"5 years, 3 months and 20 days since we last met. Only if I knew then that I would have to stay away from you for even longer. You must have came back by now. How I wish I could see you and tell you about my feelings. If only our families hadn't become rivals. It's been two years since we last talked on the phone or even texted. I know you are angry but I can't do anything. I have to stay away from you for my family." Andrew held a picture of Rose and him close to his heart. “If only all this never happened, we would all still have been happy and close together, sharing our problems and happiness with each other. I can’t even talk to you now because if I do, dad will be upset, your dad will be angry, everything will go wrong. So this separation is necessary, my love.” He stroked her picture.
Ruby walked inside his room and he hid the picture under his pillow. "You don't need to hide anything Andrew. I already know" she said.
"Mom, I was just-."
"You don't need to explain anything to me. I know how much you love her and how deep your relationship is. I miss her a lot as well. Oh by the way, I talked to Sandra today and she told me that Rose has come back. Kyle went to pick her up and although she didn't say anything, disappointment was clearly visible in her eyes. Why don't you go and meet her?"
Andrew sadly chuckled when he heard this. "Mom, it's true that I really want to meet her and talk to her. I know she must be angry with me for not answering her calls or texts for the past two years but you know very well what will happen if I meet her. Don't you remember how her family cheated us? How heartbroken Dad was when he realised that his best friend cheated him. I know uncle Alex is your brother but it doesn't change what he did to us. We almost became bankrupt and got humiliated in front of everyone when he got our biggest investor to cancel a deal and invest in his company. Don't you remember how hard we all had to work to make up for it and pay the other investors. It has been 2 years but I can never forget that. For the first time in my life I saw my Dad in a state where he wasn't able to do anything and looked so helpless."
Ruby had tears in her eyes as past memories washed over her. "I know Andy. I know that what my brother did was not anywhere near right. He didn't even think once about me or any of us before doing that but Rose, she wasn't even here. In fact she doesn't even know about all this rivalry or anything. Then why are you punishing her when it doesn't have anything to do with her?”
"I know she has no fault in any of this and I am also not punishing her but I also know very well that the moment I see her I will forget everything, all this rivalry and whatever there is and I will hug her, kiss her, hold her so close to my heart that she can hear each and every one of my heartbeats which beat for her in her name. I don't know what all I will do but I will do something and I can't afford that right now. I have changed myself with great difficulty over these two years. I can't let my love and affection for her allow her family to take advantage of us again. Anyway, even if I do meet her, you know what will happen right? There will be uproar. This rivalry hasn’t caused any bloodshed so far but that’s also possible if we start meeting. I'll call Kyle and ask him about her well-being and everything from time to time."
After saying this he walked out of his room leaving Ruby alone. She sighed. Andy was not like this before. He and Rose were so close since childhood that not even a day went by without them seeing each other and today he was staying away from her despite being incomplete without her. It was true that she had always wished for Andy to marry Rose ever since they were children. Rose was the solution to all of Andy's problems. If Andy was the lock then Rose was the key. She smiled to herself as she remembered the time when Andy was sick with fever and how Rose went and sat with him inside his room despite everyone telling her not to. She had persuaded them using some logic which only made sense to her. She sat beside him all night and even fell asleep in that position. The next morning, everyone was surprised when Andy’s fever went down as if it was never there. He was up and about playing and jumping with his best friend for life. "If only Rose was the solution to all these problems" thought Ruby.
A week later
Rose had found out about the rivalry. She was broken from inside and thought that Andy hated her. “If he doesn’t then why did he not answer any of my calls or texts? Why did he not try to see me even once? Why does he hate me when he knows this is not my fault?” If only she knew he was dying internally from not seeing her.
There was something that didn't make sense though. In the version that she had heard of the story, the investor coming to their company was purely coincidental and circumstantial. The Kingston family had almost gone bankrupt and blamed her father for stealing the investor and broken all ties with him. Slowly as time went on, the resentment grew and eventually blinded the two once best friends. Only their fathers were very involved in the rivalry. Everyone else wished for it to stop and for everything to go back to normal. As she thought about it, she had to agree that it couldn't just be circumstantial and that something else was going on.
Andrew walked inside his office. As soon as he sat down he could feel something. It was as if he was at ease all of a sudden. As if all his problems had vanished. "Rose" he called out hoping it was really her. Only her presence could do that to him. She came out from behind the couch. He was mesmerised looking at her.
Andrew stood up and walked to her. It was as if he was in some sort of a trance. He cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. His own eyes were filled with tears and he kissed her forehead. She wiped his tears with her thumbs as she cupped his face. They joined their foreheads together as they both cried tears of happiness from seeing each other after so long.He came out of his trance and asked her "what are you doing here? Why did you come?" She just smiled and said "do I need any reason to see you? It's my birth right to see you whenever I want." He couldn't help but chuckle. "I see" and went close to her face. His breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine. He whispered "and this is my right, to come near to you" huskily in her ear. Rose blushed so hard that she could have been mistaken for a tomato at that point. "Andy" she called him.Andrew closed his eyes in ecstasy. He was hearing this name from her mouth after so long that he couldn't control himself and hugged her.
