8 Chapter 8: No Touching or Kissing

"Where do you think you're going!?" troublesome man utters in an exasperated tone. I feel a hand coming on my mouth and the other hand on my stomach when I hit a hard chest with my back.

"Lef mfe gfo!" a muffled sound comes out of me.

"Easy there, lady. I know nothing about your relationship with that guy." he says, staring in front of him particularly at my brat "I can guess through your excitement that you two might have an eternal connection but believe me when I say this is not the best time for a reunion, don't you see those guns at the back of their pants" then I notice a few guns in hands and also some half shoved at the rear "If they find us trailing behind them, they won't let go us easily." he whisper-shouts at me and unclasps my mouth after noticing my lack of struggle.

"But it's necessary. I want to talk to him. No, I have to talk to him!" I move forward but again the same heavy hand gripped me by the arm this time rather forcefully.

"Didn't you see they just beat two guys to a pulp?" he asks, disbelievingly "think about it with the brain, not with emotions." he loosened his grip on my arm. I stand with my back supported by the wall as his words sink in me.

Maybe I should wait some more, maybe it isn't the right time to see him but what in the world is happening here? It surely doesn't seem right and at a time like this? He wouldn't possibly have turned into some bad guy now? or is he? What has changed in these six years for him to act like this? What have I possibly missed? How far has he gone? How far has he lost himself in this world? Maybe things aren't what they seem.

I slump down on the floor as I think about the possibilities and every thought made my heart sink even deeper. It was like a sharp pain with every passing second. I felt something block my throat and I gulp down to prevent that feeling. It was hard to stop feeling that way and I blink hard to not break at this very moment without taking him on.

"You knew he would be here. You wanted to see him?" He suddenly asks, breaking me from my thoughts, his vision focused to nowhere in particular. I don't find any words to respond to his question and he looks at me, probably searching for an answer and as if he found one, he shakes his head.

"You can probably come to meet him sometime in the morning. Oh wait, it is morning," he says, slightly chuckling while glancing at his wristwatch. I wonder how is he able to see the time, it's pretty dark in here.

"I don't think he would come even if I asked him to," I said looking down at my hands in my lap suddenly finding my voice back

"Why?"

"He ditched his friends, family long time ago. He never wanted to be a part of us again" before I knew, I feel hot tears running down my cheeks. I feel a strong hand gripping my hand on my lap, sympathetically. I wipe my tears and look at him smiling, nervously.

"Hey, I didn't get to know your name?" I try to change the subject before I spill my emotions any further.

Deep down I am still struggling with a reason to satisfy myself by making one.

I just wanted to know the reason to why he left us which is why I came trailing behind him or if he doesn't have a reason I will guide him to where he has lost himself and tell him about important things that he is missing out of his life. That he actually needed to care about...

"Thank God! I thought I was never going to have an introductory part with you." He smirks at me and lightens the mood even though the situation in front of us is pretty much opposite. "Well, my name's Samuel, Samuel Haggos and I'm pleased to be with you milady in a dark alley, in front of few strange guys and let's not forget it's 12 in the midnight, not one of the cliche movie scenes to be with a girl if you ask me." he winks at me and I laugh a little, finally suppressing the overflowing feelings which felt like the easiest thing to do so far. He takes my hand and brings up to his lips and I immediately yank it back.

"Okay, rule number one between us, you can't touch me or... umm.. uh... k-k-kiss me like that" I tell him, sternly.

"I thought we were finally on the introduction part?" he rolls his eyes.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but there are certain boundaries you can't cross, it's against my culture. I came from afar town and umm... we don't like doing this." I tell him a bit shyly this time.

"What? You're making that up right?" His eyes amused and I shake my head.

"Towns like these exists here? Where kissing on the hand and touching is prohibited?" disbelief evident in his tone "Common it's 20th century, you're joking!"

"Why would I joke with you?" He suddenly jolts up.

"Hey, that's why you didn't take my hand when I was trying to help you back at the station and I thought you were angry and didn't forgive me..." he says, contemplating things together.

"You can say that."

"And it's against my culture. It's perceived to be rude, I was just trying to help you anyway."

"I can't help it. The life we have there is totally different from here." I shrug

"No wonder why you dress like this" his eyes flicker over my outfit and I consciously try to sit in a more proper position that couldn't have even be possible

"What's wrong with my dressing?" I say, bemused.

"You're so... covered" he shrugs.

"I'll take that as a compliment, not everyone here does that."

"There's no fun in looking at you" he mumbles.

"Excuse me?" I say, crossing my arms against my chest.

"I am sorry, don't mind me. It's going to take some time, adjusting with your... Culture."

"By the way, I'm Sarah Harris." I smile at him.

"Finally, Sarah Harris it is." He repeats my name as if they were some precious words.

