The Red Thread
By Hiyuri
"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,
regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle,
but it will never break."
Chapter 1
"Kit Jensen, you just received a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. What does this mean to you? Do you think you can top this? What are you going to do next?" A cheerfully blond reporter asks me. My stomach growls painfully in response. "Get something to eat." I mutter. "I'm starving" the day dream fades away as the butterfly I had been photographing flies off. "I wish I was that good a photographer." My stomach growls again. "Being a starving artist sucks." I sigh, standing to brush the dirt from my jeans with my free hand. "What I wouldn't give for a burger from Happy Face!" placing my beloved camera over my shoulder I turn to leave but not before something catches my eye, something is always catching my eye and that could very well be why I am so bad at photography. Four years of college, thousands of dollars wasted on a major that has gotten me nowhere. I knew I should have gone into journalism or at least something that was more dependable. I'm always photographing everything, always trying to make something extraordinary out of something ordinary. Such feats are highly improbable. I use to say impossible… of course that was until the day I did the impossible which brought forth my epiphany that nothing is impossible, just highly improbable. And improbable is bad enough.
Trying to appear as nonchalant as possible I take the camera off my shoulder, uncapping the lens I focus in on my target. He's a young man sitting under a large oak tree reading something; something other than some magazine or school book. He's quite a handsome young man too, he has to be near my age or a bit older I'm surprised, most good looking young men would rather be out and about hitting on some girls rather than sitting in the shade reading. Such loner-ly activity is reserved for geeks, nerds and me. His features almost remind me of some young man or angel painted on an old fresco hidden in some unknown church in Italy. His hair is black and thick and elegantly disheveled. Despite how it looks he probably takes better care of it then I do.
Zooming in with my camera I take a few quick snaps. Usually I refrain from taking photographs of people but something about him is just too picturesque. His brow furrows slightly as he concentrates on what he's reading. I take a few more quick snaps then zoom in on the book he's reading. Maybe it's something I've read. 'Dracula' it is something I've partially read before but it bored the hell out of me, thus denoting the 'partially'. Moving my lens back over his face I see that he is now looking at me or at least in my direction. It makes my heart skip a beat.
Remaining nonchalant as best I can I continue to scan my camera around as if I'm not sure exactly what to take a picture of. Take a picture here and a picture there. I know it's a waste of film but I think it can take a hit for my pride just this once. How horribly embarrassing it would be to be called a stalker by such a good looking guy! Not that I'd expect him to be interested in me any ways but doesn't mean I want to take the insult. Continuing my scan I slowly turn my back to the strangely attractive man. Recapping the lens and slinging it back over my shoulder as quickly as I can without seeming like I'm guilty of anything. Pausing for a moment I can't help but feel as if my entire body is rooted to this spot by something, like some outward force though not malevolent but more like curiosity. I begin to look over my shoulder to see if he's still looking but I feel as if his eyes are still on me, as if his eyes are what made me stop, so I don't. Instead I begin walking away in the exact opposite direction I want to go but the way I do want to go, which is the quickest way back to my mildly cheap apartment, takes me right pass the giant oak where my mystery man sits. Obviously I can't pass him so I take the long way around the lake but its ok it's a nice day. Before I pass through the little grove completely I can't help but glance back at the oak, at the man. He's still looking at me. My heart skips a beat again. Never has anyone's stare ever affected me so much! Not that I get stared at too often, well at least not by such good looking guys, normally they're looking at my roommate, So naturally it catches me off guard. I stumble out of the shaded grove onto the sunny bike path and nearly get demolished by a biker.
"Watch it!" the biker yells as he barely manages to swerve around me.
"I have right of way!" I yell back even though in my heart of hearts I'm glad he had almost hit me, if not for his distraction I'm sure I would have stared at that man all day. He probably would have caused me to have a pre-mature heart attack with it skipping all those beats like it was. In response the biker flips me the bird as he peddles off. "Jackass!" I shout after him but I think he's too far to hear. Looking to my left, across the path by the lake a mother glares at me distastefully as her young daughter plays at her feet. I hate the city. Feeling like a complete schmuck I give a quick glance back into the grove but the shadows are too deep and the sun too bright making it impossible to see if he's still there or not but it doesn't matter. Shaking my head I continue along the bike path looping around the giant lake.
