He remembered how she had smiled softly right before she awoke too. She was so full of life that he found himself unintentionally enthralled by her.
But she looked pretty nervous when her eyes snapped open and she found herself face to face with him. He couldn’t fault her for it. She had been violated by filthy thugs, had narrowly escaped an attack by the ferocious Muta, and to top it all off, she had lost consciousness and woken up next to him.
Any normal woman would’ve fainted again. Zel knew all too well what others thought of his appearance.
His height and muscles were easily twice the size of an average human male, his skin swarthy. He found coordinating colors took too much effort, so he always wore black clothes, lurking as a dark mass even in the daytime. His purposely unmaintained, long ashen hair stood in stark contrast to the rest of him as it fell from his head in random directions.
And then there were his callous teal-blue eyes suffused with a sharp glint.
There wasn’t a soul who wouldn’t look away when he locked his eyes intently upon them. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t glaring at them. Ordinary, weak humans intrinsically discerned the dangerous aura around him and were careful not to look at or approach him while keeping a wary eye on him from a distance.
On the other hand, plenty of people approached him solely because of his idiosyncratic looks. The majority were creeps with shady histories and disturbing fetishes. After all, Zelaide’s appearance made decent citizens tremble in their boots just from looking him in the eyes.
Most women would normally fear the worst for their chastity if they woke up with a beast of a man like him hovering over their bed. As it was, he’d tried his best not to look or touch her more than absolutely necessary.
He intentionally kept the conversation to the bare minimum in order to avoid scaring her any further. Yet, despite shrinking back from him with nervousness and suspicion, she had been very expressive. She had earnestly taken his advice to heart and looked ashamed of her foolish choice. He could’ve asked her a lot more, but he assumed she must’ve been exhausted, so he quickly ended the conversation and left the room to let her rest more comfortably.
From what he observed from the window, she had successfully used the shower and didn’t seem to be cowering with fear. They hadn’t broken into her car and he’d made sure her stuff wasn’t stolen, so he hoped she was able to breathe a little easier now.
She’s a woman with an insane amount of grit and resolve that you’d never guess just by lookin’ at her. But this is goodbye. I’ll never see you again.
Just when Zelaide thought she was going to enter her car, the woman swung her head over her shoulder with her hand resting on the door.
She looked up at him, squinting against the bright morning sunlight after the rain. He assumed she was checking out the building she was taken to. It was the obvious thing to do. The gate and fence didn’t have a nameplate or address number on them, but she’d immediately know her whereabouts when she came out on Circle Line after driving some 200 mols down the main road.
She might come back another time to pick up the specs she forgot or to say thanks. There’s a high chance she will if she’s the daughter of a fancy family. I’m in big trouble if she does. I should probably leave this place for a while.
Truth be told, Zelaide knew he should’ve escorted her home after the frightening experience she went through. He hesitated to offer because it was wrong for a savage-looking man like him to know where she lived, and he knew the situation would be unpleasant in the off-chance her family spotted him. This house was located in a rich and exclusive neighborhood, so he knew she would be safe on her way back. It was a bad idea to throw either her life or his further into disarray beyond what had already happened.
Luckily for Zelaide, jobs came for him without pause no matter where he was, and he hadn’t heard any rumors recently about the Huntsman showing up. His pockets were lined with more than enough cash. Disappearing for a few days wouldn’t be a problem since he could contact his agent Palmina whenever he wanted.
Well, this is probably the last I’ll see of her. Even if she comes for her specs, she’ll give up and leave as soon as she learns I’m out. But I guess I’ll get outta here for a while just in case.
Zelaide scratched the pterosaur’s chin as he forcefully closed the lid over the incomprehensible sense of loss he felt.
“Tipsy, mind sending her off in my stead?”
“Chwirk?” Tipsy cooed in response.
“Come back and let me know if anything happens to her. Though from the look of it, I might just be overthinkin’ things.”
The woman glared his way for a while, but eventually scrunched her face up in a big scowl and stuck her red tongue all the way out before quickly slipping into her car. Zel doubted she saw him, though her head was angled right at him.
What was that just now? Zelaide unknowingly raised the corners of his lips. She didn’t break. She hasn’t lost that drive to deny her attackers victory one bit. I doubt we’ll ever meet again.
But that’s for the best.
The engine roared to life and the white car took off, spraying gravel behind it. Zelaide saw her turn her head sideways to look back just before she drove out of the gates, and he instinctively jumped away from the window.
The sound of the vrooming car faded into the distance.
Tipsy soared high into the sky.
She left.
He deliberately hadn’t asked for her name. She’d been about to tell him herself, but he’d rushed to stop her. Nothing would come of her telling him her name. He pretended not to hear the whisper inside that said he should’ve asked her. Not knowing each other’s identity was how it was supposed to be, and it was for the best. Gorgeous blonde hair and emerald eyes. The red tongue she’d stuck out under the bright sunlight left a strange afterimage lingering with him.
She colored his world for but a moment, and that moment instantly fell to the past. That’s all their encounter was.
Zel smiled dryly and left the window.