The clouds were greying, and the thunder was audacious. There was a barrage of frightening drums banging away in the clouds, flashes of lightning appearing just seconds before it. The light drops of rain trickled onto the roof of the vehicle that one was driving.
The man drove quite quickly as well, as he had been notified that the weather was bound to turn dangerous for drivers at any second... and everyone that was outside.
He was let go from work early today (due to his request), but it wasn't early enough. The storm caught up with him. Horrible timing too, because he could've been chatting it up with his fellow Co-workers about the storm, and playing dangerous games with them... outside in the storm. But instead, he had to spend his remaining hours at home.
He loved them. All 8 of them!
Well... more like 7...
"C'mon, c'mon!" The man bit at his nails, glancing up at the ray of sunshine that would eventually disappear from the incoming storm.
Green light.
He stepped on the gas.
Accelerating down the road at a frightening pace for passengers, but it was okay for him, because he almost always rode alone. Good thing too - the road was beginning to surface with water, and that always made driving just a little more of a hassle for his sporadic style of ride.
It was a fairly convenient that law enforcement wasn't ever apparent in this part of the city. He could rev up his dying vehicle with free will, and break the speed limit on every occasion he placed his hands across the steering wheel. Would anyone report him?
No!
The folk were way too much caught up in their own business to be paying mind to a rebellious driver on the usually empty roads. He had nothing to worry about from them, especially today, because it was a known fact that the habitants of this city never went outside during a rainy day.
Never...
He found it weird how their minds could possibly be wired this way.
What was so bad about going outside on a rainy day? Other than wet clothes and soaked shoes, it wasn't terrible to go outside in the rain.
But as he drove down the road and stopped at a red light, a chance encounter with a woman that was on the sidewalk would prove to expose his unknown hatred for the rain...
And his unknown care, for her...
x
The man whistled himself a tune, impatiently tapping his fingers across the steering wheel. His feet was twitching at the pedal, longing for quick acceleration. He just wanted to get home, and... relax.
Work was never exciting for him, but that didn't mean he hated it.
After all, money is what keeps men alive, and it gave him a decent amount of it for the materials that were in his possession. It paid the rent for his shabby apartment, and kept him in good company with 8 of his other Co-Workers, so that the days wouldn't feel as if they were rolling on couches.
The wipers swiped from left to right, swatting away the tiny drops of increasing rain, but it was starting to lose the sole purpose of its fight; the rain was becoming too much for his vision.
He furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth, "damn it... gonna end up crashing a pole if I gotta drive in this weather." He groaned and squinted his eyes to see a red glint of light in front of him.
He landed a hand on the steering wheel with irritation, "Are you serious?! Who the hell controls these lights?!"
He rolled his eyes and leaned on his palm with the support of his left arm, looking outside the foggy window with a careless glance.
But that careless glance quickly turned into one of concern when he spotted another person outside.
"What the-?" He darted his eyes back towards the person, trying to figure out who in the right mind would be crazy enough to stay in such heavy rain...
No one ever went outside during the rain.
Curious, he opened his window, ignoring the heavy drops of rain that were scarring the interior of his car.
"HEY! HELLO?!" He called out towards the person. He honked his car as well. That got the person's attention... her, her, attention...
It was a woman...
From where he was, he could see that her hair was heavily padded down with water, strands of brown hair caked over her pale, rosy face.
He could see that her fingers were trembling, and her knees were shaky... if it wasn't for the very revealing dress she wore, he would've thought that she had committed a murder, and that she was coming to the realization that she had indeed, committed it...
But there was no blood on her fingers... no blood on her clothes... but there was a knife on the floor... however, it wasn't anywhere near her.
She looked like she was lost, or someone that had just gone through something incredibly traumatizing... whatever the situation she was in, he still felt concern kick inside for her.
"Hey! What're you doing out in the rain, Miss?" He asked, not even sure if she could hear him because of how heavy the pouring was. The raindrops were apparent enough that even he started to feel the immediate effects of it. His hat emitted a series of *plops* every time a drop hit against the material.
He looked at her for an answer, trying his best to ignore the rain, and now that his eyes had enough time to settle on her, he quickly drawed up the conclusion about the woman.
She was a prostitute.
The clothes she wore proved it. A tight black skirt that ended at the thighs, knee-high boots that provided enough of her pale skin for viewing pleasure, an orange crop-top that showed off her slender waist, and a glossy black collar around her neck that meant she was part of someone's property... or it could've either been the prop of someone that was being really kinky with her...
Either one, it didn't give the man a smile. The clothes she wore gave him a frown. The weather she was enduring gave him a frown...
... the rips and crinkles across her crop-top gave him concern.
... the bruises around her thighs, and the marks across her arms gave him fury.
She opened her mouth to speak, her words coming out quiet, "Just... make it quick... I-I waited here, j-just like you told me to..."
The man could hear her clear despite how silent she was. Hearing how unwilling her tone was caused something to snap inside of him.
"Oh god... they didn't even give you a friggin' jacket..." he scowled and explained himself, "Lady... I'm not who you think I am, and you don't need to be doing that." He responded. Thunder soon followed his sentence, a flash of lightning appearing 3 seconds later.
