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Lily's, tense figure cast a hazy shadow on her door for a dim light that shone through her hallway as she shoved her key clumsily into the lock of her door. She twisted it, a panic rushing through her for a small moment when she thought she had broken her key from the pressure she applied, and stepped inside.
Finally home.
Lily was reminded of her situation when she saw the towering shadow of the figure right behind her. She nearly flinched, but held it in and gestured stiffly to her counter to set down her bags. After flicking on the light, she dropped her keys on the counter and internally winced at the sound it made in the otherwise still and awkwardly silent room. In her mind, after she had a small mental battle, she made a decision that made ever cell in her body buzz anxiously and uncertainly.
"D-Do you want some coffee? O-Or tea?" Her voice hit him like a gentle breeze. He gave a smile, almost barely noticeable to the regular human eye, but it was bigger than any smile he had given her before. It conveyed his hesitance but happy surprise
"Are you sure?" She nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, still avoiding eye contact though the blue of his eyes flashed in her mind. "Coffee, please." She gave a tight smile as well and brushed past him, beginning to prepare the drinks. She tried to keep her mind off of the situation at hand. Not only had she invited someone to her home, which she had never done in her 8 years of living in Bucharest, but she gave him an excuse to stay longer by making him coffee.
She had to admit that she was intimidated by the man. As he sat at her kitchen counter with his eyes roaming around her space, she took the time to study him through small glances and her peripheral vision. He was pretty buff, he wore an old baseball cap over his long brown hair. Stubble littered his jawline, and his eyes seemed to be in constant calculation. Eyeing every exit he might find. The window, the door, the bedroom door down the hall, the bathroom, anywhere.
He was paranoid.
She didn't know how to react to the negative emotions that radiated from him. He had such a calm and gentle demeanor, albeit cut-off and cold, but a kindness in his eyes. Life had clearly dealt him a heavy deal, and though it had made him quite cynical, he wasn't broken. The kindness that she was so in awe of couldn't be taken away.
Through her roaming thoughts, she seemed to forget that she was pouring his coffee. So when she looked up and saw that it was on the verge of over spilling, she quickly stopped. Her eyes flicked to his figure for a sit second upon seeing his studying her, she averted her gaze, hoping he didn't see her burning cheeks from embarrassment.
They sat in an still silence for a while. The kind of silence that you're afraid to breath too loudly in. After a few minutes she decided to speak, up.
"Thank you." His eyes quickly found hers and she couldn't seem to look away once the eye contact was initiated.
"For what?"
"F-For helping me." She scrunched up her nose slightly. She had never met anyone is Bucharest nice enough to walk her home and not expect something out of it. He set down his mug carefully on the counter.
"Well, you got hurt because of me-"
"Oh, no really I'm fine-" she tried interrupting as he stood and made his way over to her. She wasn't a huge fan of physical contact. It made the emotions of the other person more intense. She unnoticeably shuffled back until her lower back softly hit the counter as he made his way towards her. He was barely a few feet away from her when he gently grabbed her injured wrist. She set down her mug, maybe to tug her arm away, she had no idea. For some reason, though, the slight burning sensation from his calloused hand on her skin was oddly comforting and intoxicating. She let out a quiet, shaky breath as he pushed down the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a nasty bruise where she had landed. The sight of it made her stomach churn. Instead of looking at the bruise, she chose to carefully inspect the look on his face as he studied her wrist. It's the closest she has been to another person in a while.
"It's the least I could do." He carefully inspected the bruise.
"I-I'm fine. Really. It's just a bruise. It will go away." She gently tugged her arm away, pressing harder against the counter when she felt her anxiety spike. Her breathing had picked up ever-so-slightly.
This was not a good idea, this was not a good idea.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep." He took his own step back, giving her some space. She grabbed the mug she had previously set down and took a small swig of it, letting it rush past her tongue and burn at her drying throat. As he stepped back, she couldn't help but feel guilty. He looked disappointed in himself.
"N-No. Y-You're alright. I just get bad headaches sometimes." She hated lying, but it was a necessary and it was only a stretch of the truth. "I-I don't feel v-very good." He nodded, the look of concern still shining in his eyes, though he opted to look at the counter instead of her.
"Of course." He minimally fixed his baseball cap and took light steps towards the door. "Thank you."
"F-For what?"
"The coffee." An amused shine came to his eyes as he watched her blink away her dazed look.
"Y-Yes. Of course. A-Anytime." She tried giving a small smile by it came out as more of a grimace.
"Would you like to grab a coffee sometime?" He asked catching her off guard. He was halfway out of the now open door, and his eyes shown in the hallway lights. She stared at him for a moment, gaping like a fish before swallowing nervously and giving a hesitant smile. Before she could even think about what she was going to do, she found herself answering.
