The Royal Contract

He could feel his heart palpitating inside his chest. He was nervous. He could tell from his sweaty hands as he maneuvered the car in the light traffic.

He was still far from their destination. But he could tell it would be a long ride. He could also sense that it would be like one of those nights. It would be a long one.

"Where are we going?" Rosella asked him as she stared out her window, probably trying to figure out his plans.

He remembered a few times when he would surprise her with a trip or a gift. At first, she would be mad at him because she thought it was too much.

But eventually, she would give in and accept what he had to offer. Sadly, those were bittersweet memories that he was the only one who could remember.

"I thought of taking you to where it all began." He curtly said, but he did not tell her any details. He just smiled before returning his eyes to the road ahead.

It was where their relationship had started. And unfortunately, it might be the place where it would also end.

If that would be their fate, then he would gladly accept it.

"And where is that?" She asked, appearing curious as she turned to look at him.

When he first thought of bringing her there, he only wished for her to remember who he was. But now, he just wanted to show her how much she meant to him.

This time, he was not hoping she would regain her memories. And by some miracle, her memories would return.

He was finally accepting that fate had thrown him a curve ball, and he had missed striking a home run. He might be going home a loser after this night was over.

"It is a surprise." He just said, thinking explaining it to her would not change the inevitable.

Then, both of them fell into an awkward silence as his eyes fixed on the road while she drowned herself in her thoughts.

"Roseann mentioned that your sister has just got engaged. Why did you not tell me about that?" Rosella suddenly asked, breaking the quietness inside the car.

Honestly, he was surprised that Roseann spoke to her about that. But he guessed Roseann did not want to keep things from her.

But he could not help but wonder if Roseann also mentioned anything about the incident with Adam. Or that Roseann also had feelings for him.

But knowing Roseann, she would not try to keep secrets from her sister. But she would not want to hurt her with the truth either.

"I did not think you would be interested in Serena's life." David wanted to share with her everything that was happening in his life. But since she woke up from her coma, she had been different.

He felt like he was always walking on thin ice. Any wrong move would put a crack on the foundation and break the only thing that had kept them afloat.

"Why would you say that? I am still your friend." Her words suddenly cut through him like a sharp knife. "You can always share things with me."

Was that what he was to her? A friend.

It hurts to hear her say those things, but he kept a brave face as he looked at her, smiling through his pain. He did not want her to notice how much her words affected him.

He did not want her to feel guilty for whatever she felt for him. It was not her fault if she did not love him anymore. He could not blame her if she could not remember what they used to be.

"I will take note of that. But yeah, Serena is planning to get married to my College friend, Adam." He finally told her how the two had met and ended up together.

It was a short story, but it had a great romantic tale.

He was not a romantic guy when he first met Rosella. Nevertheless, he had incredible moves to charm the ladies.

However, all that changed when he fell head over heels in love with her. He would have given the moon as a gift if that was even possible. Instead, he bought something else to prove how much he loved her.

"Wow, that is incredible. I am so happy for Serena." Rosella smiled upon hearing their story. "I guess she deserves to be happy."

He could see she was sincere. But Rosella always loved Serena in the past. In truth, she was the reason why he and Serena had patched up their slight misunderstanding and differences.

If not for Rosella, Serena would still be running away from him and their family, ruining her life by sticking to the side of that bastard that almost destroyed her.

"Yeah, I agree." David was glad that Serena had found Adam. And he also felt relieved that the incident was one misunderstanding. Honestly, he believed Serena deserved a man like Adam and vice versa.

He finally had something to talk about as they traversed to their destination. And soon, he was parking the car, ready to take her to his last surprise.

"Would you mind if I put this on your eyes?" He asked, holding out to her a black handkerchief he made into a blindfold. "I just want it to be a surprise."

He had carefully planned this night, and if this would be their last, he wanted it to be memorable. At least, it would be a new memory she would never forget.

"Sure," She nodded, agreeing with his plan. But he could sense in her voice a slight hesitation. Still, she let him put the black cloth around her eyes.

Then, he slowly guided her out of the car, carefully walking to their destination. His only consolation was the thought that she still trusted him.

"Watch your step." He instructed as the boards became slightly uneven. He carefully helped her maneuver in the narrow pathway that would lead them to his final surprise.

"Are we there yet?" He could hear the curiosity in her voice, relieved that he did not sense a hint of fear in her as he finally stopped.

He could feel her uneven footing as she mildly lost her balance. But eventually, she settled just fine as she got used to the mild movement.

"Yeah, we are here." He finally felt satisfied that it was time to reveal his surprise. "This is for you." He helped her remove the loose knot on her blindfold, finally revealing what was before her.

"For me?" She uttered, a little breathless as her eyes scanned everything around her.

He noticed she looked fascinated and amazed at the breathtaking view before her. But his eyes only saw the beauty that was her.

He wanted to memorize every line in her face. He wished to imprint in his brain how her lips curved into a beautiful smile every time she was happy, how her eyes widened at the wonders of this world.

He did not want to forget anything about her if this would be the last time he would see her.

"I thought we should have dinner where we first dated as a couple." He promised this would be the last time he would remind her of their past.

After this night, he would be setting her free. At least, that was one of his plans. But before that, he would make this night the best they spent together after the accident.

"Oh! Is this where we went on our first date?" She questioned as she looked at the table where a set of dinner plates were waiting for them.

Then, her eyes roamed around the deck, checking out the boat. She moved toward the railing, seemingly admiring the view of the vast ocean. Luckily, the moon shone brightly tonight, casting a nice glow on the water's surface.

"Yes. I don't think you remember any of it. But just for the record, this is where we also celebrated our first anniversary." He wished he did not have to tell her any of this.

He wished she would suddenly remember everything, but unfortunately, that was not happening. He just needed to accept that this might be her only memory of this boat and nothing else.

"Oh! I am sorry if I don't..." He knew she was about to apologize for not recalling this place or any of the events that had transpired in this spot. But he stopped her.

"No. You don't have to be sorry. I did not bring you here for that. I only want you to have this new memory of this place." He said, hoping that he did not upset her.

"I knew how much you loved the waters. So, I thought of bringing you here." He recalled how she convinced him to buy a yacht when he did not need one.

He had not even done sailing before. Still, somehow, Rosella persuaded him to invest in this piece of luxury. At first, he thought he bought the boat because he only wanted to impress her and get into her pants.

But then, he realized it was more than that.

"How did you know that? I never told you that before." Rosella seemed surprised, but then again, she realized he was talking about her past.

When he learned how much she loved the sea and the calmness of being in the water, he wanted to give her that.

Eventually, he realized he was in love with her. And he wanted to give her the world. But sadly, all he could buy her was this boat, naming it after the woman who had changed his world.

The Rose.