"Welcome to my home….. Heh, but you already knew where I lived. I have so many flowers, I'm running out of places to put them," opening my front door, the man peeked in, curious but not smiling. He looked around, seemingly a tad perplexed by some of the fixtures while I hung up my coat. "Make yourself at home. I'll go put on the kettle and fetch us some dry clothes," I'm sure Dad has something laying around that would fit him. Watching me head into my bedroom, he followed me just in time to see me open my wardrobe. Pulling out two shirts- one male and one female- I turned to him with a smile, which he did not return; he hadn't appeared too pleased since we arrived.

"Just your size," I held the shirts up so he could see. The man glanced all around the room, taking particular note of the single queen-sized bed. His eyes went from it to me; I could tell he was confused- in a bad sort of way. Sensing this, I brought him the shirt, gently placing it in his hands and grinning meekly. "I-It's my dad's… I'm sure he won't mind you wearing it. He isn't home a lot," I admitted and the man's eyes grew wide. Realizing his surprise at this, my shoulder gave a nonchalant shrug. "It's alright; he's always been like this. But that's a good thing! It means he won't bust in unexpectedly and freak out that you're here. No, I'm usually on my own but it's fine. I'm used to it…" I shrugged again, albeit with a hint of sorrow this time, which I'm sure he detected.

Ogling me with massive eyes, the man dropped the shirt I had given him onto my bed. I blinked from it to him with just enough time to spare. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close and cradling me into his chest. I let out this enormous shocked gasp, instantly understanding that he was trying to comfort me….. or himself. It clearly upset him, hearing that I was left alone here by myself. He held me close, shutting his eyes momentarily and letting his head rest on top of mine. We stayed like this until I came to my senses again quickly, retracting my arms and trying to step back.

"Hey, whoa! It's ok; I'm ok. I'm not sad about it or anything. That's just the way my dad's and my relationship is. There's nothing I can do about it," I tried to calm him down, still tugging away. He hesitantly pulled back his arms, leaning back so to look me in the face. His expression was so entirely soft and soulful, like he truly felt sorry for me…. like he didn't want to hear that. Once our eyes met again, I made sure to flash him a tender smile, relaxing my shoulders a bit. "It's alright, really. I'm safe here inside this apartment, and everything's paid for. I won't be here for long anyway; I'll be going to university soon. No, you don't have to worry. I'm not lonely here."

As if he didn't believe me, his hand stretched out to take hold of mine. He brought it up to his chest, placing it overtop his heart. Only then did he return my smile in full force, pressing his palm over the top of my hand. Meanwhile I looked at him confused, trying to figure out what he was saying to me. "I-I'm sorry… I don't understand?" He chuckled, lowering his eyes a tad. He then leaned his head in forward to give my forehead another kiss. Blushing ear-to-ear now, I rapidly yanked my hand back and twirled to madly dash out of the room. "G-Get changed. I'll go change in the bathroom," my heart was beating so hard that my vision was starting to get blurry; I had to shut my eyes.

The man looked good in modern-day attire, although truthfully his 1920s getup suited him better in my opinion. Once he was out of those damp clothes, I washed them along with mine and hung them up to dry in the hallway. I returned to my combined living room and kitchen to find him exploring his new surroundings; everything fascinated him. He didn't seem to know what simple appliances were like a toaster or a microwave. Pushing the toaster button down carefully, he was surprised to feel heat come from the inside. I couldn't help but giggle at his whimsy-like curiosity; I'd never seen a full-grown man act like this before. So new and fresh to everything… It's almost like he's never seen them before.

"It makes toast," his head turned to face me as I entered the kitchen. His eyes wandered from me to it, at a loss to how it was working or what was going on. I laughed, covering my mouth slightly. "You've never seen a toaster before?" And he proceeded to give me a look which said "what's a toaster?". As if to be reading his mind, the button popped up suddenly, alarming the man. He grabbed me, positioning himself between me and the appliance while staring at it mistrustingly. "It's ok; it's ok. That just means that it's done. It's not dangerous," I explained, which calmed his nerves a little. Eying his adorable face, my lips curled into another amused grin. "Boy, it's like you're really from the prohibition era or something." Of course he didn't answer, just looking me straight in the eye in response.

I didn't realize what that meant back then.

I shoulda' known better considering that the next four hours comprised of his pointing out to some invention and my explaining what it does. By the time it was dark outside and I had to turn the lights on, he'd identified every bit of technology in the house. We also looked at a world map and I introduced him to the internet. Needless to say this was all too much for him, but I also learned just how smart he is, how quickly he picked things up. I got the impression that he had no or very little formal education, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He was more than smart enough and very skilled at what he knew…

The only problem was that I didn't know what he was skilled in. I had no idea what he did for a living, if he had a job. I initially thought he was some sort of background actor on account of his prehistoric clothing, but the more time I spent with him, the more I was convinced that wasn't the case. He certainly didn't look poor; what he did have was very fancy and high quality. It was hard to find fabric like that nowadays; I'd certainly never seen it before…. again, outside of films and museums. He also appeared to be very fit and well-fed. His body had some scarring, but I figured he'd just been in a few scrapes before- it would explain how easily he was able to break that one guy's arm the other day.

