/frē-ˈsōⁿ/

●●●

I am much more me when I am with you.

●●●

Rose looked stunning in a blue shirt.

He thought it really brought out the brown of her eyes. A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.̶ ̶

He had no idea what he was doing. B̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶e̶.̶ ̶

He hasn't been this close to a girl in so long, and he was starting to think he was going crazy. With his racing heart, trembling fingers, and shaky legs, it seemed logical at the time.

T̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶z̶y̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶

It felt weird being this close to Rose; so close that he could smell her subtle perfume, and so close that he could see each and every one of her b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ freckles. If he thought she looked pretty from afar, she looked surreal up close.

He could feel the warmth of her fingers radiate towards his own i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶ and it felt odd too. A̶ ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶k̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶o̶d̶d̶.̶ ̶

The thing about Rose was that everything was always so unpredictable; nothing he would plan would ever seem to work when it came to her. All the emotions, thoughts and even actions that he thought he had in check, seem to evaporate into nothing when it came to this blonde haired girl.

H̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶.̶ ̶

The heat was becoming unbearable: almost like a tingling flame against his palm as they both stood, waiting for the rain. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶g̶e̶r̶s̶.̶ ̶

He didn't think that his head would race with thoughts of her, thoughts of the warmth of her hand a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶, and it was starting to bug the hell out of Aaron.

He pushed off the hair on his eyes with the palm of his hand once before before he heaved a sigh; he must looked so horrible right now. He didn't even want to think of what happened to his clothes.

But Rose, she, she looked s̶o̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ quite alright for someone who just ran through the rain. And even though the cold air was scraping against Aaron's arms, it seemed as though the warmth of her eyes kept him sweltering; as though he was wrapped in a blanket full of sunshine.

H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶l̶y̶.̶ ̶

"So how did you know there was a telephone box here?" Rose asked him, offering him a tiny smile.

He gave her a look. "I saw it when we went off the bus," He rolled his eyes. Sighed. "I'm not stalking you."

Her eyes glimmered with amusement while her lips smiled in delight. "Never said you were,"

B̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶. "Stop being a smart ass will you?" He rolled his eyes. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶. "That's my job."

She quirked a challenging eyebrow. Fought back a smile. "Really now?"

He nodded his head confidently. "As real as real can get real."

She let a laugh slip through her lips before she composed herself, her lips fighting back a smile once more. "Are you indirectly calling me stupid?"

He shrugged. Looked up. "I'm not really calling you that smart either,"

She frowned. Smiled. Quirked an eyebrow. "Should I be pleased?"

D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶. "Well you shouldn't be offended either," He told her. D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶.

And then it was as though she couldn't hold it in any longer, she laughed.

I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶d̶.̶ ̶

He didn't know whether it was the way she always seemed to close her eyes because she was laughing too hard, or whether it was because of the little giggle that seemed to slip through those lips, but it was just so absolutely beautiful that he couldn't help but admire.

I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶y̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶e̶x̶i̶s̶t̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶

"I'm sorry," She told him, before she went into another fit of giggles. "I just couldn't help myself,"

H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶ "I tend to do that to people,"

She was smiling again, this time her brown eyes were sparkling. H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶.̶ ̶ "Confident are we DeGarner?"

"Not at all McLean," He replied. "Just stating facts."

A̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶p̶l̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶.̶ ̶ "Well I like it," She said. "Somehow it suits you."

He fought a smile. "Calling me conceited and narcissistic now?"

Her eyes gleamed. D̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶L̶o̶r̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶r̶c̶y̶. She grinned. "Perhaps I am."

He pressed his lips together, h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶, before he nodded his head. "Your call, don't blame me if you somehow catch me admiring myself in the mirror," He internally slapped himself for that one.

"Is that really what narcissists do?" She was smiling, almost laughing. "Somehow I always picture them gelling up their hair or adding another layer of lip gloss."

"So you want me to put lip gloss on?"

"No,"

"Why not?" D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶.̶ ̶

But she did though. Rose let out perhaps the most heart warming laugh he ever heard. It was one that was from the bottom of her heart, entirely from her tummy as she leaned her head back and giggled. It did kind of caught him off guard, but it felt absolutely beautiful. H̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶y̶. And he wondered whether he looked as nice when he laughed.

"Because it'll be weird," Rose reasoned, biting her bottom lips as though to trap the giggles that wanted to skid out. H̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶s̶h̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶.̶ ̶ "But I mean if you really want to, I won't stop you."

And as much as Aaron tried to think of depressed things, or how hard he tried to picture something saddening, he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer.

Perhaps it was because of how hesitant she sounded, or how that smile that illuminated her face made his heart go absolutely insane, but he couldn't stop it.

So he did it.

He laughed.

He couldn't remember the last time he laughed like this, as though he didn't have a care in the world. Like there wasn't anything wrong with his life, that he had no bills to pay, or pain to feel, or even people to avoid-

he just laughed as though no one on Earth was watching.

It felt weird at first, but eventually he melted into the emotion.

