2

"Didn't you say you weren't curious?" he purred, and in my silence, he drank the remaining liquid in the glass.

"I'm just playing along, you're already too drunk."

"Of course not!" he muttered very convincingly. "I have nowhere to stay. I've been kicked out of my house, can't practice for various reasons, and I'm practically living on the streets."

"It doesn't seem like it."

"Well, it's only been a day since my family threw me out."

"They must be looking for you, and they'll probably find you soon."

"I don't think so. They live far from here."

"Where are you from?"

"I was born kilometers away from this country, so much so that it would surprise you."

"So, you come to a decrepit town to pour out your sorrows to a stranger over a disagreement with your family?"

"A bit, it's nice," he admitted, clumsily taking the new concoction of drinks I offered. "Since we'll never see each other again."

"That's for sure."

Supposedly, that's how it should have happened, but all the misfortune descended upon me that dreadful day.

He drank so many different liquors that after an hour of this, he had lost count. He talked about so many useless things that I didn't bother to pay attention; my brain disconnected completely within seconds.

The hours passed quickly as people left one by one, the opposite of Rhys, who remained a bit drowsy, observing me in his drunken stupor.

"How much is the bill?" asked the tall guy who had separated from his group of friends, now leaving the bar with laughter, ready to pay for them.

"It would be 150," I replied with a friendly smile, receiving the money he handed over without hesitation.

I headed to the cash register, made the invoice, and calculated the change to give him back.

"And what's your deal?!" Rhys shouted, pushing the poor guy, instantly grabbing my attention.

"Hey, calm down..." I grumbled, handing the change to the guy, "I don't want a fight here, please."

"Thanks for everything."

"Come back soon!" I mumbled with a wide grin.

"How can you let him go?!" Rhys shouted, abruptly standing up from his chair.

Without thinking twice, I grabbed his arm, preventing him from running off to start an unnecessary fight.

"Better pay the bill and go home, okay?"

"How do you expect me to pay if that guy stole my wallet, idiot?"

"Impossible!" I shouted, paling immediately. Due to my incompetence, that man had managed to escape unscathed, while Rhys and I argued.

That's how I stupidly ended up paying the bill with my own money. The ridiculous debt of a complete stranger, for some senseless reason, I ended up bringing to my apartment, letting him sleep on the sofa since he had neither documents nor anything else except a pack of cigarettes and clothes that were beginning to smell of alcohol.

But there I was, hopeful that he wouldn't steal more from me than he already had without threats or cross any boundaries with me. He didn't seem like a bad guy, or at least, that's what I tried hard to convince myself.

I took a deep breath, analyzed him one last time as I saw him peacefully resting, and collapsed completely exhausted onto my bed after locking the apartment door, making sure the offense he might commit wouldn't be too severe while I dreamed of things I wouldn't even remember the next morning.

Upon waking up, I would have preferred everything that happened to be a figment of my imagination, a horrific joke played by my brain. However, the guy was there in my kitchen, preparing breakfast while sipping a cup of coffee.

I was speechless, not uttering a single word.

We ate on the sofa, each one sitting far from the other. And then, he dropped it abruptly, startling me with his deep voice.

"Since I lost everything I had because of you, the least you can do is let me stay longer."

"No way!" I shouted, terrified by his ideas.

"Well, you don't have options."

"I can call the police to kick you out!" I grumbled with a cynical smile, standing up abruptly.

"And I can tell them you're an accomplice of that idiot guy who robbed me last night."

"I am not!”

"Regardless of what you say, I'm staying, period," he declared with a fierce look that froze my breath. He got up from the couch to come close enough and thus, could place his warm hands on my shoulders. "Let's not make this even more complicated, Lucy."

My words couldn't come out, my body wouldn't respond. I wanted to kick him out of my house, but I couldn't; I wasn't brave enough to compete against him, knowing beforehand that I would lose in every possible way.

Therefore, and somewhat unwillingly, I ended up accepting his stay.

Thankfully, he secured a bartender position at the run-down bar on the same day. From my perspective, it seemed too easy, thanks to his spectacular way of speaking. He swiftly changed the boss's mood in a way I never could, all due to his creative ideas and his appearance, which attracted people of all ages; he was charismatic and brilliant, nothing compared to me.

Not only did that irritate me immensely, but Rhys was also quite shameless upon closer consideration.

I hated that he wore my clothes, even though I had managed to buy him some at the shabby store near my apartment. However, he took advantage of my situation, putting me between a rock and a hard place. Nevertheless, I had started to get used to it, if only a little.

I returned to the apartment a bit exhausted from all the hustle; it had been a tiring night but profitable for both the boss and us.

He lay down on the couch as usual, after taking off most of his clothes, ending up only in boxers, making me blush.

For my part, I slipped into my room – the only real one – put on pajamas as usual, and fell asleep in no time. However, before I could even have a good dream, Rhys appeared at my door.

"Can I sleep with you?" he asked nervously.

I stared at him horrified, thinking for a moment that he was some specter, but he took several steps towards me, allowing me to recognize him better.

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled, covering my head with the blanket. "Go to the couch!”

"It's raining heavily, and I hate both thunder and lightning."

"Do whatever you want, Rhys," I murmured, closing my eyes again, managing to fall asleep without much effort.

"Thanks, Lucy."

Without hesitation, he lay on the other side of the small bed, turning his back to me, offering me a bit of his body warmth on that cold night.