Rose pushed him away. his lips had been so close that his breath had left tiny spots of mosture on her face. her skin tingled with the thought that they had connected in such away, but she knew she couldn't do it.

    'You don't know me,' she said as she turned away.

    'I think you know that's a lie,' he said with a sad laugh. 'I know your heart, Rose. I know how much you love, how mcuh you want to be loved.' He reached out his hand and it barely brushed her face, yet he still felt it. Electricity.

    'I'm no good... at... this...' she managed to get out whilst waving her hand between the two of them.

    They were in the Moss Garden, a place that had always made them feel safe. the glsitening underbelly of the Saviour Machine. The palce where dreams felt almost possible. She couldn't risk losing all that. Not for a moment that could leave her feeeling sick and dirty like all the others. this is wehat she was tellinbg herself to believe, but her heart didn't agree with her head. if she really thought about it, her head didn't really agree with the lies she was spinning to push him away. He was everything she had ever wanted and more, but now he was giving his heart to her, she felt wrong somehow.

    'You deserve better,' she said.

    'Better than what?' He looked slightly amused, but she could sense the frustration in his voice.

    'Better than me.'

    He shook his head and sighed. She was sat facing the garden, perched in a giant toadstool. It was classic in shape but not in colour. it had beautiful purple and black stripes running across it, and the stalk was mustard yellow. She reached underneath ad stroked the fine layers to calm herself down as she watched him pacing back and forth in front of her. After a while he stopped and stood still to think, rubbing his stubbly chin with his hand. She thought he looked like some sort of gothic statue standing before her, the glow worms and fireflies dancing in the background and his black silhouette so strong and centred. And in that moment her heart felt full of love for him.

    'It's just I... I've done some very bad things...' she said, her voice almost a whisper.

    'Rose,' he said, striding towards her and bending to his knees. 'I could say a million things to you, things I've done or things that I have seen people do, and yes, they would definately be worse than anything you have ever done. That I can promise you. But it won't make you see sense. So,' he began, his eyes scanning her face and taking in her full pink lips, her emerald eyes and each and every freckle.

    In the moment that passed Rose felt afraid. Everything that had or could possibly have might be lost with whatever words he chose to say next. 'So?' she asked, so quietly that even the buzzing insects almost drowned her out.

    'So,' he said again slowy. 'I'm going to tell you something that I've known since the moment I met you. The moment I saw that face. the moment we first touched.' He leant in and stroked her face, brushing her hair from her  face and letting it fall down her back in ripples of red. 'I love you, Rose. I have since the day we met. I love you more with every breath I take, and I honestly don't give a shit about anything you have done, because you're human. You make mistakes, we all do. All we have to do now is make them together. and when things go wrong for us, you'll have my arms to fall into to keep you safe. you'll have my lips to kiss to show you you're loved and you'll have my heart to tell all your secrets to, if you so wish....'

    Her eyes were full with tears as were his. they looked at each other for a long time, but then somewhere during that time they both reached out and gave in to their hearts. They lay amongst the beauty of the earth and listened to the birds sing, the tiny crickets played along and all the creatures watched on as two ordinary people fell in love and forgot about the sorrow and pain of their worlds.