9. Impatient
9
Impatient
R OSELIN bit her nails as she opened another tab on her laptop. She sat cross-legged on her bed, the blankets wrapped around her. A cool gust of wind brushed her face through the ajar window.
When in doubt, research or paint was her motto. Roselin had read too many papers on Mageía and was none the wiser. Some genetic things, ethical questions, and even something about bad food habits. Taking a deep breath, she took her sketchbook again and added more details to the drawings of Ryu’s tattoos.
Nadia poked her head into Roselin’s bedroom. “How is my favourite person and her Glucose Guardian doing?”
“Doubting and overthinking.”
“I guess you’re back to normal.” Nadia laughed, plopping down beside her on the bed. “What are you sketching?” Nadia frowned at the drawing as she took the sketchbook.
“Just doodles.”
The blood ran from Nadia’s face. “Where have you seen this?”
“Nowhere in particular.” Roselin sucked in her lips.
“Rose!”
“They’re Ryu’s tattoos. Pretty, aren’t they? I wonder if they mean anything, considering how serious he was about them.”
“Ryu, your Glucose Guardian has these?” Nadia asked, and Roselin nodded. “ROSE!”
“What?” Could no one be clear in her life?
“Those are the typical tattoos from some organised crime group in the city. I don’t remember the name, but Gale has mentioned it. His father is a justice attorney and has dealt with them. They’re bad news, Roselin.”
Roselin’s heart sank. Tell her something she didn’t know. Although she had been unaware, he was notorious.
“Why were you scared the night Gale cheated?” Nadia pressed when Roselin didn’t react, the gears turning in her head.
Roselin wrapped her arms around her friend. “There was a misunderstanding.”
“Rose.” Nadia frowned at her.
Her friend wasn’t stupid. Everyone always saw through Roselin, but what was she supposed to say?
“Please be careful,” Nadia said
“I am. Ryu isn’t… He’s thoughtful.” Thoughtful? Really, Rose? “We don’t agree on every issue, but if he were a danger to me, I wouldn’t see him anymore, and he’d be okay with it.”
A deep sigh left Nadia’s lips. “Money isn’t everything, Rose. I can find you a new Glucose Guardian if you truly need it.”
Roselin bit her tongue, almost slipping the transgressions of Nadia’s own ex-boyfriend. Maybe they both had poor taste, but at least Ryu was trying to do good… As far as she knew. “It isn’t about money.” It might not even be about sex—a bit, but not solely. When she was with him, she felt free. Well, when she wasn’t doubting everything, and if she was, he took it away. She hadn’t felt great about herself in a long time, and Ryu slowly gave that back to her, but Roselin wouldn’t tell Nadia that or admit it to Ryu.
Odd. She felt safe with a murderer. A psychologist would have an opinion about that.
“Are you falling in love with him?” Nadia broke her train of thought. “I don’t think you’re supposed to fall in love with your Glucose Guardian.”
A laugh pushed past Roselin’s lips. “I’m not falling in love with him. We’re too different to spend eternity together.” She hadn’t even known him that long, and if it was up to Ryu, she never would.
“You can fall in love with people even though you don’t plan on marrying them.” Nadia exhaled a sharp breath. “And sometimes you can’t stop loving someone, despite the fact they screwed you over.”
Roselin wrapped her fingers around Nadia’s hand. “I’m sorry about Gale. You’ll find someone who makes you happy and treats you right.”
“You too.” Nadia kissed her head. “Now, let’s order pizza for dinner with your Glucose Guardian’s money.”
Roselin threw her pillow at Nadia as she rolled out of bed.
The end of the week was nearing. Roselin bit her nails as she deleted the message to Ryu again. He could’ve told her he would only see her on the weekend—although it was already Saturday, and Ryu hadn’t answered her text or called her. Not even to let her know he was still alive or something. Shit, was she mad at him for ignoring her or pissed because she missed him? To be fair, he gave her a good reason to miss him. What that man could do in bed… or on the couch, floor, shower, desk—
Roselin: Maybe if you spread it more throughout the week, we don’t have to do it three times a day.
With a sigh, she took her bag with paint supplies and headed towards the Elysian gardens. If Ryu wasn’t going to show up, she'd better go back to her previous plans. It was quiet for a Saturday noon. Multiple easels stood scattered around. By the pond where the ducks enjoyed their swim, the Roman gazebo, the flowerbeds, the statues, and the mini waterfall; ready for the exclusive art class. She joined a group of other artists. Some were from the Art department, classmates, a teacher, and other interested. Reminder: thank Mister Smith for getting her in.
