I was just a machine, but it wasn't really me... (Connor x OC) D: BH

༻ 11, Shades of color ༺

ROSE'S POV

Suddenly I found myself on the highway again, surrounded by the high-speed autonomous vehicles. I knew what I was doing there, but when I looked around I couldn't see Connor... Neither Alice or Kara... 'Where are they? Where is everyone?'

"Rose!" I heard a familiar voice coming from behind me. I instantly turned around.

"CONNOR!" I screamed his name. I was about to rush toward him when I heard the horn of a car. Fortunately, I could jump back in time, but Connor... He was no longer there... I was so scared. My heart was pounding like the hooves of the wild horses. In my despair, I glanced at my hands. Both of them was covered with blue blood. 'What's happening?', I asked myself, while I was trying to hold back my tears. I heard the horn of a truck. I glanced at my left side, then everything went dark...

My heart was pounding in my ears as I opened my eyes. 'It was only a bad dream...' I was still in the Ranger which was parked on the driveway.

"It looks like I was sleeping during all the way." I said with a weak chuckle.

"The ride itself took 24 minutes, but you slept only for 19 minutes." He informed me, then climbed out of the car. 'What the hell?', I blinked. For a little while I was still sitting in the passenger seat, deepened in my thoughts, but seconds later I noticed that my feet no longer reaching the ground.

"Umm... Connor..." I started uncertainly, wrapping my arms around my partner's neck. It was a simple reflex after he lifted me up bridal style. 'Did I get embarrassed? A bit... Did I enjoy the situation? A lot...' "You are a gentleman, really... But I think I'm still capable of walking." 'After all of this? I doubt it...'. With that request Connor carefully put me down on the grassy ground, but the pale blush on my face didn't disappear. After that, we walked to the front door, I put my hand on the biometric palm scanner, then we entered the hallway.

"Alarm deactivated. Welcome home, Rose!" the well-known mechanical voice greeted me, then a few moments later my housemate also greeted us.

"Connor, he is Shasta." I informed him. Connor instantly kneeled down to the friendly dog and stroked him with a cute smile on his face. Meanwhile, I hung my jacket up on the wall hanger in the hallway, put down my backpack and took off my boots.

"Rose... Your hand..." my partner spoke up with some worry in his voice. I glanced at my right hand which was covered with ugly scratches. A hiss of pain left my mouth as soon as I touched it. "Do you have first aid box in the house?"

"Yes." I replied after a few seconds of delay. "Upstairs, in the bathroom." after my answer the RK800 disappeared from my view. While I was waiting for his return I sat down on the graphite grey couch between the white and scarab green pillows, then I set one of the vanilla scented candles to fire and placed it on the coffee table. I did this almost every day. The vanilla was my favorite fragrance. What's more, I very often put some vanilla into my cappuccino or my hot chocolate.

"Give me your hand." Connor's voice broke the silence, then he sat down on the couch to clean the wound on my hand.

"Thank you!" I thanked him again, pulling my legs up next to me. Within a few minutes the burning sensation on my hand faded away. Later my partner made me a mug of hot lavender tea, but soon I already was holding my sketchbook and my watercolor pencils between my hands.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Rose?" Connor changed the topic of the conversation, while I was working on my newest drawing already for almost an hour.