A damsel in distress

Sometimes, it was easier to shut down the conversation before it would turn sour. She had feared that would be the outcome if she had been prompted to explain her caring for him, which had been the reason she had decided to leave it be for now.

He agreed to it being too soon for them to do anything that would be considered intimate, which made her smile. Not all guys understood that there was a certain balance between things. A hookup once in a while was nice enough, but sometimes you just wanted something to last more than an hour in the sheets and maybe a cuddle in the morning after. Or, that was her perspective anyway.
As she had explained that it was the only water she would allow herself to be in, he seemed thoughtful. She smiled warmly at his loud thinking. “It’s different from siren to siren, I find. My brothers can go days without swimming, whereas I can only go about a day or so before I feel dry and itchy. I suppose it’s just as much the transformation back to a siren that makes us seek the waters. I wasn’t told much about it to be honest,” she admitted. Her parents had sheltered her from everything, which made her both naive and ignorant at times.

“I guess I am very lucky indeed,” she agreed with a teasing spark in her eye; a spark that grew in intensity as he asked if she thought of him as perverted. “I wouldn’t suspect anyone of doing something I wouldn’t do myself,” she said; clearly hinting at the fact that she would catch a sneak peek of a gorgeous being if she had been told that being would be stripping down as soon as they got home. Once again, he seemed to grow more serious. It suited him, but at the same time she adored his smile. Handing his jacket back towards her made her shake her head slightly. “Not too far from here, I assure you. I’ll be just fine,” she said with that same soft smile as earlier. “And to be honest, if I were to borrow it, I might even try to keep it as an excuse for you to agree to meet me again soon,” she chuckled, winking at him once more.
As the charming fella he was, he even suggested for her to write on his wrist. With the pen in her hand, she was about to take his hand so that she could scribble down her number - but then he decided that it was best to write in in a matter that wouldn’t force him to read it upside down. Slightly surprised by the gesture, although neither intimidated nor displeased, she followed suit and now had the demon standing behind her; his left arm beneath hers. “You are far too charming, mister,” she chuckled, before she grabbed his hand gently to hold it in place as she would scribble down the digits in her phone number. “There you go! Now, don’t you dare lose that number like you lost your phone,” she said. A part of her wanted to turn around; to stand face to face - or in her case, face to chest - with him. She wasn’t sure however, if it would be considered rude or an intrusion. So instead, the just stood there for a moment; waiting to see what his next move would be.

Her smile seemed to indicate that she liked his answer; like if she was looking for a long-term relationship. It could scare people off; that she didn’t just want a one-time thing, but more. Commitment. Benjamin thought it would be ideal to have a long-term relationship, but it seemed like whenever he was with someone, it only lasted a couple of months. Last time he was with someone, it was Calla. She was just too broken; nothing he could help or ‘fix’.
Benjamin nodded slowly as she explained how it could be different from siren to siren. “Wha-… You got to tell my why you weren’t told much about it next time, alright?” he had almost asked the question immediately, but it seemed like they needed things to talk about next time they met.

He chuckled as she agreed to being lucky. The spark in her eye seemed to attract him just a bit, as he smiled back. He lifted his eyebrow and bit his lip, nodding. “Alright then. Remind me you’re not getting my address,” he teased with a smirk. He was certain his dad would go nuts if he figured out he had a girl visiting – again. You need to find someone who is strong enough. His dad had suffered from the loss of his wife, as Benjamin had been born, and Benjamin was certain his dad was trying to protect him from the same pain as he had gone through. His dad had just stopped showing love…
His eyes narrowed a bit, as if he was trying to figure out if she lied about how far away, she lived. He didn’t want her to freeze. He hesitated a bit, when he finally took his jacket back, and threw it over his broad shoulder. The serious face he had put on, seemed to crack in a smile, as she confessed that she might just keep the jacket as an excuse to see him again soon. Noted. The way she winked at him, made him question if she was starting to flirt with him; he just had to keep it cool, right? No need to scare her off.
Almost as if it had been a dance, she was led into the position he thought might be most suitable. A slight chuckle left him, as she called him mister. He shook his head a bit, even though she might not be able to see it. As soon as she grabbed his wrist, ever so gently, he looked down watching how she wrote each number, trying to mesmerize it, even though he would have it directly on his wrist.
He chuckled as she mentioned he shouldn’t throw his wrist away like his phone. “I would have to meet a werewolf to lose it,” he replied. As she didn’t seem to walk out of his space, he tilted slightly to the side, so she could look a bit better at her. She was being such a temptress, the way she just stood there right under him; with her heartbeat. “You should go home,” he said with a low voice, before he took his jacket and laid on her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze on the shoulders, as if he was making sure the jacket stayed on. He gave her a good portion of his own power. He wanted to be sure she got home safe, even though he couldn’t follow her. Well he could, but he wouldn’t!

