I am sorry for taking such a long time to update the story. Hope you like this one. Thank you so much for inspiring me and for being so nice.

Chapter 14

When school finished for the day, Elizabeth went to her locker, grabbing her belongings. Then she made her way towards the exit of the three-story building, dread holding her hostage. She was not looking forward to heading home after what had happened in the car with Kenneth and their conversation.

In fact, staying out longer than usual and hiding in the school library until it closed was a far more appealing option to her. Anything was better than having to face Kenneth. No, Red, not Kenneth, she had to remind herself. Apparently he preferred the nickname Red. It was all so confusing; She did not know what to call him right now.

She bit her lip anxiously, her fingers tracing back and forth over her scar, her arm out. She followed the long line of students pushing out through the doors, using her shoulder instead of her hand to force it open. Her eyes searched the parking lot and she stopped walking the instant she saw the familiar Red Pontiac that belonged to her father parked there, her stomach in knots.

A man was standing, leaning against the hood of the car, dressed in a crimson button-up dress shirt and black dressy trousers. She did not realize the man was Red at first, because he was wearing a white trilby hat and she had not seen him wear one before. It was only when he lifted his head that she saw that it was him. He was waiting for her, that much was clear.

She considered avoiding him and walking off into the opposite direction, pretending she hadn't noticed him waiting for her. That course of action was squashed when he seemed to see her. He lifted his arm, waving at her. He'd caught her.

Her fighting style was more passive aggressive than confrontational. She preferred to give people the silent treatment, the cold shoulder. If something bothered her, Elizabeth usually would rather keep it to herself. Yet he was not giving her that option.

Surrendering to defeat, she trod down the steps of the building, walking to meet him at the car. At a closer distance, she saw that he was smoking another one of his disgusting cigarettes.

"You know, one of these days you are going to die by those things," she remarked once she reached him.

"You're probably right on that, Lizzy." A hoarse laugh left his throat as he stared at the ground. Elizabeth wondered if he was feeling too nervous to look at her; He avoided her gaze. "But I figure that since we are all going to die of something sooner or later, then why not go out with a bang while doing something you enjoy?"

He took one last puff of the cigarette, exhaling the smoke out in the opposite direction from where Elizabeth was standing, then he flicked it on the ground, stomping it out with his shoe. She saw how antsy he was being; how he started rocking his shoes back and forth on the pavement, how he rolled his lower jaw muscles while shoving his hands deep into his trouser pockets. Was he usually this nervous or was it just due to what had happened between them last night? Was he feeling bad?

"How was school?"

He was trying to diffuse the awkwardness of what had happened earlier in the car, and more so, the awkwardness now, and Elizabeth recognized that. "Yeah, it was fine," she said shortly, forcing a smile. "What are you doing here? You really didn't have to pick me up from school? I was fine with walking home since it isn't raining today?"

"I thought that perhaps you would like to go shopping?" he suggested unexpectedly, and Elizabeth's eyebrows arched in surprise. "That is usually what girls love to do nowadays, isn't it? Go shopping? Or am I that senile that I have gotten it all backwards?"

She did not miss how he referred to her as a girl. Was that only what she was to him? Did he perceive her that way- just a young, senseless girl that loved fashion and shopping, and not an actual young woman with whom he had participated in such a special act with last night? Was she not his equal counterpart, but a child in his mind? While Elizabeth was like the next ordinary seventeen year old, where she did not mind going to the mall now and then and going window shopping, she rarely cared about keeping up with current fashion trends.

"That sounds rather fun, don't you think?" He was speaking in rapid undertones, and Elizabeth believed that she knew him well enough now to pick up on when he was feeling anxious. "We can find you a pretty little dress, and then we can go see your father at the hospital afterwards. I'm sure he'll be in happy spirits to see you. Does that sound like a good plan to you, sweetheart?"

"Um, okay. We can go shopping then."

He stepped forward to hold the car door open for her. As she slid in, resting her textbooks on her knees and reaching for the seat belt, he closed the door, walking around the front of the car to the drivers side. The way he was acting around her, it was worrisome. She couldn't help the nagging suspicion that something was dangerously wrong, maybe something had happened with her father.

