The Eternal& The Ephemeral

Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Prophecy

Carlos laughs out loud. Anton sighs, holding her up with his arm wrapped around her.

Roman's frown deepens.

"Let me hold her." Roman says, taking over from Anton.

Before Anton could protest, Roman holds his gaze and as if some words were communicated and Anton doesn't say anything after that.

"You know her dude?" Carlos asks, looking confused.

"I met her last evening, but it seems like Ms. Rosanne doesn't remember." Roman says as he gently holds her up, guiding her.

"Oh! It's you!" Rosanne says, looking at Roman with wide eyes, and a flabbergasted expression donning her countenance, "I knew it! You're the male hero from my favourite movie- alas! Holy shit why can't I remember your name! I'm a big fan! I love you!"

Roman smiles, as though he can't help himself, if he hadn't been so lost in Rosanne's gaze he would've noticed Anton's shocked gaze on him.

Carlos couldn't stop laughing at this moment, tears streaming down his face. "And I love you Rosanne!"

Rosanne chuckles, Roman for a moment looks lost, as though staring so close, looking into her eyes, have held him captive.

As though, he wants to be held captive by her gaze.

"This is insane, I can't believe, I'm meeting my favourite actor and I don't even have a piece of a paper!" Rosanne dramatically says, holding a finger up.

"Why would you need a piece of paper?" Carlos asks, still laughing.

Rosanne frowns, as though offended by such a question, "duh! For an autograph obviously!"

Roman for a moment, stares at her, not believing they were actually having this conversation. Absurd and unserious, yet Roman couldn't recall the last Time he wanted to actually laugh and here he was.

"We are in fact, going to need Roman's autograph, who knows five years from now, he'll be all powerful and rich and he'll refuse to meet any of us!" Carlos joked.

Anton shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Carlos."

Marlow Hostel came, once again, sooner than Roman would've liked.

"What is this place?" Rosanne asked, looking at the 4 storied building and then turned around to face Roman, and like a day ago, they were back exactly in the positions they were and something clicked in her mind.

"You're..." Before Rosanne could've finished her sentence, Carlos started throwing up by the sidewalk.

"And to think you're not even that drunk!" Anton cursed, as he took him to the side.

"You take care of him, I'm going to drop Rosanne inside." Roman declared as he guided Rosanne into the Hostel and up the stairs.

Roman sighed, shaking his head. As though the haze that Rosanne had ascended to, was finally wearing away, she stared at Roman, a scarlet maroon shade coated her checks when he looked back at her.

The narrow staircase left very little space in between of them as Roman held her by the waist.

"I remember now," Rosanne said, closing her eyes shaking her head, as though pieces of her memory was finally clocking in. "..The umbrella."

Roman nodded, staring at her, "the umbrella."

"Can I have your.." Roman said, and Rosanne completed it for him "my number?"

Perhaps she was still a little drunk.

Roman smiled, "I was going to say, your room key, I don't know which room you stay in."

Rosanne eye's widen. "Right."

"But I would like...." Roman says, but once again is cut off, this time by an embarrassed Rosanne, "no you don't have to now, I shouldn't have assumed."

She handed his her key. He took it from her, eyeing her.

"Well. Thank you for getting me here; safely," Rosanne said, squinting her eyes, "this is the second time in 3 days that you've helped me, I might need to return the favour sometime."

Roman gives her a small nod, hiding a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Rosanne. Lock your door after me."  Roman says seriously.

~

The breeze near the lake was a tab ferocious in the morning, as Anton strolled past it, into the astrophysics department, he passed the lecture rooms, going in the back doors, till he reached the a small library.

He opened it and went in, and as he expected he found his friend, sitting on the armchair, surrounded by research papers, donning an Oxford shirt, black trousers, toying with the pen in his hand. His bespectacled face looked up when he saw Anton enter.

"You're here." Roman said, Anton knew that determined tone when Roman was going after something he wanted- he was going to ask him about how far he had gotten on the research.

But before Anton could form a coherent sentence, Roman questions, "how do you know Rosanne?"

This caught Anton off guard, he stared at Roman with a confused expression.

"Rosanne? Rosanne?" Anton asked. Roman's eyes narrow, "did you perhaps not have your breakfast this morning?"

Anton chuckled, "Rosanne lives in the same hostel as Amber, I told you that.."

"What's your relation with her?" Roman inquired.

Suddenly Anton realised, "wait the fuck up, are you Roman, Roman Volkov, jealous?"

Roman frowns, "don't be ridiculous."

Anton smiles, "I'm not being ridiculous, you are actually jealous. I saw the way you smiled at her, you never fucking smile."

Roman's frown deepens, "fine don't tell me."

Anton laughs out loud, "look at you, man, smitten."

Roman sighs, "alright, let's get back to work."

Anton nods, but a smile remains intact, "well on that note, you won't fucking believe what I found."

~