Forty Five
Adonis
There was no doubt that her Father remembered me from the last time. And I don’t recall giving that much of a first impression.
For all I know, cigar scent was in the air before he arrived at the party venue and that alone would have made the man disapprove of Ruby’s connection to me.
On a normal day, I wouldn’t give two fucks, but as Ruby disentangled our hands and got up abruptly, I did the same and I assumed a sober look.
“Dad, what are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you meant to be in school?” His voice deepened on purpose and I looked to my side to see how much that affected Ruby.
“Uh-”
“Are you skipping classes now?” he asked sharply.
“No, no.” Her hands waved in the air to refute his claim. “School is over for today.”
“Hmm,” he murmured while his eyes darted in my direction. “Isn’t he the same guy I saw you with at that party?”
“Uh…” Ruby looked my way briefly and I gave her an assuring nod. “Uh… yes, he is.”
“Is he a student in your school?” The way his eyes peered into mine made me wonder if he already knew who I was. Or if he was trying to intimidate me and turn me into a fellow that pees his pants.
“No. He is just a friend of Abby’s from college.”
“Hmm,” he hummed again. “So…” He took some steps forward and sensed his intimidation in its full glory. “Are you two dating?”
“Huh?” Ruby looked at me again.
“The question is simple, my dear daughter. Are you two dating?”
“No.” I watched as she struggled to maintain eye contact with her father. Ruby was certainly not enjoying the lies she was telling.
“Really?” her father inquired, his brows raised in question.
“Yes, Dad.”
“What’s his name?”
Since I found it uneasy that Ruby was being grilled because of me, I decided to butt in and relax the intensity he was radiating.
“My name is-”
“I was talking to my daughter,” Mr. Powers sharply dismissed my attempt. “Mind your business.”
“Okay,” I gently replied.
“What is his name, Ruby?”
“A- Adonis Klaus.” Her hands kept torturing each other as the moment dragged on and I began to wish that I had the means to get her out of there.
Her father nodded, his hands went into the pockets of his well-tailored suit pants and after some seconds of drilling glares into me, he said, “Ruby, meet me outside. I will take you home.”
As soon as her father walked out of the restaurant, Ruby crashed onto the bench and I followed suit.
“Are you fine?” I asked and she shook her head.
“Adonis, he is going to find out…” Ruby raised her head and I read the fear in her eyes. “He asked for your name so that he can investigate you. So he is going to find out who you really are. Adonis...” Her legs danced in nervousness. "... once my father finds out, it will be over for us "
“Is that what you think?” She nodded and I sighed. “Just go home, Ruby. Everything will be fine.”
“I hope so. Thanks so much for today Adonis, it was fun.”
While resisting the urge to run my hands through her hair, I smiled and replied, “Thank you too.”
“I’ll return your jacket after I’ve washed it. Bye.”
“Take care, Ruby.” I got up and watched as she walked out of the room, her head hung in a manner that made me feel sorry for her.
As soon as she was out of sight I didn’t bother to sit down, I directed my steps towards the bald man who I had noticed way before Ruby did.
With a great impact, I planted myself opposite him. The man dropped the food in his hands and sat up with the eagerness to engage me in a battle written all over him.
“This is not the first time you’ll be following Ruby. Who are you?” I simply asked.
“That’s none of your business.” He sounded rough yet it was obvious he wasn’t. Perhaps he was trying to cover up something about his life by possessing a strong, intimidating character. But I could see through his cover.
“What do you want from Ruby?”
“Why do you care?” he spat.
“I intend to protect her with all I have. So if you are going to put her in danger…” I shifted in my seat and narrowed my eyes at him. “… I won’t hesitate to get rid of you.”
“Well…” He cleared his throat. “I do not intend to harm her in any way. I am observing her from a distance.”
“So, you are a stalker. And perhaps a pervert because I can’t imagine what someone like you would want with Ruby.”
“It is none of your business, really.”
I scoffed, bit into the flesh of my mouth, and sat back to study the man some more. He looked like he had gone through a lot in life. With dark circles decorating the sides of his eyes, the blackened attribute of his lips suggested that he took to smoking for comfort after facing enough hardship.
“I don’t think you work for Maximus.”
“Who is that?” he asked.
“You don’t have to know,” I replied as I got up. “A quick warning though. If you hurt Ruby, I will make you pay in the most gruesome way, I promise you.”
“I still have no idea who you are,” he commented, malicious laughter rolling off his tongue in reaction to my warning.
“You don’t have to know who I am right away. But please make a lovely mistake when it comes to Ruby and trust me, just the mention of my name will be enough to haunt your dreams.”
I didn’t wait to see his reaction but it was obvious he would still be ignorant of the weight of my words.
Well, one can only hope he doesn’t do anything that would make his ignorance a curse. For all I know, sometimes, ignorance is a huge blessing.
~
The light that welcomed me as I stepped into my living room was enough to let me know that something was wrong. Cautiously, I reached for my hammer which happened to be lying around. Once I circled my palm around the roundness of the handle, I was ready to scare my intruder out of my house.
My feet were already taking steps toward my kitchen when footsteps entered the room.
“A hammer really?” the voice asked and my guard relaxed.
“Maximus, seriously?” I shook my head at the man who was once my boss.
“What?” His arms spread into the air and he wore a smirk on his face. “Can’t I pay my favourite guy a visit?”
“No, you cannot. Please leave,” I urged him while I dropped the tool on a table that was close by. After, I walked back to the living room and had my seat on one of the white couches.
“At least offer me a drink.” Maximus sat down as well. “My father surely taught you how to accommodate guests.”
“Are you here to pick a fight?” I asked.
Maximus's dangerously smiling eyes stopped taking a tour of the room. And he said, “I am here to welcome you to the neighbourhood. I am glad we live close to each other now.”
I could tell what he was trying to do and it would be stupid to let him continue.
“Thank you for your welcome, you can leave now.”
“That girl…” He crossed his legs. “I believe her name is Ruby. I learnt she lives not so far from here, I should perhaps visit her too. Compared to you, I am sure she would be more accommodating. What do you think?”
“Stop playing your silly games, Maximus. I am the one you want, not her.”
“I need her. I need her for so many other reasons and luring you is one of them.”
I sighed hard. “Why are you here?”
“I see you have been trying hard to protect her. That’s cute.” He dropped his crossed legs and assumed a threatening position. His elbows on his knees, his back slightly bent, he watched me with all forms of seriousness in his eyes. “You might need to try harder though.”
“I won’t let you harm her.”
“I have more eyes on her. I know her movements. So trust me, I can strike anytime. So please, try your best to make sure I don’t get her. Because if I do, you will have no choice but to come back to me.”
“Are you done?”
Maximus scoffed, got up, adjusted his suit then eyed me a bit.
“You had better listen to my advice. You had better keep a closer watch on your girlfriend.”
“Thank you for the tip, you may leave now.”
His chuckle filled the air and his footsteps soon approached the exit. Once he walked out, I went into my room to grab a jacket. I was determined to spend the rest of the evening with Ruby, so I rushed out of my house and hoped that she'll be around. Besides, seeing her is the only way I can effectively protect her.
Hopefully, everything turns out well. Hopefully, I am able to protect her to the end.
It would hurt a lot if she ends up facing difficulties because of me. So, yes, I must protect her. Even if it means I eventually suffer for all my sins.
