Protected [Han]

4

HAN POV

I finished my tea slowly, savoring the honey...but only after my first cup that I downed desperately. What I would give to be sitting beside Lee Know and Yoonseo right now.

I headed back inside once it got too hot to remain outdoors and changed into something nice. I wanted to look decent because I planned to invite Malena out for lunch. It had been a while since I had plans with a friend.

"You're Peter," I told myself in confidence as I stared in the mirror one last time before heading out.

I was immediately dripping in sweat from the short walk next door. It had to be hotter than literal hell here.

I knocked and was graciously greeted by the air conditioning in Malena's house when she swung the door open.

"Peter? Hi! How are you?" she smiled. She had to be the nicest person on the planet. She'd yet to ask about my scars, and when she'd shown up unannounced at my house with a gift basket, I'd been grumpy and dismissive. Yet she was the complete opposite.

"I'm well thanks! I just wanted to see if you wanted to grab lunch with me," I said nervously. The fear of being rejected still lived within me despite Lee Know's reassurance that I was a very lovable person.

She blinked in surprise. "Sure! Let me just grab my purse."

She skipped off to retrieve her bag and I couldn't help but peak in her entryway in her absence. It was a sage green color with distressed yet chic furniture. It suited her. It was light and pretty.

"I'm not interrupting any of your plans, am I?" I checked. I had just dropped by after all.

"No, not at all!" she grinned. I was just watering my plants. She locked her door and we headed off into the South Carolina sun.

With each building we passed, she told me a bit about the history of it or the people who lived there. She might as well have been a tour guide...and then it occurred to me that I didn't know what she did.

"Where do you work?" I asked her.

"Oh! I'm a historian. I work with the city to catalog items important to our history and to promote historical festivals. I also visit some of the schools and teach the kids about the background of Charleston and even lead some of their field trips around the area."

That job suited her. Especially the working with kids. I was sure she was great at engaging them and probably encouraged a lot of them to pursue history in their futures.

Malena started walking up the steps of another house and I looked around nervously.

"Wait, we breaking in?" I asked.

She turned around with a confused expression, "No, this is the place we're going to eat."

I turned around and sure enough, there was a small sign where the mailbox should be that I'd missed while chatting with her.

"You really thought I'd break in somewhere?" she laughed.

"I...I was joking, obviously," I smiled, and she opened the door to take us inside.

My lawless past had made me forget that normal people don't behave the way my friends and husband do. Normal people don't break into houses. Normal people don't kidnap others and torture them in basements.

"Malena!" a man cheered jovially as she walked in. He wrapped an arm around her in a side hug and she grinned from ear to ear.

"Hi Daniel," she greeted. "Sorry I haven't stopped by in a while."