James was the definition of discretion. Selene started to suspect that he might be hiding from something, or maybe someone. Why would he come to there then? This place was ideal for someone who wanted privacy – someone like her.
It had been a week since the chocolate chip cookies' event. A week since she had seen him. She ached to talk to him again but a part of her didn't want him to think that she was a creep. So whenever she would hear his door open, she would have to fight the urge to leave her flat as well.
Her mother had explained to her that once one found their soulmate, it would become difficult for that person to stay away as the time passed. Selene hadn't like that 'rule' much, the Universe was a bitch and she didn't want to be a puppet. At first, the idea of having a soulmate wasn't so bad and she was happy to know James, but now that she was going through it, the woman thought about the consequences.
Selene was relieved because she was the only one who felt this urge of being with the other. He wouldn't understand this and would probably see her as a crazy person. All she had left was to seduce him and this idea made her cringe. She had little experience with the other sex, and her last love story didn't end well.
(*****)
It was Saturday morning. Selene had woken up early because she had a job interview in a library downtown. She really liked books and even though she had money, she needed something to do to spend her timeand clear her mind a little. The owner of the bookshop, Mrs Luis, was a widowed woman whom Selene had met during one of her walks. Mrs Luis was Italian and she had moved in the country with her late husband during the nineties. She was a really nice woman but as she grew older, it was difficult for her to handle the shop. So when she had met Selene in the supermarket and got to chat with her, she had proposed her to come see the bookshop on Saturday.
Selene stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled, satisfied with herself. She was wearing a simple dress with matching shoes, and put her long hair in a ponytail. She looked at the clock to see if she was on time: it was eight in the morning. She grabbed her purse before leaving the apartment.
As she was locking her door, she heard James' one opened and she went still. The woman breathed deeply as she sensed his perfume filled the air – she was pretty sure it was his natural smell. Please talk to me, she thought – it was practically begging but she didn't mind – she hadn't hear his voice for a week.
"Hi Emma."
She was pathetic. How could two simple words make her feel like this? Her heart was beating hard in her chest and she felt her palms sweating. Then she realized, she had missed him very much. Yeah, she was wiped for the man.
Trying to look casual, she turned around to greet him as well. He was carrying trash bags in his gloved hand. "Hi James, nice to see you again."
She noticed a flash of guilt in his blue eyes before it was gone – or maybe it was just her imagination. 'Foolish girl,'her mind sneered at her.
"I've been feeling unwell these past few days," he explained. He frowned, noticing the way her eyes widened and how her smile dropped.
"Were you sick? Was it the cookies? I swear I didn't have the intent of poisoning you. I'm sorry."
She's worried? He wondered. Why?
'That's what nice people do, they care about others.' Reason told him.
Bucky didn't realize that Selene had come close to him. It was when he felt her warm hand on his forehead that he got startled.
"Well, you don't seem to have a fever…" she told him, almost in a whisper.
"Huh? No, I feel good -"
Selene's cheeks went red as she noticed their proximity and she quickly removed her hand, before taking a few steps back.
"I'm sorry. Sometimes, I got carried away and I don't realize what I'm doing. I just hope you're feeling much better now."
"Don't worry about it." he told her and she nodded.
"You know I've been in this town for five months now, but I'm having trouble socializing with others. So, I could really use a friend right now and I was hoping that we could be friends."
There, she said it.
"Friends?" Bucky repeated, pensive. He didn't know if he was ready to have friends yet, he was still unstable and he was still a threat to others. Emma was a nice person and he would hate himself more if he'd hurt her. "I'm sorry – I'm not looking for friends right now."
Selene felt her heart dropped, she really didn't expect this answer. She was pretty sure that he would accept her friendship, but it seemed like she was wrong.
"I'm the one who should be sorry." She forced a smile. "I'm glad you're ok James, see you later."
Bucky didn't say anything as he watched her leave, she didn't expect him to. The young woman came across David as she exited the building.
"Wow miss Jones, you look very nice. A date?" he asked her.
Selene saw James walking down the stairs in the corner of her eye. She simply winked at David before she left, quickly. She didn't want to face him right now.
(******)
"Well you've got the job Emma."
