Ward

Chapter 1: Prologue

Andreas, tired and weary of his trip, walked through the hallway that led to her room. He was wearing his brown suit and pants, his tie was loosened and his hair was messy. He reached her door and hesitated. There were sounds of the television coming from her room.

He knocked. Tap, tap, tap. 

No answer. He opened the door quietly and peeked in. 

There she was, in a half-sitting position, with the blanket up to her waist. She was asleep, the remote still in her hand. 

He walked up to her bed and gently sat on the edge, and took the remote from her hands. he jerked up suddenly, and when her eyes met his, they widened before she skidded farther away from him.

'You're back.' she exclaimed, surprised.

Andreas had a hard time focusing on her words, when her eyes looked so drowsy, and for some reason, the redness in them was seductive.

'I am. I just came to check on you.' he said.

'I'm fine. You could have knocked, you know.' 

Andreas ran a hand through his hair.

'Yeah, sorry.' 

'It's okay.' 

'Okay, then. I'll let you rest.' Andreas said, and got up to go to his room.

'Wait.' she called. 

Andreas turned around to look at her. The sight of her messy hair and sleepy eyes made him want to pounce on her and take her right there and then, but he resisted.

'I wanted to talk to you...about something.'

It seemed hard for her to get it out, so he sat back on her bed, a little farther away this time, and let her speak.

'Go ahead.' he said.

'Ok.' she said, and took a deep breath in.

'I...have a request.' she said.

'What's that?' he asked.

'I...can't stay here.' she said. 

His eyes snapped up to hers faster than she could look down. He saw in the fleeting moment of a glance, the torment and chaos that resided in her eyes. 

'Yes, you can.' he told her. There was a firm conviction in his voice. Like there was no alternative. 

The truth was, there was a sinking feeling in his heart when she said that. His body couldn't handle the idea of her not being in his possession. The pain was excruciating, and as close to perfect as he was at controlling his emotions, when it came to her, none of his rules mattered. 

And even though he didn't want to impose on her his will, and would lay the world at her feet if she asked him to, what she was saying to him was going to break him. He just knew. 

She let out a breath and looked anywhere but at him. He sensed she was trying to say something, but was too afraid of him to actually say it.

He sighed.

'You can say what you want to me. How many times do I have to tell you I'm not gonna eat you?'

The girl met his eyes for a moment and blushed, before composing herself and speaking. 

'I can't stay here, because it's not appropriate.' she said.

Andreas coughed, trying to suppress a laugh. This girl had been raped and defiled and now she had a place to stay after her horrible, shitty life. The last thing he thought she cared about was cultural appropriation. 

'How so?' Andreas asked. 

'I...am a Muslim.'

'Oh.' he said. That was not what he expected. 

'And?' he asked. 

She fiddled with her fingers, over the blanket that was covering her lower half. 

'I...I'm done. I'm done with everything. I'm done trying to survive. I just want some peace. Not even love. Just peace.' she said, looking him in the eyes for the first time. 

This time, he saw genuinely and tiredness. The same tiredness he had suffered from his entire life, but didn't have the privilege's of telling anyone about. 

'I don't understand. What do you need from me?' he asked, a bit confused as to where she was going with it all. 

'I...I want you to find me someone who will accept me and take care of me. I'm not a virgin. I know that. And I don't ask for a man who's perfect. Just someone who will take care of me. Give me my peace.' she said. 

Andreas's eyes widened a little. He was speechless for ten seconds.

'You mean, you want me to find you a husband?' he asked, incredulously. 

He couldn't even acknowledge the pain in his chest from the thought of her with an another man. Let alone one of his friends.

She blushed, but nodded. 

'I trust you. You took care of me. Your friends took care of me. That's all I need. I can't live here forever. I need some place to live, but I can't be with a normal person, because the danger I've been through follows me. I need someone...' she paused. 

'Go on...' he prompted. 

She blushed and shook her head. 

'Someone?' he said, again. 

'...someone like you.' she said, blushing hard. 

And just like that, all the pain in his chest turned into bliss. 

'How so?' he asked.

'Someone who can protect me.'

'And what if...' he started to ask, but paused, reveling in the moment.

Her eyes bore into his, her cheeks red, her breath uneven.

'What if I gave you me?'