Chapter 7 - Charming Property

Dane's growing agitation led him to kick the large truck tire and send the monster rattling. He was unsure of what has been gnawing at his patience—the tempting fugitive inside his cabin or the dead truck battery.

Each time he stuck the key into the ignition, a loud crank vibrated through his ears. It didn't help that the sky was dark and pouring down with fast incoming droplets.

Another kick to the useless monster sent it rattling once again.

The truck was an old monster, found abandoned and left to rot in an old alleyway. Dane took it in, fixed it up, and polished it to working condition and this is how it repaid him? When he needed the monster to work the most, it decided to die on him.

The universe must be playing tricks, raging storms and killing car batteries to keep the fugitive and Dane stuck with one another. But he always went against the universe and what it wanted. He used the tools in his hands and dabbled with the monster's guts.

The universe must have listened as the raging storm seemed to calmed its cries, the droplets disappearing all together. Dane glanced upwards and found an umbrella that did little to shelter his large frame. Shadows of a petite fugitive stood from behind him as her feet tiptoed to match his staggering height.

"You looked like you needed a little help. Here, I hope you don't mind. I poked around for a flashlight."

He grabbed the flashlight and turned it on, setting it underneath the car hood. It illuminated the car parts he needed to take out much easier.

"Thanks," he muttered under his breath, flicking his head upward at the umbrella. "But you don't have to do that."

"But I want to do this."

"Even after I flatly told you I wanted you gone? You have more heart than you should."

"I did consider letting you continue to get soaked and come down with a terrible cold but oh, that would mean I'd have to stay here longer. We both don't want that. That's why I want to do this so don't get so ahead of yourself."

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. Indeed. She had less heart than he gave her credit for. At least they were finally agreeing to something. That she should get as far away from him as possible and return to wherever the hell it is that she came from. Possibly, back to her husband. Back to her shimmering upscale life that did not involve a beast and his cabin.

And so they stood there, their frames sheltered beneath the umbrella for what seemed like minutes until time ceased to exist. This time she didn't speak a word. She only watched his hands work away at unscrewing the car's batteries. The pouring rain fell onto the ground splashing a rhythmic beat to her low deep voice.

Prisana began to hum another one of her blasting tunes underneath her breath but Dane didn't mind it as much as he did this morning. He found her aimless humming endearing almost, save for the fact that it was too cheery for his tastes. When she stopped humming altogether, he finished retrieving the car batteries once and for all.

"You stopped humming. It was nice. You have a nice voice."

Her cheeks flushed a bright red. The kind of red he'd imagine tainting her rosy skin with in his bed sheets. Did she not receive compliments regularly? Her husband must be a fool to not shower her in affection. Dane wondered if he even knew she has the voice of a goddess...No, an angel.

"I used to take singing classes," she shyly admits, then lowered the umbrella. "Dane, it stopped raining. I didn't notice it before but your cabin, no...Your property is all very charming."

Prisana was right. The rain did cease to bleed from the skies. Raging winds did not calm but the orange red sun glowered from behind the clouds and shone down on their silhouettes like night and day until shadows stretched tall.

The cowering sun brought life to their surroundings and life to her pretty and wet dripping delicate features which he didn't think could leave him any more breathless.

Her crooked nose crinkled as she smiled and when she smiled, the beast inside of him purred.

She was more charming than his cabin, the property or anything else around.

"Right, charming," Dane managed to utter as he shut the hood. "Let's head back. I'll fix the batteries then send you off."