In My Skin

CH 7 || Sherlock

Here I'd thought my day couldn't possibly get any worse, but no. The universe just had to come and prove me wrong.

I averted my gaze. Maybe he would just continue walking and ignore me.

"Taylor?"

Or not. "Oh, it's you." My voice sounded flat. Even to my own ears but I was beyond caring. He was one of the last people I wanted to see right now. Thank God I hadn't cried. 

Killian stopped in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking out the night view. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"None of your business." I smoothed my face into a polite fuck-off expression. Maybe he could take a hint.

"Fine. Where's your boyfriend?"

"Also none of your business," I clipped out and turned my head away. Of course, he couldn't take a hint. Or he just chose not to.

"What's wrong? You didn't deny it this time."

"I'm good." Alright now move along. Nothing to see here.

He crouched down, leveling his head below mine. "Let me take a wild guess then. Your douche boyfriend ditched you and now you are stuck in the woods on a Friday night, probably lost or you would at least be walking, with no way or means to get home, but at the same time, you're just too stubborn to ask anyone for help? Or," he added with a nod at the broken phone, still clutched between my hands, "your phone either died or broke. Does that sum it up?"

I glared at him. Slowly, I lifted my hands and clapped a few times. "Wow, amazing deduction skills Sherlock. You should major in criminology and become a detective or something. Now, shoo. You can move along."

He put a hand to his chest, his brows raised in mock surprise. "I'm impressed. Your stalking game is really on point tonight. I've been leaning toward criminal justice as my major—"

I worked my jaw. "Are you always such a massive pain or am I just special?"

"Who knows?" He lifted one of his massive shoulders, indifferently.

My temper spiked. "Well then go and be one somewhere else." The little voice in the back of my head told me that it wasn't in my best interest to be mean to the only person who finally showed up in the middle of the woods and could possibly help me. I gnashed my teeth and shut it down.

Killian didn't seem fazed at all. On the contrary. He balanced on the balls of his feet, completely relaxed, and surveyed me with a sort of calm interest that ticked me off even more. I looked away first. Fine then. If he wouldn't leave then I would.

I jumped to my feet but regretted it almost instantly. My legs wobbled under the pain stabbing my ankle. It was definitely not fine. I cursed as I lost my balance but Killian's hands gripped my forearms.

"So you're not a lost, but an injured idiot."

"You should learn how to take a hint!" I snapped and pushed his hands away.

He kept speaking in that annoyingly calm tone. "And you should learn when to ask for help."

A breeze picked up, tousling through the heaps of fallen leaves. I managed to suppress a shiver. "I don't want your help."

He snorted, straightened back to his full height, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well, you know what? I don't want to particularly help you either."

I paused at his words. I had kind of expected him to insist on it... "Good. You can move along the—"

"But sometimes," he interrupted me, an edge creeping into his tone, "You need to help someone even if they don't want it and sometimes even stupid idiots should accept help even if they don't want it."