It's an exceptionally nice day this spring after what seemed to be such a long and dismal winter and everybody seems to be at the lake enjoying it: joggers, bikers, roller bladders, a few punk skateboarders who go screaming past me laughing and jeering, couples with spring fever participate in soft-core porn under the trees. It's disgusting yet I can't look away. My walk is brisk though no more than usual and I'm already covered with a light sheen of sweat. I won't be surprised if I find myself slightly pink with sunburn after this. The walk around the lake seems longer than usual but I enjoy the warmth as it seeps into my bones thawing out the winter chill.
Finally I make it back to my apartment, getting into the elevator I press the third button and wait for the doors to close. I'm glad I'm never in a life or death situation waiting desperately for the doors to close or else I'd definitely die, they always take forever! I think I might watch too many horror movies. Reaching my front door I grab my door key from my pocket, unlocking the door I step inside. The lights are off but the windows are open letting the sun light up the apartment as I had left it. Placing my key and camera on the kitchen counter I enter into the living room about to head to my room when I step on something other than plush carpet. Stepping back I pick up the odd black mass off the floor only to find myself staring at a bra that after a quick inspection I know isn't mine. Not like I ever leave my underwear just lying around anyways.
"What are you doing here?!" Samantha King, my roommate, seethes quietly as she holds a towel around herself, her blond tresses damp from a shower. I hate her.
"I'm hungry." I tell her simply.
"You're fat enough! You don't need to eat any more now get out!" she hisses.
"Who is he?" she always has someone over, someone other than her boyfriend that is.
"None of your business now get out!" She orders.
"I live here too you know!" I retort sharply, but keep my voice low along with her.
"I told him I live alone so get out!" Sam glowers.
"Maybe you should tell him the truth." I suggest with a glare of my own.
"He already thinks I'm a liar!" She counters and I want to laugh, but I don't. I know better.
"Good! Now I don't have to wonder if his head is empty or not." I snap.
"Get out!" she orders like a selfish five year old not getting her way but really she's just a selfish twenty year old not getting her way. I'd rather deal with the five year old, that way at least I could break her of it so that there might be some hope for the future.
"I thought you said you lived alone." A deep masculine voice calls from the bedroom door. We both stop our hushed argument to look at him. He's perfection. There's no other way to put it! Classic good looks, handsome face, well-toned body, tan, he has to work out or something, Basketball or baseball maybe even swimming. Hell, why not all three? Probably even lifts weights. Brown hair that's slightly disheveled from, most likely amazing sex, hazel brown eyes and he's wearing nothing but a sheet wrapped around his waist. Yes, perfect is exactly it. Sam is so damn lucky!
"I do, I do baby." She coos as she goes up to him, her voice low but I can still hear her. "She's just my crazy neighbor who comes over whenever she feels like it." At first I was just going to disappear into my room but at hearing her not so hushed words I decide to change tactics, let her hang herself with her string of lies. Going into the kitchen I pour myself a large bowl of cereal then sit on the couch and indulge, this is better than popcorn and a movie or watching Oprah.
"Maybe you should call the cops." The Hunk offers. Yes call the cops! I can just hear the conversation now.
"Yes well officer you see she's actually really my roommate, I just lied to this guy so he wouldn't ask too many questions. You won't tell him the truth will you?" Sam would say as she fluttered her eyelashes trying to look cute and innocent. I laugh on the inside.
"No, she's not dangerous just annoying." Sam offers quickly, her voice innocent and sweet. Even though I hate her I have to admire her for how well she plays her game. She could go pro. Too bad there isn't a team for "players".
"How did she get in here? Didn't you lock the door?" he asks in a hushed voice. Honestly they are only twenty feet away, how deaf do they think I am? I'm not that old looking.
