CHAPTER SEVEN
Brandon had left to finish the paperwork. I had given his the names, addresses and numbers that I think would be needed. He said he would be reaching Uncle Jack for more information and details. Everything seemed to be moving fast, but in reality, it wasn't. I stared at the mirror in front of me while Flora prepared tea for us. Brandon must be a bit of a narcissist to have so many mirrors in his house. Maybe he likes to look at himself a lot, and honestly, I wouldn't blame him. The weather had changed, and rain tapped against the windows. Flora rushed to the kitchen, emphasizing the need for something cozy as fast as possible.
Even though the house was perfectly isolated, my anemic condition immediately turned my skin pale and lips purple. I hurried to the room, hoping to find something warm to wear, but all the clothes the girls gave me were summer outfits. Sighing, I returned to the living room, standing there uncertain of what I was looking for. Perhaps a blanket?
"I'm coming!" I heard Flora say. She entered with two mugs in her hands and some cookies. Cookies? "Where did you find those?" I asked. I had searched for something to eat last night, but there wasn't anything in the kitchen. If I had known there were cookies somewhere, I could've slept better with a full stomach. Flora smiled. "Brandon must've filled the kitchen; there are so many things to eat." When did he actually have time for this?
When Flora noticed my puzzled expression, she added, "Are you okay? You seem off."
I looked up, sitting down next to her, gazing out of the big windows in the living room. "I just feel bad that I caused you so much trouble."
Flora playfully hit my arm and handed me a cookie. "You're not trouble! The girls sent gifts, and Bloom packed her favorite clothes for you! You are more loved than trouble. So please don't say these things. And, uh, Brandon is not that kind of man to trouble himself for someone he doesn't want to. So if he wants to help, let him." As soon as she finished talking, she took a big sip from her tea to soften her throat. She really was a talker.
"I'm trying," I murmured, trying to hold back tears. It wasn't every day that someone said they loved and cared for me. Especially a group of people. But I knew this was a dead conversation right now. Flora meant what she said, and all I had to do was show respect, just like they respected me. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.
For a good twenty minutes, we left those annoying conversations behind. Or at least Flora did, and she started to tell me about herself and the girls. They were all in college but also working part-time. This made me think about my choice of study. Now that I was free, or at least going to be, I could go to college and study whatever I wanted. The excitement filled my lungs, and I felt sudden happiness wash over me.
"Stella," said Flora all of a sudden. I turned to look at her, but she wasn't looking at me. My happiness died immediately, replaced with fear. "Can I ask you something?"
I shifted on my seat, this question never brought anything good. "Sure," I said, not really wanting to hear the question, though.
"What exactly happened last night?"
I wasn't sure what she meant, and I wasn't sure why she wasn't looking at me, considering she was waiting for an answer. "Umm," I murmured, but the question could mean anything! "I don't understand," I said, hoping she would look at me and ask again.
"With Brandon," she said, now facing me. "Was he mad? Did he force you to tell him everything? He's my cousin I know, but I can't say he's a friendly man."
I searched for a joke reference on Flora's face, but there wasn't any. Force me? I didn't know Brandon either, but he seemed like a gentleman. A cold-blooded gentleman, but a gentleman, nonetheless. Why would Flora ask me something like this? He didn't even touch me. "Force me?" I said out loud, as this part seriously shocked me the most.
"You know," she started but couldn't finish.
"He was really nice to me, actually," I said, with a small hope to calm Flora and myself. Flora scanned me for a minute, and I could see surprise in her eyes. This made me rethink my situation. I was living in someone's house, and that someone was unknown to me, but wasn't Flora too? I've known her for, what, a week? Maybe less. The time in the hospital didn't really come out, and I never asked. But what actually triggered me was that Flora was surprised to hear Brandon is nice. Wasn't he normally?
"He was... nice?" She asked, and I nodded. Yes, he was! She was starting to scare me.
"I don't understand. Why are you so surprised? What is he like normally?" I asked. She shook her head; I guess she realized that she scared me. Clearing her throat, she apologized and took my hands in hers. "I didn't mean to sound like that. It's just..." She wasn't going to finish her sentences today, I guess. "Please continue." This was barely holding me, I had to know in whose house I live in. And what if he was a criminal? Like I have a choice.
"Brandon is not here very often. I barely see him, actually. He's usually in Albania, taking care of family business with his brother. He only comes here when there's work of his own to do, I mean advocacy."
"Their family business is in Albania?" I always wanted to visit that place, but for this, I had to get out of the house first.
