The Story Of Murder & Marriage

4: We're Not All The Same

The beautiful sky was at the perfect moment of the day when it was changing colors from a simple shade of blue it kept during the day, to a warm orange red color that gave me this amazing feeling every time I stared at it. Looking out this window has become my nightly routine now, I wait for the perfect time when I know Mike has gone to bed to come downstairs to just sit in front of this window. I don't think Mike knows what I do when I come down here, but I know he can hear me when I walk down the stairs. This old house plus my weight makes coming down here a loud endeavor.  This window is facing the backyard of his house which is on top of a small hill, from this perch I have a great view of the entire town. Even though it's a small town this view is absolutely beautiful.

Getting lost in my thoughts it took a second for me to register that Mike was coming down the stairs, getting up from my seat I put the chair back where I found it. Turning at the exact moment he reached the living room I looked him in the eyes. Mike has really beautiful eyes that just reflected his as wonderful soul, he gave me this small piece of hope that not all men are like Damien. I really hope I'm not wrong about him.

MIKE'S POV

I didn't know what she was doing down here but I heard her every night coming down here when she thought I was asleep. Looking into her eyes now I can see she is about to lie to me when I question her. Sighing deeply I just walk over and sit on the couch facing her where she's standing.

"Can I know your name?" I decide to ask this cause I'm tired of not knowing her name, it's really awkward talking to someone when you don't even have a name to address them by.In her eyes there was a flash of fear that quickly disappeared, but was quickly replaced by determination. 

She kept her determination but the underlying look of nervousness was still there as she kept wringing her hands. She slowly walked to the couch adjacent to mine and took a seat. We sat for minutes looking at each other waiting for the other to talk. Sliding forward in my seat I put my elbows on my knees with my hands folded together in front of me.

She took a deep breath and finally opened her mouth, "my name is Sophia." There was a sudden spark in my heart just hearing her name did magic to me. Taking a second to remind myself to not overreact so as not to scare her I move back into my seat. Finally looking back to her I say "that's a lovely name sophia, I'm happy you decided to tell me your name." After minutes of silence of just the both of us taking in this new level of our situation I decide it's time to get her back to bed since it's two in the morning. Standing up I motion with my head that she should follow me up the stairs, walking ahead I can hear behind me the sound of her feet hitting the floor.

The next morning I woke up early for my morning run, most days I would make myself a hardy breakfast before going for my run. Then I would come back home to clean up to get ready for work, obviously I can't do that now or for however long I have sophia living here with me. Getting up out of bed I use the restroom then I make my way downstairs. As I'm walking down I can smell the amazing smell of eggs and pancakes, stopping halfway down the stairs to walk back upstairs to check on sophia. Walking into her room without knocking I see that her bed has been done as if she never even slept in it. Shaking my head in confusion i continue my journey downstairs, when I turn the corner into the kitchen I see Sophia bent over taking something out of the oven. As a man living alone I have not turned on the oven once in my years living here but it was refreshing to see someone cooking me a home meal for once. Most of my "home made meals" consisted of microwaving leftover take out from the day before. But seeing this woman that I have caught these sudden feelings for cooking as if we're an old married couple sparked a new level of interest that I'd hoped would die down by now. 

Making my way over to her standing at the counter I make sure to be in her line of sight so not to scare her suddenly. I slowly walk over to the cabinet that holds the mugs for my morning coffee, Its barely nine in the morning and she is already up. leaning slightly on the counter next to the coffee machine as I took sips of my coffee I stood there to watch her, to see how she is physically doing since I will not  be able to get answers out of her if I ask. Her ankle seems to have heeled wonderfully, her wrist is mobile but the doctor warned her to not life heavy things for a couple of weeks. From what I can see she seems to be fine but I cant know the truth until I ask. 

Taking a final sip from my drink I put the mug in the sink to clean later but before I can even life my hand out of the sink sophia is already there picking up the mug and the sponge to hand wash it. Confused I walk away to give her space since she looks so anxious, I walk over to the counter and see that she has plated a biscuit and some bacon already. 

"How early did you wake up this morning?" I ask confused, how could she have gotten up before me this morning without making a noise. One of the benefits of living in this house is the built in intruder alert with this old house, from my bedroom I can hear the whole house moving with the wind. 

Looking at her from the behind I can see her shoulders slightly shaking in fear which I don't understand, I don't know what she expects me to do to her. I've been nothing but a gracious host who gives her space and time, I need to find a way to tell her that I am not that man. Getting out of my thoughts I can see her turn around with her shaking shoulders and chin with a single tear sliding down her face. Quickly running out of my seat I make my way over to her crying in the fetal position on the floor covering her face from me. Still confused I kneel down to her level and embrace her in a tight hug to ensure her that I will not do anything to her. 

Her shaking after a couple of minutes slows down a bit which reassures me that she is okay. Slowly removing my arms from around her I start to slowly move her hands from covering her beautiful face, she still has this scared look on her face but I power through it and put her hands down. Taking a hold of her chin she closes her eyes tightly but I wait until they are open to continue, I move the stray hairs that have stuck to her tears away from her face without losing eye contact. 

"I may not know what happened to you but I am not that man. I will never turn into that man so I need you to believe that nothing with happen to you as long as you stay with me." I didn't really plan on declaring all of this now but this seems like the correct time if it can sooth her. Standing up I extend my hand to help her up, she stares at my hand for a second before deciding to trust me. I make her take a seat on the counter while I wipe away her tears with a towel, "You do not have to make me breakfast or clean after me, I am a grown man with a functioning brain I think I can handle myself." 

Lifting her chin to force her to look me in the eye I look her over wondering what type of animal would do this to such a wonderful woman.