I was hoping to get 40 reviews before I posted this chapter, just because the 39 had been bothering me so much. Odd numbers, man.
I haven't updated because I got a tattoo on my wrist, and the way I type causes friction against it, and I need to avoid it the best I could until it was good enough to work with.
I rain my fists down, knuckles meeting cushion, then a harsh wall. A cracking noise meets my ears, a spurt of blood meets my cheek. Today is the day of Armageddon. Blind rage infects my soul as my hands grip around his throat. I lift his head up and slam it onto the ground. I stand, flinging myself at the girl, my knees digging into her shoulders. Screaming, I smack her temple with a balled hand.
Fuck, it's dark and freezing as fuck in here. I gather the blankets around me, pulling into the fetal position. I scoot to Hannibal's side of the bed, greeted by a cool mattress. Wait…, I'm alone? Where's Hannibal? I lean over the bed, hands hitting the ground. I feel around, pulling Hannibal's shirt from the floor. Tugging it on, I button up as I walk down the stairs. A calming tune emitting from a piano meets me as I hit the middle floor.
I follow the music to an open concept room to see Hannibal sitting in front of the large black instrument, fingers dancing over the keys with incredible grace. I smile, crossing my arms as I watch him.
"You shouldn't be out of bed. It's two in the morning." Hannibal's voice is just louder than the piano. He looks back at me, cheeks and the tip of his nose a light pink. How the hell did they get that colour?
"I could say the same for you." I chuckle, walking over to him. He wraps an arm around my thighs, his cool flesh making contact with my warm body. Holy shit, how cold can you get? I put two and two together, giving him a look.
"You were outside." I touch his cheek, feeling the cold radiating off of him before I even make contact.
"I just needed air," This guy is trying to bullshit me ", you look good in my clothes." He smirks, eyeing me up.
"So you went outside in freezing weather just to get some air? You couldn't open a window?" I raise my eyebrows, stepping back from him with my arms crossed. He gave me a look that makes my skin itchy, taking my hands within his own. He stands, wrapping cool arms around me.
"I didn't want to scare you," He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my forehead ", but none of that tonight. Please, let's go back to bed." He lifts me up, hands under my thighs, laying kisses to the flesh of my neck.
"Didn't want to scare me? Over what?" I can't just let it go, he alluded to something really fucking serious.
"I won't bother you with it tonight." He lays me down in bed, sliding lying down beside me, pulling the blankets over my now chilled form and his own. He pulls me close, coaxing me to sleep as he plays with my hair.
I let the next morning, breakfast and all, go by without saying a thing about last night's incident. From him being able to smell my three day old perfume the night we met, to the dance incident, to right now, and everything in between… I sense something's just different about him. I let him drop me off, parting with promises of a phone call and another meet up. But as soon as I'm in my house, I'm on the phone to Will.
"Will Graham." He nearly barks, tight and low.
"This is your personal phone, stop it with the formalities." I chuckle, falling back onto my couch. I start to wiggle out of my dirty clothes as Will talks, putting him on speaker.
"Calm down," Will gives a small laugh ", it's just a cover up in case someone from work calls here by mistake. How was your night with Hannibal."
"Well, I was calling you about that… if I asked you to get some information on him, you wouldn't tell him?" I scratch the back of my head, I hope Will doesn't think I'm fucking stupid.
"Why are you even asking, Alana holds him to high regards, he's a great psychiatrist and friend to me-"
"Will, it isn't that simple! He's great, he's kind and sweet. A true romantic with wonderful taste. But there are certain things about him that I can't put my finger on."
"Name one?" He wasn't being vindictive, he was doing his job, and he needed the evidence.
"Did you tell him where I worked? Maybe it slipped out? Chatting about me, trying to tell him what I'm about?"
"Never, it's never come up in conversation. The only thing I told him like that is where you lived so he could bring you breakfast."
"No shit," Hannibal… you lying fucker ", he showed up at my dance studio in the morning a little while back. Said you told him where I worked. He said it came up."
"I didn't. You know I wouldn't. Now I'm confused, why would he say that?"
"You know about the sniffing incident. And last night? I wake up at two in the morning, alone in his bed. I walk the fuck downstairs, see this asshole at the piano, and after a little observation? I see he's been outside. I ask him about it and then he says he didn't want to scare me and says we're going to bed. The fuck, Will?"
"Alright… that's odd, 'Lest. I can see how you'd be uncomfortable."
"No shit. Take off those rose tinted glasses Alana smacked on your face about Hannibal and give an honest fucking opinion of him with me."
"Honestly, Celest? I didn't think he'd like you. You're a really abrasive person, very foul mouthed even though you're not all that loud. That's something he considers rude and not once have I ever seen him chastise you for it. He showed immense interest in taking my offer for the double date the day after I told you, like he knew you already. I didn't think much of it then, I thought he was doing his duty as a psychiatrist and helping me form relationships. I'm sorry I didn't look into it."
"It's not your fault, Will. I'm just stuck, I dunno what to believe. I think he's wonderful, I don't want to not see him again. He's not creepy or even off-putting. It's just… odd, you know? I'm stuck in the fucking middle, between a rock and a god damn hard place."
"And I suppose you wouldn't want to just talk to him about it?"
"Hell no. What if he's a crazy psycho killer in a suit and decides I'm asking to many questions?" I laugh, crossing my legs.
"You know how important communication is, just tell him your concerns."
"That's another thing. He's a psychiatrist, right? He, of all damn people, should know the importance of communication. Yet he goes off and leaves out a huge part of his last night because he didn't want to scare me? That's bullshit, Will. Best part is, he tried to lie about it first. He said he needed air, but when I called him out, he came clean. It's just… this entire thing is so messed up."
"He lied about it? You shouldn't be on the phone with me, you need to call Hannibal."
"I know," I groan ", I don't want too…"
"You can do it. You can always call me after. And don't worry, I won't tell Alana about this." He read my mind.
"Okay, thanks. Call you soon."
I hang up without hearing his goodbye, staring at the screen of my phone. Do I call him? Invite him to dinner? A nice brunch before I start asking questions? I grab my laptop, typing his name into a search engine. I bring up the reviews from his patience, seeing nothing but praise for the man. Review upon review of how he was professional. A true gentleman, very kind, understand, best psychiatrist ever.
Well shit, everyone thinks he's one kick ass dude. Then again, these are his patients, for whatever game he's playing, they must be off limits. I tap my phone, picking it up… I guess I might as well just give him a call.
Whoopsie, super short chapter. Don't leave me with odd numbers anymore, maybe you'll get longer ones.
I'm kidding. But seriously.
xoxoPN