"Well, one of them, yeah. He's half Albanian, that's why he prefers to be there most of the time." Raising my eyebrows, I welcomed this information, not really sure why I liked it, though. What does it matter if he's Albanian? Not my business.
"What I want to say is; I don't get to spend time with him that much. Even Helia knows him better than me; they are really close friends since high school. I just got scared when I saw a text from Nabu, Brandon's big brother, informing me about Brandon being back home. I called him immediately, but he showed no reaction whatsoever on the phone. I didn't mean to scare you, Stella, really. If Brandon was not a secure person, I would've never brought you here."
Nodding my head, I felt the sudden feeling of trouble again. People helping me, and me being a pain in the ass for nothing. Literally, I have no idea how am I supposed to pay back these people.
"Sorry dear, Bloom's calling, I'll be right back." When Flora stood up, I let out a deep breath and pushed the overwhelming feelings aside. I wondered how long it would take for Brandon to handle my case. The faster this case gets solved, the less burden and trouble I'll be for these people who only mean well.
After the conversation with Flora, I sat in silence, trying to figure out the feeling that was growing in me. It could be because I had so many cookies, though; I'm not so sure since it's the first time I've eaten this many cookies. Flora had fed me like a mother feeding her child after starvation. I smiled at this; she was really like a mother.
An hour ago, Brandon had called Flora, saying he's on his way. Flora wanted to wait for him and see how things went with my case, but Bloom's emergency call was also bothering her too much. Apparently, there was some issue with the pumps in the house, and only Flora knew how to get the guy to fix it. This part I really didn't understand. Was Flora threatening him to come? She had said something about an exchange of calming tea for sleep, but I wasn't sure what kind of payment this was. She didn't want to leave me alone, obviously; her face couldn't really hide the worry, which really left me dazed.
I felt the same worry in my stomach, leaving myself taken aback that I cared this much for the people I just met. Eventually, I talked Flora through it, and she went home without seeing Brandon again. Letting out a deep breath, I turned to the bookshelf I had my eyes on since I first saw it; if this wasn't heaven, I don't know what it was.
The bookshelf was mostly filled with law books, but there were also a lot of classics. Even though I had read them all, I didn't mind reading them all over again. I was thankful for my father who had filled my room with a lot of books, some of them being my mom's. Her name was written on all of them, on the first page, with a pretty signature. Everything about her was pretty, to be honest—her golden hair and beautiful golden eyes. But I only had her things with me. My dad had kept them all in their old apartment. A part of my inheritance. Her clothes, accessories, shoes, and so many other things inside that apartment, with the apartment itself.
He used to take me there and tell me more about my mother. In every little object, he could find a story to tell me. I closed my eyes while I grabbed a book from the shelf, remembering the feeling of my books, which oddly were never something they punished me for. They never touched my books and never took them away from me.
I could only imagine what Flora and the others were thinking of me right now. A girl who hadn't left her house for years must be unintelligent and close to madness. Well, I wasn't either. Maybe mainly because I had my books, and every time my siblings and Charlotte were out of the house or went away on holidays, I got to stay out on the balcony, read my books anywhere but my room, or watch TV.
I probably could never thank Uncle Jack enough; he had brought me so many things without letting anyone know. I even had a phone with his number on it, but Charlotte had found it just a week before my escape. It didn't affect me that much anyway. I was informed enough about the outside. I even had friends on social media. I gave myself a fake name; Luna. My mother's name. I didn't realize I was holding "Jane Eyre" so forcefully that I almost hurt the book. My favorite, now in pain inside my palms. Rolling my eyes at how dramatic I was being, I took a step back from the bookshelf. Jane Eyre did this to me, and I didn't even feel sorry for it. With the book in my hand, I walked to the couch and sat down. Now, this was definitely heaven.
I jerked the blanket on me to get more comfortable. The room temperature was better now; maybe the blanket had helped. That's odd, though—I remember looking for a blanket but couldn't find any. So where did this one come from? My curiosity forced me to open my eyes and see if there was really a blanket covering me. And yes, it was. Jane Eyre now resting on the table open but turned the other side. I don't remember putting it that way but I'm glad I didn't lost the page I was reading momentarily. Slowly, I straightened myself on the couch and checked my surroundings. The sun was almost setting down, and its evening sun light was directed at me. I felt lucky to have the light on me. My skin was pale for a reason, and my anemia got worse because of the same reason. Not having sun touch my skin. After everything, this may be the biggest reason I hate Charlotte. She never let me have enough sunlight.