The lady looked up to meet his concerned eyes.
He could see that she was terrified, scared... sad... her eyes held a pool of emotions that were threatening to break apart at any second.
She shivered violently. It was well apparent in her tone, "Y-you can't be here... their... their gonna k-k-kill you if they see me talking to you..." she blinked, and a tear fell down from her eye, blending in well with the water that dropped from her caked hair. She lowered her head down and began crying, no longer being able to stand up straight. She slowly crouched into a ball and backed up onto the door behind her. She held her head against her arms as she started to sob.
The man's heart shot with concern. He quickly opened his car's door so he could help the woman to her feet. Immediately, his dry red shirt started to wet up at the pouring rain above. It didn't help that it was a t-shirt too. His skin quickly became wet under the rain, and his pants were beginning to soak as well, inch by inch, fabric by fabric.
He shrugged off the drops of water and put a hand on her arm, the other one going to the side of her waist, "Sh, sh, sh, don't cry, lady. Whoever's coming for you ain't getting close..." he pulled her up, her body weight surprisingly light, and questionably frail for his strength.
She shivered against his touch, even more at the cold rain, but she did not refuse his hands. She let herself be guided by his hands until he gestured her to get inside the car.
"Are... are you gonna fuck me?" She asked, glancing at him with sad concern, "If so... I-I need pay. P-please... I need to eat."
His features softened even more at her assumption.
"No... no," he answered, unable to show how hurt his heart felt at her assumption.
"I'm not gonna do that. Anywhere's better than squatting outside in the rain, and I'm gonna let you sleep over for the night... you don't deserve to be out here, all cold 'n stuff." He said, trying to shield her from the rain with the height he had over her.
There was still some uncertainty in her eyes. He could see it... he wished he could slap the person who made her like this. He wished he could slap the person who told her to stay outside in the rain.
The woman looked nervous to step foot inside of his car, still shivering up under his body, exchanging nervous glances with him and the passenger's seat.
He frowned at her, "Look. I'm not gonna do anything that would hurt you. I'm not gonna touch you in any way that makes ya feel..." he gulped down his sadness, "like you're being used... I wanna help you... please... just, let me help you." He could feel his heart pulsing at the words he uttered, a frown threatening to break out if she refused.
"Please..." he begged, leaning closer, but refusing to lay a hand on her.
His back was glued with rain, his pants were soaked, and his hat was about to be too. But he could care less about the wellness of his clothes. He needed to make sure that this woman was alright, and in good care.
The woman looked at his eyes, trying to spot a fault in his intense blues.
She couldn't see any deceit, or trickery in those eyes... for the first time in a long time, she had seen genuine concern and warmth in a man's stare, which was very different to the usual chill and savagery that she had seen with her usual customer's...
But then again, she could've been wrong about him, and end up getting used for the services she would've otherwise been paid for... but it was worth the risk.
She took the chance.
If she was wrong about his care, then at least she wouldn't be at the hands of her rough-handling customers anymore... but who was to say that he wouldn't be as rough, or even more rougher than them?
Too late now.
Without uttering a word, she slowly stepped inside of his car, taking a seat on the cold passenger's side. She gasped quietly at the immediate chill that shot up her back, gasps turning more ragged as she felt water dripping off of her shivered body.
Before he closed her door, he uttered a genuine, 'thank you.' before making his way to the wheel.
x
The man sat down in his seat, the water from outside making it's way inside of the interior with ease. He closed the window, hidden drops of rain appearing from the crevice. He turned on his faulty wipers, trying his best to see the road clear while under the effects of blurring rain.
He gave the woman to his side a glance, immediately seeing her shiver and shake at the after effects of being drenched in cold water.
"I, uh.. have a blanket if you want one." He extended his arm to the back seat, reaching for the corner of a dry blanket. He pulled it towards him and looked at her hopefully, "You're freezing. Here, take it."
The woman nodded and reached a hand to grab it, but he handed it to her instead, even taking his other hand off the wheel so he could wrap it around her to the best of his abilities.
"There... that should keep ya warm for a bit, even if you're all wet... that's like, my warmest blanket I got." He said.
She gave him a small smile, welcoming the warm material with open arms.
He gave her a small smile as well, and stepped on the pedal, accelerating once the light turned green.
He looked towards her, "Tell me if I'm going too quick, cause I don't wanna freak you out, okay?"
"Yes." She quietly squeaked out, although she preferred to get as far away from that street as quickly as she could, she didn't want to be giving him orders too early, and besides, she needed time to think if this decision was smart for her. As he drove, she stared aimlessly at the dashboard, already planning what her new direction would be if luck would be cruel to her again.
Meanwhile, he turned his eyes towards the road, his wipers doing a less than impressive job at clearing up the rain, but still able to manage. As he kept driving, his eyes kept taking the occasional glance at the passenger.
There was no question about it, or any clear argument - She was beautiful.