"I gave her a key when I first moved here, she was so nice I didn't think she'd come by whenever she felt like it and I just haven't had the heart to ask it back from her. She seems so lonely." Sam sighs as she draws across his chest with her finger attempting to distract him from thinking too much about it. She's an A-class manipulator. Her most powerful weapon: her body.
"You really are too kind." He compliments as he strokes her cheek. I almost choke on my cereal. Coughing loudly I'm glad the milk didn't squirt out my nose but my nose still burns from how far into the cavity it managed to get bringing tears to my eyes. Peaking up at them from my bowl I spot Samantha glaring at me with the intensity of a thousand poison daggers and her hunk looks at me like I'm a crack addict. "Really you should do something about her."
"I will, I promise." she swears. "Cross my heart hope to live." He smiles and kisses her.
"I have to go." He tells her as he enters back into her room.
"So soon?" she asks as she follows him their voices turning to muffled complaints. Emptying my bowl I take it into the kitchen rinse it out and place it in the sink.
"I'll call you later" the hunk assures as they emerge from the back room.
"Will you?" Samantha asks, clinging to his arm as she stares up into his depthless hazel brown eyes.
"I will." He assures her with a kiss on her forehead. Stopping at the front door he finishes buttoning his shirt before he glances at me. Catching his eye I let out a small sigh then close my eyes and gently shake my head, it's the only form of communication I can give him without releasing the hellish fury of Samantha. Opening my eyes once more I catch a flicker of uncertainty wash across his face before he disappears out the door. I hope he understands my nonverbal warning though I doubt it.
"And he was such a good fuck too!" Samantha sighs despairingly as she rests her head against the door. "This is all your fault!"
"I didn't do anything." I counter as I start to leave the kitchen but she blocks me off.
"You did everything!" she growls.
"What are you talking about?" I demand.
"You came back!" she shouts as if I'm the most idiotic creature she's ever seen.
"I live here too!" I proclaim. Just how audacious can she really be?
"So? If it wasn't for your fat face you wouldn't have come back!" Samantha argues.
"Why didn't you just tell him you had a roommate?" I counter.
"It would scare him off!" she glowers.
"What are you talking about? If anything he'd be looking for a threesome!" not like all guys are like that but the one she brings around always seem to be so.
"Yeah right, you couldn't pay anyone enough to see you naked!" She jeers. I hate her. I hate her so much! I pause for a moment to contain my rage. Closing my eyes I take a steady breath and run my hand through my hair. Opening my eyes once more I level her with a flat look.
"This is my house too. I will come and go as I see fit." I tell her leaving no room for argument. Samantha is at least two inches shorter then myself but sometimes I feel as if she's as tall as a mountain. She's cute with long blond hair and a pair of the greediest blue eyes I have ever seen in my entire short life. She as skinny as a bean pole and with as much shape as one to boot, she's a size two where I'm a size five. I don't know why she calls me fat but it makes me want to punch her in the face every time. She's such a prissy Barbie.
"Bitch!" she growls as she stomps off to her room.
"I hope you made him pay!" I call after her as I leave the kitchen heading towards my room, I really want a shower.
"Uh prostitution is Illegal!" she calls after me like I'm an oblivious fool.
"Consider it as being an entrepreneur." I reply. "You're going to college for business anyways aren't you?"
"Lawyer." She corrects.
"Lawyer, of course." I mutter to myself as I dig through my dresser for fresh clothes. Well she's already pro at fucking people. "Are you still dating Joe?" I ask as I leave my room to enter the bathroom which is connected to her room through a walk-in closet. It had originally been my room since I pay for the better half of the rent but after listening to her bitch for two weeks nonstop about it I caved and switched rooms with her. I thought it would bring some peace and quiet finally but oh boy was I wrong. She just loves to complain about anything and everything and it has to be her way or the highway. Some days I think I'd rather have the queen of hearts for a roommate.
"Yes and if you tell him about this I will slit your throat in your sleep." She threatens.
"This isn't high school; I'm not going to tell." I answer exhaustedly.