A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶,̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶,̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶.̶ ̶

"What even drove us to talk about lip gloss?" He said, laughing lightly now as he shook his head.

But from the look on Rose's face, he could tell he probably went a bit too far.

Aaron immediately cleared his throat then he looked away. H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶c̶r̶e̶a̶m̶i̶n̶g̶. His face felt hot as he inhaled a small breath, clenching his jaw over how stupid he was. He knew it was wrong to laugh like that, and he was wrong that he could ever laugh like that again, and he hated hated hated himself so much-

"You look nice when you laugh like that," Rose suddenly said, offering him a reassuring smile. "You should do it more often." H̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶s̶h̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶

He tried to smile. "It felt weird."

She grinned. "It won't if you do it more often."

He nodded his head. "Perhaps in the near future," H̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶l̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶

And it was as though she could see right through him. "I'll make sure of it."

H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ "Good luck with that."

She grinned, as though she was quite confident in herself. "Challenge accepted."

"And the rain stopped," Aaron said, his eyes flickering to the hiding sun. "Or maybe it's just a little drizzle."

Rose followed his gaze too. "I think it's only drizzling." She was smiling too, and he wondered if there was a time where she wasn't. "It looks pretty..." She mumbled to herself, her warm caramel gaze locked onto the light drizzle right outside the telephone box.

And that was when it really occurred to Aaron how close they really were to each other. Their chests were inches away, and their fingers were almost brushing. He could feel the warmth of her fingers from the very beginning, but now, all he could feel was the urge - the absolute need to wrap them around his own.

And he knew that the subtle sprinkle was something utterly beguiling to observe, and that the slight sunshine blooming its way through the neighbourhood was absolutely remarkable, but Rose, she - she looked even more endearing.

And somehow Aaron was convinced that even if sunshine, rainbows and unicorns popped right in front of him, he still wouldn't think they were any prettier than Rose was.

Because Rose wasn't pretty like unicorns or rainbows, she was beautiful.

She was the kind of beautiful that people don't really notice right away, the kind of beautiful where if you look closely, you'd feel as though the definition of beautiful seemed ridiculous.

Beauty did have a definition in this world, and that was one of the things that Aaron absolutely hated. Plump lips, luscious eyelashes, defined eyebrows - things that mean absolutely nothing when it came to beauty.

Because even though Rose had small lips, not so perfect eyelashes, and straight eyebrows, he thought she looked more beautiful than any other girl he has laid his eyes on. It didn't matter that her complexion wasn't as perfect as those models on magazines, or that her lips were not always coated in a light layer of lip gloss, because all he knew was that the way her brown eyes were shimmering against the delicate sun light was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

She seemed so mesmerised, so immensely focused on the sight in front of them. She was looking at it as though it was a memory she was going to seal forever; tucking it right in her memory box.

H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶

He looked at her with such a fierce fervor; the passion dwelling deep into his soul as she shook the breath right out of him. She was a girl that could make your toes curl and your heart race just by her eyes, and it wasn't any different for Aaron.

H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶,̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶,̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶.̶ ̶

"Wait your jacket's soaked too," Rose was frowning as she took his black jacket in her hands, squeezing all the water off it. But then she smiled. "Is this the same jacket you let me borrow too?"

"In the flesh," He told her casually. A smile crept on his face. "The one you kept a gallon and a half of glitter on."

She grinned. "Glad you remembered that part."

H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶c̶e̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶e̶.̶ "I wish I could say the same. It took me a day and a half to get all that gunk off."

She bit her bottom lip again, b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶. "So will it ruin it if I said it took me 3 seconds to put on?"

D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶.̶ "Yes."

"It totally didn't take me three seconds to put on."

"That is the lamest lie I have ever heard." H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶.̶ ̶

And the of amount grace she possessed made him forget that they were talking about a silly jacket.

"Alright, I think the drizzle's almost done," Rose told him, quickly making his gaze snap away from her. "Ready to go?"

He nodded his head. "Lead the way."

She grinned. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶e̶n̶s̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶. "Then come along sailor,"

Aaron took his bottom lips between his teeth. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶. "Aye aye, Captain."

She let out a light laugh before she lead the way, giving him a small glance every once in a while as she walked delicately against the concrete floor.

And even though Rose looked as b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶-̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ weird as she did, the only thing that was circling his mind was the fact that Aaron looked like a mess.

Because if there was one thing he knew, it was that soaked clothing and damp hair wasn't exactly a good first impression when it came to parents.

Aaron was never one to freak out over particular things, but as the pair stood right outside Rose's doorstep, Aaron thought he was going to become an erupting volcano and erupt with the most nerve wrecking lava there is.

He was nervous, and he couldn't lie about it any longer.

He could feel his palms become clammy when he saw Rose ring the door bell, looking as flawless as she always did while his hand unconsciously went to his hair.

Wet.

Great.

His hair was still filled with moisture, and he heaved out a small sigh when he heard foot steps along the other side of the door.

