Chương 9: I didn't know until now
"Hey," said Rose on the phone to John. He was thrilled and replied, "I'm so happy you called me!"
"Yeah, about that," Rose responded. "I'm inviting you to my village. It will be fun—we can have a barbecue, sing, and dance. Are you ready for that?"
"I was born ready!" John said enthusiastically.
"Great, then let's meet at the station at 8 tomorrow," Rose replied.
"Sure thing."
John thought to himself that this was his last chance—now or never. On the other side, Rose was excited that John had accepted her invitation. She told the others, "He accepted! So, see you all at 8."
"Okay," the three of them replied in unison.
Everyone dreamed of an awesome summer vacation, packed their things, and went to sleep, full of anticipation.
Rose woke up early the next morning, eager to reunite Sarah and John and help them reconcile. She even imagined what it would be like if Daniel showed up in the middle of everything. "Wait, what am I thinking? I need to focus—I'm Sherlock Holmes, oh yeah!" She laughed, then departed from her house to the station.
Sam was already there, waiting for her. "Hey, beautiful," he greeted.
"Hey, handsome," Rose replied with a smile. Just then, she saw Sarah approaching and shouted, "Hey, Sarah, over here!"
"You seem awfully excited," said Sam.
"Yup," Rose replied.
Soon, Sarah, Rupert, and John joined them, and after a four-hour journey, they finally reached their destination, tired but exhilarated. They looked around for a nice place to stay and eventually found a decent spot with two rooms.
"Well, Rose, you come with me," Sam suggested with a grin.
"Not in your lifetime," John countered, dragging Sam to the other room. "The boys stay here; the girls stay there."
"Come on!" Sam protested, but everyone just laughed. They unpacked their things and agreed they all needed to freshen up.
"Okay, I'm going to take a bath," said John as he left the room with a towel in hand. As he headed to the restroom, he spotted Sarah coming out and quickly ducked into the next room, only to find Rose undressing. Blushing, he stumbled back, then instinctively reached forward to cover her mouth and whispered, "Shh!"
They both froze as they heard the door open. Hearts pounding, Rose pulled John into the corner and whispered, "What are you doing here? Are you a pervert?"
"No! I just wanted to take a bath, and then Sarah came in," he stammered.
"Shh," said Rose as Sarah entered and walked toward the closet. Rose stepped forward, trying to keep Sarah from seeing John. "Oh my gosh, I thought it was a boy!" Sarah exclaimed.
In her mind, Rose thought, Yeah, it really is. She was still only wrapped in a towel as she subtly waved her hand behind her to signal John to leave. He understood and slipped out quietly, finally able to take his bath.
Back in his room, Rupert noticed John's dazed look. "Hey, dude, I thought you encountered a ghost on the way," Rupert laughed.
John, still in a daze from his encounter with Rose, muttered, "Ugh, okay."
"Make it quick; we need to have lunch soon," Rupert urged him. "It's barbecue—we all have to cook. Plus, you won't get much time with Rose."
As Rupert left, Sam, who hadn't yet told John that Rose was his girlfriend, mused to himself, Maybe I should tell him before we leave this place. Poor kid must be dreaming.
Rupert and Sam then headed to the showers, laughing about their shared routine. Meanwhile, Rose finished her bath, reflecting on John's unexpected visit and wondering if he was telling the truth.
After everyone gathered, they started the barbecue. Once the food was ready, they sat around a table with six chairs. Sam sat next to Rose, while Rupert was on her other side. John and Sarah were seated together, much to Rose's satisfaction, though John didn't seem to care that Sarah was beside him. Sensing John's cold demeanor, Sarah ate quickly, then stood up and said, "I forgot my phone in my room; I'll go get it," rushing away in near tears.
John, noticing her phone was actually on the table, thought to himself, Why did she come up with a silly excuse like that? He picked up her phone and said to the group, "Hey guys, it looks like Sarah left her phone here and is searching in her room. I'll go give it to her."
"Romance is going to blossom, yay!" Rose said playfully.
"We're not sure yet," Sam cautioned.
"Yeah, you're right," Rose replied.
John found Sarah alone, crying. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he asked harshly.
"Go away!" Sarah replied, fighting back tears.
"I already said I'm not interested in you."
With that, Sarah grabbed a glass of water and threw it in his face. He said nothing as she hurried back to the table, trying to hide her tears. When she returned, Rose noticed her distress. "Hey, Sarah, what's wrong? What did Sam do to you? He's a monster."
Sam noticed John coming back, his face wet. Pulling him aside, he demanded, "What did you do to Sarah?"
"If you're so willing to defend her, why not be with her instead of wasting time on me?" John shot back, his tone sharp.
Rose, suddenly furious, got up from the table, marched over to Sam, and kissed him. She then turned to John, her voice full of anger. "Sam is my boyfriend. What you did to Sarah is unforgivable. I invited you to join us because Sarah genuinely loves you, but you ruined everything. From now on, Sam is my boyfriend, and you are my enemy. If you don't treat Sarah with respect or fall in love with her by the end of summer, you can forget everything—including me."
John looked shocked. "You two are dating?"
"Yes!" Rose shouted.
Without another word, John packed his things. "Thank you for inviting me, Rose. I'll never forget our time together," he said as he walked away.
Sam and Rupert exchanged glances, shrugging. They packed up as well, seeing no point in lingering.
On the way home, Sarah turned to Rose. "I appreciate what you did for me, but please, don't bother trying to get me and John together. Let's just focus on our own lives. That's what will make things right."
That night, Rose had another dream about Daniel, his voice echoing in her mind. Where were you? I missed you. Come to me—I need you now more than ever, my beautiful Rose.
Rose jolted awake, thinking, What a nightmare. She decided she needed a good night's sleep and thought about planning a shopping trip tomorrow. Who even is Daniel to me? she mused, though part of her couldn't ignore the fact he was a famous figure known around the world.
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