I tilted my head back slightly, welcoming the evening sun hitting my face. I loved the sun in every way. With a momentary shiver, I opened my eyes and stood up a little more on the couch. I realized only five seconds later that the eyes I felt on me were the cause of this effect.
Brandon was looking at me with a strange glint in his eyes. Now the chill had given way to relief, and a strange movement occurred inside me.
"You seemed relaxed this time," he said, saving us from that intense staring session. My gaze wandered over his face for a while longer. His jaw was not clenched like it usually is; he had that relaxed expression on his face that you get after smiling. Something must've pleased him. Since I didn't know when I would receive a beating, criticism, or scolding, I found myself learning body language. In this way, I saved myself from many tense situations. Now using this in my new life, which I am just trying to get used to, helps me in a way. After all, I knew I shouldn't trust anyone right now. But for some reason, Brandon is pushing me too hard on this issue. My trust in him, which I could never understand where it came from, was putting a lot of pressure on me when I was alone with myself.
"What?" I asked, with a sleepy voice. His face got more complicated for me to understand. Was he taken aback or was he tired of something? At some point, I can't read him like I read the others. He cleared his throat, meaning he was going to talk.
"You looked stressed, sleeping on the bed." I blinked in surprise; I was stressed when I slept on the bed? The bed was comfortable enough for a long beauty sleep. Why was I stressed? Why did he notice this and how?
Swallowing, I pulled the blanket, which now only covered my legs, up to my stomach. His gaze was piercing me, as if he wanted to see something I was trying to hide inside me. "I wasn't aware," I muttered. "Isn't the bed comfortable?" he asked this time.
I couldn't take my eyes off of his. The emeralds gave me a feeling I couldn't quite name.
"It's actually so comfortable and soft, but," What now? But what? "I think I prefer it hard." His face suddenly took on such an expression that when I wanted to swallow again, this time I swallowed a lump along with it. It was getting harder and harder to read this man. What possibly did I say to cause this reaction? Was he sensitive about his bed?
He caressed the back of his neck and looked away from me. I think he did it because he was braver than me, and I still couldn't take my eyes off him. The sun had now completely set, and twilight had settled in the room. Brandon wasn't looking at me, but he started to move towards me with his head down. Like he was trying to calm himself or protecting himself of something? I told you, reading this man was not easy! Even though I couldn't straighten any further, I still made a small effort to sit up. My back was fully pressed on the back of the couch, and I realized that the soothing effect of the ointment Flora had applied in the morning was long gone.
She wanted to apply it again, but after Bloom's urgent call, we both forgot the ointment and wasted more time thinking of solutions. I bit my lip and tried to suppress my painful moan. Luckily, Brandon didn't notice this and sat next to me. Although it wasn't good for my current situation that he was sitting so close to me, I liked it for some reason. Hoping that I was thinking due to the influence of my hormones, I tried to warn myself by biting my teeth a little harder on my lips.
"Don't," his voice came out of his lips not as clear and harsh as usual, but more pleadingly. As I was about to turn towards him and ask what he meant, I noticed that his gaze was on my lips. As soon as I tasted the metallic taste on my tongue, I understood what he meant, so I freed my lip from the pressure of my teeth and pulled my bleeding lip towards my mouth, sucking it, trying to hide the appearance of blood. When I looked again at Brandon, who was taking a deep breath, I watched him rub his face with his hand, look up at the ceiling for a moment, and then let out his breath. I seriously didn't think his anger could tolerate me any longer. Realizing that I was testing his patience, I tried to remain in my place.
Even though the silence surrounding us seemed soothing right now, I wanted him to say something, to give me information about the case. But I kept my mouth shut, afraid that if I asked him this, I would be putting pressure on him.
"When did Flora leave?" his voice sounded hoarse. I was distracted for a moment and noticed that he was covering his face with his hands supported by his elbows on the knees while I wasn't looking at him. I muttered, trying to think of the time, "It was almost two." The sleepy tone in my voice was still there and was now annoying me. I was talking like a fragile baby, no one likes that. He lifted his head from his hands and looked at my face, "You've been alone at home for three hours?" It seemed like he was asking himself this rather than me, so I just nodded.
"I thought she was here and got a few more things done. If I had known you were alone..." he didn't continue, but there was no need. Although this angry attitude did not scare me, the fear that he would get angry with Flora later made me tremble.
"She," maybe I shouldn't say anything, that could make him angrier than he is, but the urge to save Flora from some yelling pushed me to talk. "She had an emergency call and thought you'd be home by the time she gets home. If she knew, she would've waited." I literally put myself on full power mode while speaking. Brandon's surprised look not able to stop me. "Please don't be angry at her."
