1 || Red Rose

Nothing lasts forever. Forever is a lie.

All we have is what's in between

hello and goodbye....

A simple quote that was just a quote to Lilian until now. She had learnt the truth behind it in a bitter way possible.

After getting drunk and walking by the road thoughtlessly for God knows how long when it was almost midnight, Lilian ended up in front of a Night Club.

RED ROSE

The block letters were shining all brightly. Lilian kept staring at it for a good long time.

Wiping her watery eyes, she made her way to the entrance. The guards were supposed to stop her right there but strangely, they didn't.

She stood there looking all around like she was thinking.. What am I even doing here?

She was about to take a step to the exit but the words, she heard earlier from her boyfriend made her stop.

Not boyfriend exactly. To be specific her ex-boyfriend. As he had already dumped her some time before.

Thinking of something, she again looked all around but now searching for someone. Everyone got someone to be busy with. Then she caught the sight of a man. He was sitting alone on a bench at the counter.

As he was back facing her, she couldn't see his face. But giving it a thought, she walked to him.

"Will you be my boyfriend for a day?" Lilian asked as she stood in front of the man.

He seemed to be in his mid-twenties and it was for the first time in her life, that Lillian was seeing him.

The young man was a one of kind both physically and in looks but that wasn't Lilian's concern now. She desperately needed a boyfriend for a day. To be specific to attend the wedding function of her ex-boyfriend who dumped her a little ago and revealed to her that he was going to get married to someone the very next day.

Obviously, she was hurt. Who wouldn't? Imagine your boyfriend breaking up with you for no reason when you have loved only him wholeheartedly for years.

He defined her in a way that her precious pride was shattered into pieces. He took Lilian for granted and now he was bored. So bored that he wanted to get rid of her. So, when he got a chance, he wasn't going to waste it.

After-all, Lilian was almost broke with part-time jobs of ignorable paychecks, no family background and all. Here he was getting married to a wealthy family where he will be richey rich overnight.

So, why care if a girl like Lilian is heartbroken, right?

The man who was sitting at the bar counter whom Lilian just asked to be her boyfriend, sat straight. He was not in a mood to joke around. Neither he was that type to do that. He read her facial expression for a good few seconds.

Is she mad? He thought in mind.

Lilian was somewhat drunk but not to the point that she had no idea, what she was doing.

To confirm, he heard it right, the young man spoke up for the first time, "Come again.."

Lilian tried to sit across his seat on a stool but got stumbling. The man got hold of her and helped her to sit.

Lilian looked at him again, "It's just for a few hours. Please, help me out." Her voice pleading, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears but she didn't let herself to break down in front of the random stranger.

"Why would I?" He shot coldly. Helping a stranger wasn't one of his virtues. It never was anyway.

"I will pay the price." Lilian said desperately. "Do me the favour."

Before the man got uttering anything, her mind mocked..

Seriously! Just what do you afford to pay?

Knitting his brows, he said, "You will pay me?" He stared at the girl standing in front of him. She really didn't seem to know him otherwise she wouldn't have mentioned paying him and if she knew him, she was doing a good job at pretending about not knowing him.

But anyways looking at her, what possibly could she pay him!

As if reading his mind, Lilian spoke up, "I will do whatever you ask me to do after this."

He asked coldly, "Do we even know each other? I don't think so."

"No, we don't. And, I think we can't know a person even after living years with him. So it doesn't matter actually."

"But it matters to me. So, ask someone else who thinks like you." He said getting more than just irritated and left from there.

Who does she take me as!

The man fumed with the thought till he reached his car. He was about to slide into his Lamborghini but his phone rang off, turning a halt to his track.

He took out his phone. His face lit up the moment instant as he pressed the button to accept and held it again to his ear.

"Hello, Dad. I.. "

He got cut off and the words the person said from the other side of the line faded his smile away in the thin air.

"Are you even serious? How can you.."

He couldn't even get to complete and the call got cut off.

He frustratedly looked at the sky. Wasn't he trying hard to get them to trust him? His abilities?

Then why do they have to be like this? How much he would have to bend to their will?

He groaned mentally.

Whatever be the reason, he was never going to let them force him with this.

Not now nor ever.

He mumbled to himself as he got thinking about what to do.

He tilted his head to the entrance of the night bar as something popped into his mind.

Though he thought it would be crazy of him if he went on this way, he couldn't handle those two women. For one, he loved her to the core and for the other, he felt just the opposite if not worse.

He walked into the bar again and looked at the bar counter and found the girl still sitting on the chair, she was sitting earlier. A glass containing a little red wine in her hand. She was swirling the glass in her hand as she seemed to be in deep thought.

He looked at the girl from tip to toe. She didn't seem like a girl to try seducing someone or something. Nor did she seem to be mad or desperate or something.

She was dressed quite decently, in plain wear. She just looked somewhat sad.

Letting out a sigh, he walked to her and sat on the bench, he was sitting on earlier. He grabbed a deal today which was quite challenging.

With his PA and some colleagues, he came here to celebrate as per their wishes. They just left a little ago. He didn't even know why he chose to stay back without heading to the hotel.

But now it looked like he had stayed back to get the solution to his upcoming disturbance in his perfectly planned life.

Though he wasn't sure it would work, what's wrong in trying after all.

Who knows, it may work!

He encouraged himself before clearing his throat to get the attention of the girl as she was lost in her world and seemed to be not coming out any moment soon.

He forwarded his hand, "Hi, I am Shane."

Lilian looked at him and then at his awaiting hand but didn't bother to reach his hand for a handshake or something.

She again moved her gaze to his face and got thinking..

Why is he back?

Shane got his hand to his side confusedly and asked her, "Why do you need a boyfriend? That even for a few hours?"

Lilian frowned, "When you are not going to do it, why bother asking? But for your information, I am not a who.."

Like Shane could understand her word, he cut in, "I didn't mean that."

Lilian looked away to fight back the tears which were threatening to come out. She moved her gaze to the glass in her hand and gulped down the remaining wine.

Shane spoke up, "I will be your boyfriend."

Lilian turned to him and Shane added further, "For a few hours only if your reason seems quite considerable."

Lilian had already left believing someone and for her, Shane was a stranger after all. So, she didn't want to tell him her reasons thinking he might humiliate or make fun of her as well.

She tried to remain confident, "All you need to do is just attending a wedding function with me and in return, I will pay the price for anything you want."

Shane gave her an impassive expression before he asked, "Do I have your words on this?"

"It's a deal." Lilian said not thinking much about what she was binding herself to. She never had a clear sky anyways and was already at the dead-end anyway.

So, what worse possibly could be waiting? She assured herself. But little did she know how Shane was going to take her up on that offer!