Chapter 18
Rosalie
The aroma of freshly baked pizza and melted cheese filled the air around me.
I was squished in the cushions of the couch; a sigh of content left my lips.
The soft, flickering glow of the fireplace danced across the room, casting playful shadows on the wall.
Tonight was the perfect night for pizza and a movie.
Silas’s dark curls were disheveled from the long day he’d had.
Busy with work, the house, and whatever else he did up there.
He placed the pizza box on the coffee table right next to our cans of Starry.
The smell made my stomach growl. His eyes flickered to mine.
“Hungry, my sweet ballerina?” His hand slid to my head, giving me a few gentle yet affectionate pats.
The nickname caused my cheeks to flush pink.
“Starving,” I admitted. Ballet was my passion, my escape.
Silas knew how much I loved it as much as I knew how much he loved me.
Still, him acknowledging my passions made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
I missed dancing. I mean, I did dance daily still, utilizing the studio he made me but I missed doing it in front of an audience.
He promised that one day I’d get to dance on a big stage again—he just never said when that would be. Soon, I hoped. Soon.
“I’m glad to hear you have your appetite back.” Silas sat beside me, handing me a plate with a slice of pizza on it before serving himself.
Stuffed garlic crust, extra cheese, bacon, and sausage with ranch on the side. My favorite.
Each bite was a delicious explosion of flavor.
Between mouthfuls, we made small talk. Mostly about our day and trying to decide what we wanted to watch tonight.
I took another bite. Silas reached for my hand, sending a familiar thrill through me.
Lacing his fingers with mine, his thumb gently stroked my skin.
A simple gesture, but one that spoke volumes without saying a single word at all.
He was so loving and affectionate.
I ended up eating two slices, and Silas somehow ate five. I never understood how boys managed to somehow always have such a great metabolism. It didn’t matter how much he ate or of what, his abs remained rock solid. It was unfair, truly.
Silas leaned back against the couch, pulling me with him.
I giggled, settling against him with my head on his chest. His arm snaked around me, pulling me closer.
I melted into his embrace. Home was wherever Silas was.
I nuzzled him affectionately. “You know,” I began, breaking the silence “this is perfect.”
He chuckled. “Pizza, you, what more could I ask for?”
I shrugged. Happy, content, and full.
Silas smirked. “I almost forgot…”
I tilted my head to look up at him. “Forgot what?”
“Tickles,” he replied, his fingers finding my sides and tickling my most sensitive spots.
I squealed, squirming and wriggling with laughter. “Silas! No! S-stop!”
His fingers danced relentlessly. I squirmed, trying to escape his grasp, but he held me firmly. His laughter joined my own. After a few moments of endless tickles, Silas stopped. “Okay, okay! You win!” I said between breaths.
Silas grinned, his eyes sparkling. Leaning down, he kissed my forehead. “I will always win, sweetheart.”
We lay together in comfortable silence, the echoes of our laughter still resonating in the air. Then, Silas shifted, and his expression turned serious as he looked down at me.
“Rosalie,” his tone low and intimate. He lifted his hand, his fingers grazed my cheek. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
My heart skipped a beat with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation that washed over me.
What could he possibly want to talk about?
“What is it?” I asked hesitantly.
He took a deep breath. “I have been doing a lot of thinking lately… about our future, and the life I want us to build together.”
I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.
“We both know I can’t keep you in my basement forever… and we can’t stay in this shitty small town either…” He trailed off. “I’ve come to a decision.”
The anticipation was too much; my pulse rang in my ears.
“We need to leave Colorado, and I think we should move to Nevada. Las Vegas, specifically.”
His words hung in the air. I blinked. Struggling to process his words.
Leave? Actually leave? Everything? My apartment? Wait. Actually leave the basement? And go outside? Perform on a stage again…
Silas took my hand; his grip firm yet reassuring.
“This place… isn’t safe for us. There are too many people here who want to control us, to manipulate us.
If they find out that… you’ve been here with me the whole time…
They’ll throw me in jail and you—” He sighed, composing himself.
“They’ll lock you up in some sort of psychiatric rehabilitation center, pump you full of mind-numbing drugs, and ruin you for the rest of forever.
I just can’t allow that to happen. I won’t!
I won’t let anyone threaten our happiness, or what we have.
There are too many risks and factors that neither of us can control if we stayed here. ”
Unease rocked through me, disliking the blatant fact that our safety was at risk. I understood. I trusted Silas. He would never put me in harm’s way. He loved me. If he said we needed to leave, then that is what we would have to do.
Silas pulled me closer. “Say something… please,” he whispered. “I would kill for you, and I have. I will do it again every damn fucking day if necessary. I would die for you. I don’t just love you, Rosalie. I’m in love with you.”
I lifted my head to look at him. I had never been loved before, not until Silas came into my life. “I’m in love with you too,”
Silas lifted his hands, cupping my cheeks with his palms and pulling me into a soft kiss.
“I’ve been researching. There are opportunities there, a fresh start, a place where we can be ourselves…
you can dance… we can build the life we want without looking over our shoulders.
” Silas explained every last detail, from finances and everything else in between.
I truly and wholeheartedly believed he was being honest.
“And,” Silas added, softening his voice, “I promise you, Rosalie, the first thing we’ll do when we’re settled is re-enroll you in ballet classes.
You can continue to pursue your passion.
You’ll have your own studio, your own space—you can dance until your heart’s content.
Whatever you want, I will make it happen. ”
Tears welled in the corners of my eyes.
Silas understood me. He truly, truly understood. “Silas… that would be… incredible.”
He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me. “It will be, baby. I’ll make it happen. I will give you the world… and we will build a life together. Just you and me.” He kissed me. A tender and reassuring kiss that sealed his promises to me.
We stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in each other’s embrace. It wouldn’t be easy, leaving everything behind, but with Silas at my side, I knew everything would be okay.
“You have to trust me,” he whispered in my ear.
“I do trust you.”
Silas nodded. “I have a plan… to ensure no one will follow us.”
My brow furrowed, listening.
“I will put everything we need in my truck, including my bike… I will move it somewhere safe…” he paused.
“I intend to burn this place to the ground… with my uncle Joe, my phone, and anything else traceable in it. Leaving no trace of me, they’ll think I’m dead, and they will never suspect that you were ever here in the first place.
.. no loose ends… and then we will leave here…
get to the truck… and road trip to Vegas.
Once we’re there… we will change our names, and we will start new. ”
I was scared to ask how he could kill someone so easily. He said he killed before, but I didn’t dare ask. I didn’t want to know. I said nothing, instead I nodded, resting my head against his chest. He pulled me closer, holding me within his embrace.
“Everything will be okay, I promise. I will take care of you,” he vowed.
I just hoped that was the truth. I couldn’t imagine a life without him, my world revolved around him, and in all honesty — there was nothing I wanted more than to spend the rest of my life at his side, as ridiculous as it may sound.