He felt a sharp pain in his temples and clutched his head. He was nowhere near the girl, and her powers were already affecting him. Taking a deep breath, the pain subsided and he turned on the charm, the same charm that had gotten him all of his other powers.
The girl he had been following was struggling against the masked mugger, she tried to kick him but he seemed to avoid her defensive attacks. Her screams for help were answered, when her attacker was seemingly thrown off her. She stumbled back as she watched another figure slam the mugger against the wall. Her eyes watched mesmerized as the two struggled, but her enthrallment was broken when she heard a loud snap and saw her attacker fall lifeless to the concrete.
His plan wasn't to kill the mugger, just incapacitate him. His façade must have slipped and he knew her reaction was going to jeopardize his plans on gaining her trust. Lucky for him, she didn't seem to notice the fact that he had snapped the man's neck. He looked up at the young girl and their eyes locked. Walking towards her, his hand stretched out in a comforting manner.
"Are you alright?" his hand made contact with her shoulder. "Yeah, I think so." She pulled her hand up towards her hair but she flinched when it brushed past her forehead. She pulled her hand away and saw a thin line of crimson run down her palm.
"You're hurt, you should sit down. You may have a concussion." came the man's reply as he guided her towards a vacant bench. She didn't object as she let him look at the gash on her forehead. "Are you a doctor or something." She smiled as she looked at his face. He muffled a small laugh and locked eyes with her again, "Or something."
She hadn't suspected anything, and he had to keep up his appearances, but something inside was slipping, and it wasn't his forced façade. As he broke eye contact, the sharp pain that had hit him before came back and he gasped. He heard concern in her voice when she asked him if he was alright, to which he replied with a quick answer. He was still crouching in front of her, balancing on the edge of the curb, when she twisted her body so her face was in approximation with his.
Caramel eyes met with chestnut ones, and he felt himself slipping again. She seemed so lively in nature, with her blonde hair ending in pink and her angelic smile. He had never felt this way before and he feared it may ruin everything he had planned.
A catchy motif broke the silence between the two, and Lexi rummaged through her purse searching for her phone. The noise grew louder when she located it, her perfectly manicured nails pushed a button on the phone and she seemed to read a message that had popped up on the screen. He watched her scan the screen of her phone and her infectious smile emerged on her face. Her smile transferred to the stranger turned hero, as she put the small rectangular gadget back in her purse.
"That was my boyfriend, I should probably go." As she stood up, the young man jumped up as well, but was thrown off by the curb he had been balancing on. He regained his footing and let out a small laugh. She giggled as she pulled her purse onto her shoulder and faced him. Holding out a dainty hand, she waited for him to take hers in his own for a grateful shake. He seemed to look at her hand like it was repelling, but a minute later took it and she thanked him for his heroic action.
He watched her pull her hand away gracefully and turn to walk back down the street, but she turned and walked back up to him. He wasn't quite certain what she was going to do but her voice pierced the air and he found himself speechless.
"By the way, I never got your name." she was close enough that the pain in his head intensified, but he hid his grimace. He didn't want to tell her his name for fear that she may find out his real motives, but he was so dumbstruck that he found himself spilling it out. "Gabriel Gray." He watched her expression for the slightest change, but there was none and he relaxed.
Her smile returned; that hypnotic smile that he found most interesting. She answered his response with one of her own, "I'm Alexa, but most people call me Lexi." There was a couple minutes of impenetrable silence between them, it broke when she turned to walk away, but she heard his soft voice call after her "Are you sure you're going to be alright walking home?" She turned to face him, her eyes bright, her smile even brighter "Yeah, I think I have a guardian angel looking after me now."
He watched her walk along the tall buildings and round the corner on 42nd street. His mind racing with thoughts that he hadn't thought about in years, he turned but stopped short when he saw the body of the mugger he had killed. Those certain thoughts he had been thinking about flooded out of his mind and his true motives replaced them. He found himself clenching his fists for what he had done. Frustration filled his body and he slammed his fist into the brick wall beside him. He wanted her power so much he could taste it. He knew what if felt like, the intense pain that caused his brain to cringe in agony, and that was only the weak effects. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like if she used her power to its maximum potential.
But still, he was bewildered why he couldn't go through with his plan. He had no idea what had happened between them, he could have sliced her head wide open with the numerous opportune moments, but he didn't, he couldn't.