Chapter Two

I lived in a small, and up until recently, peaceful town. The town of Delwyn was a nowhere town. You couldn't even find it on a map. There were lots of wooded areas, forests, and two large lakes, each at opposite ends of the town. I guess you could say we had a hunter's paradise. Everyone owned trucks of one model or another built for off-road travel because of the rough terrain areas; whatever could get you through thick mud and rocky roads was your best vehicle of choice.

Five minutes or so was all it had taken for us to get to the main road. There was a green light ahead and we managed to make it through before it changed.

"Make a left on Noliden, then go straight until you see Floneve." I said while looking out of the passenger side window.

I didn't want to start a conversation, too much on my mind that I didn't want to share. I stayed silent until he asked where to go next. We were almost to Floneve now, driving about twenty-five miles per hour.

"Turn right on Floneve; my house is on the corner. There's a white Chevy Equinox parked in front." I said, searching the streets for any suspicious figures as we turned onto Floneve.

We parked directly behind my car. I heard Baltasar whistle from the backseat and I almost jumped, almost.

"Nice car, nice house, are you rich or something?"

He asked a little too enthusiastically. I couldn't help but giggle a little.

"No, I wish. My parents owned this house and passed it on to me when they bought a new house."

I took my seatbelt off and sat there very still, looking out of the window at the lavender and white house. It wasn't huge but it was a lot of space for just me. It has three bedrooms, a finished basement with laundry facilities, an upstairs with an attic, and two and a half bathrooms; plenty of space. I slowly turned my head to look at Vasilios who was already looking at me.

"Is there someone you can call to stay with you tonight?" He asked.

I thought about that for a second; the only person willing to get out of bed after midnight who lives near me is my best friend Celeste. She wouldn't be too happy about it, but she'd drop everything to help me when I needed her. I nodded yes to Vasilios.

"Good."

He said before he got out of the car. I watched him walk around the front of the car to my side and he opened the door.

"Come on, I'm going to get you settled before your guest comes."

He picked me up off of the leather seat, then stepped back and closed the door with his hip; giving it a firm bump. He carried me up the stairs and onto the porch where he set me down so I could unlock the door.

"Do you have your keys on you?" He asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.

"I left the door unlocked. I thought I'd be right back, you know?" I said, shrugging my shoulders. He simply nodded but didn’t comment.

We went inside. Vasilios closed the door and locked it behind us. I limped over to the wall and turned on the lights. The living room was illuminated with soft light. I lived alone so my decor wasn't extravagant. I liked things simple. There was a beige & cream, microfiber suede sectional that wrapped around the room against the farthest wall. A glass coffee table with a small China vase in the center sat a few inches from the sectional. Across the room was a forty-five inch plasma T.V. kiddy-cornered. There were some potted plants near the window but other than that there was nothing special about it; Just a simple living room.

Vasilios was already bringing me my cordless phone before I could walk into the living room completely. I sat down on the couch and dialed Celeste's number. She picked up after the second ring.

"Hey chickie, I'm surprised you're still awake. What's up?" She sounded awake enough.

"I need you to come over and spend the night. My feet are too swollen for me to do anything."

"Really? Are you all right besides the swollen feet?" She asked with her voice becoming increasingly concerned.

"Yes, thanks to a certain generous stranger." I said looking up at the man in question. Vasilios flashed me one of his charming smiles before looking away.

"I'll be there, give me a few minutes." She sounded a little relieved.

"See you soon." I said before hanging up. I sat the phone down beside me and sighed.

"Can I get you a cold towel or an ice pack for your feet while we wait?" He asked.

"Sure, the kitchen is down the hall to your right. There should be an ice pack in the freezer." Without another word he went to the kitchen.

Celeste arrived about twenty or so minutes later. Vasilios let her in for me. When she walked into the living room, her ocean blue eyes went wide. I watched her mouth the words 'He is gorgeous' and it took everything in me not to laugh out loud.

Celeste was tall and slender. She was around five feet seven inches with long legs like a model. Her hair came down to her shoulders in golden blonde spirals. Her skin tone reminded me of coffee with too many creams, a milky caramel. Celeste was three years older than me, twenty six years old. She had a degree in bioengineering, super intelligent. She had hoped we would go the same way in college but my passion was art. I loved creating new things; whether it was a new recipe or a drawing, I loved expressing myself through art of all forms.

Celeste looked down at my cut up legs and I watched as her eyes filled with horror and concern. She came and sat next to me, her hand on her chest as if it had physically hurt her to see me in this condition.

"Astraia, what the hell happened to you?" She asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you all about it." I said, taking my slowly melting ice pack off of my left leg and putting it on my right.

"I'll leave you ladies to it then. Astraia, I left my number on your refrigerator should you need anything." He said from the archway of the living room.

I looked up at him, still curious about so many things. I assumed he wanted to see me again since he left me his number without a second thought.

"Thank you Vasilios, for everything." I said.

"Not a problem. If we see each other again, call me 'Lio'. I prefer it." He said with a smile.

I felt myself blushing again and couldn't stop it.

"I'll call you, Lio." I said, looking away from his suddenly intense gaze.

"It was nice meeting you Celeste." He gave a nod to both of us before he let himself out.

Celeste looked at me with a devious smirk.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, sounding overly defensive.

"I would've hurt myself on purpose to have a guy that hot take me home and play doctor. I saw how he was looking at you, Astraia. You're crazy if you don't call him." She teased.

"Shut up Celeste, he was just being nice."

I said, unable to control my grin.

I grabbed the T.V. remote from the arm of the couch and turned it on. I flipped through the channels anxiously while Celeste babbled away about how sexy Vasilios was and what she’d love to do to him had she been in my position. I didn't comment but I didn't stop her from talking either. I was having similar if not identical thoughts about him myself.