"Good." She snaps as I shut the door to the bathroom. Poor Joe, he's such a sweet guy. He definitely doesn't deserve to get played like he does but there isn't much I can do about it. Like I said before, we weren't in high school; if we were I would definitely have told Joe everything about her. Unfortunately for him I live with Sam everyday and we're already seconds away from slitting each other's throat in their sleep as it is. It's best to keep the peace between us as long as possible. It just isn't fair though how she gets all of these boyfriends though she doesn't deserve even one of them yet I continuously find no one. Life isn't fair and I don't suppose it's meant to be. Though sometimes I wish it would take a break from the unfairness and be fair. Just everyone once in a while, you know spice things up a bit with a little dash of change; nothing too extravagant just a good looking guy for me who'll not fall for my roommate. I'll find him eventually. I hope. Turning off the water I begin to strain my hair just as Sam begins to bang on the door.
"Get out of the bathroom!" she demands.
"You just took a shower!" patience and temperance, patience and temperance I chant to myself. It's my only hope.
"Yeah well now I need to finish!" she replies as if it's obvious.
"Why didn't you finish before you got out?" I ask as I drying myself off.
"If you didn't notice I had an extremely sexy beast waiting for me in my room! Like goddamn room service for sex!" she declares snidely. "Now hurry the fuck up! Some of us actually have jobs!"
"I have a job too!" I defend.
"At least my job has benefits!" she counters.
"What benefits you get working at a café? Free coffee?" I ask.
"No! I get to flirt with hot guys all day long." She laughs. "No get out!" she screams as she bangs on the door once more. Serenity now! Not even bothering to change I wrap the towel around myself tightly, carrying my clean and dirty clothes I leave the bathroom. "My God! Put some clothes on first! You'll blind me with that hideous deformity you call a body!" I'mma kill her! I swear I will. She will die a thousand deaths and I will be the one to do it! I'll commit every last one! I will not stop at 100, I will not stop at 200 I will not stop at 999! No! It will all be one thousand by my hands and my hands alone!
"You either give me time to finish on my own or you kick me out of the bathroom and get to see this hideous deformity I call a body." I bite back then retreat to my room as fast as I can without running.
"Life really isn't fair." I hear her wine and sigh before I can disappear into my room. She thinks life is unfair! Her? Miss "I'm a pretty fucking princess"? I just want to cry, it's hardly even noon and she's already beaten me down so hard. It wouldn't be so bad if it was once in a while she rages on me so hard but it's nearly every day! The only time I ever get peace is if I don't see her! I must have done something wretched in a past life to deserve this. I'm glad I left all my shades drawn; I'm no longer in the mood for sunshine. Not even bothering to get dressed I lay across my bed.
The front door bangs shut jolting me from bed. I look around and realize I had fallen asleep, the light outside my window has grown even stronger and it seems like it's about to burst open my curtains. Knowing that Sam is out of the house I feel as if a weight is lifted from my shoulder. I couldn't have been sleeping that long but my hair feels as if it's almost dried so maybe I have been. Going to my window I pull back the curtain. The sun washes over me and I feel better than I had earlier. Samantha's anger and foul moods just suck the energy right out of me. She's like a leech or a tick draining me of blood but I just can't squish her no matter how much I want to. At that moment my phone rings. Bounding over my bed I pick it up off my night stand with my free hand as I keep a hold of my towel. I don't know why I opened my window before I changed. Sometimes it's like my brain doesn't think ahead at all it just sees an idea grabs a hold of it and does it only to realize later it was a stupid idea. Kind of like shoot first ask questions later. Can't get answers to questions if their dead!
"Hello?" I ask having not bothered to look at who the caller was.
"Hey Tabs." The sweetest voice I have ever heard calls over the line.
"MOM!" I declare happily throwing my free hand up letting my towel drop. Realizing what I've done I look out my window as I stand there in all my "Full Monty" glory only to see the perverted old neighbor across the building staring at me. There my brain goes again! Shoot first ask questions later. He sees me looking at him and he waves and smiles, senile old pervert! I swear he has some booby radar built in his head because whenever I do something like this (which happens more than I care to admit) he's always there! He's the only man is existence who has seen me naked. It makes me want to cry. Ducking down behind my bed I try to forget what just occurred as I talk to my mom.
