I was so warm. Was I dead? Whatever I laid on felt like, what I assume, clouds would feel like. Softness, warmth, safety, and that smell. It smelt masculine, like leather and woods, I could soak in this fragrance for eternity and never have a complaint.

Maybe being dead isn't so bad, I moaned and sunk further into my safety cloud. I lifted my hand to my face, groaning as pain radiates through my body. Nope, not dead. So where was I?

My eyes peeled open, only to shut them quickly as I let out a small groan due to the bright light coming in through the window I managed to glance out.

I heard a low murmur before I heard the curtains draw closed, darkening the room.

I peeled my eyes open again, blinking a few times before my vision cleared. Glancing around I noticed I was in a room with gray walls, this one much different than the previous one I woke up in. I took a deep breath before slowly maneuvering myself into a sitting position.

On the wall straight ahead was a flat screen tv with a dresser underneath. To the right of it laid a door, my head tilted to the side as I heard the faint sound of voices from the other side of the door. Glancing to the left of the room laid another door, this one was cracked open enough to see tile flooring and part of a porcelain tub.

There was a desk positioned on the wall beside the bathroom door with a laptop and paper stacked neatly on it. Slowly moving my head to the right, I noticed another door, this one I assumed to be a closet. Moving my gaze further right I noticed a black couch pushed against the wall, a book laying on one cushion.

Sitting on the cushion next to it, staring at me intently with a hand propped under his chin, was the mystery man from last night. My breath caught as I glanced at him. He was beautiful. I watched as he rose from the couch. My body moved on it's own, scrambling backwards, my back pushed into the headboard. The man quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey, hey, it's alright darlin. I ain't gonna hurt ya." He took slow steps towards the bed, kneeling down in front of it.

I eyed him warily, watching as one of his hands moved towards the table beside the bed. His hand came back with a bottle of water and held it in my direction, my throat ached but I was cautious.

He made show of tilting the bottle upside down before turning it back up and cracking the lid open. His hand held the bottle out again, sending me a soft smile, my hand shook as I slowly reached out to take it waiting to see if he would take it back. Once the bottle was in my hand I kept my eyes on him as I took the first sip, my eyes closing for a moment as the liquid soothed my throat. I heard a rustle, making my eyes pop open and shoot at him. He held a bottle of medicine making my eyes narrow, my head tilting to the side.

"It's just ibuprofen, flower." He reassured me with a soft smile as he turned the bottle for me to read the label.

Once he deemed me satisfied, he opened the bottle and shook a couple of pills out before holding them towards me. I slowly put my hand out, allowing him to drop the medicine in my palm. Shivers went through me as his fingers grazed my palm, making me jerk my hand back quickly. I took another sip of the water before taking the medicine. Once I finished I passed the water back, he screwed the lid back on and held it in my direction again. I took the bottle, hugging it to my chest.

"We're at my place." He said softly. "I wasn't sure where you lived so I brought you back here and patched up that knee of yours." His head nodded to where my legs rested under the blanket.

"Thank you, for last night." I whispered, looking around the room once more. "I should really be going now." I slowly moved the comforter back, stopping when I realized I was still in the large t-shirt from last night.

"There's no need to thank me darlin." He said with a smile, his hand came up to caress his beard. My own hand itched to do the same, reaching up to move a long strand on my hair behind my ear instead. "What's your name sweetheart?" He asked as his eyes roamed my face, his eyes narrowing on my cheek for a moment.

"Rose." I whispered, my right hand fiddling with the top of the comforter. He let out a hum of amusement, making me glance up to see him looking at me with a soft look on his face.

"You are a flower." He mused, making my head tilt to the side as I blinked up at him. He stared at me with a look on his face that I couldn't describe before I heard him clear his throat. "I won't stop you from leaving darlin, you're free to go anytime. How about we get you a shower, fresh clothes, and some food first?"

I glanced at him for a moment, trying to figure him out, before slowly nodding. He shot me another soft smile, making me look away as heat rose to my cheeks, before he walked towards the door beside the couch. He stepped inside, coming back with a small stack of clothing and nodding his head towards the bathroom door. I moved the comforter off of me and slowly climbed off the bed, clenching my jaw as pain shot through my body. I slowly walked towards the bathroom.

"The towels are in the cabinet beside the sink, as well as a new toothbrush. You're welcome to use the hairbrush or anything else you might need. These are the smallest clothes I have, I'll have someone run out and grab something more your size." He said as he passed me the stack of clothes, staying outside the bathroom door.

Once the clothes were in my hand he turned and started walking towards the bedroom door, he stopped and glanced at me again. "There is a lock on that door, and you're welcome to take all the time you need." He shot me a soft smile before he turned and walked out of the room.

I closed the door to the bathroom, making sure to take him up on lock he mentioned, before turning around and walking over to place the clothes on the counter. I glanced inside the cabinet, grabbing a towel and toothbrush before reaching in to turn the shower on.

As I waited for the water to heat up I risked a glance in the mirror. I did look like I had been through the ringer a time or two. My hair was a ratty mess and my face was covered in scratches and dirt, the purple bruise on my right cheek and one going across my neck stood out against my pale skin.