As if sensing his discomfort, Rose flashed him a small smile. "Don't worry about it, my Dad's pretty chill when it comes to boys." She turned her soft gaze towards the door again and she then wrapped her fingers around his wrist.

H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶ ̶

He could feel himself stiffen as he glanced at her fingers, t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶f̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶. before he inhaled a breath when he could hear the door unlock. Now wasn't the time to freak out.

A petite lady opened up the door; her bright hazel eyes were fixated on Aaron, but her gaze was so warm that he felt as though his wet, cold clothes were replaced with a fluffy robe. "You're a bit late Rose," She frowned. "And you bought a friend." She was smiling now, and Aaron noticed how long her blonde hair really was. It reached to the bottom of her belly, but he also knew from where Rose got her own blonde hair from. I̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶.̶ ̶

"And you're both soaked," She was frowning again, a look of disappointment flashing through her features before she let out a small breathe.

Rose gave her Mom (Or so he hoped) a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Mom, we're fine. It was just some rain."

"Some rain?" Her Mom said. "It was a God damn blizzard." She muttered, shaking her head. "You kids get in now, Lord knows what you have been through."

"Helen that's a quarter in the swear jar for you!"

Aaron's eyes flickered to a man. He seemed quite old, but somehow he didn't look a day above 35. He was tall too, smiling as he walked over to his wife. But when Aaron got a good look at him, he had the most beautiful blue eyes he has ever encountered.

He lowered his gaze in insecurity.

"Ah what do we have here?" He lifted his face to meet Rose's father's gaze.

"Rose bought a friend," Helen said, smiling. "What's your name dear?"

H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ "My name's Aaron madam." He gave her a small smile, wiping some of his wet hair away from his face as he gave her a small bow of his head.

"You can call me Helen dear, you're a shy one aren't you?" Helen smiled, giving him a smile.

Aaron then took a small breath before he turned his attention to Rose's father. "I'm Aaron sir, Aaron DeGarner." He held out his hand, and it was then that he realised Rose's fingers were gone.

"Nice to meet you Aaron DeGarner," Peter smiled, shaking his hand. "I'm Peter, Peter McLean."

Aaron nodded his head, slightly flustered over their gazes. "I have come to explain Rose's absence as of yesterday."

"Okay Mr. Formal pants, let's just get you into some dry clothing first." Peter said, slightly laughing as he ruffled Aaron's hair. It was all so sudden that Aaron flinched at the contact, staring wide eyed at Peter. I̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶.̶ ̶

"Oh sorry boy, didn't know you were uncomfortable." Peter apologised, a regretful expression tickling his features.

Aaron shook his head. "No, not at all." He could feel himself smiling. "Just no one did that to me in a while, that's it."

Aaron was obviously smiling because Helen seemed awe-struck, her lips slightly parted as she looked at him. "Goodness me boy, your smile can cure cancer."

H̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶i̶d̶e̶n̶.̶ "Why thank you Helen, that means a lot coming from you."

Helen laughed lightly. "What makes you say that?"

H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶f̶l̶u̶t̶t̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ "Because I can see from where Rose gets her own smile."

"More of this boyfriend talk later, let's get you some dry clothes Aaron." Peter said, his blue eyes sparkling in delight.

"Boyfriend? Dad no-" He saw a flash of pink on her cheeks while Peter dragged him off somewhere, and for some reason, he couldn't stop the amused smile that invaded his lips.

And Aaron knew if he ever had an opportunity to live in the McLean household, he would.

Without a second thought.

Approximately 10 minutes later, Aaron was dressed in one of Peter's old football shorts, and a green shirt that was probably 2 sizes too large for him.

"That was my football uniform back in the day," Peter told him proudly, his blue stare glimmering in pride.

"Wow," Aaron said. "You must've been one strong man." Because from how the shirt was slouched against his back, he knew that broad shoulders were suppose to fill in that space.

Peter lightly laughed, nodding his head. "Was the tallest guy on the squad."

Aaron smiled lightly, as he nodded his head. "Thank you again for the clothes sir."

Peter brushed him off, smiling. It seems as though he never stops smiling, just like his daughter. "Don't sweat it Aaron, it's no problem really."

Aaron gave Peter a small nod, and Peter added. "You play any sports?" D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶

"I used to," Aaron shrugged, feeling how big the sleeves of this shirt really was against his arms.

"What happened?" And it was the first time Peter wasn't smiling. Instead his eyebrows were furrowed in anticipation while his lips settled in a small frown.

"Wasn't allowed to anymore I guess," Aaron shrugged again.

Peter's smile was back. "Those grades huh?"

L̶i̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶e̶.̶ "Yeah," Aaron laughed lightly, b̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶

Peter nodded his head before he walked out the door. "Well as much as I like chatting with you Aaron, I have to go help my wife prepare dinner,"

Aaron smiled, and it felt genuine this time. "Very well sir, I just have a small thing to tell you and I'll be gone-"

"A dinner to which you will be staying Aaron," Peter added. "And we don't take rejections here very well, so dinner it is." His blue eyes were gleaming, amused.