“Welcome everyone to the first day of our six-week workshop. Great to see back a few familiar faces, and of course, some new,” the art instructor started. “The famous Le Jardin exhibition has inspired today’s assignment. I would like to invite you all to choose an easel and draw the beautiful piece before you in your own style. Feel free to move to a spot you prefer. I’ll walk around to help where needed.”
Roselin settled under the willow tree overlooking the pond. The willow’s leaves hung partly before her, making the perfect framing for her composition. The acrylic paint flowed across the canvas. She mixed the colours and added a bit of gel medium for a better effect. For some peaceful hours, nothing existed except for the piece of nature before her and her painting. Art was talking to her again.
The instructor walked by, complimenting her before moving on. Roselin waited for the layer of paint to dry once more. The sensation of someone watching her crept up. Twisting in her place, her eyes scanned the garden before settling on two warm brown eyes. Ryu stood a few metres from her, observing. Her heart skipped a beat. Ryu gave her a smirk, like the one on the first day they met, and strode towards her. A cosy, fuzzy feeling radiated from her stomach through the rest of her body.
“Darling,” he greeted her. “I have to say, I love the little faces you make when you're concentrating.” Ryu’s hand rested on her lower back.
A blush spread along her cheeks, her legs clenching together. A few days without, and her body immediately reacted to his. She hated it. Yet, Roselin wanted him to scratch the itch. Her eyes darted through the garden, hoping no one noticed them.
“How much?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Eight again?”
“No—”
Before she finished her sentence, he continued, “Ten must be reasonable?”
“I mean… I’m not sure if I’m selling.” Something lay between the strokes of paint that put a string around her heart. A wrinkle formed on her forehead as she focused on the artwork. “I quite like it myself.”
“Unfortunate, but understandable.”
“Did you get my text?”
He kissed the top of her head. “Come to my house,” he whispered in her ear, ignoring her.
“I can’t. Class isn’t done, nor the painting.”
His thumb stroked down her spine. “What if I say please?” His hand squeezed her butt slightly, but she wished he did more.
If only they weren’t in public.
No. Roselin shook the thoughts away. She wanted to paint. “Class ends in thirty minutes.”
“You’re telling me to wait?”
She bit her bottom lip as the corners twitched faintly up in a smile. “You can do whatever you want to me after this half an hour.”
His eyes darkened and sparkled with the mischief she loves. “Thirty minutes it is,” he said, his lips brushing her ear. Ryu settled on the bench close by. His gaze stung on her back, but a good kind.
The time flew by. Roselin took a step backwards and looked at her artwork. It turned out amazing. Probably not something she should say about her own art, but she was proud. “Nice work, Roselin,” the instructor said. “You have an eye for this and an excellent understanding of technique.”
“Thank you.” She beamed as she packed up her stuff.
The instructor spoke a few words before they all went on their way. Ryu looked at her painting, and she joined him. “Are you sure you prefer not to sell it?”
“For now, yes,” she said, his arm snaking around her waist. “But I can paint you something special.”
“Hmm, sounds good. But first, let’s go to my place. I’ll take you for dinner tonight.”
She couldn’t stop her lips from twitching up into a smile. “Sounds good, too. Let me drop off my stuff and change into something more fitting,” Roselin said. For a second, Ryu seemed to pout. “It won’t take long.”
The wind rustled the leaves of the trees as they strolled down the path to her dorm. Ryu walked close enough for their arms to brush occasionally, but not so close that they seemed like a glued-together couple. Her hand itched for him to hold hers, but instead, Roselin glanced around, hoping none of her friends saw her with Ryu. What if they recognised him or knew the same thing Nadia did?
Her phone pinged.
Abasi: I’m waiting in your apartment.
Shit, she forgot he was returning her book.
Ryu held her arm, pulling her slightly closer, to prevent her from walking into a pole. “You shouldn’t look at your phone while you walk. You could run into something,” he said with a grin. “Our keeper of ethics should know this.”
She chewed her lip as she typed her reply. “I can multitask.” Ryu guided her past the underground trash bin, pulling and pushing her so she didn’t hurt herself. They reached her apartment, and she turned to Ryu. “Wait outside. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He leaned against the wall. “You’re bossy today.” His eyes had the mischievous twinkle again, combined with the smirk that did things to her heart. “What am I getting in return for my compliance?”
