Not So Little Rose

Chapter 48

"I love you." I grinned as I stared into the mirror in front of me and shook my head. I look like a psycho. Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and reopened them. "I love you." I whispered with a smile as I shook my head and slapped my forehead.

I've been sitting in front of my mirror for a good half an hour trying to come up with the best possible way I could say 'I love you' to none other than Mason Gregory Black. Yes, the three big words that I never thought I'd say to anyone other than my family. Our relationship has been nothing but rainbows and sunshine and I can't be any more grateful than I already am. Mason is genuinely the most caring, thoughtful, protective, and adorable person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I love him. I really do.

Falling backwards, I laid down on the floor like a starfish and closed my eyes, thinking back to the conversation I had with mom just yesterday.

Flashback

"Mommy, I need you to stop giving your husband attention and focus it all on me." I gulped as I stood in front of the happy couple watching TV. They looked way too comfortable and the last thing I wanted to do was interrupt them, especially knowing that they barely get any days to themselves. I guess this is an exception.

"You heard the lady, get out." Mom grinned as dad childishly pouted before walking out of the living room, leaving the two of us alone. "What's the matter, baby?" She asked as she paused the TV and motioned for me to sit where dad was just moments ago.

"When you and dad were dating, did you love him?" I asked as I nervously bounced my knee up and down.

"I definitely liked your dad for quite a while before we started dating. The falling in love part just happened. We didn't plan to fall in love, and we didn't schedule it either." She giggled as I anxiously smiled at her and leaned back into the couch.

"Falling in love at seventeen is absolutely ridiculous, preposterous, stupid, dumb, and insane. Right?" I asked as her eyes widened in realisation and before I knew it she was off the couch and stood over me, gaping like a fish.

"Everly, baby, sweetheart, my beautiful daughter, are you saying what I think you're saying." She asked in shock as I vigorously nodded my head before grabbing a cushion and stuffing my face into it.

"I knew it! I knew it was stupid, and I'm just living in my own fantasy." I cried as heard a giggle making me pull my head out of the cushion and look at her in confusion.

"Oh baby, no." She smiled softly as she crouched down in front of me and moved my hair behind my ear. "You, my darling, are neither of those things. Falling in love at seventeen isn't ridiculous, or preposterous, or stupid, or dumb, or insane." She giggled, quoting what I had said earlier.

"I don't even know what 'love' is. For all I know I just really really like him and just exaggerating it into something it's not." I sighed as she shook her head.

"Not a single person in this entire world can tell you how you feel other than yourself. I can't tell you whether or not you love him, you need to figure that out on your own. But it looks like you already have." She smiled as I bit my lip and fiddled with the ring on my finger.

"What even is love? I mean, how did you know you love dad?" I asked her as a wide grin made its way to her face while she sat back down next to me.

"Love is when you don't care about how you spend your time together as long as you're with each other. It's when you make Mr and Mrs Banana sleep on your window seat so he can take their spot. It's where you split your cake and share your ice cream with him even though you have an unhealthy obsession with it. It's when you pay attention and care for the little things." She explained as my eyes welled up with tears that began to flow freely from my eyes.