Interlude

Chapter 7

"Where's your car?" Dev asked. The black BMW in front of them flashed once when he unlocked it.

"I took the SkyTrain."

He scowled. "Fine. I'll drop you home."

"No!" she blurted very loudly, "I mean, there's no need. The station is just round the corner and the train is quite comfortable."

"It's past midnight. You're not taking the train alone now."

"I've done it plenty of times."

"I'm not asking." he snapped. Without pausing, he got into the driver seat. Strapping the seat belt, he lowered the passenger side window and looked at her. "Come on, Rose. You're acting like a child."

Rose gaped. "I'm...I'm..." she sputtered, "You are the one acting like a child...a crazy child! I'm still in shock about what happened upstairs. You actually punched..." she blinked in disbelief, "what if someone calls the cops on you."

"No one up there is that stupid." He raked one hand through his hair. "Now get in the car."

"Look, you don't need to go through the trouble." she said, hurriedly. "I'll call you tomorrow and maybe we can meet later..."

A doubt emerged in his mind. It was the way she was reacting, there was some level fear behind her words. "Rose..."

"No." she whispered, shaking her head.

He glared at her, his patience at an end. "If you don't get into the fucking car right now, I will bodily shove you in."

She gaped in shock. Surely he was bluffing. He gave her a sharp look, one eyebrow raised in warning. When she didn't move, he unbuckled the seat belt and reached for the door.

"Fine! Fine." she raised her hands defensively, feet shuffling quickly.

She took a seat on the passenger side and complied with reluctance when he asked her to type her address on the navigation screen in front of them.

They drove in silence. Every now and then when some external light flashed through the window, his attention was drawn to her exposed thighs. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. To comment on someone's choice of clothing, especially a woman's, was not in his nature but the fact that she had been visibly disturbed in that tiny skirt made him angrier.

When he took the exit prompted by the navigation the change in the neighborhood was impossible to miss. He understood at once why she had been so opposed to the idea of him driving her home. She didn't want him to see this.

The streets were dirty and ragged. Trash lay all around and not a wall was left bare; graffiti was splashed everywhere. When he pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, Rose braved a glance at him and wasn't at all surprised to see a scowl on his face. He remained silent, looking straight ahead with an indescribable expression. The building was old and worn beyond repair. Dark, loud graffiti covered one wall against which, a small group of badly dressed guys were smoking what was clearly not a cigarette. They gave Dev a good idea of the kind of people residing there.

His calm was more dangerous than any angry words he could've given. He got out of the car and walked around to open her door. "Let's go." His voice so cold, it made her heart drop.

They took the shabby stairs to the fifth floor.

"The elevator is broken" she mumbled.

With trembling hands, she produced a set of keys from her purse and opened the front door. He stepped into the living room or rather the tiny rectangular space that was occupied with a shoddy worn out couch pushed against the wall by a small window. Adjacent to it was a small circular table with two mismatched chairs. The kitchen was a tiny corner to the right of the entrance.