"I thought you'd be at work." She tells me.
"Why would you call me if you thought I was at work?" I ask as I awkwardly slip a tank top over my head while trying to keep the phone to my ear then my underwear and the sweats I slept in the night before.
"I don't know, I just wanted to talk." She replies, mumbling.
"Did you want to talk to me or my machine?" I ask with a short laugh.
"Maybe." She mumbles and now I know something is up, she only mumbles when something's up.
"Maybe? What does that mean?" I ask coaxingly. She mumbles something that I can't hear or decipher. "What happened this time?"
"This time? What do you mean this time? You make it sound like I'm always doing bad things." She replies with mock hurt. She knows she is always doing bad things just as well as I do.
"Do you need Money? You didn't wreck the car again did you?" My mom owns a bar called "CJ's" it's her initials, Catherine Jenson, she goes by Cat though and I got stuck as Kit though my name is actually Tabatha, after my grandmother. She runs the bar herself and because she has a steady income, though it's not much, she feels like she has to help everyone else with money troubles which gives her her own money troubles.
"No, no it's nothing bad." She laughs and I can see her waving her hand in dismissal. I remain silent. It gets her every time; she always ends up hanging herself on her own words. "It's not!" still I remain silent. "I swear Tabs, I don't have money problems nor did I wreck the car, it's not bad I promise!" I quirk a skeptical eyebrow and remain silent. "Don't give me the look! I don't have to be looking at you to know you're giving me the look! It is nothing bad!"
"Then what is it?" I ask, still slightly skeptical.
"I met a boy." She answers like an innocent school girl.
"Mom, this isn't middle school. Just tell the guy how you feel." I reply with a shake of my head. Mom was always good at getting guys but they tended to be losers but it's not her fault. The entire town is practically founded on losers. All the good ones get snatched up right away, move away or move in.
"He's really handsome! I doubt he'd be interested in me." She scoffs.
"Why not? You're a sexy lady. Just put on some of that charm, not like you ever take it off" I encourage, maybe she'll get lucky this time.
"He's kinda young too." She adds with a short laugh at my compliment.
"How young is young?" I ask, my skepticism returning.
"Well… you know… young." She offers and I don't like it.
"Younger than me?"
"No."
"Younger than forty?"
"Yes"
"Younger than thirty?"
"Yes." This can't be good.
"This guy isn't for you is he?" I ask, this hasn't been the first time she's tried to hook me up.
"I uh… I … Happy birthday!" she declares unsure how to respond, she knows I've caught her.
"My birthday isn't till December." Why does she keep doing this to me?
"Happy Easter?" she tries to cover.
"It's June."
"He's really cute! I promise! And he's interested in meeting you!" she declares with enthusiasm.
"Mom! I live in Seattle now. I can't just come home to meet some guy! Plane tickets are expensive." I admonish.
"Yeah but he's so cute! He'll totally be worth it! Just come home!" she pleads.
"Mom, I'm not coming home!" I refuse.
"Why not? I miss you!" she's trying to persuade me and it almost works but I can't let myself get sucked back home; I can't; I won't.
"I miss you too Mom but I can't come home. I can't just leave Sam alone, it's not like she can afford this apartment on her own." I argue.
"Forget Sam! That prissy bitch wouldn't consider you for a moment if she got a better offer." My mom counters and I know she's right but it's a descent excuse.
"Just cause she's evil incarnate doesn't mean I have to be." I reply.
"Yeah I just wish you'd learn to stand up for yourself." I can hear her sigh.
"I do! It's not my fault she trumps me every time." This time I sigh.
"What happened to my poor little Kit?" she asks. "You know the one that was sharp as a tack, ruthless, conniving and use to have fun."
"I'm still here." I argue.
"Only the annoying parts." She chides and I can't help but smile.
