Love at Death's Door [COMPLETE]

Chapter 7

Minutes had passed since Tatiana and Edward took refuge from the Butcher. His menacing stomps could still be heard up the hall outside of their temporary shelter. For the first and only time during their ordeal, the pair was grateful that he was carrying a loud chainsaw, as its deafening engine was likely the only reason their noisy panting did not give away their positions instantly. Thankfully, their breaths had since calmed slightly in the minutes that elapsed, but the two found that they could still not pull themselves off the floor they had collapsed upon.

Shaking and sweating profusely, Tatiana rolled her head towards Edward and chuckled, speaking to him in a hushed tone. "You still have that stupid tie around your forehead."

Edward shot the woman a baffled expression and yanked the drenched accessory from his head, tossing it aside. With his makeshift headband removed, his dripping, dark blonde locks sagged upon his brow. "Is that all you have to say after I just saved your life?"

"It's real humble of you to brag, but you didn't save my life."

"Oh yeah? Well, you don't look dismembered to me," Edward contested.

"Don't be stupid, you know what I mean."

"Stupid like you tripping up back there because you were looking at me instead of where you were going?"

The weary woman rolled her eyes, not quite craving another argument with the businessman. "Let's not do this."

"Oh, we're doing this. That psychopath was right about you, you talk a big game, but when my life is on the line it makes you different—it makes you care."

"Oh, please."

"Don't try to deny it, it's true," Edward insisted. "It's the same for me. Every part of me wanted to just bolt back there, but I couldn't."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Because you looked at me with those eyes."

Tatiana's features shuffled surprise and confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Back when you were on the floor, you looked up at me and your eyes were..." Edward paused for a moment, reliving the scene in his mind's eye. "Disappointed."

"I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," said Edward, sternly. "I know that expression because I've seen it many times at work when folks know they're about to be laid off. It's that pessimistic gaze of someone who expected the worst, but, deep down, they really wanted to be hopeful. I couldn't leave you there seeing that lost look in your eyes."

"Let me make this clear for you," Tatiana started. "Whatever you think you saw, you're wrong. I'm only trying to help you stay alive because you actually have a chance to live. I made a stupid mistake back there, but so did you when you came back for someone who's going to die anyway."

Edward grabbed Tatiana's hand, eliciting a quiet gasp from the woman. "Enough! You keep saying that and acting like it doesn't matter if you die here. But you want to make it out of this more than anything, don't you? I don't care what you say, even if you don't realize it yourself, it's just human nature." Tatiana yanked her hand away from the determined man before he continued, "you say you're trying to help me live? Yeah, well, I'm going to help you live too."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Tatiana said, dryly. "I don't get you. You've been a whiny crybaby about dying this whole time. I gave you the green light to look out for yourself here, and yet, first you try to offer yourself up instead of me, then you risk your neck coming back for me, now this. Why does someone like you care about what happens to me?"