It was the coldest day of the year when Adam first saw her. He was making his way back to his dorm when he saw a figure dressed in all black skidding down the sidewalk a few feet away. Acting on instinct, he reached out to stop her descent before she could seriously hurt herself and found himself staring into green eyes that reminded him of the sunlight peeking through fresh spring leaves. Suddenly he was left speechless. When he remembered he had words he asked, “A-are you okay?”
“Yeah,” The girl replied, her voice rich, youthful, “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Adam replied, “So, where are you headed?”
“That dormitory over there,” She replied, pointing to the nearby complex.
“That’s where I’m headed,” Adam replied, oddly delighted to be heading in the same direction, “Hey, do you want to walk together?”
“Ah, no thank you, I’ll be fine,” She declined, then started to walk away. Then she stopped, as if thinking then said, “On second thought, sure, why not?”
He smiled as he hurried the few inches to catch up with her, then said, “I’m Adam by the way.”
“Rose,” She replied somewhat awkwardly.
“Nice to meet you Rose,” He reciprocated, “How come I’ve never seen you around before?”
“I don’t get out much,” Rose admitted, “It’s usually just back and forth between classes and the dorms.”
“Oh,” Adam replied, “So what are you studying?”
“Botany,” Rose answered, “I want to do something with plants. What about you?”
“Pre-med,” Adam said.
Before either knew what had happened, the pair were talking like old friends, and Adam had walked Rose to her room even though it was two floors above his.
“So, maybe I’ll see you around?” Adam asked hopefully.
“Maybe,” Rose said, quickly entering her apartment and shutting the door.
#
The next two days Adam couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious stranger. He wasn’t even sure exactly what she looked like, for all he could see were her eyes, but those forest-colored eyes burned in his mind, along with her voice, her innocent nature.
“You’re not still obsessing over that girl, are you?”
Adam looked up from the bed and saw his roommate, a boy about his age with similar spikey dark brown hair to his own and love for oversized clothes, stating at him from the chair behind their shared desk.
“Oh,” Adam said flatly, “Hi, Nate.”
“Dude, if you like her that much, you know where she is, go up there and talk to her! “ Nathan snapped, gesturing towards the door with both hands, “But whatever it is you’re doing here is not healthy.”
Seeing Nathan was right, Adam stood up. “How do I look?”
“I would clean up just a bit first,” Nathan advised, “Maybe run a comb through your hair.”
“Right,” Adam agreed, heading towards the bathroom.
#
He knocked on the door and waited. In a few seconds a girl with a platinum blonde hair framing a heart-shaped face, poked her head out. He could tell it was Rose from her eyes.
“Hi, um…Adam, right? ” She said.
“Hi,” Adam replied, suddenly unsure what to, “Hey, I’ve been thinking, and I was wondering, do you want to go out for coffee?”
“Sure,” Rose replied, “When?”
“How ’bout this Saturday at about two,” Adam suggested not believing this was working.
“That works out great for me,” Rose replied.
“Great,” Adam beamed, “Saturday at two it is, then.”
#
Saturday at two came and Adam walked into the local coffee shop and looked around and found Rose sitting at the table near the door, dressed in shades of blue and lighter blue, including a pair of blue gloves.
“Hey,” He greeted her, trying to not appear nervous as he sat down.
“Hey,” Rose replied, looking in his direction.
“So, ah, what’s with the gloves?” Adam asked, “Are you cold or something?” As for himself, Adam found the establishment pleasantly warm.
“Or something,” Rose replied, shrinking back a little.
“Hey, you okay?” Adam asked, worried that he might have hit some sort of nerve.
“Yeah, just a little nervous,” Rose explained, “I’ve never actually done anything like this before.”
“Had coffee?” Adam asked, partially joking.
“Been on a date,” Rose admitted.
Adam’s eyes widened a bit. Partly because she had labeled this a date, partly because she said this was her first date. “Seriously?”
Rose was quiet for a moment, shirking even more. “My father was always…really strict. He wouldn’t…. let me.”
“Well,” Adam said, regaining his composure, even managing a mischievous smirk, “He’s not here now.”
