Don't Let Me Go

eighteen

Dante was sitting comfortably on the bed, his back rested on the side wall, stretching out his long legs. He was watching me inspecting the damages in the room.

"How much do you think the cost to replace all of this?" I asked, mentally counting my savings.

Should I start to look for a part time job? Will the village doctor and Declan allow me to work here? I can help them with herbs and potions.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Did I tell you not to worry?"

"But still, I have to be responsible." I took the broken clock from the floor then put it on the table. I had checked the toilet and fortunately, nothing was broken there but its door.

"You can always help here with herbs or potions as a form of payment. Amy also works part time here." He suggested.

"Do you think so? Will they allow me to work here?" I think it would be great to work with Declan and Amy, but I hadn't met the village doctor properly so I couldn't tell. I just met her once when she treated me after the attack in the church.

"Hey, do you read minds?" I returned to the room and had no choice but sat on the bed with him.

"It's the second time you've asked me that." He lifted one of his eyebrows.

I shrugged, hugging the pillow. "Because it's the second time you spoke what's in my mind."

"It's the bond." He muttered, but he quickly corrected. "Ah, I meant, it was just pure instinct."

"No, you said bond. What bond?"

"I've told you about how werewolf is more sensitive than human, right. So, we have also good instinct."

I gave him what I hoped my best disbelief expression. "Stop that. Just tell me the truth."

His relaxed expression changed into a serious one. "I can't. Nothing good will happen if the truth is out."

"You know, I read this somewhere, the worst part about being lied to is knowing you weren't worth the truth." I said, quoting a famous saying from Sartre, trying to hide the bitter feeling inside.

"I didn't think you were an existentialist reader."

I shrugged. "It was worth it, I got free dinner and movie."

"What happened?"

It was not the time to dwell on the past, it just made me missing Luke and my life before this even more, so I just shrugged, "it's nothing."

"What is it that you don't want to tell me?" I didn't know if he was really asking or it was just a rhetoric.

"Wow, you're truly a mind reader. That's exactly my question." I feigned a smile that hopefully represented my annoyance.

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment as if to think about something, then he turned to look at me deeply.

"Trust me, it's not that you're not worth the truth. I'm just trying to protect what's mine."

"What do you mean?" I shifted my position, facing him.

He glared at me and said instead, "it's late. let's just sleep."

"Hey, at least give me some explanations first," I pouted.

"Don't do that too." He pointed me with his finger.

"What did I do?"

"Look at me with that look and biting your lip," he muttered quietly but loud enough for me to hear.