Past:

Bexley: 5 years old

Minami: 18 years old

It's going to rain.

Dark clouds loomed over the city, making even the day seem like the night. I stood in the alleyway with some of the other kids that hung around this area. The temperature had begun to drop, but not enough for it to snow. I sighed, ready to just go back to the abandoned building that I lived in with these losers. They were utterly useless out on the street.

"Hey, Bex, we need some cash for dinner," Dane said, pointing to a restaurant across the street. "I saw a rich looking boy go in there. That's an easy target for you, right? Dumb and rich?"

I shook my head. "No thanks. If you want food, then go do it yourself." Stealing from the rich was easy a lot of the time, but that was a high risk. If I got caught, they could press charges and they would stick, because rich people have connections.

Dane laughed. "Oh, so you're scared?"

I glared at him. "I am not scared."

"Okay, then, I dare you. I dare you to go steal from that rich guy inside that restaurant."

I disliked Dane. He just recently moved into the building that I stayed at and he was an asshole. He ordered us around like he was the boss, but the reality was he was scared. All new kids that come to the street are terrified.

But, if I don't do it, then everyone else will lose faith in me. Crossing the crowded street, I slipped inside the warm building. The soft lights and jukebox made a calm atmosphere. The place was littered with people, which made it easy to slip up behind the rich boy. He was tall with reddish-orange hair. Easy to pick out because he had on expensive looking clothes. With so many people around, this would a piece of cake. Stealing wallets was simple.

But as I proceeded to pull it out of his pocket, his hand snatched my wrist. Not looking away from the waitress taking his order, he said, "Make that two of those, miss." The boy held on tight, even as I tried to tug my hand loose. "Come on, I've bought you lunch." He gave me a big grin and towed me over to a nearby table with him.

"L-let me go," I said, being pulled along behind him. What's with this creep? Is he some kind of pedophile?

"Here's your options. Eat lunch with me or I'll call the cops and turn you in for theft." He was completely serious and that was terrifying, especially since he smiled as he said it. Pointing to the bench he said, "Go on. Sit down. The food here is amazing." He knew he'd won.

As we waited for the waitress to bring the food, there was an awkward silence. It seemed like he was waiting for me to spit out some excuse, like the fact that I was a homeless orphan or something. I had no plans to get pity out of this rich kid. He's probably had everything handed to him on a silver platter. The whole time, he simply watched me with curious eyes, until our food arrived. "What's your name, kid? I'm Minami."

The warm meal sitting in front of me made my mouth water. It took all my will power to keep from scarfing it down all at once. Instead, I picked at the fries, trying to act uninterested. He tried to coax it out of me by saying nice things. But I replied, "You said I had to eat with you, not talk," I snapped, unable to look at him. Why is this boy being nice to me when I came to steal from him?

Minami laughed and nodded his head. "I did, didn't I? Well I'll talk, and you can just listen." He proceeded to tell me that he was going to be the owner of a hotel in town, The Royal Shining. He has 3 half brothers that live in Japan, but there could be more since his dad has a habit of sleeping with a lot of women. His favorite food is burgers and apparently, he has a really high IQ. "Hey, miss, could we get a chocolate milk shake?"

My head snapped up at the words. Chocolate milkshake? Mom used to get me one every now and then if I'd been really good at home. Minami smiled at me, clearly knowing that he'd won me over with that order. The shake was huge, but it tasted like heaven. We couldn't afford luxuries like desserts living on the streets. "Bexley," I mumbled.

"Hmm?" He titled his head to the side like he didn't hear me right.

Staring at the wall, I could feel my cheeks getting hot. "My name is Bexley."

Minami grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Bexley." He rested his chin on his palm and watched me eat. "I come here a lot, so if you're ever in the neighborhood, I'll buy lunch again." He laughed at my confused expression. "What? You don't like free meals?"

With the milkshake gone, I folded my arms and turned my head to look at all the people in the restaurant. "Why?" There isn't any reason to be helping out someone like me.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I want to. Do I need another reason? Oh!" Minami slid three 100-dollar bills and 5 10-dollar bills across the table at me. "I bet those kids you were with outside would be happier if you brought something back. Also, I want you to buy a coat and some gloves with the small bills. I don't want someone wondering where you got it from. It's getting cold and the winters here can be pretty bad."

This would be my first winter without somewhere warm to stay. I don't understand this boy. Rick kids are supposed to be selfish and stupid, but I guess you could say he's stupid for giving a stranger 350 dollars out of nowhere after said person tried to steal from him. There's no reason to pass up free money, either. Should I thank him? That felt weird, so I just stuffed the money in my pocket. "Can I go now?"

Minami nodded. "Sure, see you around, Bexley."

The way he'd said that sounded like he knew I'd be coming back. For the next few days, I avoided that area, but for some reason, I went back, more than once and he was always there, waiting outside the door for me. He questioned me about the jacket, but I'd given the money to one of the other girls who needed it more than I did. I would survive the winter with what I had, or so I thought. Each day it got colder and today, it started to snow.

By the time I made it to the diner, my nose and fingers felt frozen. It's been so cold that I feel dizzy sometimes. I almost didn't come today, because I wanted to sleep in my make-shift bed. The snow made the sidewalks slick. Maybe he won't be there today since it's so cold out. I wouldn't blame him. If I had a warm place to go, I would. But he was waiting outside for me like always, but a worried expression on his features.

Minami crouched down and took his glove off to feel my forehead. "Bexley, are you sick? Your face is flushed, and you're burning up." He brushed my hair out of my face, trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

My body felt heavy and the world tilted a little. Minami caught me as I fell forward, effortlessly lifting me up into his arms. "I don't feel good," I said, shivering and holding onto the fabric of his coat.

"Come on, I'll call a doctor to come check you out. Let's get you somewhere warm," Minami said, hailing a cab while still holding me. He stroked my hair and spoke softly to me about his work that he'd been doing, boring meetings and such, until we reached the hotel he lived in. He asked a concierge to call a doctor before going up to his suite on the top floor. "Let's get you a warm bath and then you can take a nap, okay?"

This feeling was familiar, like when my mom would let me take a bath once a month, since they were more expensive than a quick shower. Except my mom wouldn't wash my hair for me or smile like Minami did. He genuinely wanted to help me, unlike mom, who thought of me as a burden. When he was satisfied that I was clean and warmed up, he slid one of his old t-shirts over me and carried me to a large bed. "Take a nap, okay? You're safe here."

Safe. That's something I hadn't felt in a long time. He sat with me until I fell asleep with my head on his lap. I still couldn't understand why Minami felt the need to take care of me like he has been. He's from a high-class family, who shouldn't be associating with the lowest of humans, like myself. But for now, I thought, I'll let him be kind to me, just until I'm feeling better. He'll probably get tired of me soon, anyways.