Chapter 17

　　Alec, who had been standing there, almost frozen, stared at Rose with a strange expression on his face.

　　Suddenly he moves closer to her, helping her sit down on the couch. Once she is comfortable, he bends his knees and sits on his haunches right in front of Rose, with both his hands on either side of her.

　　“Rose, I actually had been meaning to talk to you about something for a while but something or the other always came up.”

　　Rose looks at him and sees a very vulnerable look on his face. “What happened? Is everything ok?”

　　Seeing him looking really worried and conflicted, she says, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe.”

　　Alec looks her in the eye and tells her, “Rose, this is big.. and I don’t know how you will react.”

　　Rose looks at him with a slightly amused look. “What is it? Just say it. I have a feeling you are making it sound like it’s bigger than it might be.”