“I promise you, I’ll tell you all about my weird childhood and helicopter parents next time,” she said with a calm smile, before she chuckled ever so briefly. After all, Rafael knew, and her world hadn’t collapsed. Maybe it was a good thing to have close friends; the kind you could trust with secrets, thoughts, desires and fears. Tic had been her only close friend back in Oregon, and since he had turned his back in her when she moved to Gaia, she had felt so alone.

“Oh, you don’t need to give me your address!” She exclaimed, as she hadn’t caught on to him playing along on the teasing. Then, after a few moments, she realized the situation and felt her cheeks getting flushed. “I feel stupid now,” she sighed, smiling softly as she scoffed at herself. Nothing mean, just a soft scoff.
As he narrowed his eyes when she told him that she wasn’t living too far from where they were standing, she looked knowingly at him. “Listen, if it would make you feel any better, I live a few buildings from here. I’ll show you my place some other time,” she promised him, before she bit her lower lip. Yeah, some other time. When she had unpacked her bags and made that tiny space into a home. Preferably before her aunt decided that she was to move in at the estate.

She didn’t mean to be tempting. In all honesty, she wasn’t even aware that she was being just that; a temptress. All she knew was that he was the one placing them like that, so he should be the one to break the position, or else it might seem like she didn’t like it or him. She wasn’t willing to take that risk. As he mentioned having to meet a werewolf to lose the number and his wrist, a part of her had flashbacks to the evening at Rafael’s place. How he had shared such a traumatic story with her, only for her to not even showing how sorry she was that he had to endure that. She couldn’t go on and take others pain on her. It would be too risky.. then, the four words came - almost as a warning. Benjamin wouldn’t harm her, still it felt like he was holding back something as he told her she should be going. “Oh! Yeah, of course,” she said, as she was about to take a step forward. Then, she felt how he placed the jacket around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. In that moment, right there, she wanted to turn around and face him; yet she knew better. Her heart was beginning to act up just a smidge, so going home was the best thing to do. “Thanks for walking me home,” she said, slightly out of breath, before she took a couple of steps away from him. “Goodnight,” she said, as she turned around and smiled softly at him; although the smile might have been slightly different than earlier. Her lips, although painted red with a gorgeous lipstick, was turning bluish purple along the edges; yet another sign that she needed sugar, salt and rest fairly soon. Her heartbeat, although normal to most, was beginning to be distorted; like there was a gap that wasn’t closed all the way, and blood couldn’t travel all the way as planned.
She turned around once more, and in quite a hurry she rushed the last few meters to entryway. Within moments, she - and his jacket - was out of sight.

//out

Benjamin smiled at her promise. Now he just got to remember to ask her about it next time they were going to meet up. He would look forward to getting to know more about her.

Benjamin lifted his eyebrows in surprise as she told him she would not need his address. Either he was extremely ugly, or she already knew where he lived. “Wow, burned,” he laughed, before she realized what he had meant. It was clear she did not mean to harm his feelings or be mean, which Benjamin understood. “You shouldn’t. No harm done,” he said with a playful smile with a hand gesture which showed that he pushed it aside, like if it was nothing. And it was nothing, it was just a misunderstanding.
A acknowledging, and thoughtful sound left him, while he nodded. “Alright,” he said, and stopped narrowing his eyes. He did not need to see her apartment, not even next time. Not ever. Her company was enough for him. If she wanted to show it to him, he would gladly see it, or even help her put up lamps and shelfs.

As soon has he had spoken his words about she should leave, he sensed a slight bit change in her way of moving. She somehow seemed stiffer. Had he scared her? Her heart even sounded slightly different to him. What was up?
He let go of her, and his jacket, as she thanked him. “Anytime,” he said softly, noticing how she was slightly out of breath. He had scared her, he was certain. It almost hurt when she stepped away and said goodnight. “Goodnight,” he replied with a soft crooked smile. He noticed how her lips looked different, even though they were painted by lipstick. Her heartbeat still seemed different from others, and he couldn’t help but wonder why. As she turned around he chose to stand still, and watch her walk away. Even though he had given her some of his power, he would run to her, if she was going to fall…
But there she went, walking in a hurry away from him. As soon as she was out of sight, he sighed and turned around to the nearest lamppost, and with a strong hit, it bended like playdough. He shook his fist, as it had hurt a tiny bit. His eyes started at the lamppost, which he then chose to straighten up again, as well as possible. It was certainly still oblique, but it was the best he could do. He took a deep breath before he turned to walk back the same way he had come from. It took only a moment before he sped up and ran all the way home to Aston, to chek on Miranda.

//Out