4

I immediately turned my face in another direction, quite uncomfortable with his breath.

"Let her go!" shouted an unruly Rhys, landing a punch before I could defend myself.

"Bastard!" growled a violent voice behind me, and I heard a dull thud that forced me to turn around, finding a man practically unconscious at my feet.

What my eyes witnessed was impressive—Rhys threw punches and kicks left and right at the three friends of the thief.

For a moment, I thought he would emerge victorious from this monumental battle. However, seeing them slowly cornering him with their strength, leaving him exhausted and defenseless, I couldn't stay still, especially knowing they would seriously hurt him in a matter of seconds.

Without even enough time to hesitate about whether I should help him or not, I jumped onto the fattest of them and bit his shoulder, making him scream in pain.

Rhys smiled at me satisfied before immediately continuing his fight, while I kept hurting the chubby one beneath me, who writhed to free himself from my grip.

I pulled his hair and scratched his face and every part of his body within my reach without feeling a hint of remorse as it was quite entertaining, I couldn't deny it.

The chubby one, witnessing with difficulty how Rhys had left his other two friends breathless on the ground, decided to surrender.

Finally, I could put my feet on the hard ground with a jump, quite content with the results. The leader, terrified as never before with what Rhys would do next, got up from the ground.

"Take your money, psychopath!" he stammered, throwing heaps of bills and his precious wallet at Rhys' feet.

All his friends and he ran away, leaving us alone in the middle of the street with the eyes of the villagers on our exhausted backs.

Our lips were sealed; there was no need to say anything. We could only enjoy the amusing way those four were leaving far away, perhaps not to return for a good while.

At that moment, I wasn't very sure about what had driven me to do it, but the truth was, it wouldn't matter if I thought about it more calmly later.

After all, the only thing flooding my mind was the joy of knowing that soon I would have my satisfying solitude back.

Maybe that sinister thought motivated me to hug Rhys, wrapping my thin arms around his neck, and my indelible smile hidden in his shoulder. Perhaps I was too happy to know that he would soon be leaving my presence.

However, something inside me stirred uncontrollably, leaving me petrified when he returned the embrace in a very affectionate way, enveloping me in his warm arms.

I remained very still on the couch, wrapping my legs with my arms, curled up into a complete ball.

My breathing was still uneven; I could still feel the warmth of Rhys's body on my skin, his breath so close to my collarbone, the gentle grip of his hands behind my back...

I tried with all my might to shake my head to clear those memories, those bad memories.

His scent was the same; everything was too similar, so much so that it made my skin crawl.

I tried to focus on the movie I had been watching since I arrived home completely alone, as Rhys had left proudly with the girl and her brother.

He had looked at me disappointed because I had excused myself, saying that I didn't feel well and had returned in a hurry because I knew I would soon start having an attack, one of those I hadn't had since I was a child.

I wanted to forget, to stop feeling that sense of disgust coursing through me. I wanted to put an end to what prevented me from living in peace. I wanted to cease to exist.

I grabbed my head between my hands as I pulled my rosy hair, ready to scream, but the slowly opening door of the apartment stopped me immediately.

"What are you doing there?" Rhys asked me with a wide smile that told me more than one thing without the need for words.

He turned on the living room light before quickly passing through the kitchen to pour himself a glass of soda.

"Watching a movie," I replied dryly.

"Is it good?”

"Something..." I lied, almost paralyzed as he sat beside me, after taking off his jacket and leaving it strewn over the dining table.

I tried to relax with all my might since Rhys was my friend... or so I assumed.

I mean, he was a good acquaintance, and he hadn't done anything strange since his arrival. He was a bit eccentric, but despite that, I had learned in the past few days to deal with his wild way of acting.

But that familiar sensation drove me mad; it made me want to run away and never look back again. I wanted to disappear or shatter into pieces that couldn't be put back together, whichever happened first.

"That was a great fight," he commented out of nowhere, distracting me from my horrendous thoughts. "I didn't think you'd be that good. You don't look very strong, to be honest."

"I'm not, I'm not strong," I mumbled, my gaze lost in nothingness. "I just did what I thought was right."

"Well, I have everything that was mine back, and if it weren't for you, none of this would be possible."

"You can leave now, Rhys... or whatever your name is," I confronted him, giving him a stern look.

He understood the hint and scratched his neck, looking embarrassed.

"My name is Jack Rhys, so I didn't technically lie to you," he shrugged, smiling. "And as for leaving, I agree, but first, we must climb the mountain."

"Huh?" I looked at him, bewildered.

"Why do you think I came to this wretched town?" he asked, frowning at my look full of doubts.

"To flirt with the town girls?”

"How funny!" he muttered with a fake smile. "This place supposedly has the most incredible mountain in the whole country, so tomorrow, we'll go climb it, and maybe camp there. What do you say?"

"Do I have a choice?" I whispered wearily. "Anyway, even if I didn't want to, you'd force me to go."

"How clever you are!" he applauded, proud that I was already accustomed to his peculiar way of doing things. "I spoke with the boss on the way here, and there's no problem for an extra day off. Besides, the money you won't earn for these two days, I'll pay you back myself."

"Do you have that much money to waste?"

"Yes," he confessed, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. "So go and rest; you need to have energy for tomorrow."

"Fine."

I stood up a bit dizzy, feeling like my head was spinning.

I wanted to vomit; my heart threatened to run out of my chest, and I wouldn't have minded if it did. I would have even been grateful for that, so I wouldn't have to carry so much pain inside.

I wanted to cry wherever, without fear that Jack would ask me questions; I wanted to disappear, but it was impossible.

I headed lifelessly to the kitchen, where I poured myself a glass of water that I drank slowly. Just when I was about to go to sleep, Jack's voice stopped me.

"Hey."

"What?"

"I didn't sleep with that girl," he admitted, his gaze fixed on my expression.