Late Nights

Landon 

I looked at her, her eyes looking down at a single muffin as if it were a full course meal.

There was something off about her.

She picked it up, breaking it into two and sliding half across the table on the plate. As she slid it across, the sleeve of her sweater rolled back to reveal her arm.

It was almost entirely covered in cuts and bruises, confirming my theory that something was off about her eyes. Her green orbs held nothing but pain behind them and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that that was the reason she avoided her house. She quickly retreated her arm, pulling down the sleeve and giving me a smile.

"Do you have any hidden talents?" She asked as she took a bite.

I shook my head, observing every movement she made.

Her hair was down, an attempt to cover the bruises on her neck but I still saw it.

There was something awful going on inside her house. And I was positive that all of those bruises could never be put there by one person.

They were too fresh.

"Come on, everyone has one." She smiled, looking up at me. "I'll go first then."

"I can fix cars better than your mechanic." She said, taking another bite as she laughed slightly and I felt myself getting lost over time as I watched her.

"I don't have a mechanic." I replied, making her furrow her eyebrows.

"So you fix your own cars, then?" She asked and I nodded, earning a smile from her.

"People would never understand us car fixerers." I chuckled, taking a sip from my glass.

It was obvious that she didn't know what I did for a living.

Then again, she steered clear of people, so there wasn't really anyone to warn her.

Part of me was okay with that, knowing by the way she reacted to that fight back there, she'd scream and run away if she found out about me.

"What's your middle name?" She asked and I shrugged.

"Don't have one." 

This was the most I'd ever spoken in a long time. It felt weird.

"Oh," she said, looking down before she looked back up. "Let's give you one then." She smiled cheekily and I leaned back, letting her.

"How about Bob?" She asked teasingly and I gave her a blank look, only making her giggle. "I had a Dog once."

I raised my eyebrow, waiting for her to finish the story and she shook her head.

"Dog was a cat." She said and as much as I tried to fight it, I smirked.

Time went by and when she finally finished her half of the muffin, it was four hours later. The time was now 2am and she made no move to leave.

And as heartless as I was, I wasn't going to leave her out here knowing the men in the city who came out around this time, preying on the women that came out of clubs late.

She was a very obvious target. She stuck out like a sore thumb, even in the darkness.

Her long blonde hair rested on the seat behind her, falling over her shoulder every time she looked down.

Her light green orbs were glossed over, making them glimmer every time the light hit them.

She was small compared to me, as I still towered over her though I was sitting.

"You haven't even touched your half." She stated and I looked down at it.

Knowing my reputation, I didn't trust the food at these places.

Simply because I couldn't count how many times people tried poisoning my food.

But in this case, I'd guess against that. The waiter seemed particularly fond of her. 

"Here." She said, grabbing the small knife from off of the table and cutting the muffin into smaller pieces.

I noticed that this time, she was careful, making sure that her sleeves stayed down.

"What's your middle name?" I asked and she seemed surprised.

"You asked me a question," she smiled, pushing the plate back over to me. "We're getting somewhere." 

"Bella and Valentina." She said and I picked up a piece of the muffin.

Bella. Italian for Pretty.

"I'm sorry for keeping you out here." She shook her head, looking down at her hands.

"It's fine." I replied and she shook her head again.

"You can take me home now." She sighed and I knew that she only wanted to go because she felt bad.

She stood, paying and leaving a tip on the table for the guy. Then she walked over to the door, holding it open for me, making me feel useless.

Once I was outside, I unlocked my car and she walked over to it, opening the driver's side door for me and now - now I was amused. When I stopped and blankly stared at her, she laughed, shutting it and walking over to the passenger side.

She paused for a second, staring up at the sky.

Her hair fell straight back as she tilted her entire head upward and shut her eyes.

I let her, leaning back against my car and just observing her.

"What does the tattoo on your neck mean?" She asked without looking at me and I knew which one she was talking about.

ابنيالعزيز،لقدعشتمنأجلك،والآنعشمنأجلي.

It was the last note my mother left me. I contemplated on whether or not I should tell her, not wanting her to find out anything more about me.

"It means 'I lived for you, now live for me'." I told her vaguely and she nodded.

