"I've been hired to protect you, Miss Liones," Meliodas said in a low tone, his grip on my arm tightening. I leaned closer to him, his cologne intoxicating. I didn't miss the falter in his composure.
"I don't need protecting."
~
After you experienc...
I was about to hop in the bath when the screen of my phone lit up on the counter. My eyes scanned the notification briefly, and a small sigh left my lips. Before reaching for it, I tightened my robe.
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I hesitated before I replied. We would only be going to the movie theatre and back, which would be pretty busy. The chances of that man being able to find me and do something while surrounded by all of those people, was very slim. I began typing out a decline but deleted the message.
Why should I have to live in fear because of the selfishness of others? If I did see that man tonight, which again, was very slim, I would show him exactly why he shouldn't play cat and mouse with Bartra Liones' daughter.
I clenched my jaw as I tried to brush off the intrusive thoughts. We were just going to the movies. I would be escorted to and from the venue, and I would be fine.
I put my phone face down on the bathroom counter and slipped out of my robe to step into the bath. It was hot and welcomed my stiff body from a day of sitting around. I couldn't help the sigh that left my lips as I sunk deeper into the bubbles.
My mind began to wonder about Meliodas. How much I found myself missing him even though I saw him less than twenty-four hours ago. My eyebrows scrunched as I realized I still had several days to go with his absence.
I tried to push him to the back of my mind, but as my body grew more relaxed in the water, I couldn't help feeling sad that he wasn't here with me. My hand dipped into the water and landed on my upper thigh. I began tracing intricate patterns along my skin, the way he did when we would get wrapped up in our late-night conversations. A little smile graced my lips at the thought of his laughter at something I'd said.
Sometimes I wondered why we hadn't had sex yet. We had plenty of opportunities to do it, from the showers to the late-night talks in my bed. We'd explored areas outside of kissing but never allowed it to go all the way.
Was he scared? Was he still a virgin? I found myself feeling guilty at the thought of him never having sex before, whereas I had had sex several times with multiple partners.
I've never been ashamed of my sex life, especially since before Diane and Merlin met their boyfriends, they were worse than me.
But perhaps I should have waited? The concept of virginity was always stupid to me, which is why I had no attachment to my own. I wanted to explore my body and be free with my sexuality.
Would Meliodas care?
I shook my head and fully pushed him to the back of my mind by occupying myself with exfoliating and shaving my legs.
Once I had finished, I stood up from the bath and stepped over the porcelain lip, my wet feet melting into the fluffy mat. I hurriedly dried myself and left the bathroom after letting my hair out of its pins.
Without really thinking, I had pulled out a hoodie and a pair of tracksuit pants and thrown them over my purple undergarments. I brushed my hair and applied some light makeup before spritzing a random perfume onto my neck and wrists.
A gentle smile danced on my lips as it registered that I had worn this exact scent during my date with Meliodas to the gallery.
My smile lingered as I packed a little bag with my phone and wallet, then slipped into some Converses on the way out of my room.
I checked the time.
7:33 PM.
With a slight huff, I reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the empty foyer to the front door.
Just as I raised my hand to open it, someone cleared their throat from behind me. I jolted in surprise but turned around to face the employee.
"Miss Liones, good evening. Were you intending on going somewhere?" His voice was raspy but he didn't look nervous or tired. I blinked at his question.
"I was just going to see a movie with Diane and Merlin, is that okay?" I raised an eyebrow, mentally groaning. I should have expected this.
"Let me call your father to make sure he approves," the butler said as he fished out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and brought it to his ear. I heard it ring out and he frowned slightly.
"Look, I promise I'm just going to the movies. Chandler will take me and will be there to pick me up. I won't be in the situation for something bad to happen," I said with a warm smile. He smiled back and nodded after leaving a longing look toward his phone.
The employee raised the cuff of his suit jacket to his mouth, where he informed Chandler of my departure. I nodded at him as opened the front door.
I saw the familiar black car approach and park a few meters from the front door. As a chauffeur rushed over and opened the door, I slipped inside, offering Chandler a small smile.
"Hey, just the movie theatre," I directed while throwing a grateful nod at the chauffeur. He returned it and shut the door gently as Chandler began driving toward the venue.
When we got there, I noticed myself hesitating as I reached for the door. I nibbled my lower lip in thought.
My gut was not liking this idea. I haven't left the house by myself in a month, and knowing my attacker could be in the same vicinity as me, unnerved me. Still, I swallowed my nerves and informed Chandler of the time the movie would finish before exiting the car.
It was very busy by the movie theatre, which calmed me down a bit. I spotted Diane and Merlin leaning along the wall about halfway up the line and made my way over to them. They smiled sympathetically and gave me a tight hug each.
"We're sorry about last week," Merlin murmured into my hair as she rested a hand on my cheek. I leaned into her hold and nodded in understanding.
"It's okay," I smiled with tight lips as they nodded and looped their arms through mine. It made me feel a lot better having them by my side. Their company didn't fill the void like Meliodas' did, but it was enough to make me forget about it.
I reached into my purse and checked for any new messages. The time read 7:48 PM.
We trailed in behind the couple ahead of us and paid for three tickets and some popcorn. I held the big bucket as Merlin and Diane fought over whether or not we should buy sour straps or Maltesers before we decided to just buy both.
I laughed as they grumbled at each other on the way up the stairs into the designated theatre room. After pushing through the big doors, we maneuvered through the dark to our allocated seats and sat down with a sigh.
As the lights began to dim, I felt the faint vibration of my phone in my purse. I frowned but hurriedly fished it out, flashing the bright screen into my squinted eyes. Meliodas's name appeared on the screen and just as I was about to answer, the movie began to play.
The people behind us began muttering about me not having my phone turned off, and I scrambled to turn it off before throwing an apology over my shoulder. I slipped the phone back into my bag and turned my attention back to the movie.