She opened her mouth in an attempt to find words. Ryu leaned in, taking her chin in his hand. His lips were so close, Roselin could kiss them with ease if it wasn’t for his fingers keeping her in place. “I want you on your knees tonight, blindfolded, and wearing lingerie of my choice.”
She bit her tongue as a flush of heat washed over her. Fuck, why was Abasi in her room? And why didn’t she have an apartment for herself? She didn’t want to wait until they were at Ryu’s place. “Seems like we have a deal,” Roselin said. Ryu let her go, slapping her ass playfully before she entered the apartment.
“Rose.” Abasi hugged her. “I brought your book,” he said as he held it up.
“Good. Did you like it?”
“I did. Those lycanthropes have a point; being naked should be normalised,” Abasi said, while she took the book and dumped her stuff on the chair.
She laughed. “Well, when you become a werewolf, you can use that as an excuse.”
“What did your teacher think of the sketches?”
“He thought they were great, but I should work more on the male anatomy.”
“I’ll gladly pose for you again.” Something changed in Abasi’s eyes, but she didn’t quite place it.
A few semesters ago, she had to do her first naked portrait. Since Abasi had experience, he offered her and a few other classmates to model for a few beers and some pizza.
“I need to draw some poses, too, and I was wondering if you could return the favour?” he said. Roselin’s cheeks burned, and she felt the redness spread along her face. He held up his hands. “I fully understand if you’re not comfortable getting naked for me, but you would be an excellent model.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She shook her head, and a lock of her hair fell before her eyes.
Abasi brushed the strand behind her ear. “Please? I’d pass the class without a problem with you as my model.” Why was he standing so close when he asked her that? “We could have a little fun and drink some wine to relieve the pressure,” he said. “You have excellent curves, and I modelled for you.”
Of course, she was incredibly grateful that Abasi posed for her. But it wasn’t like she’d asked him, he’d suggested it. And she had to take a few shots for some alcohol-induced courage.
She steps back, breaking eye contact. “And I’m thankful, really. It’s just…” out of her comfort zone, and the thought of stripping naked for Abasi made her self-conscious?
Before Roselin finished, the door swung open, and Ryu burst in. Shit! She wanted to step between them—anything to slow him down and explain nothing was going on. But the shadows paralysed her with fear. “Ryu,” she whispered.
Abasi cursed, walking backwards. “Rose?”
“How dare you,” was all Ryu said.
‘ Everything’s fine, Ryu. You don’t have to rescue me, Ryu. It’s for class—homework—it happens when you don’t want to hire a model, ’ was what she needed to say, but the words refused to leave her lips.
Abasi backed away with every step Ryu took. The chair knocked over, and Abasi tripped to the ground. He tried to pull himself up on the table, anything to create distance between himself and Ryu. The shadow around Ryu’s fingers transformed into a dagger.
“NO!” Roselin found her voice again. The feeling returned to her limbs as her freeze-response turned to fight. Ryu’s hand moved, and so did she. She jumped between them, her hands raised. A gasp left her lips as the blade cut through her skin. Ryu’s eyes widened, the dagger immediately disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Pain shot through her lower arm. Clasping the wound, wetness covered her hand, and the blood dripped past her fingers. Ryu blinked at her—not moving, not speaking—his eyes filled with shock.
“Abasi, go,” Roselin hissed through her teeth. She didn’t dare to look at her arm, her blood painting her fingers red.
“I’m calling the police.” He crawled over the ground, reaching for his phone.
Should Abasi call the police? He should, right? Yet, her mouth said something else. “No, don’t. It’s a misunderstanding.”
Abasi scrambled up and spat, “It was just a question. You’re fucking crazy, Roselin. Does Nadia know about him?”
His words shocked her, turning her stomach… or perhaps it was the blood loss. She should probably check her wound. Ryu reacted to Abasi, too, stepping forward, but she leaned her body against his chest, and his arms snaked around her waist. Abasi ran past them—the dysfunctional couple—and slammed the door.
She didn’t know what to do or what to say. “It hurts,” she whispered. A lightness filled her head, and she only imagined how pale she must’ve looked.
“You need to go to the hospital.” Ryu took his suit jacket off and pressed it on her wound. The sting made her hiss out in pain.
She glanced up at him. “Are you not apologising?” Would it even mean something? Ryu opened his mouth, only to close it again. “I want to yell so many things at you, but I’m a bit dizzy.”
“I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“I don’t know if I want you to.” A tear rolled down her face, and her heart ached, as did her arm.