While she realized early on during being in his company that Red was a quirky man filled with eccentricities and odd mannerisms- though, if she had to be honest with herself, that was half the reason she found him so undeniably attractive- he was sort of scaring her. She needed reassurance.

"Is everything okay with my father?" she asked nervously once Red sat in the drivers seat across from her. He appeared too invested in straightening the mirrors all of a sudden. "Did you visit him at the hospital early on in the day?"

"I did happen to visit your father at the hospital in the morning after I dropped you off to school, Lizzy, yes." Red turned to smile at her sheepishly, his green eyes boring into hers. He had a striking way of looking at her that made her feel as if she was his world, the only person of interest. She was knew it was probably a silly course of thinking, but it was how she felt.

"So? How was he? Did they say when he'll be allowed to come home?"

"Your father Sam is perfectly... fine." She caught the way he hesitated on the last word. The skin beneath his eyelid seemed to spasm as he cleared his throat loudly. He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, then he reopened them, his eyes glistening back at her. "He's going to be fine, Lizzy." She couldn't help getting the sense that he was not being entirely honest with her. She heard him swallow audibly when he quickly glanced away from her, the ignition rumbling to life as he started the car, the tan muscles in his throat twitching.

Her eyes kept shifting up to his face as a dull silence passed between them on the drive towards the mall. It was not a very comfortable silence where she sat there, playing with her fingers as she rested both hands on the top of her textbooks in her lap. The silence made her feel nervous, so she strove for a good way to break it. Her eyes landed on the hat he was wearing. Though she did not understand why he was wearing it, she believed it actually suited him, despite the hat almost reminding her of what a gangster or criminal would wear in the 1930's or 40's.

"Nice hat," she remarked breathlessly and a small giggle left her.

When he heard her voice and the quite girlish laughter that left her mouth, Red closed his eyes momentarily in relief, warmth flowing through him. He released his fingers tight grip over the steering wheel, the tension seeming to leave him at once. Minutes ago, it had been next to sheer torture, the silence. He found himself deeply grateful that she had taken the initiative to break it because, had he been the one to, he was terrified he would end up having a slip-up of gigantic proportions, revealing to her what was actually in truth wrong.

"Yes, I like to think so, too," he murmured deeply in agreement, turning his head to look at her. His heart almost stopped at the look on her face as another laugh left her. Her eyes were bright with amusement, a wide grin on her lips, showing her teeth and those dimples that he had become so quickly fond of the sight of. Good God, she was so beautifully radiant when she laughed...

"I didn't know you wear hats?"

"You'd be amazed at what many little unfortunate aging sins a hat can hide, Lizzy. While you women have- what is it?" He glanced her way for assistance. "Concealer, I believe it's called?" She nodded once, her eyes drifting down to his mouth as he talked. "Well, for us males, hats are our concealers. They mightn't be as... effective, mind you, but if the wind is just right..."

"Hide what, though? What sins are you even talking about?"

He pretended to think deeply on it for a moment, tilting his head to the side. "Well, like male pattern baldness, for instance. Thank God for hats to hide the hideous woes of that."

The instance the comment left his mouth, however, Red cringed. He was trying to be charming and yet, there he was? Speaking to her of male pattern baldness, of all things. Reminding her of how much of a dinosaur he was in comparison to her. Goodness, it was woeful.

It was painful enough as it was, simply looking at her and being reminded on just how youthful she really was, how fresh in the face. In contrast, he felt so ancient and haggard. Why she had slept with him last night, it was anyone's mystery. Not that he hadn't found himself in a constant state of bafflement and humbleness ever since it had happened, of course.

But what a fool. What a bumbling fool, mentioning baldness in front of her. Usually Red was not so insecure and he felt reasonably content with how he appeared, yet something about being in Lizzy's presence made him feel not so comfortable in his own skin. He was more than half her age and she was gorgeous. How could he not?

"Your not bald though?"

"Sadly I will be, sooner or later. You just wait, Lizzy. Give it a few more years and I'll be wearing hats as if they've been super-glued to my head. I'll be that odd man who has a humongous collection of hats in his closet, ranging from fedoras, felt tips, trilbies, to berets."

Elizabeth laughed softly again at his words, her stomach hurting. He could be so funny at times, and that was another reason why he held such appeal to her. His self-depreciating humor was something boys at her school lacked; Everyone else seemed to take themselves so seriously, but not him. She found it so refreshing, how he lacked vanity.

