Protective By Nature

The pair set off to the streets of Sophia's neighborhood. 

It was a beautiful late summer day where the weather was warm but encroaching on mild. The promise of a cool autumn was hinted at when a breeze blew through the streets they walked. 

In the center of Sophia's neighborhood was a large park and on the outskirts was a strip mall with a few places to shop. What sold her and Ethan about the location was how everything they needed was within walking distance. 

Sophia didn't force John to speak. As she occasionally glanced at his face, she saw his eyes darting around as he took in their surroundings. She wondered if the walk was helping him regain a sense of self. 

She also noticed that occasionally he would step closer to her if someone walked by them as if he was protecting her. She had never been around a man like that before but she had to admit it did feel good to be cherished in such a way. Even if he wasn't feeling anything for her, he still seemed to care enough to be sure she was safe.

However, John was fighting tumultuous thoughts. He considered that it might be wishful thinking that the places Sophia frequented might be familiar to him. Perhaps their paths never crossed before yesterday. He wasn't entirely certain why that would be disappointing for him. 

Whenever he stepped closer to her, it felt like he was running on autopilot. Only instincts were dictating his actions. He felt out of control. 

"Are you okay to walk far?" she asked. "I don't want to make your injuries worse. There are a few shops we could visit and get you more clothing. This outfit will only work for so long. If you're going to work in my bakery you need something more substantial to wear." 

As usual, what was most important to her was upholding her standards of the bakery. Her sweet smile made it seem like she wasn't that cutthroat but she was. 

"I'll be fine," he insisted. 

She noticed that he said that specific phrase a lot but there was no reason for her to refute what he was saying. 

Again, they fell into silence the further they got.

She wondered what was going through his head as he perceived the world around them. There was no way for her to understand what it was like to be a blank slate. Even though things were new to him, he spoke with experience. She imagined it must be frustrating to not know where experiences had come from. 

The only thing missing was who he was. 

As her mind wandered, it occurred to her that he could have been wronged by someone to be in that situation. Was he betrayed? Did someone put him in this position on purpose?

Then it came to the drugs in his body. He looked like someone who cared for his physical health. Taking drugs didn't entirely add up. Yet she knew that addiction could rear its ugly head in many forms. 

John could feel her eyes on him but he didn't know what was going through her mind. He decided to remain silent, not feeling like he was deserving of her care after the way he had behaved before.

As Sophia bought him more appropriate shoes and clothing, John remained silent, but his calculating eyes never stopped darting around. He was suspicious of others, especially in the way he stood behind Sophia whenever she was occupied with something. He was paranoid, not knowing anyone's intentions, and he had to wonder if she had some sort of ulterior motive for doing all of that. 

When she moved towards the door after paying for the items, John dutifully followed. 

"These will suit you," she promised. "At least now we know what your size is. You have a few outfits to get you by until we figure out who you are." 

He took the bags from her hands as if it was second nature. 

"I will pay you back," he promised, the thought of being put up rubbed him the wrong way.

Yet he didn't even know if he had room to talk. There could be not a single penny to his name and he wouldn't know until he remembered who he was. It would be great if he was rich and could shower her with kindness in the form of gifts. 

Seeing that the park sat in the middle of the neighborhood, the path they walked intertwined with it. As their path dipped into the trees and there were a few blind spots due to curves in the trail, Sophia rounded a corner and was bumped into by a man who wasn't paying attention to where he was going as he typed on the phone.

The man had to be younger than her and the horrified expression on his face made her know that it was an accident. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," he said. "I wasn't paying attention." 

"Don't worry!" Sophia quickly responded, shaking her hands to try and convey that she was all right and understanding. "It happens–" 

However, her words were interrupted. 

John grabbed the young man by his collar and pushed him against the tree. His blue eyes pierced into the young man's soul and the expression on his face was dark as his lips curled back in a grimace. 

"Pay attention," he said in a low voice. 

The young man raised his hands as if he was being threatened by a gun. All he could do was stare up at John and wait for the inevitable of having run into an overprotective man's girlfriend. 

Sophia could only stare in shock for a few moments. 

"John, it's okay," she insisted. "He didn't mean to." 

When the man didn't seem like he was hearing her words, she dared to place a hand on the hand holding onto the young man. All she could hope was that he wouldn't react badly again and grab her wrist like he did in the kitchen. 

John stared at her and confusion flashed across his features. Even he wasn't sure why he responded like that. 

His grip loosened and the young man ran away.

He could feel his pulse where the staples held his head closed. His heart was racing and there wasn't a reason why. 

"Are you alright?" he asked her, not realizing how intense his gaze was. 

She found his eyes on her to be frightening. She was debating on whether or not she should have allowed such an uncontrollable man into her house. Yet she couldn't bring herself to send him away. He had nowhere else to go. It wasn't bad that he was protective, it was just hard to get used to.

"I'm alright. It was just an accident," she explained. "But I think we've seen all we're going to by now, maybe we should return to my house." 

John felt guilt but he also felt justified in his actions. He saw Sophia almost get hurt and he reacted accordingly. He wondered if this was who he was. Maybe he had been left for dead like that because his explosive anger reared its ugly head in front of the wrong person. 

All he could do was follow Sophia back to her house, silently stewing in his shame for overreacting. 

Perhaps it was better that he didn't leave her house until he figured out more about himself.