Stepping into the unknown.

Little Talks.

Warm arms wrapped around me as I cooked and I leant into his hold. Slowly his hand lowered to try and pull my dress up but I smacked him away as he pulled back in pain.

"This needs to cook for the next hour and a half so, Mr Link, I think that we need to have a talk. Please be sensible." I put the dish into the oven and set the timer before turning around and walking into my living room not far off.

"A whole month now and you haven't let me see your tattoo. I haven't shared the same bed or desk with you and frankly it drives me crazy when I see you at work, looking all sexy and shit." I gave a polite and controlled smile and at that I saw a visible shift in his demeanor. He sat properly on the sofa as I sat on the armchair.

"I have been collecting a lot of information about the ohne world. You and more specifically Ambrose are amazing at teaching me but I never heard much to do with you and so I read up on it. I know that for as long as we are together I will never have children or be able to get married. That is okay though and I know we aren't at marriage level yet anyway so we shouldn't have to worry about it but I wanted you to know that I am okay with it." His face had fallen to a complete white as I said this and then he took in the deepest breath he could.

"How long have you known?" He didn't sound happy with me and I couldn't tell why he would be like that after I had just told him what I had.

"Just before Mel turned up. It didn't feel appropriate to do with her here and you were on that case that took you away most nights. It isn't a work matter so I couldn't interrupted you for it either. This was the first time that I wouldn't be crossing a line because this is between us, not work and not with my sister or her husband." He flipped at me and never had he been so cross with me and that included the time I almost cost him a case.

"You knew this for a month and thought that you were so smart by keeping it to yourself. What do you want me to do? I can't control my life as an ohne and you know that. I bet you thought that you were oh so saintly because you are willing to give up your own happiness for me. What else where you going to say to me? That you are going to serve my family with all of your might." He stood up and spoke with his hands. I stood up at the same time and hoped that he would calm down but he didn't seem to be even close to calming down.
"You must feel so very humble. You like to be this person, do you not? The person that has been in the right whilst your oh so mean man turns you into a victim." As he turned his hand went flying up in his anger and I found myself flinching as tears welled in my eyes. Swiftly though I covered up my eyes and I could hear him walking out.

I had thought that he left but shuffling started and I realised that he was doing something else as he was rather rapid with his movements.
"Look at me." He demanded and like a lost puppy I got my balance in check and turned. I knew not to go against someone when they found anger boiling in them. Then an angry sigh left him and he walked out. I couldn't look him in the eye and my head was kept down.

The sofa was sought after I pulled the cooked food out and I realised that within ten minutes he had accused me of making Neil do all of those awful things to me and I also thought that he might hit me. I really couldn't escape men that tried to make me feel as sick as I did in that moment in time. His words rang through my head and also how I reacted to his movements. He hadn't even noticed me flinch away from him but he still told me how I loved to play the victim in life. My blood ran cold as his face ran through my mind and I decided that my future wouldn't be spent as a victim. The two men I had told that I loved spat it back into my face and made me regret ever meeting them but I hated myself more because they couldn't hurt me if I had stopped them sooner. If I had kept to my rules Apollo never would have hurt me and I wouldn't have cried myself to sleep.

By the time I woke up I was more with it. The mirror told me that I had no signs of ever having cried and my eyes looked as stern as they had before Apollo came crawling into my life. Once I had decided that I had recovered from the night before well enough I took off my smudged makeup and my clothes were tugged at and I was stood in an under top and pants. The top was long enough to cover up my thighs at the top but then the door was knocked on and so I walked over and sighed before opening it up.

"I left my laptop here last night." I closed the door on him and walked around. I had clicked the latch on so he couldn't enter. Despite his attempts and knocks on the door. The look in his eyes was something that I didn't look past but I wasn't sure what he was feeling.

Eventually I found a laptop I recognised and pulled it to me. I didn't look up or think as I clicked off the latch and opened the door before shoving it into his chest and closing the door with a click. I didn't hear anything else and so I walked upstairs and changed into a black dress that was clinging to my chest and then ran down to my elbows. The dress sprang out as soon as it passed my chest and then I pulled on a pair of high heels. They were quite high, I had lost my thoughts as makeup hadn't been applied so my hands busied with it all. Winged eyeliner sat over the lines of my eyes and then I headed out to get into my car and head to work.

My glasses were placed on as I arrived at work and then I walked in. Normally I would let others deliver my files that needed to be sorted but I felt productive so I headed to pickup and took them. Signing them out and then walking up ten flights of steps to get to my floor. I had the time to glance over them and so sorted them into piles.

The double doors leading to our floor were pushed open and I picked up the files in order of who I would come across first and then last. It was simple yet effective way of working and then I brought it into practice. A set of folders were smacked down a little harder than intended but they were heavy and they rested on the edge of the desk.

"What's this?" I didn't normally do this job as it was normal for me to let people pick them or I would see who had the lightest loads and who was close to the end of their ones. I was changing that so that people had cases that challenged them but I knew that they could do. Luciana was confused.

"I'm changing the way that I distribute folders. From now on I will hand you cases that will challenge you but also achievable. You are very good at your job so you can have the tough ones, we all know that you are more than equipped for such a task." The smile on her face made me want to smile and then I let my mind wander to Apollo and I stopped myself and let a stern smile show.

Eventually they all had their folders and I gave a knock on the large door. A few easy cases were in my hands and I would take a few to fill the gaps of my major and Apollo would take the other cases. As I entered the office he looked up at me, expecting me to say something but I didn't. I placed the folders onto the desk and walked back out.

"Enyo." I didn't react in a way unprofessional but I felt hurt ripple through me as he spoke my name and a bitter taste seemed to fill his mouth as he said it. Like I had done something wrong.
"I believe that we need to discuss something." I stood with my leg keeping the door open hoping to keep it an option in case I start crying but he beckoned me in and so I sat on the chair opposite his.

"Mr Link, I have a meeting to attend to in ten minutes so I can't stay long." He had that vein in his neck again and the anger from the night before was all around me. The air heavy and my heart beating so hard I might break it. Almost like how he had.

"Very well. Just tell me something. How did you feel last night?" I looked him in the eye and buried my desire to gulp down. I had to stand up for myself or he would be the next Neil.

"Emotions are inconsequential, what matters are the words that are spoken and the reaction to them. I may have thought that I felt a certain way but if my actions had shown another emotion then I believe that actions speak louder than words. Now, if you do not mind I would like to prepare for this meeting and also forget about the past six months of my life. Goodbye Mr Link." He was so busy rubbing his head that he couldn't have seen me leave but as I clicked the door closed I heard him say my name a couple of times. It took all of my strength to overcome the deep desire to go back in there and tell him that I wanted him but he made it clear that he didn't want me.

"What did you say last night?" My body was barely a step away from the door when Ambrose was at me and clearly he was accusing me of doing something wrong. It was unbelievable but I didn't care for it as friends and work clearly didn't go well together and so I was going to stop it.

"Last night is meant for the past. It doesn't matter if I started the third world war or if I murdered children because I am choosing to forget about it. Oh, and could you do me a favour? I just need you to come to my house, it will take five seconds. Goodbye Mr Belmont." I nodded tightly and then stepped to my side and walked around him. My office wasn't far off from where I was.