And so, Adam spent the rest of the evening getting to know the enigma of contradictions that was Rose. Sweet and innocent, almost genius-level intelligence but unknowing about the weirdest things. Somehow open but secretive at the same time. He was baffled by her, and he was falling in love with her for it. And she seemed rather taken with him, too. Before the evening was through, they were planning the next date.
#
As the weeks went by, Adam noticed other odd things about Rose that were…more concerning than they were intriguing. For one thing, when it came to the subject of her past, she was very stingy with details. Or any information at all. All he knew was that she was raised by a strict single father, who was some kind of scientist. He had no clue where she was from, or how long she had been on campus. “I’d rather focus on now.” She would always say.
Also, there were the gloves. She was always wearing long sleeves and gloves even inside. She seemed to have a pair to match every outfit. Even as it got warmer, she insisted on wearing them.
In addition to the gloves, she refused to be touched. If anyone tried to hug her, she pulled away. Any attempt to help her with a loose strand of hair was met with rejection. After a month and a half of dating she and Adam hadn’t even kissed. It wasn’t that Adam minded, if she wanted to take it slow, he would take it slow, but he really didn’t like the places all of this was taking his mind. Had she been abused? Was this some kind of trauma response? What could he do to help?
And then there was the weird plant in her apartment. It was in a blue and white toile China bowl on a short bookshelf on the back of her living room. The petals were rose-like and blueish purple, the stems covered in a thorns. She spent half her waking hours tending to it, watering it, pruning it, even singing to it. And if someone ever tried to get within three feet of it, she would completely freak out. Adam tried to touch it once and she smacked his hand away, yelling. At least then she finally explained that the plant was highly poisonous and she was afraid of someone getting hurt.
#
Things came to a head the night he came down to her floor on the way to her apartment and heard raised voices. Realizing they were coming from Rose’s place he ran towards him, and saw an older, gaunt man trying to pull Rose out of the apartment.
“No!” She was shouting, “No, I’m not going back with you, you can’t make me!”
“Hey!” Adam called out, running up to the scene “Get away from her!” He managed to wrench her wrist out of the man’s hand.
“Young man,” The older man said, angry, “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Like Hell it doesn’t,” Adam replied, “You’re trying to abduct my girlfriend.”
“Your-” The man began, then his voice trailed off, then he looked at Rose head on and said, “Oh, you stupid, stupid girl.”
“It’s my life,” Rose snapped, “I’m allowed to be in love.”
“In love?!” The man balked, “In love?! Ha! I know you don’t believe anything I told you anymore, but I told you the truth when I said the world was a hardsh and cruel place that will tear a delicate flower like you to shreds. Let’s see how enamored this boy is with you when he finds out the truth of what you are.” Then he walked away, and Rose ran back inside, leaving Adam to follow after her.
“Rose,” Adam called out, “Rose, who was that?”
“My father,” Rose sobbed, her back facing Adam, “He found me, he wanted to take me back.”
“Are you okay?” Adam asked. He wasn’t sure what her father had been talking about, but he knew it wasn’t good.
“I don’t know,” Rose wailed, her words slurring together through her tears.
“Look,” Adam said, taking a step closer, ” I know he’s family, but your old man seems like a lunatic. Maybe we should tell campus security to be on the lookout for him.” When Rose didn’t respond beyond soft weeping, he reached out and gently turned her around. “Hey, ” He said, pulling a tissue out of his jacket and reaching towards her face to wipe some of tears away, “It’s going to be alright-“
“No!” Rose shouted, pulling away before the tissue could touch her cheek, “Don’t touch me! You can’t touch me!”
“What the-” Adam began, “Rose, is this about what he said before he left? Look, whatever it is, however bad it is, I promise you, it won’t change how I feel about you. You can tell me, and we’ll figure out what to do together.”
“No,” Rose shot back, “I can’t fix this, and we can’t fix this you won’t fix this. Just… I need you to leave, Adam, please. Just, go, please.”
“Okay,” Adam said, slowly turning around and leaving.
#
At first, he thought Rose needed her space, but then two days passed, and he hadn’t heard anything from her. Finally went he went back down to her apartment and knocked on the door. “Rose,” He called out, “It’s me.”
“It’s unlocked.” She called to him.
He opened the door and found Rose standing in the middle of the room with a brown roller case and matching bag.
