Chapter 14 #3
‘Breakfast,’ he finally signs when he’s done.
It’s a bowl of…something. Not oatmeal, but the same consistency. He sets it in front of me, along with a mug of what smells like chamomile tea.
When I don’t reach for it, he makes a go on gesture. ‘It will help. Trust.’
I pick up the spoon and take a bite. It’s the perfect temperature, barely sweet, and very rich. I sip the tea, and though it burns a bit going down, the aftereffects are nice.
‘Thank you.’
‘Feel better?’ he asks.
I nod and take another drink before letting out a small sigh. ‘Can you drive me to work?’
He stares at me, the look on his face unrestrained incredulity. ‘No.’
Well, fuck. I can take an Uber, but I don’t want to waste the money. Maybe I can text Rene if I can get my eyes to cooperate on my phone for a few minutes.
Or I can walk.
I can probably walk.
He knocks on the table, and I look up at the vibration. ‘Work none. Forbid.’
I almost laugh. I probably would have if my throat weren’t swollen on the inside. ‘I have to work.’
‘No.’
‘Archie,’ I sign, putting as much impatience as I can into his name sign.
He stands up and walks around the table, pulling me to my feet. Before I can lift my hands, he shoves me backward. It’s not hard, but I stumble before righting myself and give him a look of surprise.
He’s entirely undeterred and closes the distance between us, lifting my chin with one hand before letting go to say, ‘You can’t work like this. Can’t see straight. Can’t walk straight.’
‘It’s too close to the end of the semester—’
‘No.’
I know I’m not going to get anywhere with him, and in truth, I think being stubborn about work isn’t because I want to go. Or because I should. Or because I have to. No, it’s so much fucking deeper than that.
I don’t want the fucker who hurt me to feel like he won.
I don’t want to give up pieces of my life all because someone decided to take away my sense of safety and security in the place where I live.
Taking a deep breath, I let myself settle and find the words that will hopefully reason with him. ‘I understand why you’re worried, but you didn’t need to push me to make a point. I don’t like that. You can’t do that again.’
‘Sorry.’ He doesn’t look sorry, and I probably need to remember that nothing about this thing between us is normal and never will be.
I don’t know where he came from or what he does or why he and his brothers are here.
But I know for a fact that I can’t apply normal societal rules to how they behave.
Archie steps forward again, bumping his chest against mine. It sends me off balance, but this time, he catches me with an arm secured around my waist. I look up at him and will my eyes not to cross.
He takes a deep breath, and then he nods. ‘I’m sorry,’ he signs again. This time, it’s sincere. ‘I’ve never been with someone like you. If I do something wrong, tell me. I will be better.’
Not what I was expecting at all. He’s stubborn as fuck, and I assumed he was just going to insist on having everything his way, so this is…
well. Nice. And I want to kiss him and tell him that I’ve never had a boyfriend either, but I’m not sure that’s what he meant or how he sees me.
I sure as shit don’t want to fuck up and scare him off.
‘I understand you’re trying to help me,’ I sign slowly. ‘But I have responsibilities that I can’t ignore. So there needs to be a compromise.’
‘Sorry,’ he tells me again. He takes a delicate finger and pushes against my throat without hurting me this time. ‘I don’t like compromise.’
I don’t bother trying to hide my laugh. ‘I can tell.’
He closes his eyes for a second, then opens them. ‘Work isn’t safe. And you’re too hurt to teach today.’
As much as I want to argue, I can’t. The last thing I need is to go cross-eyed during class and then vomit into the trash can in front of my students. Or, god forbid, have them be in the classroom when this fucking psychopath shows up to finish the job.
‘It’s almost the end of the semester,’ I tell him. ‘I can have someone cover my classes today, but that’s all I can afford.’
He looks at me intently for a long moment. ‘Second time someone tried to hurt you.’ His fingers graze my throat again, and I swallow heavily in spite of the pain. ‘I kill them. Will. Promise. Then you can work safe.’
‘Don’t kill anyone because of me,’ I insist, but the words feel strange on my hands.
I’m tired of being stalked. Of being hurt. Of being afraid. I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s death, but I want all of this to stop. And it feels like this is the only way.
He cups my cheek and holds my gaze for a longer beat than usual, then nods.
‘What?’ I ask. He’s clearly come to some kind of conclusion.
‘You live here with me.’
“Archie,” I try to say aloud, but though I can’t hear right now, I can feel the way sound dies before it gets to the top of my throat. I’m pretty sure all I’m capable of is a soft whisper. ‘I can’t live here.’
He frowns. ‘Why not?’
‘Because…’ Because why? Because it’s not my home? Archie has made me feel so fucking welcome, but even so, deciding to move in with my not-quite-boyfriend-kind-of-stalker doesn’t seem okay in any social circumstance. Even this one.
But once again, maybe there’s a compromise. ‘I stay,’ I sign slowly, ‘until I’m better and until bad man is gone.’
His brow furrows as he thinks it over, and I can tell he’s not totally on board, but he nods anyway. ‘I go with you. Your house,’ he signs. ‘Get your things. Go with you to work. Keep watch.’
My breath leaves my lungs. ‘Like a bodyguard?’
I can feel the rumble of his laugh, and he rolls his eyes like I’m being a total dumbass. ‘Yes.’
Oh god. How is that going to look? Everyone will definitely have questions then. But also, the thought of going back to campus on my own without him is terrifying. I nearly died, and if it weren’t for Percy getting my message before everything went wrong, I wouldn’t be here right now.
So fuck it. If people have questions, so be it.
Archie is offering to be my hero once again, and I have no plans to have him anywhere other than at arm’s length.