Stranger Danger

65

Copyright © MonMoncheese
All Rights Reserved
65 Published 05.19.2020

•••

ROSEANNE

James begins to rub my back in a soothing way as I hide my face into his chest. 

Don't cry, Rose.

Don't cry.

Do it for James.

"Baby? What happened?" He mutters quietly beside my ear while I attempt to control my breathing. 

"It was nothing, James. I'm just being a cry baby." I mumble into his chest. 

I should be used to people saying those things about me. 

But I wasn't. 

"Rose, that wasn't just nothing." His tone grows serious and I draw my lips into a thin line. 

I knew James wouldn't drop it, so after a few seconds, I step away from his arms and close my eyes, my chest rising as I take a deep breath. 

When I'm sure that I won't cry, my eyes come in contact with a set of worried ones. 

Oh, James, you shouldn't worry about me, I'm not important. 

Blowing out a puff of air, I start speaking. "Did you see the two pretty girls that were standing not too far from me?"

"I did, but what about them." He glances back to the store but my eyes remain on his. 

"They were just saying some stuff about me. Nothing serious." I shrug my shoulders hoping that he could believe my nonchalant tone. 

"What were they saying about you?" James frowns at me. 

"Umm, they made a comment about my body and... that's it." I decide to keep what they said about me and James to myself. 

It was better that way.

"And what?" He asks, his tone oddly soft despite the angry look on his face. 

"They thought you were my boyfriend," My voice is barely above a whisper as I say this. "And one of them said that you're perfect, while I'm, uh, ugly." I clear my throat and look away from his burning gaze. "I'm guessing they couldn't believe that we could be together."

"But they have a point." I end with a chuckle, hoping to ease his anger. 

James doesn't say anything as I focus on the people passing by, but eventually, he sighs. 

"Rose, look at me." James places a hand on my cheek and I turn my face to his direction. "Don't listen to them, princess." He uses the back of his hand to caress my cheek as he utters those words.

"Nothing of what they said matters because it's not true. They shouldn't even have said those words about you in the first place." His jaw clenches at the end. "Rose, you're beautiful, you really are, and I know that you don't think that, but you are. And that comment they said about you being ugly is not true, far from it actually." He continues and I find myself falling for those eyes of his.