Another weird thing was that he didn't have any ID on him- like at all. No identification, no wallet, no money, no bank cards, no phone, no nothing. It's literally like he materialised out of thin air. There was nothing to tell me another about him; I was going from the ground up with no bricks to build with. I didn't even know his name…

But I liked him; by the end of our first night together, I already knew that I liked this man, meaning that I both appreciated him as a person and had a bit of a crush on him… or a lot. A hell of a lot. He wasn't like other guys. Now I know that's cliché to say, but this time it's actually true.

First of all, he was protective- like overly so. Every time he thought something was even mildly bit threatening to me, he would rush to my side. Some girls would think this is overbearing, but I secretly loved it. It was so nice having a man fawn over me….. after having Dad gone for so long.

Second, he was a tad on the old-fashioned side. He opened every door for me, helped me take off my coat and shoes, carried everything- and I do mean "everything"- for me, and insisted on answering the door whenever it rang. Heh, he also covered my eyes whenever there was a half-naked person on the tv, gasping like it was an utter scandal. He's a bit of a prude, which I didn't mind. It made me feel even more comfortable, in fact. I felt truly, effortlessly safe with him….. Safer than I've felt with anyone, bizarre as that may be.

It was after midnight when I finally realized what time it was. We had just finished our third movie together, scooting closer inch-by-inch towards each other on the couch. I checked the clock on the stove and my eyes widened. "It's almost one!" He looked at me, equally surprised; neither of us noticed how fast time was flying by. I turned off the television, standing up to stretch my arms; he watched me wistfully, merrily the whole time, leaning back against his cushion and smiling to himself.

"I should go to bed," I yawned absent-mindedly. His grin began to faint after I said this, reluctantly getting up and standing very near me. I gazed up at him ponderingly. "Do you live around here?" I asked and he slowly shook his head. The wheels began to turn in my head, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions yet. "Oh, are you just staying in New York for a while or…?" Once again he shook his head and this gnawing sensation ate away at my stomach. My expression began to morph to one of worry. "D-Do you have….. anywhere to stay tonight?"

I think he misunderstood my concern for something else; he forced himself to grin at me, lowering his chin a tiny bit. His slender, dark fingers reached up to caress the side of my cheek, lingering on the edge of my skin for a minute. My eyes widened again as he leaned in to kiss my forehead. Then, with one last look my way, he began to head for the door.

This surge of panic overcame me. No…. No, he can't leave. I can't let him leave like this! He can't talk, and won't be able to call out for help if anything happens to him on the streets. I mean, he doesn't even have a phone! What would he do if anything bad happened? How would he ever get a hold of me, or more importantly, the police? There's that to consider….. And there's also the fact that if he walks out that front door, there's the chance I'll never see him again. Now I doubt that'll actually be the case, considering the fact he's been trailing me these last three days, but it was still too great a risk. I lifted my head in a start, twisting my feet in the direction he was currently leaving.

"H-Hey, wait! Y-You….. You don't have to go. I mean it's already after one; you shouldn't be walking the streets this late at night; Brooklyn can be a very dangerous place, and especially if you don't have a phone," or any other means of protection. The man stopped, gazing back to me from over his shoulder. I smiled, extending my hand out for him. "One night won't hurt anything. Why don't you stay here tonight?" To my surprised, he seemed hesitant at the idea, glancing at me as if to ask "are you sure?". I don't think he wanted to pressure me into anything.

But I didn't feel pressured, taking a calm step his way and keeping my arm up in the air. "It's alright; I'm cool with it. I know…. I know you won't try anything, heh, and I doubt you'll rob what little I have. No, you can stay….. if you want." Still seeming unsure, he took a cautious step towards me, then another, and another. I knew he'd finally made up his mind when he took hold of my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. I smiled and motioned to the sofa. "You can sleep on the couch. I'll go bring you some extra blankets," letting go of his hand, I started to go toward my bedroom. When I paused to peer back at him from over my shoulder, I found him watching me….. Watching me, and smiling. It was the same look from before; the one I knew very few women saw. It took my breath away, and it never returned….. not so long as I was looking at him. Still staring deep, emotionally into my eyes, he sat on the edge of the couch, and I felt my body take leave of its senses. God, he's perfect; does he know how remarkably beautiful he is? I just love looking at him, being near him…..

We stared at one another for I don't know how long, but I finally went to retrieve those extra blankets.