He quickly noticed how intense the colour of her eyes were, even if she was in a dulled mood, the iris of her light browns looked like sweet honey to him. Her face was unbelievably soft, save for a few bruises and handprints on a side of her cheek, the physical marks couldn't contain the natural beauty she was blessed with. Her hair was short, but unique, and well-styled, despite the damages of rain. There were many edges of her strands jutting from her dark brown mare - slicked, and molded in a way that made it just more eye-catching. Her lips were thin, but looked more than suitable for another pair of lips to be hooked onto it.
The only negatives on her were the damage that had clearly been done to her. It would take a blind man to simply shrug at her beauty... and it would take a genuine fool to ruin a woman of such caliber...
This was just more of a reason for his heart to feel pain.
"ugh... sorry for asking... but why... what, were you doing out there?" He asked, his voice low. So low, that the drops of rain were louder than him.
She kept her stare straight on the road, gripping tightly onto the blankets he provided.
"... What did it look like?" She finally replied, and thought it came out as a mere whisper, he still heard her loud and clear.
He didn't know how to answer her. But he did know that it was something that she didn't want to talk about, which was enough of a reason for him to change the subject.
He gritted his teeth, angry at himself. He drowned his brows and decided to focus on the road instead, "... I'm so, so sorry." He shook his head and sighed, "just... tell me if you don't wanna talk, cause..." he trailed off and uttered silent words of uncertainty, annoyed at how inconvenient his social skills were.
"Sorry." He muttered awkwardly, shutting his mouth until he would have to use it again.
The woman gripped the sheets tighter, but not because of his awkward apology. She actually found him tolerable. He wasn't sending any disrespectful glances, or any uncomfortable ones either. But that's not to say that he wasn't staring. She caught him staring for a quick second, but he respectfully restrained his stare back to the road ahead.
Maybe this wasn't so bad of a choice.
She slowly fluttered her eyes as she let the warmth embrace her.
The man made sure to keep his pace of driving steady and calm for his passenger, which wasn't normal of him at all, because he'd be driving recklessly regardless of who was in his car.
The straight, linear road came to an end when he had to make a left, then follow it up with a right after a few hundred metres. But before he could turn left, the bright headlights of a vehicle, glowing a distinct red in the rain, caught his eye.
The wipers were doing a half-decent job at allowing him to see what the vehicle looked like. It's headlights weren't the usual yellow, but pink. The exterior was a bright red and the pace of the one driving it was similar to how he would drive his own vehicle — fast, and in a hurry.
somewhere to be...
"Weird... never saw a car like that... in the rain too?" He scoffed quietly and continued driving.
The woman suddenly spoke up.
"Wait... what did the car look like?" She asked.
The man glanced at her, seeing the amount of anxiety she was in because of her telltale facial expressions. It made him worried as well.
"Uhm... red, and pink lights. It was a four-door. Why?" He asked quickly.
As soon as the sentence registered to her, a worried look took over her face.
"Oh no... no! It's them!" She whimpered, squeezing onto her blanket. Her fingers paled and the tips reddened, emphasizing how tight her grip was.
"Who?" He was twitching to get home quicker now, sending a worrisome glance at his blurry rear-view mirror.
"Th-the ones who own me..." she muttered, almost curled up inside of the blanket.
The man wasn't sure how to respond to the prostitute. He didn't know what other words to say, except for, 'You don't deserve this.'
"They... they won't get you," he scowled lowly, a furious frown coming over his face, "you won't go back to them, ever again."
x
He stepped on the pedal harder, going even faster, almost missing the right turn. To prevent his car from doing a wild drift, he quickly stepped on the brakes, a determined look crossing his face as he held the wheel. Once he regained control of the car, he made a right turn into home base.
The street was full with other vehicles that were parked parallel, but that wouldn't stop him from squeezing in.
Not giving the slightest care onto how he parked his car, he urged the woman to get out once he turned off the engine.
"C'mon, lets go. Red door on your right, go straight in there." He said.
The woman nodded, leaving his car with his blanket still around her.
He didn't mind it.
He turned off his car and took the keys out, shielding himself as best as he could from the rain with the use of his wrist. He headed towards the apartment's entrance under the drenched rain, the drops managing to smack against his skin with rapid succession.
Naturally, he helped the woman get up the stairs. He shielded her from the rain and sealed the blanket's grip around her body, keeping her body dry and warm. With one hand, he opened the door for her, following in soon after.
It was a small room before the lobby they were in, but the man and his routinely chore of unlocking the entrance door to it helped them get out.
He was slightly dripping. The rain's never been this hard before... or, at least he's never experienced rain this hard before...
As he guided the woman past the lobby, a couple of glances were sent his way, namely from a man, a woman, and two little boys.
"Oi! Mummy, look!" One child said, pointing at the man, "It's rain! On his clothes! On her clothes!"
The older man of the 4 individuals crouched beside the child, gently putting the child's hand down.
The woman sent a discreet glance to the children as she was accompanied by the very kind man. She felt as if she was out of place when around these type of individuals... she hasn't seen a child, nor heard the voice of a child, in a long time.
"You're stupid, Charlie! She's wearing a towel, not clothes!" Another child said, an older one, scolding his younger sibling. He tugged on his mother's pants, "Mummy? Why are they out in the rain?"
