What Is Love?

Chapter Six

Danny Dare



I smiled grimly as the man ran off. I walked over to where he had been and picked up the rock I'd thrown at him. There was a small spot of blood on it.

Hmph. Serves him right for creeping around my house at one in the morning.

The image of his mask still haunted me a bit, but could you blame me really? It was beyond creepy to see it peering in your window as you as you lay on the couch, dozing off to sleep to the audio of Despicable Me. After all my research, I'd know instantly that the man was one of the freaking Slender man's proxies, Masky... That didn't keep me from being terrified though. Fortunately for me and quite unfortunately for the proxy bastard, my anger won out my fear for the moment though.

I didn't let on that I'd seen the proxy, but instead grabbed the trash bag from the kitchen and walk straight out the door, heading for the curb. When I got to the trash can, I looked out of the side of my eye to make sure he was still there, and could just see by the light coming from my window that he'd crept closer as I walked.

Excellent.

I dropped the bag and quickly crouched to grab a stone. Spinning around, I hurtled the granite chunk at the man's head. Feeling a tiny bit sadistic, I heard the satisfying cluck and saw him stumble back, almost falling on his butt.

I laughed humorlessly as the proxy ran. 'Maybe that would teach him,' I thought, but then sighed in admittance. 'Though probably not.'

I didn't sleep well that night. Despite running off the proxy, I still felt that unwelcoming sense of being watched. Due to the lack of sleep, I was understandably a little grumpy as I walked to work the next morning, and admittedly, a bit paranoid. I told myself to man up... I could do this!

I was working the only cash register open in the little store today. The place was pretty dead, and myself, Jim, and his college age son, Robert, where the only ones working this morning. About nine the bells at the front door jingled, alerting me to a customer, and I leaned over the counter lazily to see who it was, expecting some bikini clad woman or an older man in a fishing shirt - our typical clientele in our beachfront shop. Instead, my eyes widened as I took in the eye candy that had just entered.

He looked to be in about his late twenties, and judging solely by his clothing, he was fairly wealthy. The dark black business suit that he wore had a designer look to it, and his dress shoes were shiny and very clean - almost like new. The satiny red tie at his throat was tied in a perfect Windsor knot and the crisp white dress shirt underneath was just as free of wrinkles as the rest of his suit. On his right middle finger was a single gold band, and a gold Rolex watch was on his left wrist. He was tall - about six foot five I would guess - and his build was slim, yet gave just the slightest hint that he was well muscled under that suit.

My eyes moved up to the man's face. His skin was very pale - alabaster even - and flawless. It looked unthinkably smooth and soft. My hand itched for a moment to touch his cheek, and I quickly stuck them in my pockets.

'Behave Danny...'

To add to his obviously expensive style, he was an extremely handsome man. His hair was as black as his suit and artfully styled so that it was swept back out of his face. A small and equally dark, well groomed goatee framed pale lips that were pressed thin with some emotion as he looked around the tiny store, yet the facial hair did nothing to hide his strong cheek bones and sharp angular face structure. I couldn't help but gasp aloud at his beauty.

Suddenly his eyes darted to mine and I stifled another gasp; they were definitely the darkest feature about him. A moonless midnight in an underground cave was not even enough to describe the deep dark abysses that were his eyes. They stared at me from either side of a thin, elegant nose and I felt my cheeks flush under his gaze.

"Um, can I help you?" I asked fighting to keep eye contact. Why did I suddenly feel like a giggling school girl around this man?

'It's just a pretty face Danny. Keep it together,' I told myself sternly.

The man hesitated, then walked forward towards me, stopping about a foot away from the counter. "I was planning on cooking a meal for some... colleagues of mine. Admittedly though, now that I'm here I have no clue what to buy," he said. He spoke formally and in a voice that could be described in no other way than musical. If not for extreme will power, I would have melted then and there just at the sound.

Drawing on the deepest wells of my control, I kept a cool façade. "What sort of dinner is it? Business?" I inquired, running through a list of menu ideas in my head and at the same time mentally checking to make sure we had the ingredients in stock.

"Yes... Business," he said.

"Well, if you'd like to go for a fairly simple, uncomplicated dish, I'd suggest baked lemon pepper salmon with asparagus and seasoned rice. We're having a sale on salmon at the moment. Would you like me to show you were it is?" I asked, playing the helpful salesclerk for all it was worth. The man nodded and I came from around the desk and started towards the back of the store. "This way please," I said and glanced over my shoulder to make sure he was following me. It also gave another quick chance to look at his pale perfection. Without thinking, I blurted, "You're not from around here, are you?"

He stopped and cocked his head to the side. Awkwardly, I stopped too and turned towards him. "What makes you say that?" he asked curiously.

'Because nobody who lives on the beach is that pasty,' I thought, but didn't voice to avoid offending him. Instead I shrugged my shoulders. "It was just a guess," I said.

He looked at me for a moment, And I found myself blushing once again under his scrutiny. Finally he asked, "Are you from here originally?"

"Well, I was born in California, but my parents moved to Pensacola when I was two. I moved around quite a lot after I turned twelve, but I always stayed within the state. After I moved out I bought a place here," I said as I shifted my weight awkwardly. I didn't care much for talking about myself.

He nodded as if he already knew this. "Why here?" he asked, and inwardly my brain started backpedaling, uncomfortable with even remotely personal questions. Why was he so curious?

"I like the ocean, but I like the forest too. And there's not a lot of tourism here, so its quiet. It's very... Peaceful," I explained hesitantly.

"You like the forest?" He raised an eyebrow.

I cleared my throat. "Um, yeah?"

"Me too," he mused.

"Why do you like it?" I asked. He wasn't the only one who could ask questions after all.

He looked amused for a moment. "It reminds me of good times," he said mysteriously.

"Oh. Okay," I said. I cleared my throat again. "So, would you like me to show you were the salmon is?" I asked hesitantly.

He nodded. "Lead the way..." His eyes flickered to my name tag and then back to my face. "Danny."

Hearing my name roll off his tongue sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine - he made my name sound good - and I willed away the blush that had crept back. "Right this way sir," I said quickly.

We didn't talk much more after that except for me to show him were the other ingredients were and explain to him how to prepare the meal as I scribbled down the recipe in my scratchy cursive. He listened with polite interest, his gaze almost never leaving my eyes. About fifteen minutes after he'd come in, I watched him leave with his groceries with longing eyes. Through the store window I saw him climb into a shiny black Corvette C7 and pull gracefully out into the street. And then he was gone.

I found myself hoping like crazy that I'd get to see him again.

And I didn't even know his name...