won't pick up when I call or answer my text messages. His apartment is empty and he hasn't been coming to work."

"For a few days?"

"It's been almost two weeks," I said and sighed.

"What did you even fight about?" he asked. "I mean, he lives and works here, he can't just take off and never come back."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "Whether he comes back or not, I'm pretty sure it's over. I really screwed up, and the worst part is I can't even say I'm sorry."

"Knowing you, I seriously doubt that you messed up," he comforted me. "And even if you did, what kind of reaction is that? He's a grown up man, not a five-year-old who runs away from home when he doesn't get his way."

"I wish I could say you were right," I mumbled. "But I said things I shouldn't have said. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? This is all my fault. What if something happened to him?"

I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks so I turned around so that David wouldn't have to see my cry. He leaned forward and put his arm around me.

"I hate seeing you like this," he whispered. "Please don't blame yourself for this. It was his decision to leave and frankly, I think it's really low that he hasn't even called you and given you an explanation."

"I just want to go home," I cried.

"I'll take you," he offered. "We'll get a cab. Do you want to let Nicole know you're leaving?"

I turned around to where Nicole was sitting before but she wasn't there anymore, which felt like a relief.

"No, it's okay," I said. "She's probably somewhere on the dancefloor. I'll just send her a text."

"All right, then," David said and held out his arm. "Let's go."

We didn't say anything on the way home, partly because we didn't feel like talking in front of the taxi driver and partly because we didn't really know what to say. When he dropped us off, David walked me to the front door.

"Thanks for everything," I said. "You're a good friend."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"I will be," I said even though I wasn't sure of it myself.

"I really like you, Rose," he confessed. "You deserve nothing but the best. You know that, right?"

I nodded.

"Are you going back to the bar?" I asked.

David shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't really feel like going out in the first place," he said. "I think I'm just going to walk home."

"Do you want to stay for a while?" I asked. "I don't really want to be alone right now. Besides, I have a freezer filled with chocolate chip ice-cream and I can't eat it all on my own."

"Yeah, of course I'll stay," he said and followed me upstairs.

I poured us a glass of wine each, grabbed a box of ice-cream and two spoons and joined David on the couch in the living room.

"I thought about what you said on the way home," I told David. "Maybe you're right, after all."

"Right about what?"

"That he's acting like a five-year-old," I explained. "He should have talked to me instead of leaving without saying a word. We could have worked it out, I'm sure of it. Instead, he just left me hanging. It's like he expects me to put my life on hold for him until he feels like coming back."

"It seems that way to me," David agreed. "But I don't know him like you do so I might be wrong."

"It just hurts so much," I sobbed. "Of all the people in my life, I never expected this from him. I used to think I would do anything for him. I loved him, I really did."

David wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close as I cried.

"Maybe there's a really good explanation for all of this," he suggested.

"You're just trying to make me feel better," I said.

"You deserve to be happy," he whispered and stroke my hair.

I sat up and leaned my head against his shoulder as if temporarily letting him carry all my problems and worries so that I could think of something else for a short while.

"I'm sure everything will work out for the best," he comforted me and ran his fingers through my long dark hair, sending a chill down my spine.

Without thinking twice, I leaned forward and softly touched his lips with mine, lingering, not wanting to let go. David closed his eyes and let out a barely audible moan as I passionately sucked on his lower lip. Then, as if reality had hit him, he suddenly pulled away from me.

"I have to go," he mumbled and got up on his feet.

I quickly grabbed his wrist in an attempt to stop him.

"Please, don't," I begged him. "Stay for a while."

"You don't know what you're doing," he said without looking at me. "You're still in love with him."

"He left me," I pointed out, trying to justify my behavior.

"You

think

he left you," he corrected me. "You don't know for sure. I'm positive there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

"Look at me, David", I said, pulling him down onto the couch. "He told me he loved me, then he left without saying a word and he hasn't even had the decency to send me a text message just to let me know that he's alive. Does that sound like someone who wants to be in a committed relationship?"

"I'm not saying you should stay with him," David explained, twirling a strand of my hair around his fingers. "That's not my decision to make. I just don't want you to regret this when you wake up tomorrow morning."

"David, it's you!" I exclaimed. "Why would I ever regret it?"

"I really like you, Rose," he said, changing the subject, and tenderly kissed the corner of my mouth.

"I really like you too," I murmured.

He kissed me again and my lips parted, waiting for him to plunge his tongue into my mouth, overwhelmed with desire. Instead, he cupped my face in his hands and gazed into my eyes.

"I just wish you liked me the same way," he whispered.

"What if I do?" I asked, fueled by the passion of the moment.

"You don't," he stated. "And I know I shouldn't do this, but somehow I just can't say no. It's like you have me under a spell."

And just like that I threw myself at him, kissing him violently as he unzipped my dress and pulled me up to my feet, letting it slide down to the floor.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he moaned, unbuckling my bra.

I wrapped my arms around him, grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. My hands ran down his muscular chest and abs, pausing at his hips before I unbuttoned his jeans and grabbed his dick while he placed a trail of wet kisses from my neck to my left breast. I cried out as he sank his teeth into my sensitive nipple and teased it by tracing a circle around it with his tongue. Then he cupped my breast and got down on his knees, massaging it while his tongue travelled down my stomach. His fingers looped around the waistband of my panties and I grabbed his hair roughly as he slowly pulled them down and let them fall to the floor.

"Come on," I said, seizing his hand and leading him into my bedroom.