"Only annoying cause I catch you in all your lies and tricks and schemes and"
"And everything else that consists of lying and cheating."
"I learned to detect only the best lies cause you only give the best lies."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asks with a laugh.
"Of course, if it wasn't for you I'd have fallen into a lot of trouble. You made me a perfect lie detector." I say with a smile.
"It's good to get into trouble sometimes, especially trouble with boys."
"That's the trouble I want to avoid the most!" I reply.
"See what I mean Tabs? You're no longer the cute little kit anymore. You never get into trouble of any kind anymore." My mom is so weird.
"I stopped getting into trouble after I almost got that boy killed!" I proclaim.
"What boy?" she asks.
"Stan Benson, the boy that I got treed by that moose back in the sixth grade!" I can't believe she forgot!
"Oh, that wasn't your fault!" she chastises.
"Yes it was! If I hadn't dared him to try and pet that calf we found nothing would have happened. He still won't talk to me to this day! He won't even pass on the same side of the street as me!"
"It's his fault for agreeing." She laughs.
"I should have never pushed him; he was just trying to impress me." I mumble.
"Only a boy brave enough to face death is worthy of you." She declares leaving me flabbergasted.
"Mom!" I chide just as a beep comes over my phone. "Hold on a sec." I call into the phone aghast. Taking the phone from my ear I see that the number is my work number. "Mom, its work calling I'll have to call you back later ok?"
"I thought you said you had the day off!" she pouts into the phone.
"I do, they probably want me to come in." the phone beeps again.
"But it's your day off!"
"It's ok I don't have much of a life anyways." The phone beeps again.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about Tabs!" she proclaims.
"Gotta go Mom, love you!" I cry into the phone as I switch lines.
"Hello." I greet, it's either Jill Smith my boss or Jack Hansen one of my fellow employs.
"Hey Kit-Tabs!" it's Jack.
"What's up Jack-Attack." He really loves nicknames.
"Lieutenant Skye Lark is unable to make it into work today, says he has a test in English that if he misses flaming napalm will rain down from the heavens. Being one man down naturally we need your expertise to fill his slot." I shake my head, he's so weird. I love the boy. If I had a brother, it would be Jack.
"10-4 Jack-Attack I'll be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail." I reply.
"Copy that, over and out." The line goes dead. Jack is such a dork! Grabbing the cloths I had taken with me to the bathroom I return to the bathroom. Changing real fast I attempt to tame my hair but since it dried during my nap it's crimped in odd ways. After running my brush through it for ten minutes without success I throw the thick golden blond mass up in a clip in a sloppy wad. I don't care anymore. Looking to my makeup and then back to my reflection I wonder if maybe I should put some on. Something simple just to bring out my eyes; who knows maybe I'll get lucky and some cute guy will come into the shop today and wish to take me away to his kingdom where we can rule together on high. Or at least take me away to his shack on the beach or even just rescue me from my hellish roommate. I don't care but I don't have time. Leaving the bathroom I collect my small purse, pulling my car keys out from inside I head towards the door just as a knock sounds. Hesitantly I reach out to open the door. For some reason my heart is beating way too fast and my stomach clenches tightly. I really don't want to open the door but it's too late; I've already opened it.
"Hi." The Hunk from earlier greets with a suave grin that causes my heart to race but my brow to furrow. I don't trust him. He seems like a totally different person now. Like some sly hunter who's finally caught up to his prey. Like the big bad wolf. My! What large pecks you have! All the better to impress you!
"Can I help you?" I ask keeping my uncertainty to myself after all it could just be my imagination. It gets the best of me most times.
"Is Samantha here?" he asks looking past me into the living room.
"No, she's gone to work." I reply.
"I forgot something in the bedroom, can I get it?" he asks as he points in the direction of Sams' room.
"Sure." I allow though I don't feel completely sure about it. Oh well, it's not like I can really say no. He gives me his most charming smile as he walks past me, just close enough where he just barely brushes past me. My heart swoons at the smile and skips a beat at the contact but for some reason my brain is completely repelled. It's like they're two different entities trying to sway me to their own side of rationale. Though my heart tells me to jump his bones, my brain tells me to get him the hell out of my house while the core of my being stays indifferent and skeptical.
