EVELYN (ON HOLD)

9 ~ A Not-So-Innocent Dare

"It's not the bruises on the body that hurt. It's the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind." --- Aisha Mirza

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Archer has been teaching me for around 3 weeks now. Every second he's not in his office, gym, army grounds or some meeting room, he comes and finds me.

It's actually getting annoying. I'm starting to think he has no life. But who am I to say such a thing?

I'm the one who doesn't have a life.

Yet.

I enjoy dressing up after taking long showers and I love wasting what they give me. I don't care if they have a loss, but they were keeping things like hot water and good shampoo and silk from me, so I now enjoy it.

While I can.

Archer and I walk down the hall - between the line of soldiers - towards the lift and I realize: I don't know his first name.

'Oi,' I say.

He glances at me as we walk.

'Yes?'

We enter the lift and he presses some buttons on the side panel.

'What's your first name?' I ask, looking at my reflection in the shiny metal of the elevator. I haven't asked Archer to let me see a mirror because I don't want to hear him say no, which I know he will, and that would make me hurt.

A reminder of what I can't have.

'Pardon?' he asks. I turn to look at his shocked face.

'I was wondering what your name is. I mean, you know mine, it's only fair I know yours. Plus, you were the one who said we should get to know each-other a couple of days ago...'

He said that while we were in the library and he was showing me what earphones and headphones are.

He has a calculating look on his face and then he smirks and steps closer to me. I step back.

He steps closer.

I step back.

And I bump into the corner of the lift.

The doors ding open and Archer presses a button that closes them again.

He's looking at me intensely and smirking like he's satisfied and I'm angry at myself for being shorter than him.

And then he whispers: 'You actually care to ask?' he says.

And the way he says it does things to my heart I never knew could happen. He says it like he's trying to contain his happiness and like I've said something that makes him overjoyed.

I've only asked his name.

I don't understand why he's so happy.

His honey eyes gaze into my ocean-emerald ones and he places his hands on the walls on either sides of my body. My heartrate quickens and my breath falters.

I'll never understand why he likes being so close to me. He acts like he's always wanted to be near me and now he can't get enough.

I really don't get him.

'It's just a name. I was just wondering,' I whisper. It's quiet enough for him to hear.

He brings his face down to my level and brings his mouth close to my ear, so I can feel his breath there and it's tingling my spine and making my head spin and I just want him to move away before I do something I regret.