"They must have their reasons. Grocery shopping, perhaps?" She muttered to her curious son.
They reached the elevator, and just when she thought he was going to stop in his tracks, he instead continued walking forwards in the hall, gently guiding her along with him. An arm of his was still draped around the back of her neck, ending at her shoulder, and a hand of his helped keep the blanket from falling off of her.
He seemed like he had no idea he was holding her for this long. His eyes were focused, yet drifting. His face was worried, but hopeful. His cluelessness to his own sweet gesture brought a wave of refreshment to the woman... something she's been lacking for too long...
"We're almost there, don't worry." He notified, his tone quiet and a bit nervous as well.
Now that her body was considerably warmer than before, a sense of her finally had a chance to work after being numbed down by the cold. The reason, or a really big factor, of why she was so warm was because of the arm that was across the back of her neck. The fingertips that were scathing innocently on her collarbone was also a part of that factor, and when she went to examine it while continuing forwards, she could see that the whole of his hand was covered in a plain white wrap, all but the fingers. It was perfectly done as well, with no crevices or mistakes that could be seen on the medical surface.
She was slowly stopped in her tracks, ending her examination of the hand that was beside her neck, which belonged to the man that decided to pick her up from the harsh rain outside. The hand still didn't leave her side though, as he used his other one to reach in his pockets and pull out a chain of various keys.
"We're here," he unlocked the door — Room 1.
The door opened, revealing the man's apartment room to the woman, who was more used to the fancy condos and the worn out dorms that were full of vile men with horrible intentions...
Seeing his home proved to be refreshing for the woman, despite never stepping a foot inside of it.
Before going inside, the man turned to her, finally taking his hand off of her neck.
"Don't worry about knocking anything over, cause the place is already kind of a dump..." he smiled awkwardly, and looked inside of his residence, his cheeks catching a red flare when he looked inside, "... Ma always said to do my spring cleaning, but crap. I didn't listen to her, and now look what happened," he shrugged it off, ignoring the obvious mess inside of his house, turning towards the woman, "ah whatever. I'll get to cleaning it one day, and I guess this is why they say 'Mother knows best'... hm, some pretty smart people that said those words."
The woman giggled... for the first time in ages, as soon as he finished his sentence.
The fact that his home wasn't as nearly as messy as he thought it was, made her smile. In fact, she remembered being messier than him when it came to owning a room of her own, years back in her wild childhood... all but a distant memory now.
The man's cheeks caught more red at the sound of her giggle.
"Listen, uh... you can do anything you want here. Might not be any good food around, but I can cook you up somethin' quick," he walked inside and turned towards her, "how's scrambled eggs sound?"
"Lovely." The woman replied, "Thank you... I.. I don't know how to repay y-"
He quickly cut her off, "Don't need no paying back, or anything." He said, "You can stay here for as long as you want, as long as I keep paying my rent 'n stuff."
He smiled at her and gestured her to come in, a gesture that she gladly followed.
"Bathroom's on the right, can't miss it." He said, "You're probably dying for a shower, and the bathtub's probably dying for you..." he quickly registered how weird the comment sounded, and rephrased it, "uh... dying... for you to get in, I meant." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
He took off his hat and tossed it on the table that was nearby. As soon as the hat left his head, the woman's eyes instantly took in how clean and modest his hair was; it was the ideal look she had inside of her mind for how a man's hair should be groomed — Short, parted, and thick enough so a hand could be rubbed through the strands, either gently or violently.
She was curious. She wondered what it would be like to try either options...
While his back was turned to her, she noticed his height - not strikingly tall, and his build - not terrible, but very slim in appearance... she made an educated guess that he wasn't just all bones though. He probably had some lean muscle in him.
And his height. Maybe he was strikingly tall. After all, she was wearing high-heeled boots that boosted her petite 5'4 posture by a generous 3 inches, but even the big increase of height didn't put her over his, not even close.
His socks were high-pulled, and up to his calves at least... speaking about his calves, he had some pretty defined legs, despite the material covering over them.
She figured she stared at him long enough, and went on to stare at what was in his house instead.
"Good thing my shoes didn't get soaked." He kicked off his sneakers and immediately went to work on cooking up a meal for the woman, "I'll call ya once I'm done cooking... and I know my apartment's not the biggest in the world, but maybe you can find something to do," he gasped and turned towards her, a brilliant idea striking his brain.
"OH! I have cable, and a T.V!" He walked towards the living room, which was actually decently sized for a 'dump' as he had referred it to. There were 2 couches, a mat on the floor, and a picture frame behind the main couch that sat against a wall.
The picture frame piqued her interest.
She gave the frame a discreet stare. In the picture, she spotted out many children around 1 woman, exquisitely dressed in a red gown. In the middle of the picture frame was a boy, the smallest out of the children, his blue eyes seemed to shine right back at the photographer, and his toothy smile looked pleasantly contagious. On his head were 2 big rabbit ears, protruding and jutting out from behind his small head.
The woman thought that the kid looked silly... but cute.
