𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐍 | ᵇʳᵘᶜᵉ ʷᵃʸⁿᵉ [𝐁𝐓𝐀𝐒]

Chapter 15: Fever in our hearts

"I brought you some soup. Alfred made it for you." I handed her the soup.

"Thank Alfred in my name." She was sitting on the couch with her legs up, wrapped in a blanket.

I sat down next to her in the living room and asked concerned. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. The temperature is gone. I still have headache", she took a sip of the soup.

"It's because of town's polutin. You didn't use to it." She mostly lived by the sea where the air is fresh. Truth is: she probably picked something on the street.

She put the soup on the table and looked down at the skin on her arms. She mumbled. "My tan is wading away..."

She lifted her head up and met my gaze. "I assume you didn't come here only to bring me soup."

"I want to apologize. What you saw─", I started, she cut me off.

"You hurt me Bruce." My eyes widened at her words and her honesty.

"I never meant─" She cut me off again.

"I thought you're different but you are as they say you are." She looked aside.

"I'm not Ro. You need to believe me. I don't play with people's hearts." My arm reached for her but she moved her hand away.

"No, just with mine." My eyes widened again.

"You knew I'm into you, I never try to hide it. I know you have your secrets, we all do, but..."

"Nothing happened Ro", I asked her to believe me.

"You need to leave." She surprised me as she threw the blanket away and stood up, heading towards the door.

She was still weak, barely standing on her two feet. I caught her in help. "I haven't thought about this through enough."

I carried her in my arms as she rested her head on my shoulder. "I've been doing a lot lately. Somewhere on the way I forgot to take care of myself." I know. Between helping on the street and her college.

"I meant what I said. You need to leave Bruce." I put her down.

I moved closer to the window and looked outside at the garden. The rain stopped falling. Everything was painted brown. "I'm not used to having this type of conversation─"

"I know, you said it once", she cut me off.

"─ but with you I want to try. I'm trying Ro", I continued.

"And you are doing it just fine. It comes naturally if you try to relax."

"I'm not sure if I can. There are things you don't know about me. Who I am. What I do."

She moved closer to me. "I see you, Bruce. I don't need to see all the parts of you which made you who you are to see the real you."

I sighed, confessing. "For a long time it was just Alfred and me. I don't know how to let anyone in." She hugged my arm and put her head on my shoulder.

She looked up at me. "Are you going to tell me you didn't even try?"

I looked down at her, hugging my arm. "You are already in."

"Then... why? You don't think I would like the parts of you. Is that what are you protecting me from?"

I looked away. "No, the world. My world."

"I'm already in your world Bruce. But I would like to stay and discover more of your world, you."

"Promise me I'm the only one?" I looked down at her.