Page 37 of Hot n Bothered

“ E xcuse me?”

Isobelle looked up from her writing to see a young girl holding a red rose.

“Hello.”

The girl grinned widely. “I really like your hair. Here.” She handed the rose to her and dashed off to some adults.

“Oh, thank you.” She called out after her. “Aw how sweet was that?” She said to Ben, blushing a little from the compliment.

He smiled at her over the top of her Surface. “Is that smile because you’re finally writing, the compliment, the rose, or being in the company of the world’s best boyfriend?”

She laughed. “How about all of them?”

“Excusé moi? Parlez-vous francais?”

She frowned at the young man stood looking expectantly at her.

“Um.. Non, moi francais c’est les nest tres bian?” She stumbled out. “Sorry.”

He beamed. “Ah, English. Here.” He held out another red rose. “I have been tasked with giving a rose to the prettiest smile I could see.”

“Really?” She squeaked, going even redder. “Um… thank you?”

He actually bowed like some kind of old fashioned gentleman, before walking away.

“Well that was random.” She shot a look at Ben who just shrugged with a smile.

She kept glancing at the roses next to her on the picnic table, where they were sat. She had to admit it was nice to have those compliments, especially after all the remarks she’d been on the receiving end of for so long. It was only two, but they went a long way.

Except it wasn’t just two.

Not long after a woman came up and complimented her outfit, she also had a rose. Then it was her glasses were cute, then she had a kind face. Followed by a young boy who said she was ‘booteefull’ and it went on through the rest of their time there. Soon she had a collection of roses.

“What’s with all the roses?” She asked looking around. She could see several other people carrying roses as well. “I’m going to Google it.” She pulled out her phone.

“No need. Look, they’re at the entrances to the park.”

Ben handed his phone over, he must’ve been curious as well to have an Instagram post open about it. Someone had paid for several buckets of red roses to be put out along with signs written in multiple languages saying:

Free rose to give to a stranger with a compliment #makesomonesday #sharethelove

“Aw that’s super sweet. Do they know who did that?”

Ben shook his head as he came around and sat next to her straddling the bench. “Anonymous. People are wondering if it’s a promotion for a film or show.”

“You know what?” She looked at the bunch she had. “I don’t care, look at all those smiles out there. It’s a beautiful thing they’ve done.”

“Almost as beautiful as your smile.”

She rolled her eyes. “Really Ben? I told you to stop that.”

“So you’ll believe strangers, but not me?”

“Well. Yes, kind of.”

“Kind of?” He frowned at her. “Why kind of?”

She shrugged. “I guess I feel that some of these were given more out of sympathy. You know so the fugly didn’t feel left out.”

She squeaked in surprise at Ben suddenly dragging her onto his lap.

“I fucking despise your family.” He said angrily.

“You are the most beautiful person I have ever known and because of them you won’t believe it.

You drive me crazy with how much I want you.

All you have to do is smile and I’m hard.

You are not fugly.” He pulled her tight against his erection.

“You feel that? I’m so attracted to you that I’m thinking about fucking you in the bushes somewhere.

So don’t you dare tell me you aren’t attractive or stunningly beautiful. ”

She couldn’t say anything, just stared at him like a complete idiot. What could she say anyway?

Thank you? That sounded so conceited. Her face burned red, if she was normal then she’d know exactly how to deal with what he said. But his words flustered her so much. Part of her believed him, could see the sincerity in his eyes, hear it in his voice. But that was such a tiny, small part.

The other, bigger part knew he was lying. He had to be right? There was no way she was even a fraction of what he said she was. It was impossible.

He sighed, his face softening as he watched her struggle. “Look, you may not believe me, but look at how many roses you have here. These strangers haven’t given them to you so you weren’t left out. Because you haven’t been. Believe them, because every single thing they said to you was true.”

She sighed and leant her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in him being there and being so Ben .

“Why are you so good to me?” She asked.

“Because… well… um… I…”

She could feel how he tensed up. He had been so relaxed, but it was like his entire body was now rigid.

“Ben?” She lifted her head to look at him. He had the same tense look on his face he had right before they boarded the plane. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

“I… Belle, I…” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “Fuck.” He muttered.

“Hey.” She was worried now, cupping his face with her hands. “Talk to me. What can I do? What do you need?”

He opened his eyes, searching her face for a long while. He captured her lips in a soft, sweet, lingering kiss.

“Just keep being you.” He sighed, resting his forehead against hers, eyes closed. “That’s all I need.”

“If you insist. I was going to be like Darren. I’ve been practising being super annoying. But for you I won’t be.”

There was his adorable snort laugh. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he buried his face in her neck. She stroked his hair, how was she going to give this up? How was she going to give him up?

She mentally shook her head. That was not a now problem, that was a two-weeks from now problem. A now problem was the fact that she was ravenously hungry and also needing the loo. But it didn’t look like he was going to be letting go of her anytime soon.

“Belle?” His voice muffled.

“Yeah?”

“I’m enjoying this, but… I’m really hungry right now.”

She burst out laughing. “It’s like you can read my mind.”

He lifted his head. “Would I be reading it if I say fuck asking your family what they are doing? I just want it to be you and me tonight.”

“Ah, I see now why you say you are the world’s best boyfriend.” She giggled at his smug grin. “But we still have to go back to the villa.”

“Why?”

Seriously, that pout was so adorable, it should be illegal.

“I am busting for the loo. Plus I need to put my roses in water, drop off my writing bag and most importantly.” She leaned back, pulling her top out at the bottom to display the stains across it. “I am not going out to dinner in a top with ice-cream and coffee on it.”

“I thought you were saving them for later?”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s such a Darren joke.”

He snorted another laugh. "I swear if rolling your eyes was an Olympic sport you'd be unbeaten."

"Well then stop making me roll them."

"New rule. No eye-rolls when someone compliments you."

"I don't…"

"Yes you do, pretty much every damn time. So from now on that's a pinchable offense."

"Again with the pinching." She glared at him. "How about a new rule of no pinching?"

He just shook his head. "You insult my favourite person you get pinched." He grinned. "You were going to roll your eyes again weren't you?"

She ignored him, rather than admit he was right. Instead she stood stretching, working the kinks out of her back and shoulders. “Come on. If we’re quick, everyone’ll still be out so we don’t have to deal with them.”

“I still can’t believe just how toxic they are to you. Are they like that to Darren?” He started packing everything in her writing bag.

“Sometimes.” She shrugged thinking about it. “I think they are worse than he lets on though. You know how he likes to protect me. So I think he might hide a lot of it. But then I think maybe they aren’t because he can stick up for himself. I wish I was half as strong as him sometimes.”

He caught her hand, interlocking their fingers.

“Hey. You are strong remember? They don’t pick on you because you are weak, they do it because you are too nice to fight back. Plus they have an ally in your depression. That thing makes you believe them over all the people who actually care about you.”

He had a very valid point. She looked down at all the roses she had, every single one of them given with a compliment.

Compliments that she’d heard hundreds of times from Ben, Darren and their group.

Compliments she never believed because of that whispering voice in her head because it believed what her family told her.

“Is it wrong of me to wish there to be some kind of emergency that takes them home and leaves us to actually enjoy this holiday by ourselves?”

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Absolutely not, because I want that as well and I’m never wrong.”