"See ya peaking out the picture on the wall," he noticed.
Almost instantly, the woman refrained her eyes from the frame, wondering if she had offended him in any way. But luckily, her suspicions were shot down.
"Ey, don't worry, I'm not gonna freak out on you for lookin' at something that's right there. I just gotta tell you that I had no choice on deciding to wear those stupid bunny ears." He said.
As much as she wanted to hold in her laughter - she couldn't. A small burst of her giggles poured out at his comment... It felt good to release some happiness.
"Hehe... are you telling me they forced you to wear that?" She asked, a smile plastered to her lips.
He nodded in disappointment, "Yeah- I mean, no, cause like, I was so young, I didn't even know what was going on when the photo was took, so when they put the bunny ears on me, I kinda just..." he looked expectantly at her, assuming she knew the ending to his sentence.
"Ohh, you just rolled with it?" She guessed.
He nodded, "Yup. But at least Ma was happy that I was wearing it..." he snickered and looked at the picture frame once more, "... besides, I don't look too stupid in the picture. Ma told me that I look the cutest out of all my brothers there!"
The woman agreed, but decided not to do it verbally. He was the cutest out of his seven other brothers in the picture.
But hold on...
7 brothers?!
"Big family... and all boys too." She commented.
"Haha, yeah. Ma used to pray for a daughter when she got her fourth boy, boy she just stopped having hope for one when the sixth came out..." he sighed, "just sucks that I had to be the youngest one. Never got to do any of the cool stuff that my older brothers did cause they said I was too 'chicken' for it."
"Stuff?" She asked, hoping for an explanation.
"Ah y'know. Stuff... like, getting into fights, going into the pockets of everyone that went on the streets, running away from fatso cops, and jumping over the hood of cars with someone's wallet in our hands..." he reminisced, "... yeah. My brothers were pretty crazy."
"They don't sound crazy. Actually sound more like rebellious teenagers." She said.
"Basically what they were." He agreed, "And every time they came back home with scratches 'n stuff, Ma would damn near burst her head off! Oh man, I remember the whips she gave them, friggin' brutal, I tell ya!" He said.
"Yikes... did she ever do that to you as well?" She asked.
"Oh. Me? Nah, barely. I barely got the belt from her because she always said that I was a good kid, and that I'd grow up to be a good man. But that doesn't mean I didn't get a few hits. Course, I never cried, cause like, I could handle it. Handled it waaay better than my brothers!" He said.
Though, the woman suspected she was lying, "Really? Never cried?"
He told the truth, "Okay, fine- maybe a few times- but after the first few, I got over it. Besides, it actually started to tickle when I got older. And I barely got the belt too... cause you see, she kinda made it law for me not to go outside with my older brothers - ONLY ME THOUGH! Not one, of my other brothers." He said.
"That doesn't seem bad. It means she cares for you. Deeply too." She said.
"I know, I know... I just feel like I was being a jerk whenever I lied to her. Cause on the days I snuck out with my brothers when she wasn't home, I'd always deny it whenever she asked me if I went out with them, and cause she trusted me that much, she believed me. Every. Time." He sighed, "Now after all these years, I look back at it and say, 'Damn. I was a real douchebag to her.', and I can't roll well with that, so every other weekend, I always offer to take her out, even if I don't got any money in my pockets! Cause I'm almost two hundred percent sure that me and my Ma can have fun without shiny things that go *clink*." He said.
He shifted in his place awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Heh. I, uh... I always remembered her telling me and my brothers that money ain't gonna get you far with a woman, and what is gonna get far with them, is how... real they are."
She agreed. She seemed to be really enticed into the slight life story he's brought up, "I agree... but do you care to explain?"
"Yeah, sure. What I got of my Ma's exact words, is that women don't like guys that ain't acting like themselves..." he trailed off and turned towards her, "... is that true?"
She shrugged, "... I can't say much cause I've never been with one..."
She then looked up at him. There was something innocently clichè and childish forming inside of her head, and it all revolved around the word 'love'.
Her breath quietly hitched once her eyes met with his, "I'm... I'm sure that it's true... what your mother told you about women."
He nodded, "Right..." quite awkwardly, and just like that, the conversation was put to an end.
Before advancing further into his home, she got to work on removing the knee-high boots off of her legs and her feet... but again, like the sweet boy he was proving to be, he asked if she needed any assistance with it.
"Need help taking those off?" He asked, "I remember my Ma yellin' my name every time she came home with high boots like your's. Said she needed help with it cause it was so high, and that her back was aching 'n stuff!" He told her, "But, if you don't need help, that's cool too."
She could see that he really wanted to take the boots off of her, but he's done so much for her already!
The man, not even knowing who she was, basically begged to help her, and knowing the dirty deed she did for a living, he still didn't hesitate to pick her up from the road. If he hadn't came along, she would've been in for another painful night, full of violation and embarrassment for her body.
She was already in his debt for that 1 act of kindness.
The thing that made her more in debt, was that he didn't have any intentions of using her for the 'profession' she was in. She couldn't see any lust in his eyes when he shielded her from the rain. She didn't feel any uncomfortable gropes from his touch. She was no entity, but she didn't feel any evil or deceit seeping off of his words... he was genuine, good-hearted, and an honest man willing to help a woman down on her luck.
