The Handsome Devil

Chapter 41 - And Victoria was born

The garden flat Hunter got them was situated in one of the seediest parts of East London, but the girl was stunned by how cosy the interior appeared in contrast to its façade.

It was by no means spacious. There was a middle sized living room with kitchen unit in the corner, small bathroom, and a double bedroom but it was all they needed. Although the latter made her wonder how exactly does Hunter picture their cohabiting.

Each room was fully furnished (including few decorations), and whoever did that certainly had tastes similar to hers.

All the wood and dark colours...

She was just about to let her fingers dance over the feathers of an oversized dream catcher hanging on the wall, when Hunter cleared his throat. It was the first sound he let out since they got off the car, instantly catching her attention.

"So... what are your thoughts?" The question came out awkwardly, undoubtedly an aftermath of their altercation.

Deya absent-mindedly shrugged her shoulders. The place exceeded her expectations, but it amazed her that the man seemingly believed they can move past their problem by simply ignoring it.

Does he have no shame?

His outburst at her hesitancy to talk, although a red flag, was one thing. However, the fact he didn't even bother to deny that he was keeping a secret of his own the whole time, that's what made him a hypocrite.

"Are you hungry?" The boy gave it another try, but the girl resorted to silence, and she might have gotten away with it if her stomach didn't decide to rumble loudly at the mention of food.

Hunter let out a defeated sigh before walking to the kitchen counter, head hung low. The next half an hour, as she watched him cooking, she contemplated whether the old Deya would feel guilty for giving him the cold shoulder.

After all, he DID save my arse.

It was obvious they'll have to reconcile sooner or later, both their lives depended on it. But the girl couldn't stop focusing on how much her saviour wronged her.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more her aggravation grew.

"Do you plan on talking about what happened in the car?" She asked nonchalantly, forcing Hunter to put the knife he held aside and turn around.

"Do we have to?" His puppy eyes did nothing to help as the girl stood up and took off towards the bedroom.

"Wait! I'm sorry, ok?"

For a few seconds, they just stared at each other, both taken aback by he desperation in the boy's voice.

"We'll talk, I promise" It was as if every part of the man silently plead with her.

But can I trust you, Hunter?

She asked herself for the millionth time. Without the turmoil of emotions normally clouding her judgment, it occurred to her that except the secret he just promised to tell her, the guard gave her no legitimate reason to be so suspicious.

Doesn't he deserve the benefit of doubt?

"When?" If she's about to go easier on him, she needs more than indirect promises. She needs a plan.

"Tomorrow" Deya's eyes shot up at how fast the reply came.

"I want us to sleep on it first and.. cool down" Hunter added quietly, and she noticed for the first time how exhausted his eyes looked.

The girl gave a small nod, but there was one more question creeping at the back of her mind.

"Am I safe with you?"