Chapter 10: Chat

I was shocked to hear him say such a thing. Why in the world would a man this handsome ask to get to know me? I cautiously answered. "Well, something about me would be that I want to know how you knew where I lived." I crossed my arms and he laughed a little. "So, you're a funny girl, are you?" I kept my arms crossed even though every word he said made me stir with heat. He shook his head slowly and turned his gaze away from me. "The night you ran from me, I followed you. I don't know why. Curiosity, I guess."

I was surprised to hear his honesty and to find out that he had followed me. I didn't hear anyone chasing after me that night, nor did I see him behind me at all. I guessed that I was in too much of a rush to get to my apartment to notice. I didn't know what I would've done if I turned around and saw him there so maybe it was better that I hadn't. "Ah, makes sense." I tried my best to fight off the blush that flooded my cheeks but he was too handsome. I couldn't find it in me to continue participating in the conversation and just sat there with my stiff posture. 

"Why did you run from me?" He asked. I didn't know exactly how to answer that. "You found out I was a woman. I was scared." He was silent for a long time. When I finally looked at him his eyes locked onto mine. "You have no need to be scared of me any longer. I'm your new bodyguard. I'm here to protect you." My affection for him surged inside of me and at the same time, I was so confused as to why he was willing to take on that kind of responsibility to a stranger. "Out of curiosity, why did you offer to protect me?"

He continued to hold my eyes up to his as he spoke. "Your soul is too pure to be all alone and surrounded by people who wish to consume it." He sure had a way with words. "You don't deserve this life, nor do you deserve to be alone." My heart thumped so hard in my chest that I could hear it ring throughout my entire body. "H-How do you know what I deserve? You don't even know me." He smiled which only increased my heart rate. "Your eyes are innocent. I see no evil or hatred. Only pain. Plus, I know that no asshole would go through a den of drugs, sex, and bloody halls just to return a pen. I'm indebted to your kindness."

I had no idea that such a small gesture would mean so much to him. I assumed that the lack of kindness in this horrid place was what had dropped his expectations to hit rock bottom. His smile faded and he set my eyes free. "I am alone, just as you are. So I was shocked when you offered to chat with me. Being a monster has its perks, but it is quite lonely." I began to ache for him. He was in the same rut as I was, only instead of being wanted by everyone, he was feared. "Really? I'm surprised. I had expected you to have tons of women at your doorstep wanting to give you affection." I prepared myself for his response.

"If you're talking about sex, I get plenty of that. I was referring to companionship." My heart sank. Just as I had expected, he constantly had women chasing after him. Women who actually looked like women. He only wanted me as a friend so he could have as many sexual encounters as he wanted without getting emotionally attached to any of them. For a moment, I thought it was all over, but then he said something else that stirred my logic into an unreadable mess. "I would rather be right here than with anyone else. You feed some sort of life into me, and it's exhilarating." His small smile returned. "That was most likely why I followed you. Your smile lit a fire inside me that I hadn't felt in a long time. You're so kind, it's lovely to be around."

I didn't know how to decipher those words at all. Friends didn't talk to each other like that, but neither did lovers. This man was such a Rubix cube. As soon as I thought I figured him out, I saw that a single square was off. "You're giving me more credit than I deserve. I normally never talk to anyone, let alone be kind to them." He raised an eyebrow. "Ever think that the reason for that is because everyone around you is dangerously mental?" I smiled at his suggestion. "That could be a possibility." His face then shifted to confusion. "Are your clothes bothering you?"

I didn't expect the sudden subject change and it took a second to process what he had asked me. "No. Why?" His face stayed the same. "You've been scratching yourself throughout the whole conversation." I looked down to see that he was right. I became aware of how itchy I was and had to fight my hands from scratching myself more. My arms and legs were red other than the white streaks where I scratched, and I could feel the lingering pain where I scratched my stomach. I sighed at the sight. "It's fine. It's just my vitamin A deficiency kicking in. After this, I'll walk to the convenience store to grab some carrots." 

He seemed to show surprise through his confusion. "At this time of night?" I shrugged. "No other time to do it. I work all day." He looked at me like I was crazy. "Do you have any idea what kind of psychos hang out there this late?" I didn't know why he was taking this so seriously. He must've known that I had done it countless times before. "There's no real danger, trust me. Bob and Frank are just pedophiles and the rest of them don't mess with someone in a big coat." His sudden laughter made me jump. God, his voice was powerful. It had stolen my heart so easily that it was like I wasn't even trying to protect it.

His laughter softened into a chuckle as he stood up from the couch. "Yeah. I am so coming with you." I stood up after him, hurriedly. "What? You really don't have to." He then picked up my coat and placed it over my shoulders. "What kind of bodyguard would I be if I didn't escort the little lady where she needed to go?" This time I couldn't stop the blush from flooding my face. The way he spoke was so different than any other man. It was so sensual. The only problem with that was that I had no idea whether he was coming on to me or not. Ridiculous. He couldn't possibly be flirting. Not with me. He put on his trench coat while I finished putting on my own, and once he was done, he went to the door and opened it for me. "Milady."