“Rose?” He asked, his mind freezing a bit, “What’s going on?”
“I’m leaving,” Rose said, “I’m going back home with my dad. I was just about to come tell you.”
“What?!” Adam balked, “You can’t. The man’s completely insane.”
“Maybe he is,” Rose said, “But what’s that thing people say? Even a broken clock is right twice a day? I should never have come. I’m so, so sorry, Adam.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Adam said, stepping in front of her as she tried to leave, “Hold up. Two days ago, you were fighting him to stay, and now you’re just going to leave?!”
“You wouldn’t understand-” Rose began.
“How do you know?” Adam demanded, raising his voice a bit, “You never tell me anything! Something in your past is so horrible you keep everyone at arm’s length. And yet you want to go back there. Could you just…. just tell me why?”
Rose was silent for a moment. “You won’t believe it.”
“At this point I’ll believe just about anything.” Adam replied.
In response Rose walked over to the window down and opened it. Then she pulled off one of the ultramarine gloves she was wearing, held her hand out the window and waited. Within a few seconds an orange-winged butterfly floated down on her hand. Suddenly it went stiff and fell off, dead.
“What the-” Adam’s voice trailed off.
“This why I always wear gloves,” Rose explained putting it on, “Why I never touch anyone or let anyone touch me. Why we’ve never been able to kiss. It would kill you, my very touch is poison!” She was starting to get hysterical.
“How?” Adam gapped, shocked and confused.
“My father,” Rose explained her voice on the edge of tears, “He bred a special, a new species of flower.” She gestured to the mysterious plant in the China pot,” And then he fed me it’s poison, injected me with it, in small doses, until it was a part of me. A little bit before my 18th birthday, I ran away. I started with botany for the reason I said, I love plants, but…”
“You thought you could find a cure,” Adam finished for her.
Rose nodded, a tear falling down her face.
Unable to take her pain, Adam pulled her into a hug before she could stop him, and covering his hand with his sleeve, wiped her tears away. “Baby, I’m a doctor,” he whispered, “Or at least I’m gonna be. I can help you find a cure. We can do this together.”
Rose sniffled.
“You like that idea?” Adam questioned, “Better than hiding with the old kook for the rest of your life, isn’t it?” There were many other things he wanted to call Rose’s father, but for her sake kook was the strongest he would use.
Rose laughed through her tears. “You—you may have a point there.”
#
The pair set to work immediately, Adam looking at Rose’s notes, trying to glean information that might lead to a possible cure. They knew they weren’t going to find the cure that day, but they had to start sometime and there’s no time like the present.
A few hours into this however, they heard a knock on the door. “Rose!” Her father’s voice called out, “Rose, are you in there?!”
“What is he doing here?” Adam whispered.
“I called him to tell him I was coming before I changed my mind,” Rose explained, her eyes wide with panic.
“Alright,” Adam began, trying to think of a solution, “Let’s just keep quiet, maybe he’ll leave.”
“I hear you in there!” Her father shouted, “Now you said you were going to come back, so get out here this instant young lady!”
Rose stood up and marched to the door, opened it, but didn’t undo the chain. “I changed my mind,” She said firmly, “I’m not going with you, and I never will. Now leave and don’t come back.”
“I made you…” The man seethed.
“And one day I can forgive you for that.” Rose shot back, “But right now I’m a little busy trying to clean up your mess. I know what love is no, and it’s not the way you treated me, and I am never going back so you can go to Hell, and whatever you do, never darken my door again!” Then she slammed the door, turned around and sat on the couch.
“Rose,” Adam said, unable to take his eyes off his girlfriend, “If it weren’t for the fact that I can’t kiss you, I could kiss you right now.”
#
Two years later the pair were standing in a courthouse. Adam was in a rented tux and Rose in a cream lace dress that fell to floor with matching gloves and veil. Nathan was their witness.
“And by the power vested in me,” The judge was finishing, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Rose got as close as she could be imitating a kiss, then pulled back quickly. Adam hated the devastated look on her face.
As they slid into the back of the Cadillac they had rented, done up with cans tied to the back and everything, he squeezed her hand and said reassuringly, “One day we will be able to kiss.”
