For Old Times’ Sake

Destiny's POV

"What are you doing here, Red?" I asked after I got out of my prison cell. I wished to say goodbye to Gale, but she wasn't in her cell, and I wondered where she could be.

"I must be the one who would be asking you that, Destiny. I made it clear last time that I didn't want to cross paths with you again. You must know this would be the last time I will help you." He answered with the same apathy as the last time we saw each other, and I widened my eyes at him.

Red's words sliced my heart as he emphasized he didn't want to see me anymore as if I was the one who had committed a mistake and not him.

"I didn't ask for any help from you, and why did you come here?" I asked, trying not to show the pain I felt inside.

"Is that what I get from you instead of saying thank you, or do you want to rot here in jail?" He asked with annoyance.

"Hey, that is not how you treat your lawyer, Miss Ganzon." The officer interjected with our conversation.

"He is not my lawyer," I replied, frowning at them.

"Well, I think the best thing you can do is say thank you to him because he represented himself as your lawyer and bailed you out." The officer answered back.

I came to the realization that I didn't need to deal with Lucas anymore, and I should not be acting this way to Red, even if he was hurting and insulting me. I should be thankful to him for helping me even if I didn't ask him, and I wondered how he would face Carmen after all this.

"You just need to sign some documents, and you can go." The officer added, and I followed him to his desk and obeyed without saying anything while Red was beside me.

"I can take a taxi from here. Thank you so much for coming here and for bailing me out." I said to Red the moment we got out of the police station,

His face turned bright red as he took my wrist and looked at me with those piercing eyes.

"I promise to pay you once I get a job, and I am sorry for being a pain in your head," I added, and his face darkened as he tightened his grip on me.

"You have to come with me, Destiny, and I am only telling you this once. Please, let me help you. You just don't know what I have done to save you from this mess." Red responded without taking his eyes away from me, and I could tell he was tired.

"Okay, I will ride in your car; you don't need to use force on me. Just for the record, I didn't do anything to Carmie. She got injured by herself." I declared as he loosened his grasp on me, and he put his hand on my back and guided me to his car without saying anything.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as he drove on the opposite route, not the way leading to my rented place.

"I need to treat your scratch, and you must fix yourself; you don't want Daria to see you that way." He responded without looking in my direction and focused on the road as he drove. I stayed silent until he pulled over in front of a three-story house.

"Where are we?" I asked, and Red ignored my question, unfastened his seatbelt, and exited his car. I was shocked when he opened the door for me, and my stupid heart raced like I was running a marathon.

I should not have felt this way, but he helped me, and I couldn't ignore the small part of me wishing he still cared about me even after he told me he didn't want to see me anymore.

Maybe Daria was right after all; his pride kept him from communicating with me. He still looked upset with me and tried his best to distance himself, but I felt hopeful I would gain his trust and he will believe in me again.

He motioned me to follow him after I got out of his car with my legs trembling.

"Sit!" He ordered after we got inside, and he wandered around the house as if it belonged to him.

I slowly sat on the sofa, and my eyes skimmed the house's interior, from the marble tile to the fancy chandeliers. I loved the house's contemporary design, and I wished to ask him who owned this lovely home, but it seemed like he didn't want me to talk at all. Red came back with the first aid kit in his hands.

"I told you to stay away from trouble," he said as he kneeled in front of me after putting gloves on his hands. I flinched when I felt his hands on my legs and inspected the injuries on my knees.

I tried yanking my leg, but he firmly held it. I kept my mouth shut, afraid I would say something that could worsen the war between us.

He cleaned my wound and put in some disinfectants. I oversaw him putting a bandage over my wound, wrapping roller gauze over the dressing, and taping the bandage in place, and he did the same on my other knee.

He checked his work, and I wished to run my fingers and toy with his sleek black hair with my fingers like in the old times. Even if his head was down, I could memorize every contour of his handsome face with my eyes closed.

I reprimanded myself for thinking such a way. What we had was over, and he is now my enemy since he cheated on me with my step-sister.

Red stood up after he put everything back on the first aid kit without talking to me. He avoided my gaze at all costs, which hurt me more.

I stayed on the sofa like a statue while my eyes went after him as he strolled towards the left side, which I assumed was the kitchen since, on the opposite side, I could see the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

The oil painting hanging on the wall caught my attention. I slowly stood up and stared at it for a long time. It felt like I had been there before; it was a meadow that resembled a sea of green waves. Multicolored butterflies and dragonflies surrounded a field of tall grasses and wildflowers.

It looked so vibrant and made me want to return to that place and stay there forever.

"Destiny, please follow me to the dining hall." I almost jumped to my feet when I heard Red's deep voice. I didn't know how long I had been lost gazing at the painting.

"I am not hungry. Can I go home now?" I asked, and he stepped closer to me as he searched my eyes with the same intensity he used to look at me that made my knees feel weak.

"You are not going home unless you have eaten; I could tell by the look on your face that you are starving." He responded as he halted so close to me that I could smell his familiar intoxicating scent, which made me feel heady.

I was left speechless as he took my wrist and pulled me with him while I tried to restrain the rapid beating of my heart.

"Eat," he ordered after I sat down, and I was shocked to find the food he prepared on the table was all my favorite, and I wondered why he was doing all this.

I wanted to leave since I knew I would only get hurt at the end if I gave meaning to what he was doing, but my stomach betrayed me as it rumbled loudly.

"See, you are starving," he added, and a flicker of amusement registered on his face, but it was quickly replaced with seriousness as he sat across from me.

Red started putting a portion of each menu on my plate as I stared at my plate.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked when I couldn't take it anymore.

"For old times' sake." He coldly responded without blinking his eyes, and I quickly lowered my head, afraid he would see the dismay on my face.

"You don't need to do this. Thank you for what you did today. Words are not enough to tell you how much I appreciate what you did. I can't thank you enough." I declared without raising my head.

"If you are grateful I helped you, please hurry and eat your food." He responded since I haven't touched my food. I just stared at my plate while holding my spoon and fork.

"I brought you clothes before I went to the police station. You should change before you go home to your house." Red added, and I slowly held up my head, looked at him, and found him staring at me.

I could feel the knots on my belly as I averted his gaze.

"There is nothing wrong with my clothes, and please, don't tell Daria what happened to me," I replied.

"You have to tell her; she is the only person you can rely on now, and keeping secrets from her will only complicate things. Honesty is still the best policy, Destiny." He declared as his face darkened.

"Besides, it is not for Daria; you stink; you have to shower and change into clean clothes." He added before he stood up and left me stunned, with my mouth hanging open.

And Red was right; the smell of the prison cell stuck with me as I pulled my blouse up. I smelled terrible and felt so embarrassed I hadn't noticed anything due to so many things running in my head.