The silence returned as they reached the mall, but it was a comfortable one. Now that they had broken the ice, laughing and sharing a joke, she felt more relaxed and actually began to enjoy her outing with him. For Red, it was much the same. He was not much like the regular man, in the sense that he despised shopping and clothing chains.

He had heard many humorous tales of men being forced to take their wives or daughters shopping, how they found it boring and sheer agony to have to go through. But Red felt much different; He had a certain flare and passion for shopping himself, and he found himself enjoying the time spent with Lizzy already, despite the two of them barely being in the large, overcrowded mall for less than three minutes.

Partly, it was the mere idea of getting the chance to splurge on her that was a contributing factor to that. He couldn't wait to get her into a dress.

Elizabeth could feel herself senselessly beaming as they entered a store she would not naturally go into otherwise. The clothing in the store was expensive and lavish, way out of her price range, but Red had insisted they go take a gander inside at the clothes on the racks.

Just the chance of spending time with Red- it made her enjoy the experience thoroughly. He was so different from her dad that it was comical; Whenever Sam had to take her to the mall to get her clothes for school, he had dreaded it every time and looked embarrassed when he had to sit outside the change rooms, waiting for her to try clothes on. Red, in contrast, appeared so relaxed and as if he was enjoying himself. He was an enthusiastic participant in her shopping trip, and it became obvious he had a liking for the finer things in life.

He picked out two dresses for her, and when she caught the price on the tag, she was astounded by how dear the items were.

"You realize I could never get these, right?" she remarked with a laugh, daunted by the large figure on one of the dresses alone. While the dresses were very nice, and the prices for them were outrageous."My father gives me a fortnightly allowance of fifty dollars. He'd never actually let me buy this stuff. These are far too expensive!"

"Nonsense. Let me see."

Elizabeth found it difficult to turn her eyes away from him when Red pulled his pair of glasses out from his left trouser pocket. He slipped them on, stepping closer to squint his green eyes at the price on the tag, his expression concentrated, focused on the writing. He truly was partially blind, she realized, as he held the tag barely two inches away from his face, blinking and grimacing. But partially blind or not, she had meant what she had said. He was the most handsome man.

She felt her face glow with heat at how close he was standing, so much so that he was invading her space, his elbow brushing against the side of her arm. There was just something about the way he looked, wearing those black-rimmed reading glasses... Standing so close, her eyes drifted to the opened collar of his crimson shirt, at the hairs there on his chest. He was completely oblivious to the utter magnetism she felt he had about himself, it seemed. How did people act normal around someone they felt so attracted to- particularly one they had been intimate with in the most personal way two consenting persons could get?

He made a scornful scoffing noise as finally he let the tag go, turning to look at her. "You call that expensive? It's only five hundred dollars."

"Only?" she laughed, her face aching from how hard she was smiling.

"Go try them on," he urged, placing his hand on the middle of her back. "It's my treat, Lizzy." It was as if a tsunami of heat hit her when she felt his hand on her, pushing her towards the change room area. His words only properly sunk in once she reached the stalls. She spun back around on her heels to look at him, finding him hot on her heels.

"No, Red, it's not your treat," she protested, her face falling. "There is no way I'm letting you buy these for me. My father would kill me if I let you!"

It became clear he was not having any of it, though. He waved an arm at her, shooing her into the change rooms. She could not believe it, but she obeyed, stepping into the change room and putting both garments up on the hanger.

"I'll just sit out here like a dutiful dog," Red called out to her as he moved towards one of the chairs near the change rooms.

He patted down his pockets, feeling out his reading glasses, car keys, wad of cash, and his cigarettes before he turned and sat, sighing heavily. He leaned back in the chair, taking off his trilby for second to run his fingers through his hair. Then he placed the hat back onto his head, staring at the door of the change room that Lizzy had entered through. The chairs were not the most comfortable, but it was well worth it, just to see what Lizzy looked like in the dresses.