He gave her a blanket when she was shivering from the rain, a blanket she still had wrapped around her body. He gave her true comfort when he told her that she wasn't going to go back to 'them' — her owners.
And based on the way she was receiving treatment from her, it looked like he would even allow her to stay for a week!
Maybe even a month!
As this thought crossed her mind, she couldn't help but feel like she was taking advantage of his innocent kindness. Over the course of her years, there were a very, very few men like him, and it was a shame that she hadn't met one like him earlier in her life before everything went to shambles for her.
All this mental praise about him, and she didn't even know his name.
"This is long overdue, but what's your name?" She asked suddenly, still keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her.
And he was right, this blanket was really warm. Even with the rain on it.
The man looked... very giddy for a moment, until he revealed his name to her.
"My name's Jeremy, but people call me 'Scout'! Heh, I even convinced my boss to call me 'Scout', pretty cool, am I right?" He revealed. He would consider it rude to not ask for her name in return after giving his out.
"But enough about me, what's yours?" He cleared his throat, "uh... if you don't mind me asking..."
The woman raised a quirky brow at his sentence.
'If you don't mind me asking?'
What?!
She didn't know if he was being super polite, or terribly awkward with his words... still, she revealed her name to him. After all that he's done for her, she felt that he deserved to know her name.
"Lena." She revealed, "Thanks for..." a contagious smile creeped to her face, "thanks for this, Scout. I really appreciate it."
Back in her mind, she wanted to say, 'I appreciate you' instead...
He muttered her name a few times, "Hmm... Lena... Lena, Lena, Lena — cool name! Could make a song about it and sing it until my tongue falls off. But I don't even think it'll matter if my tongue fell off, cause I'd just borrow another tongue from the hospital!" A quirky smile made way to his face, "I don't think the docs would have too much trouble doing it."
There was something addicting about his innocent, and maybe even childish persona. She couldn't place the reason why she found him so refreshing — he just was.
"Oh, and don't sweat it, anyone would've done it." He told her.
She sighed and looked down at the floor, "I wish that was the case for me, luv'." It was a quiet mutter she let out, and a mutter that made Scout regret how loose his mouth was.
The smile that was just on his face moments ago, disappeared into a hurt frown.
"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry..." he cleared her throat, "you have full permission to slap my face if I ever say something stupid like that again. I kinda deserve it."
She rolled her eyes with a small smile, "Don't be so daft on yourself, Scout. Please."
"Right..." he cleared his throat and continued towards his kitchen, "Umm... I don't know how to use most of these cooking things, but I know how to whip up some killer eggs. Should be done in about ten minutes or maybe even less, cause y'know, I'm fast."
Lena sighed quietly. She was totally being spoiled, by someone who she owed a huge debt to already!
"If ya want, go ahead and turn on the T.V! Should be right near the-"
"Sorry... but, not really in the mood for television." She interrupted.
"Oh... okay, hmm... I have a computer in the corner that you can use-"
She shook her head, "Not that either. If you don't mind, may I use your bathroom for a bit? I would like to take a shower, if that's okay with you."
"No problem. I can walk down the street, and across from there is a laundromat store with some really nice people 'n stuff. Shouldn't take longer than thirty minutes to wash and thirty to dry inside the spin thingie, but as soon as that's done, I'll be right back with your clothes so fast, you won't even have time to say 'oh crap!'" Another idea struck his mind, "Oh! And uh, if you want, I got some spare clothes if you wanna change into that instead, but..." he chuckled awkwardly, "I don't think I own any pairs of panties in this house... you mind wearing a-"
"Send it. Don't mind at all, Scout." She interrupted. She couldn't be picky with him. She had no right. He was already intent on doing her laundry, and already offered her a place to stay, away from those who caused grief for her. "Thank you... I don't know how I'm gonna repay you, but-"
He cut her off, "Thought I already said that you ain't gotta do that."
Lena sighed at how nice he was. She wondered how one could be so awfully noble to the point where it was beyond cringe... she wondered if anyone ever tried to take advantage of him and his innocent kindness, and if so, then she would place a million curses at anyone who decided to do such a deed.
Scout smiled at how disappointed she was, "Hey, cheer up, sugarplum. I don't really need anything else from anybody. I already got it all by myself, or, am going to get, everything I need in the future or something. And if I need something, I won't ever ask you to give it, cause I remember my Ma saying that a shnuck who helps just to expect something in return, and not cause of the good at their heart, is a well-disguised shnuck that may as well be called a 'dunce'." He revealed.
Lena thought his mother must have raised him well, based on how honourable he was.
He continued, "Seriously, Lena. Don't worry. If I expected you to do something for me when I picked you up..." he stopped and frowned. A short, troubled silence took over the conversation, "... then I'm no better than those bastards that do things to you."
His words really made her heart bleed... in the good way of course. Noble, was obviously a trait that he had no lack of, and he was proving it with flying colours.