One week later, it was finally the day they had been waiting for since years. The day Rose would fight her first court case as a lawyer. Andrew seemed to be more excited than her. He woke up earlier than his alarm and lay in bed thinking of his love fighting a case for justice. “I can’t wait anymore. This will be the first step of her career and I’ll be there to witness it” he thought excitedly. The thought sent shivers down his spine and there were butterflies in his stomach. He got up, got dressed for the day and went down for breakfast. Everyone noticed the glow on his face and his smile which was not stopping at all. He went downstairs for breakfast. James, his father asked “what’s up with you since the last few days? Are you fine?” “Dad, what are you saying? Look, I'm completely fine.” James looked at his son a little intently and thought “Son, I’m your father. I know if there is even something minutely wrong with you. I’ll just wait and see how long you’ll hide it from me.” H
After spending time with Rose, Andrew went back home but not empty handed. He brought sweets and chocolates for everyone. "Wow. What's the special occasion? Did some girl finally say yes to marry or date you?" "Dad. What do you mean by finally? If I asked, any girl would say yes. I happen to be so good looking and hot. Anyway this is all because I am super happy today. My friend did something very special and I am happy for them." The youngsters understood what Andrew meant by that and they all secretly winked at each other. "You have friends?" asked James raising his eyebrow. "Dad" moaned Andrew and James started laughing. Andy smiled seeing his father laugh. He knew that his father had been through a lot in his life. Losing his once closest and best friend was not something he was prepared for. Andrew was happy that his father was laughing even if it was at his expense. They went to his room to talk to him. "When are you going to tell her about your feelings? How long will yo
Rose was lying in bed reading over some old case files when her phone buzzed. She checked, hoping for it to be from a specific person and saw a text from Andrew. A smile automatically came onto her lips.Andrew - "Hi"Rose - "Hi"Andrew - "What's up?"Rose - "Nothing much, Fabian is here. I think he’s staying over for a while."Andrew - "Oh, does he still give you the creeps?"Rose - "Yes, I feel kind of weird around him 😨. Wish you were here with me."Andrew - "Should I come over then? 😜"Rose - "Are you mad? What if someone sees you? Especially Dad 😰 Then we will both be dead"Andrew - "If I get to be with you then I don't mind dying to be honest"Rose didn't know if she should smile at his reply or be worried about their future when he sent this. Rose - "Do you really love me that much to take such a big risk for me?"Andrew - "More than you can ever imagine 😍 I feel like nothing is as important as you nowadays."She blushed and typed back -Rose - "I love you so much that I f
Rose woke up very early the next day and couldn't get back to sleep. She decided to check her phone until it was at least 5 AM. She was going through Andrew's Instagram photos when she noticed something. Without thinking, she called him and a half asleep Andrew answered. ”Yes Rose, why are you awake at 3:30 AM? and why did you call me? Is everything fine there?“ Rose took a deep breath and asked ”who is Isabel?“ Andrew was confused as he was very sleepy and not able to think straight. ”Which Isabel?” “The same Isabel who comments on all your Instagram posts with heart eyes or red hearts.” Andrew couldn't believe what he just heard and laughed. ”OMG Rose. You called me at this hour just to ask me about some girl who comments on my posts? Jealous much?” Rose made an o shape with her mouth when she heard this. ”Jealous, who me? I'm not jealous. I just wanted to know who that witch was.” ”Oh come on Rose, admit it. You are jealous.” Rose being Rose wouldn't admit it so Andrew had
Five days later, Andrew and Rose went to meet the investor who had betrayed the Kingstons by not investing. He wasn't able to tell them much. All he could tell them was that someone told him that the Kingstons were not capable enough to handle his work so he should invest in the Andersons’ company. They were still trying to figure out what to do next when help came to them in the form of a worker in that company. ”What shall we do now Andy? That person could have been anyone. How will we find them?” Andrew sighed. ”I don't know Rose. I'm also very confused. It’s like we have reached a dead end. Where do we go from here?” They felt a piece of paper landing in front of them. Rose picked it up and read ”Meet me outside in 5 minutes." They looked around and saw a man gesturing to them to go outside. They nodded and waited outside for him. A few minutes later he came out. ”Hi. I heard what you were talking inside with the boss. I think I may be able to help you.” ”Really?” asked Andre
Fabian reached the night club. He was waiting for someone and looked around to see if the person was there. Someone tapped him on his back and he turned around and found the person he was looking for. Arthur, Arthur Simpson. They hugged each other. ”Hey man. It's been a while” said Fabian. Arthur responded amicably. They talked for a while. “I heard you got beaten by some girl in a case for the first time.”Arthur fisted his hand in anger. ”Don't even talk about that. She may have defeated me in court but I will destroy her life.”Fabian took a sip of his drink and asked ”by the way, what's her name?” ”Rose, Rose Anderson," Arthur replied. Fabian looked up from his glass when he heard her name. ”Are you sure it's her?” ”Yes. Why?“ ”She's my relative, the one I've been trying to attain for the past few years.” ”Oh that's her. I had no idea. By the way, I saw her hanging out with this guy earlier on.”Fabian was already quite annoyed by Rose's actions and when he heard that she was
Just as Fabian had wanted, Rose was put on house arrest. Kyle and Rayah tried their best to change Alex’'s mind. ”Dad, what's so wrong with what she did?” Rayah asked. Alex held Rose's hand and pulled her closer to him. ”What's wrong? How could she fall in love with Andrew? Did she think about me once before doing all this?” ”Not like you thought a lot about me before becoming rivals with his family or keeping enmity with them”, Rose muttered under her breath. Alex glared at her and Rayah said ”Dad, love happens, we don't make it happen. It is something we can’t control.” Kyle added ”and what's wrong with Andrew? We have known him since childhood. He is well educated, is wealthy and has a good character. Didn't you see how he took the blame on himself and how he stood there? Even when Fabian was physically hurting him, he stood there and didn't let go of her hand. If he can do all this then isn't it obvious how much he loves Rose?” Alex thought for a while. What Kyle and Rayah we