Set Me Free// L. Staley

7. Brothers Tattoo

The stranger patiently waited for Rowan's arrival. He sprawled out on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Previous to his relaxed state, he searched his closet in hopes that something new had appeared. Unfortunately, no objects made themselves present, but he did find a tennis ball. He long abandoned it when it grew boring to throw against the wall. However, seeing the ball again ignited a sensation of entertainment.

He tossed it up and down, keeping his hand extended above his body so he could catch it. Long ago, he abandoned his shirt, leaving his pale torso exposed to the chill of the room. He crossed his jean-clad ankles and focused all of his attention on the neon yellow ball. He propped his left hand under his head to give him elevation as he tossed the sphere.

"I'm pissed!" Rowan exclaimed as she opened the gold-trimmed door.

The stranger, used to the silence, jumped in his spot on the bed. He caught the ball just in time for him to turn his head at the enraged Rowan. A light smirk broke out onto his face.

He caught her.

"Why, hello to you too," the stranger wittily responded.

Rowan closed the door behind her with a sigh. Once the door latched in place, she turned around to face the stranger.

"Sorry. Bad day."

"I can tell," he replied with a grin. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged as she approached the stranger, who still laid in his relaxed position. The ball that he held in his hand rolled out of it and onto the bed.

"I don't want to bother you with it," Rowan mumbled.

The stranger breathily laughed. "Oh, come on. You don't bother me with anything. I'm glad you're here, and I'm willing to listen to whatever you have to say."

Rowan observed the relaxed stranger with a blush on her cheeks. In her fit of anger, she hadn't noticed his bare chest. He wasn't muscular, but his body seemed healthy for its skinny stature. Across his left shoulder stood a black and bold skull tattoo. No other markings of ink were visible to Rowan's eyes, therefore concluding that was the only visible tattoo on his front. The hem of his jeans sat low below his naval and sat atop his hip bones, causing Rowan's blush to deepen. So she stood, still and in place, as she stared at the shirtless boy laying out on the bed, a goofy grin on his face.

"That was quite an entrance you had there, by the way. I don't think you'd get pissed over nothing; you're pretty docile from what I've seen," the stranger added, playing stupid. He noticed her blush this time as she eyed his frame. He was more than aware of the fact that she grew flustered at his foreign look to her. She had never seen him shirtless. In fact, she saw him covered in baggy clothing, so seeing him half-naked definitely sent a jolt of surprise through her.

"You...Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty-I'm pretty upset," Rowan stuttered.

"Mhm," the stranger hummed as he tucked his other hand behind his head. "You sure look like it."

She looked away in embarrassment, knowing he caught her checking him out.

"Yeah, well...I found a, uh, note."

"A note?" he questioned, sitting up slightly, so she took him more seriously.

Rowan cautiously sat down at the foot of his bed, where his legs had previously lounged. She mentally pulled herself together after staring at the stranger to collect her thoughts. She was more than surprised that the stranger caused such an effect on her.

"Yeah...I unpacked my apartment after being moved in for six months, give or take. And I stumbled upon a note that my ex gave me that I had never read and-"