Selene stared at Mrs Luis, surprised. "Really?" and the old woman laughed.
"You were my only choice anyway. You have all the qualities required for the job and I really like your sensibility."
"Thank you Mrs Luis."
"Call me Donna please." the woman told Selene. "Do you want a cup of tea? It's herbal tea, and it's good to ease the mind. I think you need it."
The young woman looked at her, a surprise look on her face.
"I lived a long time to see when someone is heartbroken."
She had wanted to argue with Donna but didn't have the strength. She took a small sip of the warm beverage, before looking back at the older woman.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Can I give you an advice?" Selene nodded. "Live your life the fullest, you don't have time to feel sad about you or other people. Our time on earth is short, so you have to make the most of it."
The young woman almost scoffed. If only Donna knew… She decided to change the subject.
"So when do you want me to come?"
"Whenever you want, but at least thrice a week." The old woman answered.
"You won't be disappointed. And I don't want to be paid – no argument please – in exchange, I want to borrow some books if it's ok with you."
"You're a nice person Emma."
Selene genuinely smiled at her.
(******)
Time went by quickly, without Selene noticing. She had spent the whole day being busy in the shop with Mrs Luis: she was tidying up in the bookshop, recommending book to customers. She was doing her best to forget her encounter with James. She still couldn't believe it. Her soulmate didn't want her – even as a friend. So be it, she had to keep the promise she had made. Selene would not pressure him anymore.
"You must go before nighttime, I don't want you to be out there in the dark."
"Are you sure? I can stay a little longer if you want."
Donna shook her head. "Don't worry Emma, you can come back next time. I'm going to worry if I know you're walking at night alone."
"Fine," Selene consented, before she got on her feet. "You have my number if you need anything. Bye Donna."
"Get home safely!"
The young woman left the bookshop to walk home. She was considering buying a takeaway on her way home. There was a small restaurant nearby, that was offering Korean food and she craved those right now.
Gluttony won this time and she made her way there. A few moments later, she left the place with some spicy Korean noodle and a satisfied smile on her face.
(******)
It was dark when Bucky heard the clinking sound of the keys, then a door opened and closed right away. She had been out all day, not that he was spying but he was glad that she came back safely.
He sat on his couch where he had been laying earlier and sighed. Emma had been on his mind all day, he understood that he might have been harsh on her. She was kind enough to offer her friendship to him – a complete stranger, in a way she had decided to offer him his trust.
I'm not looking for friends right now.
Maybe he didn't need it, but she did. David had told him that she had just moved here, from another country and she had arrived here alone – on a rainy night. Bucky was the first person – apart from David – that Emma had spoken to.
He thought back on the way her hand felt on his forehead and the concerned look she had when he told her that he was unwell. Very few people would care for someone like him – and he almost killed one of them. He didn't want Emma to be one of those people. He glanced at his metal arm – would she still be friends if she saw who he really was?
'You're gonna end up alone at this rate.' Reason scowled at him.
He stared in the empty space for a while until he heard her door being opened again. Bucky looked at the time, it was almost eleven. Was she going out again? He shook his head with disbelief, it wasn't any of his business.
(******)
Selene threw the trash bags in the dumpster, before returning to her building. That's when something caught her attention: there was man in the other side of the road looking right at her. She couldn't make out his features but he was tall and bald, and he was also smoking a cigarette. She squinted to see who it was but the stranger was too far and it was dark.
The woman shrugged him off before going back, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. When she turned around, the man was gone.
"I'm being paranoid," she muttered as she went up the stairs. No one knew her real identity as well as her location, she was safe.
When she arrived at her door, she noticed that her keys weren't in her pockets. "Great!" She rolled her eyes as she ran down the stairs. She found them at the entrance and as she picked them, a silhouette appeared in her field of vision and she realized that it was the stranger from before.
"So that's where you've been living?"
Her heartbeats increased as she tried her best to not panic. She looked around them, no one there to save her if he decided to attack her. She played dumb.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?"
"Only if you don't remember. But soon you will. Good night miss." the man said, mysteriously, before he left.
She frowned, what a strange encounter.
When she arrived at her door, she threw a glance towards James' apartment and sighed. It was a torture knowing that her soulmate was so close but yet so far from her.