My lover, my assassin

Chapter 2

Nagisa's Pov

I spent the night sleeping fitfully. Golden eyes haunted my dreams. At four in the morning I gave up on sleep and decided to have a hot shower. I stood in the stream as it slowly unwound my tight muscles and washed away the nightmares. There was no reason to be frightened but there was something almost predatory about the way he held himself. I wouldn't want to meet him down a dark alley. I was pretty good at reading people. That man was one trouble I could do without, I had enough trouble on my plate then worrying about a well-dressed man who shared food with complete strangers and called them gorgeous.

Against my better judgement, I found myself thinking about him as I made my way to the café to begin my day at work. He was kind. Well, I corrected myself, he was kind to me. I hadn't seen him pay attention or talk to anyone else in that shop but he had talked to me. He had seen that I was a boy and still called me gorgeous.

I shook my head at my folly as I unlocked the doors and began to unstack the chairs and tables. Just because someone paid attention to me and said nice things I was thinking about him non-stop like a love-struck teenager.

I was aware of the others coming into work and mumbled an automatic greeting to them, my mind still going over the small conversation we had. I began to dissect every word that was said, every movement.

The first customers began to trickle in and I was still thinking about him. In the corner of my eye I could see the confused look from my best friend, her green hair tied back in twin pony tails. I was too distracted. With a sigh, I moved into the back room and washed my face. I looked at my reflection and slapped some colour into my cheeks. I had to snap out of it.

The bathroom door opened and I turned to see Kayano walk in with a hair brush and two hair ties. I lifted a hand to my hair and realised that in my distracted state this morning I hadn't tied my hair up. That would explain the strange looks.

"Something happened, didn't it? You aren't yourself today. You never forget to disguise your long hair."

I sat down as she moved behind me and began to brush out my long azure hair. As she did she just waited for my answer, not rushing me in anyway. There were no secrets between us. We had found each other a few years ago when I had run away from my mother's abuse one day. She had also run away from an abusive uncle. I helped her dye her hair and she changed her name to escape him. She always offered to do the same for me but I couldn't find it in my leave my mother. She had raised me, she was all the family I had left.

"I met someone last night."

"Oh?"

"Not like that!"

I said before she could let her imagination run away. She was one of the few people who knew I was gay and she liked to fantasise about me finding a prince to rescue me from my life.

"I was just grabbing the groceries for the week and he was there."

She caught on to the tone in my voice straight away.

"She found your money, didn't she?"

I looked at her hazel eyes in the mirror and nodded. I saw her face tighten in anger but her hands were gentle as she began to pull my hair into the hair ties.

"I keep telling you to give me more of your pay to put into the savings I'm hiding for you."

"She would get suspicious. It isn't worth the pain and the arguments."

I itched the bandage on my arm that wasn't hidden by the three-quarter sleeves of the work shirt I was wearing.

"So, this guy? What makes him so special?"