Bare With me

Four: When I covered myself

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Chuck wasn't moving. Blood oozed from his hand and was dripping onto the floor. I moved ahead to see if he was dead?

"He's not dead." He said

Chuck landed with a thud on the floor as the man moved away from him. He gripped the kitchen island and now dedicated his full attention to me

"What did you do to him?" I asked

"Just gave him a lesson. Guess he fainted halfway." A smile played across his lips as he moved towards the microwave.

"What's your name?"

"Bare" he said taking out the pizza that Chuck must put in the microwave. He tore a slice and stuffed it in his mouth.

"What kind of name is that?"

He cocked an eyebrow and asked "What's your name?"

"Emily."

"Sounds like a name." he nodded "Would you like some of this? The asshole can cook pretty good."

My stomach growled at the sight of food. It has been more than two days since I have had a real meal and just the sight of this pizza made me want to cry with happiness. I didn't waste another second and took the slice of pizza he extended towards to me.

"Good right?"

I stuffed the pizza in my mouth in one big bite and heard him laughing to which I gave no consideration. I breathed through my nose and chew as fast as I could. "Here take one more slice, you could do better with more than one." I took another slice of the pizza he offered and nodded graciously towards him. It has been a decade since I have treated like a human being. I gulped the content of my mouth and fight the hotness that start building in my eyes.

"It's good." I said "but if he had used a little pepper this would have been amazing." I couldn't stop myself. All my life I have cooked for Steven. A decade of practice can turn an ass into smartass. I could cook with one hand tied and still the food would be delicious.

He observed me carefully. His eyes lingered from my toes to my breast and then came back to my face. His blue eyes was my undoing, I forgot to chew for my food for a while and moved my eyes away from him to see anything but him. There was such a tenacity with which he was seeing me, as if he would deplore my inside out. But I wasn't ready to disclose my story. Not yet.

"You should wear more clothes." He voice called my eyes back on him "I can see your tits."

I widen my eyes and couldn't fight the hotness that adorned my cheeks now. Suddenly I started feeling naked. This thin piece of shirt felt translucent I wanted to hide somewhere but had no where to go.

"Hey" He said "I got no problem to stare over them. But you know those are pretty sets of tits. Why do you flash it openly? Cover them."

All my life I have been told to undress and strip, and when for the first time someone is asking me to cover up I feel naked in this shirt which feels translucent on my body. All the confidence I managed to build in me trap chuck is evaporated and is not heating my cheeks. I used on of my free hand that did not hold pizza to drape it across my breast.

"I.. neither do I have money, nor do I have clothes. I don't like to flash them."

He cleared his throat and didn't speak anything. After a while I heard some shuffling, a moment called my attention then I saw what Bare was doing. He was crouched on his knees and was now frisking Chuck's unconscious body.

"What are you doing?"

"Searching for his gun."

He took out a small pistol from his pants and was now pulling off his leather cut jacket. I stood taller as threw the jacket in my direction "Here" he said "Take it. I know it stinks like shit but it would help you cover yourself. Go ahead wear it."

I didn't needed to be told twice. This man is the first person who does not thinks only for himself and I would do anything he'll ask. I have done whatever I have been asked to do in past. But now I won't end up with bruises, I'm sure of that.

The jacket was way too big for my small size. It came to my knees, the two pockets that it had come onto my thighs.

"See if there's something inside it." Bare asked.

I pushed my hands deeper into the pockets and something touched my fingertips. I pulled it out, a brown leather wallet sat in my hand. I didn't wait for him to say it and opened it. Dollars . A wad of money sat there haughtily having no care in the world who it belonged to.

"I think you should take it after whatever hours of torture he put you through." He stood taller as he indicated towards the wallet with his chin.

"But it's not mine."

"So is that jacket." He shrugged "but you need it more than him. Always protect yourself first and fuck the morals if you have to." He saw something in my eyes so he said "Take it Cinderella. Buy some stuffs. Treat yourself. The money won't last for long."

I took out the wad of money and stuffed it into my pocket. And when I raised my head he was gone. Confusion sprang into me and I looked around only to observe vacant space.

"Are you going to stay in there?"

I turn around and saw him out of the door. "Geez! You're really quick." I smiled. I didn't know how just the sight of a person could make me happy.

"I am lots of things you don't know, Cinderella." He scoffed "But right now I'd advise you to leave this place."

The way in which he said had a despondent cadence. I followed him immediately out of the door. "Is.. is there something wrong?" I asked moving out.

"Well not now. But his friends will come around and the only person they'll think did this will be you."

"Me?" My eyes widened on their own.

"Yes. I think they saw you asking him for a ride. Didn't they?"

My mind went back to commotion of the young night and I quiver internally. But suddenly a logical part of me realized there were no other person than Chuck and his friends there. How did Bare know I asked for a ride from him?

"Bare, were you following him?" he shook his head "So how did you know I asked for a ride from him?"

"There's a reason I am called Bare."

That shut me up. Something clenched in my stomach and I didn't know what to call it. I have never felt this way before. How can a person flip your inside with just his voice? And then his answer came into my mind once again there's a reason I am called Bare.

We walked down the stairs together. His jeans were ripped at places on his legs, he saw me noticing it and either he refuse to accept that I noticed it or he was perfectly fine with it. Could he be anymore better than already he is. I would really like to be someone like him one day, giving not a peace of mind to whatever somebody thinks about you. Giving no peace of mind when someone was literally staring on you.

"you like my jeans?"

"uh..yeah I mean" I struggled to find the right word to not embarrass him. But he doesn't needed to be embarrassed even I wasn't in my own dress. "It's just, I like your confidence. You wear these tattered jeans with such a confidence. They're shredded on your knees but you're cool with it. I like it." I tried to smile.

He halted in his steps and looked down and then back at my face before bursting into laughter "are you kidding me? They're ripped jeans. I mean how cannot you know? They are trending these days."

I not only lost the smile I was carrying, but I realized I have also lost a decade. A lots of things must happened that I must have had missed. Tears brim into my eyes. I didn't want him to see them. I just gave him curt nod and ran away again.

Where? I don't know?