I sat down on the edge of the bed as David slipped out of his pants, grabbed my wrists, pushed me down onto the mattress and knelt over me. Horny and impatient, I spread my legs wide until my lips parted and he slowly pressed his stone hard cock as far into me as he could, making me groan with pleasure. He pulled in and out several times, increasing the rhythm until his balls slapped against me with each thrust. His breathing got heavier and heavier as he let go of one of my wrists and placed his hand around my throat, caressing it with his thumb before tightening his grip a little.

"Do you mind?" he asked.

I couldn't help but smile as I shook my head.

"Not at all," I said. "I'm used to a lot more than this."

"Oh, really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?"

I smiled mischievously and, without saying anything, I grabbed his wrists, turned him over and pinned them down right next to his shoulders. He smiled approvingly, evidently pleased with my unexpected move.

"I didn't see that coming," he laughed.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," I teased.

I straddled his hips and sank onto him slowly, content as my pussy tightened around him and a small moan escaped his lips. I rhythmically moved my body up and down, pressing it against his hips as hard as I could, and found myself enjoying being the one in control for once. David had closed his eyes and was completely focused on the pleasure I was giving him. He squeezed my thighs firmly and I grabbed one of his hands, slid it along my inner thigh and placed it on my pussy. He moaned again, turned on by the fact that I was taking charge and showing him exactly what I wanted, and started rubbing my clit with his thumb. Desperate for more, I pushed my hips forward and he increased the speed.

"So this is what you used to do with Mike?" he asked. "Dominate him in bed?"

His directness made me smile.

"Actually, it was the other way around," I admitted.

"In that case," David said, "I assume you won't mind if I do this."

With a firm grip on my shoulders, he pushed me backwards and pinned my legs down with his arms, then he placed a trail of wet kisses from my belly button down toward my throbbing pussy. I gasped for air as he started sucking on my outer lips and thrust his fingers in and out of my wet, hungry vagina. Suddenly his tongue probed against my swollen clit and my legs spasmed, the pleasure almost too strong to handle, but he pressed them down against the mattress and licked me faster and faster. I let myself get carried away by the intense sensation until I couldn't take it anymore and cried out as I climaxed, his tongue still swirling around my clit. He slowed down when he felt my muscles relaxing again and looked up at me, a proud smile on his face that made me chuckle.

"It's your turn to lie on your back," I said and straddled him again, facing away from him this time.

I curved my back and threw my hair back as I pushed myself down against him, teasing him as his cock slowly filled my dripping pussy. His fingers ran through my hair and down to my ass as I bounced up and down.

"You look amazing," he said and squeezed my butt cheeks.

"Put your hands underneath your head," I ordered. "And don't move them."

I turned around when I heard that he had done as I had told him.

"I want to touch you," he said without moving his hands.

"I know," I answered, a cunning smile on my face. "And I want you to keep your hands right where they are and look at me until I make you come, knowing that if you try to touch me I'll stop fucking you."

David looked at me intensely with a sparkle in his eyes, clearly enjoying my little game. I continued moving my body up and down, slowly at first, then faster and faster, deeper and deeper, slamming my pussy against his waist. When I knew he was close to orgasm I stopped a few inches above him and he desperately thrust his hips up and down, shoving his hungry cock in and out of me. As I leaned forward, placed both my hands around his neck and tightened my grip, he grabbed my hair, gave it a hard tug and cried out in pleasure.

"You okay?" he asked between breaths as I lay down next to him.

"Yeah," I said, facing him. "You?"

"Same," he answered. "But I think someone's calling you."

I jumped out of bed and ran to the living room where I had left my cell phone. I had several messages and missed calls from Nicole, so I dialed her number.

"Where the hell are you?!" she exclaimed angrily. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"I'm so sorry, Nikki," I said, biting my lip. "I didn't feel great so I went home. I tried to find you so that I could tell you, but you just disappeared and it was really crowded."

"You could have sent me a message," she scolded. "I was worried sick about you."

"You're right," I said. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Have you talked to David?" she asked. "We can't find him either."

I hesitated, unsure if I should tell her the truth. I had never lied to Nicole but the last thing I needed was a lecture.

"He took me home," I said. "He paid for the cab and then he went back to his place. He said he was tired and didn't feel like going back to the bar."

"What a party pooper," she muttered. "But I guess it was nice of him to make sure you got home okay. Do you want me to come over?"

"No, that's okay," I said quickly. "You really don't have to. I'm fine, I'm just tired. I think I'm just going to get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned. "I feel a bit guilty for pressuring you. Maybe we should have just stayed in instead."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "You were just trying to help."

"I could take a cab and be there if fifteen minutes," she suggested. "We could stay up and watch TV or just talk."

"I'm fine," I repeated, afraid that she would show up anyway and find out what David and I had done. "I really just want to go to bed. Let's talk tomorrow, all right?"

"Fine," she caved in. "If you say so. Call me when you wake up, okay?"

"I will," I promised. "Have fun tonight!"

I hung up and walked back to the bedroom where David was already getting dressed.

"I'd better go," he said and pulled his shirt over his head.

"You don't have to," I told him. "I mean, it's late. You can stay here if you want to."

"Look, Rose," he said and took my hand in his. "Tonight was amazing. I don't regret it for one second."

"Neither do I," I interjected.

"I'm happy you don't," he said. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're in love with someone else. I really don't want to lose you as a friend, but the truth is that I like you a lot and I'm going to end up getting hurt if we keep doing this."