Brandon shook his head; I thought he meant no, but he was more like shaking his thoughts away. At some point, I should stop trying to read him. This wasn't helping me figure anything out; instead, I was becoming more confused by the time. "Did you eat anything?" He asked without looking at me. My stomachache knocked my door like it heard his question; the cookies I ate were still there begging for release. I grimaced at the thought. "We ate your cookies." I said, lowering my head out of shame. Flora had brought them, but I wasn't going to sell her out for cookies!
When I didn't get any reaction from him, I raised my head to see his face. His smile was like a punch to my stomach. I couldn't breathe and couldn't take my eyes away from it. His bright and perfectly ordered teeth added more shimmer to his smile. I couldn't believe that this smile brought peace to me. I let out a shuddering breath but still couldn't take my eyes away from him.
"Did you like them?" he asked. I nodded my head, still hypnotized by his smile even though it was gone now. "They were," I murmured, "Really sweet. But I guess I ate too much," rubbing my stomach, I grimaced again at the thought I just had.
"Don't you feel well?" he said and came a little closer to me. Having difficulty suppressing the instincts that suddenly appeared inside me, I shook my head as if to say no, without taking my eyes off his face. "Just the weight collapsed; I'm fine." I managed to say, but the fact that my voice was stuck in my throat showed how unwell I was. Although I would like to admit that it is indeed a hormonal situation, I have never had such intense and hungry feelings towards anyone who came near me before.
Sometimes, when my brothers brought their friends home, I would feel all their eyes on me and wish I could sink into the ground and disappear. As if they weren't the ones bothering me, trying to corner me, trying to touch me, my brothers always blamed me and left me with endless blows, thinking that I was trying to seduce them. No matter how much I hated this situation, I owed it to them to keep what I was feeling under control now.
Being silent for too long wasn't good for either of us; I could tell he was trying to hold back or suppress something. He's probably trying to hold back his anger or annoyance. Suddenly, a girl appeared in his house and took away his house, time, and food. I had to work hard to erase this image I had drawn in his eyes.
"Helia told me about an ointment for your back that you should definitely apply, and that you can't reach. Did Flora apply it before she left?" The electricity on my skin was because I wanted his fingers on my skin. This truth and accepting this truth came over me like an elephant and turned me upside down. I didn't even let Helia control me and he was a doctor! Pull yourself together Stella.
Okay, I was a virgin, and okay, I had never kissed or made love before, but I had never felt such uncontrolled feelings. I've never had such a great desire inside me, even when reading an explicit sex scene on my books. I cleared my throat to find my voice and mumbled, trying to keep my eyes on him. "Yes, she did." I tried to smile, my tension increasing; I could undoubtedly feel it coming to life on my cheeks.
"Good," he muttered, getting into a comfortable position on the sofa, leaning back and starting to roll up the sleeves of his shirt. He once again amazed me with the sight of his slender and long legs, sitting in a typical male posture with the ankle of one leg resting on the knee of the other leg. The first two buttons of his shirt were open, and I tried to visualize the image of his muscles. All the male book characters who came down on me shouted at me as if they were condemning me that this was actually really shameful.
Swallowing, I turned my gaze to his Adam's apple and witnessed him swallowing at the same time as me. Even though the up and down view movement of his Adam's apple felt incredible in my groin, I tried to recover by slapping myself inside of my head. I stopped torturing myself further by lowering my head and tried to get distracted while examining the beautiful texture of the blanket. This also must me really expensive.
"Stella," the hoarseness in his voice attracted me, but I opposed it and raised my head, muttering, "Hmm,".
"I opened the case," Even though I felt the weight of his words on my shoulders, I held myself upright and turned my gaze to his face, where so many feelings awoke in me. He must have noticed that I wasn't going to say anything because he tried to reassure me with a small smile, and it worked. "From now on, you are under my protection." I continued to listen to him, holding my breath and keeping my ears open. "From now on," he continued. "No one can hurt you."
I opened my mouth to thank him but there was a really big lump on my throat I couldn't quite swallow. He reached for my hair that was hiding my left eye and tugged it behind my ear, a touch so light, I didn't even feel his fingers on my ear just the weight on my hair telling me about the gesture. "You're safe." He murmured. I swallowed hard, pushing that lump down. A thank you would be nice, but I couldn't form a word under his piercing gaze. "I won't let anything happen to you again."