Chapter 6
The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence as Rose tried to figure out where to begin. Luisa sat on the edge of the small sofa, as if she were ready to bolt if needed to. Rose wouldn’t blame her, maybe it would better if she left…
“If you have nothing to say.” Luisa stood up as she spoke, her body was trembling, probably from a deadly mixture of anger and betrayal.
“Lu-“
“Don’t ‘Lu’ me.” Luisa’s voice was low and cold, lacking the positive tone it always had. Rose knew she had fucked up, she should have told her. But if she had, Luisa wouldn’t have run away with her, and they wouldn’t be here, now.
“Just, hear me out.” Rose said, pleading through her eye contact, but if Luisa had wanted her to beg, she would have. Rose would do anything to make Luisa stay.
Luisa didn’t say anything, she just slowly walked back over to the small couch in their hotel room, and sat down, waiting for an explanation which would tell her anything but what Rose was about to say.
“Promise you’ll hear me out?” Rose said, trying to keep calm so her voice didn’t wobble. She failed.
“I’m not promising you anything.” Luisa bit back.
“I need you to promise me you’ll let me explain.” Rose knew without that promise Luisa would stand up and leave after one sentence. After a few seconds of silence, Luisa promised;
“I promise.”
Rose took a deep breath before the truth was told.
“You know, Sin rostro?” Rose said slowly to Luisa, who wasn’t thinking things through.
“Yeah, that drug lord guy who…” Rose sat silently, her lips drawn into a thin line as she let it sink in. Luisa sat, her mouth hanging slightly open and her gesture frozen, as if she had just seen Rose come back from the dead.
“You work for him?” Luisa asked slowly, her voice quiet and confused. Rose shook her head slowly, Luisa let out a breath of relief. She had no idea.
“I am Sin Rostro.” Rose said slowly. Luisa knew Rose wouldn’t joke about that. But she couldn’t believe it. The woman she was…is in love with, was Sin Rostro. A wanted criminal who was worth millions, who used to run a drug company, who had killed people. She had not fallen for a monster, but right now that was all she could see, a monster.
Luisa looked at the woman she was in love with and felt sick to her stomach. She had fallen for a monster.
Rose knew by the way Luisa’s body tensed she was about to get up and leave, for good. But Rose wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Luisa, you promised you’d let me explain.” Luisa halted mid movement. “Please.”
Luisa knew this was crazy. She knew she should have left right there and then, and that there was nothing this woman could say that would make this okay. But she sat back down anyway, and prayed Rose had an explain for this.
Rose told her everything, from Elena to why she had nearly married Emilio. She told Luisa about the plan she had abandoned to be here. Every detail Rose could recall, she told Luisa.
And Luisa sat, completely still, listening to every word the red head said. Taking in all the information her head would let her. The more Rose spoke, the crazier it got.
“I know this is a lot to take in, and I know I should have told you earlier. But I was afraid you’d leave.” Rose’s voice trembled as she spoke. Luisa let out a strained laugh which sounded more like pain than joy.
“You were afraid I would leave you once I knew who you really were?” Luisa was shaking her head in disbelief. “You mean you were afraid that with my ability to think rationally that I might leave once I found out you are a criminal?”
“Luisa, how was I supposed to tell you?” Rose asked, knowing there was no answer she would want to hear.
“You shouldn’t have to tell me this, because you shouldn’t have done it.” Luisa said quietly as she looked down at the hotel floor, praying it would open up and swallow her.
“I know. But I did. There is nothing I can do that will change that.” Rose knew it was a long shot, but she took it anyway, “I had a plan, I’d been planning it for years and everything was on track. I was prepared to go through with it, convinced nothing could stop me. I didn’t believe in love, I thought the world was a unforgivable horrid cold place. But you. You showed me everything I didn’t believe in. I left everything for you, please don’t leave me now. I’ll have nothing.” Rose’s voice stayed strong, but there were tears rolling freely down her cheeks.
Rose watched Luisas eyes flicker between the door and her. If Luisa left she would tell the police who she really was, but Rose wasn’t focused on that. If Luisa left, Rose would never see her again, and that wasn’t an option. She hadn’t risked everything she had, abandoned her plan for this. For Luisa to leave now.
“So now, will you…” Luisa spoke up after a long silence, her voice low and quiet. “Do you continue doing, whatever Sin Rostro does, or is that it?” Rose swallowed as Luisa wasn’t going to like the answer.
“I can’t just stop, I need to figure out a way to leave safely and cover my tracks…which could take a while.” Rose couldn’t defend herself and tell Luisa it wasn’t her fault, because it was, and she knew that.
Luisa stood up and slowly walked over to her bedside table, opening the draw and pulling out her purse and phone. Rose felt her heart shatter within her chest.
“Luisa, what are-“
“I let you explain.” Luisa said bluntly, avoiding eye contact with Rose. “I listened and I can’t.”
“You can’t what?”
“Do this. I cannot do this.” Luisa said firmly, as if she was not only convincing Rose what she had just said was true, but also herself.
“Please don’t do this.” Rose stood still, knowing if she moved towards her Luisa would just tell her to back off.
Luisa was by the door know, opening it with a trembling hand. But she stopped dead in her hands when-
“Luisa, I love you.”