I shook my head before turning away to adjust the water temperature, once it was ready I grabbed the bottom of the shirt I wore and pulled it up. I sucked in a sharp breath as my pain filled my torso, glancing down I saw a bruise covering most of my left side. I gritted my teeth as I pulled the shirt the rest of the way off, pausing to breathe through my nose before I tossed it and the bandage from my knee into the trash. The gash on my knee didn't look as bad as I expected, hopefully it wouldn't need stitches. My gaze ran over the small scratches running across my legs, before I finally climbed into the shower.

I spent just enough time to wash my hair and body twice, watching as the water finally ran clean instead of a murky brown color. The hot water relaxed my muscles and numbed my wounds. I quickly squeezed the water out of my hair and stepped out, grabbing the towel to dry off. I wrapped my hair in the towel before grabbing the clothes off of the counter. There was a large black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of mens gray jogging pants.

I slipped the shirt on first, glad for the size as it made it easier to avoid irritating my side, before sliding the pants on and rolling the waist a few times. I closed my eyes as I inhaled the woodsy scent that surrounded me. After I dressed I took the towel from my hair and placed it into the laundry basket, I pushed the sleeves of the shirt up and grabbed the hairbrush from the counter and ran it through my elbow length brown hair. I pulled the sleeves back over my hands before moving to the door, I pressed my ear against it for a moment listening for any sounds.

I slowly unlocked the door and opened it, the room was empty. I stepped out and started making my way back towards the bed, stopping when the bookshelf caught my eye. I moved towards it, my eyes skimming over the books. I missed reading. I quickly spun around, my hands drawing up to my chest, as I heard the door open. My body relaxed slightly when I saw the man from before walk in, balancing a tray on one hand as he closed the door behind him. His eyes widened when he glanced up at me, before softening as he shot me a small smile.

"One of us didn't take the amount of time I expected." He said, shooting me a teasing smile as he walked towards the table between the bed and couch. "You feel better darlin?"

I nodded my head, watching as he sat the tray down before he grabbed the pillows from the bed and positioned them on one side of the couch.

"Good. Come have a seat and i'll rebandage your knee before you eat." He pointed to the couch as he walked back to where he sat the tray. I made my way towards the couch and went to sit down, pausing when I heard him let out a slight chuckle. I glanced at him, my head tilting in confusion.

"That seat is for you darlin." His face looked amused as he pointed to the spot he had set up with the pillows. I stared at him for another moment before I slowly walked towards the seat. I tried to hide my grimace as I sat down, the couch was lower than the bed. Once I was settled he came over, a tube of ointment and gauze in one hand, and kneeled in front of me.

Our eyes met for a moment, his blue eyes gazing into my green ones, before he glanced down at my left leg and grabbed the bottom of the pants. His eyes met mine again as he slowly lifted the pants leg, pulling out as he pulled up. I could feel heat rise to my cheeks as I watched him and he shot me another smile causing me to look away. He applied the ointment, murmuring an apology when my breath caught from the pain, and bandaged my knee before he got up and tossed the trash.

"You up for a movie flower?" He asked as he came over and sat on the other side of the couch, dragging the table with the tray in between us. My head tilted to the side at the nickname, he had called me that last night too.

"Flower?" I finally questioned as his gaze came back to mine. His gaze was soft.

"I think it suits you." He mused, his head tilting to the side as well. "You're small and delicate, like a flower. Plus your name helps." He shot me a teasing smile.

My eyes narrowed. "Woah there darlin. What's that face for? I didn't mean any offence." He stammered out, his eyes widening when I let out a scoff.

I wasn't small, 5"4 was an average height. Maybe compared to him, but he was a giant. I definitely wasn't delicate, I wouldn't have survived what I did if I was. I glared at him when his hand moved towards me, making his hand freeze. I moved my gaze to the bookshelf. I was no flower.

"I really didn't mean to offend you." He said softly, his hand stopping near mine before his fingers moved to caress the top of my hand. My breath hitched, I moved my gaze back to his before narrowing my eyes at his amused expression. His hand grabbed mine before I could pull it away and I shot him another glare.

"I truly am sorry darlin, you're just so adorable when you look mad." His voice lightly teased. I was about to show him adorable, my glare deepened.

"I would appreciate it if you let my hand go." I grumbled out as I tried to pull it away. His hand tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough that my hand didn't come loose.

"Now wait a minute darlin. You haven't even let me explain." He said, his thumb rubbing the top of my hand when I stopped trying to pull away. "Being a flower ain't a bad thing. I've seen some flowers survive the toughest of storms." He was staring at me with an expression I couldn't describe. His other hand came up and moved a strand of hair behind my ear, my body shivered.

"You may be small and delicate, but that doesn't mean you're weak." His finger caressed my cheek before his hand moved to cradle my face. I felt my face lean into his hand as I got lost in his eyes. The deep and light shades of blue reminded me of water, cool and warm. The touches of green made me think of the small islands that you can find hidden throughout the water. The ones you spend hours exploring.

"In fact, I think you're just like the strong flower that's still standing after the storm. Shining bright and beautiful." He sent me a soft smile.

Flowers. That's what we were talking about. Sure. I could be a flower. As long as I got to stare into his eyes I would be whatever he wanted me to be.

"Darlin?" I hummed in response. "You still with me?"

"Definitely." I breathed out, blinking when he let out a chuckle. I could feel my face heat up, my eyes moving down to my lap.

His thumb rubbed over my cheek as he hummed. "You're adorable." He mused. "Now, how about that food?"