Why so gloomy? (Fruk)

6

I was tapping my pen against my desk as Alfred and Matthew stared at me. "Are you serious?" Alfred asked. I nodded at him and began to bite my fingernails. I had just told them what happened last night. I found out that Arthur never showed up either; he wasn't answering my messages, so I was starting to get worried. Alfred said that Arthur called him last night saying he would not make it, but it worried me why. I hoped that he was not in a similar situation as me.

"Did you see all the police cars and tape this morning blocking the street? Isn't that the street where you said those men attacked you?" Matthew asked. I nodded at him, worried, and My attention was stolen once I saw Arthur walk through the doors. He looked like a tall glass of wine, as he does some days.

He was HOT! In all caps.

"Have you all seen the news?" Antonio suddenly interrupted. Everyone gathered around the office television, and I watched Arthur from my seat. He didn't seem to care much and went to his desk. However, Matthew and Alfred pulled me along to see what the fuss was about.

"Put it louder!" Feli suggested. Almost everyone in the office gathered around.

"As you can see behind me, this once quiet street was stuck by a horrifying sight as the sun rose this morning," the newswoman started. She began to walk around, and I observed the police tape. "Three men were found brutally murdered here; one of the men needed to be identified by his dental records since his face was badly disfigured. This gruesome act has caused many detectives to wonder if these killings have anything to do with the recent bodies discovered," the lady added.

"Authorities are advising that people do not stay out past twenty-two hundred. Until the suspect is caught. The images of the three men are shown to my right; they had a history of..."

Once I saw their faces, my eyes widened.

It was the men that attacked me last night.

My jaw dropped, and I stepped back away from everyone. What could this mean? Could I, too, have been killed if I did not run away? The thought sent shivers down my spine.

I felt my head spinning, and I looked around, terrified. What if authorities think I killed them? I would not last long in jail! I would become someone's bitch so fast!

My eyes stopped on Arthur, and he looked at me, concerned. "Are you okay?" He mouthed. Arthur suddenly stood up and came to me. It threw me for a loop that he was suddenly worried about me. "Yeah, I need to sit down," I spoke.

I walked over to my desk with him beside me. I continued to look at the screen with their photos and wondered if I should go to the police. Maybe I could give them information on what could have happened to them. "What are you thinking?" Arthur asked. He slowly sat beside me and observed me with his piercing eyes. "Those men...they attacked me last night, as I was telling Matthew and Alfred," I started.

Arthur did not seem too shocked, only serious. "But they are dead; don't you think they deserved it since they attacked you?" He asked. I jumped at what he said and shook my head, horrified. "No! I would never wish death on anyone, even them. That is such a horrible thing to say, Arthur," I spoke. Where the hell did that come from? That was such a crazy way of thinking.

Arthur looked at me softly as if feeling terrible. "Hey, I am not mad at you; I just think that despite being a terrible person, people do not deserve to be killed like that; whoever did that is..." I stopped to think.

"A monster?" He asked.

Arthur looked at me, waiting for an answer. "Something like that," I spoke.

Arthur looked a little sad, and it confused me. Maybe he felt bad for what he said about those men. "Hey, how about we try hanging out again tonight?" I asked. I smiled at him, placing a hand on his thigh. Arthur looked down at my hand, then back to me, and I kept my smile. He was an odd one. I am sure he does not interact with many people; he must be terrible at social cues.

"Hey, Francis, did you see the news?" Alfred asked. He approached me with Matthew, and they looked at me, worried. "Yes, those men attacked me," I spoke. They both froze and looked horrified. "What? Seriously? what will you do? go to the police?" Matthew asked. "I am not sure," I responded.

I moved my hand away from Arthur, and he looked down sadly. "We can go with you if you need us to," Alfred suggested. I thought about it for a moment but shook my head. "No, I should be fine whenever I decide to go. I am sure it will not be so bad," I tried to laugh.

Once Alfred and Matthew left, I looked back at Arthur. "So, how about it?" I asked. "Hmm? Tonight? you were serious?" He asked. I laughed at what he said and nodded. He looked at me with wide eyes, and his cheeks turned pink as I continued to laugh. "Of course! How about you come over to my place again? I won't put any garlic in anything," I reassured. I smiled at him sweetly as he began to fidget around.

He was honestly charming like this. I did not realize he was easily embarrassed. He did not seem like the type to be that way. He began to look around, flustered, and I placed a hand on his thigh once more. "Do not worry; I will take good care of you," I smiled. He stopped looking around and finally set his eyes on me. "Oh, okay," He spoke slowly. What a cutie pie; he was the cutest in the world.