"And are you always this emotionless?" She honestly questioned and I nodded, to which she smiled in my direction.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Thunder boomed through the sky and she looked up just as a raindrop landed on her face.

She smiled as another one landed on her forehead before it began pouring and I rolled up my window using my keys. She made no move to get out of the rain and her long hair was soaked within seconds and she shut her eyes, enjoying it. The rain drops were heavy and she didn't seem to mind. After a while she opened her eyes and realized that I was standing in the rain too.

"You can't get into your car soaking wet." She stated and laughed. I raised my shoulders, shrugging.

"Come on." She said, and walked across the parking lot. Slowly, I followed her, watching as she began walking in the pouring rain.

Slowly, I followed her, watching as she walked across the street and began walking down the sidewalk in the pouring rain. She looked back at me, slowing down so that I walked next to her.

"The rain reminds me of when I was a kid. I'd stand outside in the rain and sing to the ants." She told me before she paused.

"Wait, thinking about it now, that must've been torture for them to hear my singing as they drowned." She looked down then laughed.

"Oops." She finished, shrugging and I shook my head, placing my hands into my pockets.

"What was your childhood like, Landon?" She asked, turning and walking backward as she looked at me.

"Didn't have one." I replied emotionlessly and she shook her head.

"Did your mom give birth to a fully grown man-child?" She asked and I chuckled, not responding.

After a while, her face lit up as if she got an idea and she smiled.

"You should make a bucket list," she said, turning back around. "I'll help you." 

"As soon as I learn how to read." She finished and I shook my head as she giggled.

She then stopped and looked both ways before crossing the street and walking into the park.

"There's this spot I found a while ago." She said, walking into the shallow woods and I stopped at the tree line, wondering if I even trusted her enough to follow her.

But, judging by the fact that she seemed incapable of even killing a bug, I did. She walked into the woods without a single fear and this interested me. After a while of walking, she walked out into a clearing where there was a large lake.

"Pretty, right?" She asked as she walked closer.

There was a small dock on the lake and she walked onto it, then sat at the edge as the rain fell onto the lake ahead of her.

I stood behind her, looking out as the moonlight was the only source of light.

I hadn't experienced something like this before. Never took time to look at scenes like these.

The only time I came to a place like this at night was to-

"I feel like I want to dive in." She said and I finally sat with her.

"Why don't you?" I questioned in a monotone voice and she looked over.

"I can't swim," she stated with a small smile before looking back ahead of her. "Not that I'd mind." She mumbled under her breath and I turned my head toward her.

"That wasn't supposed to be that dark, I promise." She laughed, lying down on the dock.

She shut her eyes for a while, but I knew that she wasn't asleep and just trying to buy herself some time as she avoided back home.

I was somehow patient with her, shocking even myself as normally,

I never even had patience with myself.

"You kinda scare me when you look at me like that." She said, her eyes now opened and I shrugged.

"You look at me and I can't tell if you're going to drown me or if you secretly want to be besties." She teased and I still didn't look away, making a tint of red appear on her cheeks.

"Weirdo." She mumbled, laughing as she sat up then sighing when the rain stopped.

"Mother Nature is a....bad person." She said, pausing for a while as she thought of something bad to say.

She stood slowly, looking at me and waiting for me to stand as well. I stood up, my entire height unfolding and when I turned around, she looked all the way up at me with wide eyes.

"Don't come out here in a suit," she said before bursting into a fit out laughter.

"You'll see a news report about a Slender Man sighting." I chuckled, rolling my eyes and she smiled.

She kept staring up at me, her eyes seeming to be stuck on mine. Her eyes were filled with complete pain and I was taken aback by the fact that she was still smiling.

She looked so vulnerable right now and I didn't know the first thing about comforting people. I hated the thought of even having to do that. I couldn't look away from her, all of my thoughts fading. She suddenly shivered, hugging herself and finally breaking contact.

"Let's go before we turn into popsicles." She said, taking a step back.

I walked ahead of her, walking back through the woods and out of the park. She was quiet as we walked back to the car, only speaking once we got to it.

"My clothes are soaking." She said, shaking her head and stepping away from it.

I leaned against the door, waiting for her to get in.

"Mad man." She mumbled as she got in, thanking me as I shut the door.