Fire and Silk [A Ben Hardy/Four Fanfiction] ON STANDBY

13

Managua, Nicaragua

2300

I was out of breath as soon as I pushed the entrance door, the warm air of Managua filling my lungs in a violent burst. A few people stared at me, still waiting in line to get into the club, I ran past them hastily, ignoring their judgmental looks.

I coughed after walking past a cloud of cigarette smoke, and probably something else, but eventually my footsteps died down into a slower pace.

It was a different thing for my brain.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

It was the only word that was going through my fuzzy mind. I was in no way, shape, or form, in a good state to get back to the hotel on my own, but there was no way in Hell I'd go back inside and face Seven after that rather awkward incident.

I kept asking myself what was wrong with me, rubbing my palms together, shaking my head like a crazy lady.

I wandered the streets, the map of the city imprinted into my mind, my heels digging into the ground. I kept replaying the kiss in my head, how Seven had pulled me into a hug, lovingly... What was I fucking thinking?! It was incredibly unprofessional and, even more so, Seven didn't deserve to be played with.

I was angry at myself for putting him in such a delicate situation.

As I quietly made my way through the more quiet neighborhoods of Managua, I noticed another pair of footsteps behind me. Perhaps I was being delusional, not surprising with the amount of alcohol that was rushing through my blood, but I had a really bad feeling about it and usually my guts are pretty damn accurate.

All the horror movies I had watched and all the moments I screamed: "No! Don't go outside alone you thot!" came back to mind.

I accelerated my steps, damning Satan for these stupid shoes. Why would women wear these fucking torture machines?

When I felt air brush against my shoulders, I slightly turned my head around. In the shadows, a dark figure was following me. Something pushed me to stop and completely face the person: if it was a stranger, they'd just walk away from my craziness, if it was somebody who wished me harm, at least I'd see them coming.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the man finally stood into light. I analyzed him from head to toe; I was both shocked and, at the same time, not that surprised. Even in his buttoned shirt, Four still looked everything like a casual man. He stopped in his momentum and stood there, a few meters away from me, in silence, for an unknown number of seconds.

"Why are you following me?" I broke the tension, rubbing my hands on my arms even if it was still hot outside.

He closed the gap between us, his hair disheveled and deep, dark circles under his beautiful eyes.