Chapter 72: His warmth

"Stop!" The kids around me held me down on the ground. "I didn't do anything! It wasn't me!" The eleven year old me screamed.

"It has to be you. You're a bad person. My mom said so." The girl with pigtails stood in front of me with a lighter.

I felt something trickle on my back. Alcohol? Oil?

Click!

The girl tried to turn on the lighter.

Click!

"I'm telling you it wasn't me!!!" I screamed and struggled to somehow get out of their hold.

Click!

The lighter ignited, a beautiful blue flame danced on it.

I stared at it, "It wasn't me…"

She threw the lighter at me.

***

I woke up with a gasp.

Breathing heavily, I looked around at the empty place.

Ah…

Something like that happened once huh. I thought to myself after remembering the dream I had.

I looked down at myself and noticed the blanket around me.

I understand the part where the blanket is around me, but why am I between legs?

Only then did I realize that I was lying against his chest.

I slowly turned my face to look at him. He was still asleep.

When the hell did we change positions?!!

His chest was slowing rising and depressing as he breathed quietly, facial expressions free of worry.

It's your fault. I glared at him. You and your father. You took away everything and left me in misery.

He looked so defenseless that it made me wonder.

Can I kill him here?

I slowly moved my hands to reach for his neck, wrapped my fingers around his neck and placed my thumbs on the center of his throat.

My heartbeat began to increase.

He opened his eyes as he felt the cold fingers against his warm body, but he didn't move, neither did he say anything.

It was chilly and the sky was still dark.

Arius just stared into my eyes silently, without an expression.

I gulped, " I hate you." I whispered.

"Then what are you scared of?" He answered in a soft tone.

"..." What am I scared of?

The light pitter-patter of rain could be heard from inside.

I tried to do something more but I couldn't.

"I can hear your heart pounding." He said and then moved his hands to slowly reach mine. "You don't hate me." He took my hands away from his neck, "You hate the situation you're stuck in." Instead of pushing me away, he wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled me next to his chest. "So, you should become strong enough that you get to choose the situation." He wrapped his arms around me.

I could hear his heartbeat. A normal heart beat.

Does it mean he knew I wouldn't be able to do anything? Or did he simply not care?

His warm skin and sweet scent made me feel sleepy again and I drifted back into sleep.

***

I woke up again on the wooden floor, the blanket on top of me.

I sat up and looked around, the place was empty. Arius was gone, so were his clothes but his gun and shoes were there.

It was still raining outside so where did he go?

I stood up to get my clothes when the door opened loudly. I shot my head in that direction but it wasn't Arius.

Two men. A teenager and a middle aged man entered the shed drenched.

As they closed the door behind them I caught their attention.

"This must be the prostitute uncle." The boy said to the other man.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah son, she looks like one too." He gave me a disgusting grin.

Chills ran down my body as I realized where he was staring. I picked up the blanket and covered myself with it, "I'm not a prostitute."

"You're sexy." The boy said. "How much do you want?" He started walking towards me.

'You should become strong enough that you get to choose the situation.'

I picked up the gun and aimed at him. He stopped in his path.

"I said I'm not a prostitute."

"Girl you're not really going to shoot that." The man started making his way to me. "You don't have the confidence to." He kept getting closer and the boy followed.

Am I really gonna let this happen?

My breathing began to get heavy and my hands trembled. "Stop!" I yelled.

They didn't.

I fired the gun and stared at them dumbfounded.

It had hit the boy but I had completely forgotten the gun didn't have real bullets in it.

The pair in front of me laughed.

My eyes wandered everywhere in confusion, then I decided to run but before I could sprint, the boy pushed me down and I landed face flat on the floor. The man immediately held my wrists and pinned me down.

The teenager didn't waste any time and opened the strap of my bra.

No…

Not like this!! I won't lose.

I began to struggle when a resonating sound of gun fire echoed in the room and I felt some liquid drops fall on me.

My legs were free!

I looked back at the boy who had now fallen on the floor with a hole in his head.

Another shot made me flinch but this time my arms were free.

The man in front of me had been shot. I backed away from him immediately.

Footsteps approached me from behind, grabbing the blanket in the process.

Arius walked in front of me and wrapped the blanket around me. An angry expression on his face.

One I had never seen before.

His eyes were filled with wrath and hate and it felt like he would eat up anyone with just that gaze.

"Did they do anything to you?"

Why is he angry….?

"No… Not yet…"

"Good…" He pulled me in a comforting hug, "I'm proud of you."

"Huh?"

"You were trying to fight back. You didn't give up." He whispered, "I'm proud of you."

I couldn't understand the situation.

Was he being sweet?

Was he actually worried? About me?

…

I could hear his heartbeat, slightly louder than normal.

He let me go.

"Get ready. I was able to get a signal when the rain stopped for a while. The car will be here soon." He smiled at me.

The same smile he showed me in the library.

It made me wonder.

Did something happen? For him to give a smile like that?

It made me curious.

About all the things he was hiding behind his smiles.

I reached for his cheek. It was still a bit wet, "I'm fine. Even if you hadn't come back I could have taken care of it."

"That's good."

He squeezed my hand that was on his cheek a little and then stood up.

Without saying anything else he left the shed while I sat there with unanswered questions swirling in my mind.