"I... I understand." Lena said, though in her mind, she would still plot on how to possibly pay him back, despite his wishes against it.
He smiled, "Thanks for getting me, Lena. I know I... talk a lot, and a lot, and a lot-! But... that's just me. Some people don't even get what I'm saying when my mouth keeps running 'n running cause I say too much words and I guess their brains get hurt or something... but not you, you get what I mean, and wow, it feels good for someone to finally listen to me for once. Thanks."
"Anytime, Scout. You're very much welcome."
His eyes traveled down to her boots, quickly remembering something, "Oh, and do you still want me to take your boots off for you?"
She wanted to say no.
But at the same time she really wanted to say 'yes'.
"Mmm, I suppose," she leaned back softly against the door, "doesn't matter which order, luv'." She lifted her leg a bit, awaiting him.
Scout kneeled in front of her, quick on starting another conversation with her as his left hand stabilized her feet, his other hand pulling down on the small zipper.
"Lena..." his fingers suddenly stopped mid-zip, keeping an emotionless stare with the floor.
She looked at him questioningly.
"sorry... it just... ahhh, here I go," he took a breath, "... it just pisses me off that a lady like you got forced into doing this."
His mutter was quiet, and his emotionless face had an approaching sadness to it.
"You don't deserve to have memories of going through that crap. You're a nice girl, and a..." he took another breath, "You're... oh god- you're a beautiful woman, and... and..." he sighed, impossible to be anymore awkward at the moment, "hrgh... I guess what I'm tryna say is... you don't, and you won't ever go back to that life," he looked up at her eyes, performing a cross over his heart.
"cross my heart, hope to die." He promised, "And if those damn shnucks come looking for you, their gonna have to get through me first... I know I sound corny as cob right now, but I'm speaking like myself, and I promise their not going to lay a finger on you."
While Scout thought of his little ramble as a sequence of sudden awkwardness, Lena had a very different opinion of it. Before being took in as a prostitute, she had the tendency and the knack to instantly identify anything that she had found sweet... and this... him, was straight up there in her books of what she found sweet.
She wasn't sure if it was the sudden rush of youth that she felt break the walls inside of her, or the drowning amount of feelings that she felt inside, stirring up for this man... but she started to cry.
But this time, it was different.
The last times she had cried, were because of sadness, misery, and pure abuse. She had longed for what it felt like — to cry genuinely... for a genuine cause... for something that didn't prove to be a plague in her life, and she was finally experiencing it. After years and months of such sadness, a ray of positivity was finally at her doorstep.
Lena had cried at many things in her life, and the most impressive feat about that fact was that she had learned to ignore the tendency to shed genuine tears at it. All the men that thoroughly had their way with her, almost every humiliating night, and excruciating day. Her owners that were terribly greedy and negligent towards her bruised and roughed body... this life that befell on her — her horribly cursed blessing... she learned to ignore it, and keep the tears at bay... to continue on for the next grueling day.
But all of the things she managed to not shed a tear at... it all lacked something common...
True care and concern, for her.
But... this... him... not even knowing her for a day, he managed to shower her with something that she had yearned for. He broke her barrier; absolutely demolished it.
She couldn't hold it in. How could she? Her eyes started to swell. Her heart hammered. After years of abuse, she was finally granted her moment of happiness. The tears began falling out, one by one...
"S-Scout..." she sniffled, a drop rapidly approaching her cheek. She quickly held a hand to her eyes, uselessly wiping away at the tears that were sprouting up from her.
"Crap." Naturally, he was quick to react to the sudden burst of emotion.
"Shhh, don't cry," he stood up and cradled the back of her head with his hand. He did not hesitate to let his other hand go to her waist, and when he did so, he pulled her into a very gentle hug.
Her head was rested on his chest. She cried onto his shirt with complete disregard. Her whimpering lips, her uneven breaths, and now — her needy hands.
She let go of the blanket around her body, deciding to embrace him, even with her dampened clothes on. As soon as the blanket left her, her arms wrapped themselves around him, grasping him tightly.
Her words were heavily scathed with sniffles, and stutters.
"I-I've been beaten so many times, S-Scout," she mumbled onto his shoulders, her heart bleeding out to him, "I've been... used so m-many times..."
He desperately wanted her to stop crying. He made one final plea for her to end her sobs.
"Lena, please don't cry." He begged, holding her tighter, "please don't cry, please, don't."
Him saying those words only squeezed more tears out of her.
"They didn't care for me like you, Scout. They f... they fucked me even if I told them to stop. They s-slapped me all through the nights, they-!" Her breath got caught in her throat, failing to continue the sentence.
"I hated it, Scout. I wanted t-t-to kill myself on so many days... I was going to do it too..." she hugged him tighter, "but you came by, an-and picked me up-"
Another burst of tears came out from her, and her sobs soon became uncontrollable.
She hugged onto him tighter, squeezing him.
Scout gulped and had only 1 thing on his mind; to comfort Lena as best as he could. He didn't have much experience with women, so he did what he thought was best.