I look at the front gate of the building and see that most of the people have dispersed already. The truck was gone and brat was talking with someone dressed same as him.

Would a day really come when I'll be able to meet you? When I'll be able to touch you? When you'll be the one to look at me with the same affection I look at you and listen to every word I have to say? Will we be able to fight again? Will we ever be able to live like before?

"I think we must head out, now they are all gone," he says, breaking me from my thoughts again and I look up and fail to find him again. "Your man went back inside the building. He gave some card to the guy he was talking earlier with and went inside" he looks at me expectantly, silently asking to get up and move. He brings his hand to me and asks for mine and I roll my eyes

"I can get up on my own."

"Just teasing you." he chuckles.

We slowly and creepily move outside the alley. We walk on the pavement side by side, quietly and we have gotten far enough that the shippers was out of sight.

"I'm afraid we can't hail a cab at this hour" he breaks the silence

"It's fine by me. In our town, we are used to walking long distances"

"You mean there are no vehicles?" He looks at me with wide eyes.

"No, there are mostly carriages. Few people have trucks so they could carry the materials to the nearby town or city"

"Wow, I want to visit this place." he says, nodding his head "Do you guys like have lanterns hanging all around the place?"

I chuckle at his question "No we don't, Thomas Edison made sure to light the earth."

"Phew! Because that would have been a serious joke." I laugh at him and he smiles back at me.

On the street across us are men, smoking, and drinking. Few of them stare at me, among them who didn't notice us are poked by the others to watch us as well and I feel the inappropriateness in their gaze.

I start walking uncomfortably with my head bowed down. Samuel clears his throat.

"Why don't we exchange places, you come to my side and I walk beside the road?" Samuel suggests while cornering me and shifting himself towards the opposite end such that he almost hovers over me. Samuel blocks my sight, I wasn't able to look behind where the men were standing. For the moment I was thankful for Samuel's deliberative move.

I now notice that he is a tall man with dirty blond hair, a strong body one can hide easily behind it and it was surely helping me with doing that.

"Who are they? What are they doing at this time?" I say, looking up at him while he is staring across the street. His hand comes deadly near to my waist and I instinctively come closer to him to avoid his touch but his hand doesn't land on my body.

"Some bad guys who could do things that are prohibited in your village," he says, without looking at me, still staring back at them while blood rushes to my cheeks. "Whenever you're alone walking on the street make sure of your surroundings because you can't expect anyone to be good like me when you bump into them." I roll my eyes.

So he thinks very highly of him...

"I never trusted you either in the beginning. You came following me begging to help me." he is now looking at me with his amused brows.

"And then you trusted me, I would have taken you somewhere else, who knows?"

"Very well... I think my home's that way" I point my finger to the street I don't even remember.

I try to not accept the fact that what he just said was true so I keenly change the topic.

"We came from that way" He points his finger to the street opposite that I pointed.

"Oh right, It's so dark, I can't even see where I'm walking." I laugh hesitantly, trying to cover up my dumbness.

"Oh! look there is a cockroach on your toe."

"EKKKKKK... Get it off! Get it off! Get it off of meeee!!" I jump up and down and scream and I hear a chuckle behind me.

How dare he laugh at me! I knew he was joking!

Damn it! I should have seen my shoe first.

"You sure pretend to be strong but you're not actually." I stop walking while he keeps ahead of me, leaving me with his words.

No, he can't say that. I am strong, I've always been.

I didn't let out my feelings when he left, I didn't expressed the pain when my father had the accident but why does his words feels so right?

He turns back and looks at me while his hands were shoved inside his jeans pockets "You coming? or should I leave you behind those guys and let them have their fun because you prohibited me by applying rule number one which doesn't allow me to pull you by the hand."

I shake away the feeling immediately and we walk together again. Not sooner we near to an area which I could easily recognize. I tell him the way to my home. He drops me at the door and I thank him for today.

I probably would have done something wrong today if he hadn't stopped me. Thinking about the consequence, I don't know how my brat would have reacted if I had confronted him with a bunch of loaded gunmen.

Would he have been surprised? Yes, possible and then he would have shot me. Yes, double the possibility because I just witnessed his crime which could lead him to jail and bunch of his gunmen with him. I don't know how much has he changed in these past six years but he sure isn't the same brat I used to know.

We bid our goodbyes and I enter the darkness of the house and let out a sigh. I head upstairs to my room.

As soon as I enter my room, I lay down on my bed with my shoes and scarf still on.

I was lazy to change. I looked at the time, it was 1 in the morning. I had spent four hours on this mission.

At least I got to see him twice a day.

Yes, and you witnessed him as a bad guy. Poked my oh-so-concerned subconscious.

Taking a deep breath I get up and move to change.

After I changed, I sprawled on my bed to finally get some sleep but it did no good. I tossed and turned as the events I encountered today rolled inside my head.