My Words Are Law

Caught in the spiderweb (3)

His eyes never left the lifeless arm as she sauntered towards him with an awkward gait.

"I'm sorry I'm late... Th-the bus was caught in a traffic jam, and I'm unfamiliar with this part of the city..."

"Who..?" Chryses started as he slowly lifted his gaze to her face where a light frown marred her forehead.

"What..? It's Amaryllis Larson," she uttered slowly, seeing the seriousness never left his face.

Chryses smiled at her answer, then he suddenly stood up to pull the chair for her. "Sit down."

What a strange man. She could never guess what he's thinking.

"Th-thanks." She was smoothening out the invisible wrinkles on her pants while taking a deep breath when he suddenly raised another question

"Who did that to you?"

Amaryllis blinked at him, then to her injured arm before it slowly sinked in. "Ahh..." She chuckled a bit, feeling silly for giving a foolish answer a while ago. "This is... an accident-"

"Who?" He insisted on his initial question, startling Amaryllis. Why is he so curious?

Pursing her lips and scratching the side of her cheeks, she answered truthfully after some time, "It's my brother, but he didn't mean it... It's a complicated story, and I don't think you'd want to waste your time listening to something trivial-"

"Is this related to the rumors?"

"Well... Somewhat..?" Amaryllis nodded, feeling a sudden chill in the atmosphere. The amicable smile on Chryses' face when he shifted his attention to her face, made it seem like an illusion, however. "I see."

"It's nice to see you again, Amaryllis," he added soon after, his eyes forming crescent moons.

She wished she could say the same as she lowered her lids to focus on the fine lines of the wood grain on the table. Nice to see me again... huh?

"...Yeah," was all she could utter.

Soon, her eyes were clouded by a hot cup of coffee placed in front of her. The smoke rose in swirls, seemingly enticing her appetite as if the pleasant smell wasn't already enough.

"Why don't you have a drink first." Chryses voice urged her. And she did just that as she took small continuous sips. The tremor in her hand was glaringly obvious, but there weren't any unsolicited comments today. Either Chryses couldn't see it, or he was just being unusually polite.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. What is she going to say? She'd forgotten what she'd rehearsed before coming here. What is it about again? The rumors...

Right. The rumors.

She carefully put the expensive cup down as she looked at Chryses again. Perhaps she didn't notice it when she first walked in because of the nervousness, but he was wearing a tailored gray suit. His fringe today was brushed back, but a few strands came loose and fell on his forehead. It only added to his charm, however, and she felt even more intimidated. She couldn't help but compare her shabby appearance despite her effort to look presentable when he mentioned they were going to meet in the better part of the city.  And his eyes...

Today, they closely resembled wild burning flames rather than the glittering sun.

It was more than frightening.

"So why the sudden urge to see me? I assume it's not because you suddenly miss me," he began, a smile playing on his lips.

She felt embarrassed by his words that she lost the words she was about to say yet again. Her gaze staggered for a bit, then she sighed.