"You know if you don't live here you really shouldn't be here." I hear him tell me as he appears in the living room. I glare at him from the door.
"You shouldn't speak of what you know nothing." I suggest in a tone that is not to be argued with.
"I know that you live here." He replies with a smile that reveals much more about his true nature then he'd care to have known. My! What large teeth you have. He takes a step towards me. "I heard you two arguing, I just wanted to see how far you'd go to protect her." I don't see why he feels he has to explain himself to me. I don't care. All it does is reveal more about his own calculating personality than anything else, proving just how much he shouldn't be trusted but I doubt he realizes I would realize something like that.
"Do you have what you came for?" I ask checking his person though I don't see anything new on him; maybe it's in his pocket. He smiles and shrugs his reply. "You should go then." I say as I hold the door wide open for him. I don't think he forgot anything. I knew I shouldn't have let him in. it just gives him better leverage.
"What's the rush?" he asks taking another step closer.
"I have to go to work." I respond, my eyes narrowing critically. He gives me another one of his charming smiles but it doesn't work. My heart has grown stagnant to his attempts. My brains won the small internal battle filling my core self. I just want this creep out of my house; so much for the hunk of perfection from this morning.
"Where do you work?" he wonders as he looks over my casual clothes. The clothes I do everything else in like going to the store or a walk or to the mall.
"A used book store." I reply still holding the door open.
"A used book store?" he questions; despite the fact he's coming closer I don't feel like he's on his way out the door.
"It pays the bills." I reply simply.
"And this beautiful camera does not?" he asks as he lifts it off the counter for emphasis.
"It's just a hobby." I reply as I look to my camera that he places back on the counter and I can't help but notice that my apartment key is lying right beside it; just my luck. I just had to take it off my key ring didn't I! Knowing I can't leave without my key I reluctantly step away from the door. Despite the fact that I leave it open it shuts by itself. The smile grows on the hunks face as I approach him. I don't know what he's thinking and I'm glad I don't, I doubt it's anything good. He probably thinks his charm is working; it's probably something that's never failed him. Though I don't look at his face I can feel his disappointment as I grab my key and head back to the door.
"What's the rush?" he repeats, grabbing a hold of my wrist to stop me. I wish he had grabbed my left wrist instead of my right that way I could slap him. I could attempt to slap him with my left but it's a terribly uncoordinated hand. It's never done me any good.
"Like I said before, I have to go to work. You know earn a pay check." I reply glaring at him all the while as I attempt to pull my arm free but his grasp is too tight though not tight enough to bruise.
"Stay a while we'll have some fun." He says as he gives me, what I assume to be his seductive grin but it looks like a wolfish sneer to me. All the better to eat you! "You're pretty sexy you know that?'"
"I don't have time; I have to get to work." I say firmly.
"If money is what you're worried about I can always pay you for your services." He smiles knowingly as he gives me an appraising glance.
"Prostitution is illegal." I glower. It's pathetic at how bad he is at the art of seduction; though I wonder if it was Sam who seduced him or if he managed to seduce her.
"Consider it being an entrepreneur." He smirks. Didn't I just have this conversation? About the same guy nonetheless! How did he know? Or did he? Maybe he's just on the same brain waves as me. I can't believe I just insulted myself like that.
"Let go of me." I demand staring straight into his eyes as I take an intimidating step towards him. At this point I'm pissed and a little freaked. I don't want to be anywhere near this bastard. The way he talks, feels, smells and looks make me sick. I see surprise and small traces of fear flood his eyes; like the hunter just became the hunted; he drops my hand. I doubt he's ever had one of his girls step toward him before, taking the dominance. Though it's a basic step for offense, if you want to attack you have to step in close enough to do so. You can't be the offensive if all you do is pull back. The moment I'm free from his firm grip I turn away from him and storm out the door.