CHAPTER 02. – THOUGH I'VE BEEN TO THE CLOUDS IT'S JUST A TEMPORARY HIGH
- MARY -
I was about to scream… when Bash caught me from the other side. He was fast. Fast enough to stop me from nearly falling to my death, or even to stop me from dangling off the back of the ship. He pulled me up and I did my best to help before he got me safely over the railing and we fell to the ground.
That was too damn close.
Bash sat up and sat me up with him, since I'd fallen on top of him. "Are you alright?" he asked, holding onto my shoulders.
I nodded. "Yes, I—…that was close. I thought I was going to actually die like I planned."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," he told me and then stood up. He brushed off his pants and then held out a hand to pull me up. I took it and made sure he didn't have to do all the work.
I bent down slightly and took off my high heels. They were cutting into my feet and annoyed the hell out of me. I wanted to rip the bottom half of my skirt off but that would be a lot of work. When I came back up, shoes in hand, I said, "Thank you. That was… very selfless of you to do. You don't even know me and yet you saved me from committing suicide."
A small grin crossed his lips. "You don't have to thank me. I wouldn't let anyone try to kill themselves… ever." He bent down to grab his jacket from the ground and also slipped his shoes back on. "Next time it gets to be too much though… just remind yourself that you're not alone."
I didn't know how to verbally respond to that, but out of pure instinct… I smiled. "Thank you."
That's when I heard my voice from a slight distance. "Mary!" I turned to see Francis and several guards running towards us. "Where have you been, I've been looking for you everywhere?" he asked once he was close enough.
Well I wasn't about to tell him that I'd nearly committed suicide but that young man standing next to me had put a stop to it. "I needed some air," I said. "I'm sorry to have worried you." Though… I really wasn't. I didn't care for Francis. Not even a little bit.
Francis nodded and immediately his eyes drifted to Bash. "Who's this?" he asked, the question directed at me, but he wasn't looking in my direction at all.
Bash nodded and said, "Sebastian Poitiers, sir. I… thought Miss Guise-Stuart looked a little upset. I came to see if she was alright. I was mistaken. It's hard to judge expressions from a distance."
My fiancé looked a little suspicious, but he didn't say anything other than, "Yes. Indeed, it is." He looked at me now. "Did he cause you any harm?"
"Francis!" I scolded. I knew what he was implying. "How could you think such a thing? Just because he's a third class passenger? They're not untrained dogs, no matter what you choose to think." Bash seemed unmoved by Francis' words. Maybe he was used to it. It probably didn't phase him, but I thought it was rude. Offensive.
Francis looked to Bash. "I apologize," he said, though his tone said something different. "My mistake."
"As a token of his appreciation," I said, speaking for Francis (intentionally trying to put words in his mouth), "why don't you join us for dinner tomorrow night?"
His eyes widened. Francis looked stunned, but I knew he was trying his best to hide it. Bash asked, "D-dinner? In the first class dining room?"
"Of course," I answered.
Francis forced a smile. "Yes, we'd love to have you. Especially since you were kind enough to look out for my fiancée."
It was as though Francis was trying to intentionally tell Bash that we were together, but he didn't seem phased by that either. "If you insist—"
"We do," Francis said, cutting him off.
Bash grinned. "Then it would be an honor."
Francis nodded, said, "Fantastic. We'll see you then," and walked away. I looked back and noticed his henchman, Hugo, was there. I didn't like Hugo. He was creepy. There was no other way to describe that man… just creepy.
When they were far enough away, I looked back at Bash. "Thank you."
"Of course," he said.
"I suppose I'll… see you tomorrow." He nodded and I turned to walk away. Francis had stopped to wait for me when he realized I hadn't been following him. He escorted me back to our suites. I didn't want him to come into mine, but he came in anyway. I couldn't control him. He did his best to control me. But I wasn't about to play the obedient fiancée any time soon. I didn't love him.
.
- BASH -
I watched Mary walk away with her fiancé. He seemed like a giant ass. But I couldn't say anything about it. I didn't know them and I wasn't going to pretend to even though I'd come across guys like him before. The uppity, rich type who saw me as nothing but something that came out of the sewer. I didn't have a privileged upbringing. My family was from Michigan. Once I left home, I started traveling any and everywhere, working my way from place to place, and drawing every step of the way. I'd been drawing since I could remember. It helped me get by… for the most part.
A few minutes later, I returned to the third class level and went into my room. I shared it with three other guys, none of whom I knew, but there was a guy named Leith who was really cool. He had the bunk right above mine. All four of my roommates were out at the party being thrown in the third class commons. I debated on going there but… I didn't want to.
Truth was, I was thinking about Mary. What would have happened had I not stopped her? Or maybe if I hadn't been lying on that bench on the deck? She could have been dead. But… I also believed everything happened for a reason. For what purpose was I supposed to end up saving her life, though? I had no idea. I wanted to find out. She obviously wasn't happy. Honestly it was kind of typical… the spoiled rich white girl who was just dying inside. To them, the only way out was suicide. It was sad, really. I had a hell of a life, and not in a good way, and I wasn't about to go jumping off the back of a ship.
I grabbed my book and my art kit and started drawing. Mary's face was put permanently into my memory. I couldn't stop seeing her. So… I decided to draw her. Just her face. She was so beautiful. It made me wonder what a beautiful woman like her would feel tortured for. I didn't know her story. I didn't know anything about her other than she was engaged to the giant douche who'd come looking for her. But I wanted to know her.
Maybe I would get the opportunity tomorrow. After all… I would be dining in first class.
...
A/N: Chapter 03 coming soon! Also, someone asked if they should be preparing for Bash's impending doom. Um... not just yet. You never know how it's gonna end. (And quite frankly I don't know yet either. xD) Review and let me know what y'all think! -heart-
