The Knight Of The Rose Read Online Free PDF Page B

and sat beside me. “Just so you know…I’m your friend, too. I
    mean, I care for David, but...but I’m here for you, Ara. Okay?”
    “Thanks, Emily.” I squeezed her hand a little.
    “It’ll be okay, anyway.” Emily shrugged. “Love always finds a way, right, Lani?”
    Alana took a long breath. “I hope so—otherwise, what’s the point?”
    I smiled softly. “Thanks guys.”

    The quiet hum of restful breathing filled my room under the howling of the wind outside. I
    laid awake, wishing I could put my bedside light on to illuminate the corners of my room and see
    that there was no scary man hiding there.
    I hugged my copy of Wuthering Heights to my chest and internally sent despise in waves of
    anger to the mattress on the floor.
    I should’ve told Emil y I hate scar y movies. I’m sure she would’ ve understood. She seems
    nice like that. I wish I’d just told her.
    My phone lit the roof green fo r a second; I flipped over and reached across the gap between
    my bed and the side table, cautiously, in case the Bogey man reached up to gr ab my hand, then
    tucked my arms back in quickly wi th my phone in hand. The message on the screen read: call me if
    you need me .
    I smiled and texted back: Thanks, David.
    But, it wasn’t him I wanted to call.
    The green glow remained on my face and hands, and Emily stirred as the keypad bleeped
    when I pinned in the digits of a familiar number. I know I should call my boyfriend, but right now, in
    the darkness, surrounded by the fear of the storm ou tside, all I want is to hear the homelines s of
    Mike’s familiar voice.
    The eerie feeling of isolation slipped away while the ringer buzzed down the line. Pi ck up.
    Come on, Mike. Please, pick up.
    “Hey, beautiful? What’s up?” he asked in a chirpy voice. I forgot how great his voice was.
    “Hey, Mike,” I whispered.
    “What happened?” he asked quickly. “Are you okay, Ara?”
    “Sleep over,” I said. “Watched a horror movie.”
    “Oh, baby girl. Why do you do it? You know you can’t handle that kind of thing. What movie
    was it?”
    “It doesn’t matter. I’m never sleeping again.”
    “You will—you always do eventually.”
    “Not for a few weeks, though.”
    Mike laughed. “It’ll be all right. I’ll be there in a few days, then I’ll sleep by your closet door
    and keep the monsters from coming out to get you.”
    I chuckled a little. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
    “Ha, yeah, I remember that night. How old were you then?”
    “Um, fourteen, I think.”
    “Well, I’m sending a hug through the phone for ya, okay?”
    “Okay,” I whispered, actually feeling a little better with that thought.
    “Hey, I was thinkin’ ‘bout ya before you called. Musta read my mind.”
    I wish. “What were you thinking about this time—me in a blender or something?”
    “Ara, I don’t only reflect on memories of you in pain.”
    “Hm. It seems like you do.” Like you want to.
    “It was one memory. Once. What is wrong with you tonight, girl?”
    “What do you mean what’s wrong with me ?”
    “You’re doing your thing.”
    “My thing?”
    “Yeah, when you twist my words ar ound until we get in a fight. Don’t do that. I’m not trying
    to fight with you, baby. I was just …I wanted to cal l you…I was thinki ng about you—then you
    called. It surprised me, that’s all.”
    “You should be used to it.”
    He paused. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been that in tune with each other, Ar.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    He paused again.
    “Mike?”

    Emily rolled over and stirred with the disrupt ion of my voice through the perfect silence.
    Perhaps I should take this conversation to another room.
    “I’m still here, Ara. I just…I need a few seconds, okay.”
    “Okay. I’m just moving into the spare room.” I walked into the hall, my toes balancing over
    the quiet spots in the floorboards that I’d memorised.
    “Is that the room I’ll be staying