#
Five years after that, Adam came home to the sound of little feet running across the halls. Rose ran down the hall scooping up an angelic, rosy-cheeked three-year-old girl, with glossy onyx-colored hair.
Delilah was adopted of course. Because of Rose’s condition their marriage was chaste.
But all that could change in just one night.
“How’s my two favorite girls?” Adam asked, taking Delilah from Rose.
“Great!” Delilah squeaked, hugging him, “Mommy came home early.”
“I know.” Adam replied. Before Rose had picked up Delilah, she stopped by his office to make sure everything was ready.
Adam glanced over at Rose with an apprehensive, knowing look. This was it.
#
After they put Delilah to bed, they met outside in the garden, Adam with a small clear vial in his hands.
“Is that it?” Rose asked, staring down at the vial that contained all their hopes.
“Yeah.” Adam answered, handing it to her, but then pulled it back, quickly. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. We could find some way to do animal trials first to see the result.”
“There’s no way to duplicate my condition,” Rose replied, “It has to be me.”
“Rose, this could kill you,” Adam reminded her, his voice tense and on the edge of tears.
“I don’t care,” Rose seethed, “You have no idea what it’s like, not be able to ever touch a living thing. To never hold someone’s hand outside of a glove, to never be able to kiss the person you love-to never to be able to hug your own child without your entire body being covered, and even then, not without worrying your clothes will ride up. If I can finally stop living half a life it’s worth the risk, so if you love me, you’ll let me do this.”
That was all it took. Adam handed her the vial and watched as she chugged it down. They waited but nothing happened.
“How do you feel?” Adam asked, “Any different?”
“No.” Rose said, the heartbreak clouding in her eyes.
“Many it will just take a couple of minutes to kick in.” Adam replied.
“Yeah,” Rose said, but he could tell she didn’t really believe him, “Maybe.”
#
In the dead of night Adam was awoken by the sound of puking.
He rushed to the bathroom and found Rose, her head hanging over the toilet, heaving before yellow vomit spilled from her mouth.
He ran over to her and was about to pull back her hair when said, “Don’t.” Then she vomited more. Between bought of puke she managed to get out. “I think this is the cure. I think it might be working.”
Adam stood by for two hours as his wife vomited on and off. Then, as her mouth opened to do it again, she dropped to the ground convulsing.
“Rose!” Adam shouted, dropping to the ground above her. He scooped her up and ran out of the bedroom gathering his cell phone to call 911.
#
Adam couldn’t stop pacing.
It had over two hours since Rose had been taken back to the emergency room and no one was telling him anything. He knew this was how it worked, it but it was maddening, his hold body clinching with worry, his brain on fire with it.
That was when doctor clad in blue scrubs walked up to him. “Dr. Lightwood?” He asked.
“That’s me,” Adam replied, “How’s my wife? Is she okay?”
“That’s the weird thing,” The doctor replied, “She stopped convulsing after you brought her in, and she was unconscious for two minutes, tops, and now…it’s like nothing ever happened. We’ve scanned her, ran every test we can, and we can’t find anything wrong with her.”
That floored Adam. “So, what now?”
“We want to keep overnight,” The doctor explained, “Just to be sure, but she’s asking for you.
#
When he got their Rose was sitting up, smiling. “Hey, honey.”
“Hey,” Adam replied, “I take it that means you’re feeling better.”
“Much,” Rose responded, “I think it worked. I just feel… different somehow, I can’t really explain it.”
“Only one way to find out,” Adam said, and before Rose could stop him, he grabbed her wrist and put her hand on his cheek. Nothing happened.
“You’re fine,” Rose gasped in disbelief, “You’re perfectly fine.”
“We did it, baby,” Adam replied, “We did it. You’re free.”
And for once, the tears rolling down Rose’s face were tears of joy and relief.
#
In the years to come Rose made up for all the years of human contact she had missed. Friends were greeted with handshakes and huge, crushing hugs. She held Adam’s hand at every opportunity and smothered him with caresses and kisses. The children, for Delilah got a little brother soon after, were never wanting for affection.
And when the time came, and they were old and frail, Rose held Adam’s hand as he passed on. She went to join him a few months later and their family, per their requests, buried them side by side in their garden next to the strange, beautiful bush with velvety blue-purple flowers with thorny branches.