If he had to be honest, he was getting so much satisfaction out of this, but perhaps a perverse and wrong sort of satisfaction; One entirely selfish and for his own gains. He was not low of money in any sense of the word. His funds were overflowing, in fact. While he knew Lizzy would undoubtedly feel good about herself, getting to wear fine designer dresses of luxurious fabric, it was not just her happiness he had in mind. It was so gratifying to be able to do this now, to provide for her freely, rather than having to do it in the shadows as he had been doing for the last twelve or thirteen years or so.

He wanted to show her that money to him was something inconsequential, that he was at liberty to do this- to splurge on her, whenever the hell he wanted.

He heard the lock on the door slide back and he felt his heart rate pick up as he straightened in the chair. The way he felt, thrumming with excitement to see her in a dress... It was terrible.

"You ready?" He heard her ask, her shaky voice high-pitched with nerves.

"Ready as I'll ever-" He was struck silent when she pulled the door open, stepping out in one of the dresses.

Though she looked rather shy and she would not meet his eyes, she turned around on the spot, and an appreciative low groan almost left him, if he hadn't restrained himself soon enough. The dress looked absolutely mouthwatering on Lizzy. The light blue fabric gathered in all the right places and, when she turned to show him the back of it, he caught a glimpse of the back of her creamy, slender thighs. The cut of the back end of the dress had a triangular piece missing, showcasing the contours of her pale back, the demure bones of her spine.

She was not that little girl he had saved anymore, and he saw that more than ever, in that instance. No, now she was a beautiful young woman on the very cusp of womanhood. So full of sensuality, of natural femininity.

It occurred to him that he was in love with her then. How was he was feeling for her... it was the closest, tenderest sensation to love. The realization was like a slap to his face. It was ugly. Ugly, horrifying. Wrong. He should have never put himself into her life, and he loathed himself now for it. He should have stayed away longer.

Her backside curved out in the dress, the fabric complimenting her figure. It become so very hard to control himself. He almost felt tempted to forget everything- his pledge from in the morning that, from that point onward, he would do the right thing for Sam's sake, to stop what had happened from reoccurring again- to stand up and shove her into the change rooms for a little privacy.

The way Red's eyes traveled over her body made Elizabeth's mouth stretch tighter into a full grin. It was as if he saw her; really saw her. She felt completely exposed and rather flustered, but not uncomfortable under his scrutiny. There was a certain gleam in his eyes that made her feel... proud. Empowered. Her eyes never strayed from his face as she watched a various range of emotions cross his. Appreciation, desire, then... shame. The corner of his lip twitched as he lowered his green eyes to his hands that he clasped together in his lap, his jaw muscles working.

"Er, nice," he said, his voice an octave lower. He sounded strained somehow, as if he was holding back. "You look very... nice, Lizzy."

"That's it?" She couldn't bring herself to care how disappointed she sounded. "It's just... nice, Red? The dress is nice?" She had been secretly hoping that it would be enough; that if he saw her in the dress, then it would cause him to stop being so shy and conscious of not touching her or mentioning anything of what had happened last night. Apparently not.

He regretted what happened, she realized. He regretted what they had done together, and now he didn't want to go anywhere near her.

"Yes." His tone was curt as he nodded once. "It's very... nice, Lizzy. That there, is definitely the right dress for you." He cleared his throat, his lips parting slightly as he chewed on the side of his tongue. When he finally met her gaze again, Elizabeth saw that the heat was gone in his eyes. He suddenly felt so distant to her, so cold. He was distancing himself away from her, stepping back mentally. "I'm sure that... once Keith Richards sees you in that dress, he'll be frothing at the mouth like a St Bernard."

Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him in confusion. He looked so uncomfortable, so stiff and awkward, as if looking at her was too much for him to bare. Then she remembered about their conversation in the car, with how she had lied that she liked a guy at her school called Keith Richards, when really, it was his initials- or so she had naively thought at the time- and it made sense. She knew now why he never realized she'd written a heart with his initials on it. K.R was not his initials to begin with.

"Oh, yeah," she muttered under her breath, moving back towards the stall. She wanted to hide then. She wanted to hide herself from him. "I'm sure Keith Richards will love it. He'll finally ask me out then." There was no Keith Richards at school, of course. Yet, in order to conceal her feelings, she could do nothing else but pretend, to act.

Hoping you liked this one? Pardon me for taking so long to update. Hope this makes up for it. Would love to know your thoughts, and again, please excuse any mistakes in English.