Hug. Hug her and embrace her until her sadness came to a dwindle.
x
They stayed like that for a while. Neither of them knew how long, but neither cared... Lena fully embraced the comfortable hold of his body, unknowingly drowning him in tears... the way her arms were circled around him; just like ropes. She didn't want to let go, and she wasn't going to let go. He was the first man she had held like this since forever. She couldn't slide on the rare opportunity, and she had no intentions of doing so.
Even if Scout hadn't known her at all, simply knowing what she's been through, gave him enough of a reason to make sure that she would receive as much happiness, and sunshine in her life, for she had a severe lack of it during her time as a prostitute.
He'd provide it for her — an ample, never-ending supply of it, because seeing her smile would make his day.
"I don't wanna let go of you." She whispered after the tears subsided.
"Me too," he agreed, "you smell gorgeous, and you feel like tissue... but I don't think you can take a shower with your arms glued around me. That's gonna be hard."
She sighed and looked up at him, her sobs happily coming to an end when she locked eyes with his.
"Let's try it anyways."
If it wasn't for how stiff that Scout felt, she might've thought that he died on the spot, but fortunately, that was far from the truth. His heart hammered, and his head throbbed, his cheeks as bright as his shirt.
His cords stammered and bounced inside of his throat.
His eyes nervously travelled around the room, "uhm- I- I.. s-Sure? H-how..." he gulped, looking back at her, "c-can you say that again?"
Lena found his innocence adorable, and decided to be straight up with what she wanted to ask him. She trusted him... and she didn't know if it was too quick or too sudden to be placing trust in him, but she just knew that he was good-hearted.
Her eyes stayed attached to his at his stuttered request, "Sure her hand slid up to his face, "do you wanna help me take a shower?" She glided over his cheek; warm to the touch, and soft on her fingers. "I'm not afraid to get naked in front of men, if that's what you're thinking. But I don't think it matters to you, because you're a whole gentleman and a half... I know you won't do anything that other men would do, and I certainly wouldn't mind your company in the tub."
Scout gulped.
He's never done anything of the sort with a woman just yet... he was innocent, and new to this life.
"... are you sure?" He muttered shyly.
She smiled at him, simply finding his awe-struck face irresistible.
"I'm sure." She felt guilty, and felt like a hypocrite for taking advantage of his innocence, but she simply could not resist the chance... so she took it.
She inched her lips closer to his shaking ones, having to get on her tippy-toes to reach his lips despite the extra 3 inches her high-heeled boots gave her.
He wasn't ready for it.
His eyes widened at the soft, ever-plump lips that landed on his still ones. His breath got caught in his throat, his muscles turned stiff... he was left breathless.
His heart was beating so fast.
faster when she kissed him.
fastest when she kissed him.
His brain threatened to jam at the registration of what she was doing to him at the moment. His head was in circles, his heart was doing push-ups, his legs wobbled like jelly, his cheeks felt like they were being engulfed in flames-!
"Scout? Are you alright?" Lena asked.
Those majestic, mesmerizingly sweet words of her's were the last thing his mind registered before his vision darkened and blurred.
His ties with consciousness were cut in an instant.
Lena gulped as Scout crumbled to the floor.
"Oh dear, oh dear-!" She gasped. She pursed her lips, trying to think of how to handle his fainting situation best.
Lena, despite having no knowledge whatsoever in the medical field, or handling a boy that just COLLAPSED on the spot, instantly got to work on waking him up. She went to kneel at his side, almost stumbling because of her boots, but she managed otherwise. Frantic, she lightly slapped his cheek, desperately uttering the words 'wake up', and 'please' in between breaths.
Losing hope, and gaining nervousness, she listened for his heartbeat... his rapid, but otherwise normal heartbeat. She did gain a bit of relief knowing that he wasn't dead, but not knowing how long he was going to be out like this, concerned her.
Lena stood up from his slumped body and walked around his home, looking for something that would maybe wake him up from his current state... but, to her surprise, as she wandered around his home, there was a window that provided an irresistible view of the outside. The view was so grasping, it even gained her attention. She walked closer to it, and moved the blinds aside...
The rain had finally stopped pouring.
Though the room was only on the first floor, the weather outside provided something... beautiful for her. It was something that she had took for the realization of a fresh new start for her life, because she had seen this in a fair amount of movies and corny novels during her earlier years...
It was a rainbow; shining ever proudly in front of her, with no apartment in sight to hide it from revealing its glory to her, with no grey skies to hide its lustre... with no storm to accompany it; the rainbow was a symbol of hope for her.
And the boy that had fainted behind her...
He was her new start.
X
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DAMN, LEMME BE THE FIRST TO SAY THAT THE MOBILE UPDATE FOR THIS APP LOOKS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!!!
Anyways, wrote something quick for y'all cause damn, I been lacking, and gahtDAMN - it ain't going away. Dunno when ima update my stories, but I'm sure it'll happen soon.
Also,
Might continue this, I dunno, but it could be kept as a one-shot too. CHOICES, CHOICES!
Oh, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Wish I could make a Christmas-themed one-shot, but ehh... I'm gassed.
Anyways, y'all better get merry on Christmas, and have fun!
Don't get too crazy tho ;)