The cool New York air feels grating inside Archer's nostrils. The breeze sends a chill up his spine as he and Maddy walk from the taxi cab to the revolving doors of her apartment building, but he doesn't let his discomfort show. He follows a few paces behind Maddy, watching her every move, making sure she stays upright. She's unsteady on her crutches and seeing her hobble along like an injured animal makes him feel both sorry and nervous for her.
"Home sweet home, huh," Archer remarks.
Maddy presses the button of the elevator and turns to face Archer. "Home sweet home," she nods.
"Is Solomon up there?"
She shakes her head. "He's up at a hotel a few blocks away," she tells him.
The elevator doors open and they both step in. Maddy lets Archer take her card to swipe to take them to her floor as she leans back against the wall.
"Do you want to go see him?"
Archer looks at Maddy as though her suggestion was in a different language. His mouth opens slightly with annoyance and his eyes narrow instantly. He shakes his head and disregards her comment with a scoff and an arrogant lift of his eyebrows.
"What business do I have with Solomon, huh?"
Maddy frowns at Archer's sudden change in demeanor. She knows she must tread lightly around him now. He doesn't like New York yet and the last thing she wants is for him to run back off to Africa. She knows that if he leaves again, she'll never be able to find him.
"He's your friend."
"Now, now, Miss Bowen," he holds his finger up. "Solomon is not my friend."
"He told you where that diamond was," she says quickly. "He did a lot for you!"
"I didn't need him to find it," Archer snaps.
"It was buried in the middle of the jungle, how would you have known where to even start looking without him?"
Archer's hand shoots up violently. "I would have found it on my own, a'right," he barks. "It's what I do, you understand?"
For a moment, Maddy forgets about her injury and steps towards Archer to continue with a passionate addition to her speech. The sudden weight on her shot leg causes her knees to buckle and she stumbles. Archer lunges forward and catches her frail body in his arms. She whimpers involuntarily as the pain surges up and down her spine like daggers. The sound is shrill to Archer's ears and he forgets about their little spat. He bends over slightly and scoops her up, holding her close to his body.
The elevator doors open and Archer grabs her crutches before stepping out. Her apartment is the same as when he left it last, except it's quieter and more lonely looking. He goes over to Maddy's couch and lowers her down carefully. When he scans her face over, he sees the wet streaks down her cheeks and he wipes them away with a flick of his thumb.
"That hero complex will kill you," he advises her with some satisfaction.
Maddy looks up at him and shakes her head. "I don't want to start arguing already."
Archer chews the inside of his cheek.
"The last thing I need is for you to get upset with me and shoot back to Africa."
He frowns superficially.
Maddy hiccups in an inhale before continuing. "Promise me you won't go back."
He drops the bag down beside the couch.
"Archer," Maddy says firmly. "Make me a promise right now that you won't go back."
Archer has never made a promise in his life. He's never even considered promising anything to anyone. Promises were worthless to him, they were hollow nothings that could be broken with such ease that it was almost laughable. He shakes his head and watches as Maddy's green eyes moisten with fresh tears.
"Archer," she says again, almost begging now. "I'm tired of this back and forth game!"
"Maddy," Archer speaks finally.
His voice leaves his lips a cadence lower than his usual tone and its texture frightens Maddy. His words rumble miserably in his throat as he shifts his weight from one leg to the other.
"What do you want from me, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you want from me? What do you think I have to offer someone like you, huh?"
Maddy is taken by his question and she has no reply for him. Her mind spins blank as she opens her mouth stupidly. She shakes her head and wipes her cheeks quickly.
"I love you, Archer," she manages after a long pause. "I want you to love me back."
Archer doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. The last person he heard those three stabbing words from was his mother two nights before she was raped and murdered. Her soothing voice raises behind his ears and Archer's throat tightens so much that he has to cough to compose himself. He blinks twice before raising his head slightly to look at Maddy down his nose. She's trying to decipher what's going on behind his hard eyes, but there's nothing there. He's just stoic and unmoved and Maddy is struggling.
"Why don't you love me back, Archer?"
He shakes his head. "Look at what I've put you through, Maddy," he spits tearfully. He clears his throat again. "I almost got you killed… twice!"
"You saved me each time," she responds. "You stayed with me each time."
"Stop making excuses for me, Maddy," he protests aggressively.
"I'm not making excuses for you," she chokes back another cry, "I know you're a good person!"
He shakes his head and turns around, his back to Maddy now. "I'm not a good person, Maddy."
"Then what are you doing here?" she asks, eyes fixed on the back of his head. "Why did you come to New York again? Why did you find me in Sierra Leone?"
He remains silent.
"What about when I was sleeping on the couch," she says slowly in a gentler voice. "And you came to sit near me. Would someone who wasn't a good person have done that?"
His heart pounds.
"Archer, please."
The urgent desperation in Maddy's voice strikes Archer's core like a hammer against a gong and his whole body tenses. He clenches his fists by his sides and turns around. Her cheeks are wet and red and she's blinking hurriedly in a shallow attempt to compose herself. She looks miserable, and it's all because of Archer's stubbornness, his refusal to surrender a part of himself to her.
"I'll get down on my knees if I have to," she cries.
"Maddy."
Archer's voice comes out in a husky whisper. His face softens and his muscles loosen and he steps forward. Relief washes over Maddy and she all but collapses into Archer's embrace. He wraps his strong arms around her small torso and buries his face against the soft of her neck. He cradles the back of her head in his hand and Maddy feels the cool wetness of a tear rolling down her collar bone. She can feel his shoulders trembling and she runs her fingers gently through his hair.
Several minutes pass before Archer pulls back. His eyes are red and watery and he licks his lips twice before leaning in close again. Cupping Maddy's cheek tenderly, he plants a kiss around the gash he gave her. He kisses her temple and her eyebrow and the bridge of her nose before stopping over her lips. Maddy's eyes are closed and her heart is in her throat and she nearly starts when she feels him finally kiss her on the mouth.
