Hellbound with you

17. bravery or stupidity

"Abigail…" he uttered her name. The lust in his eyes was completely gone and he was as calm as still water again. His eyes looked at her with a seemingly steely decision – a decision to send this girl away, as far away from himself as possible.

Since the night he first saw her, he already sensed that she was probably a nice, gentle and good girl; she just gave off such a vibe. He noticed it in the way she spoke and her mannerisms from their interactions, that she possibly lived a sheltered life. He would even have bet that she was raised to have good values and grew up into a decent and kind person because of it. He could just tell because this girl's eyes were so clear and pure that he could see right through it into her soul. Unlike his, her eyes spoke of life, they weren't dead, and it was as if they were unable to hide any secrets at all. His first impression of her was that she was like a untouched river, clear and pure but also vigorous. But then, she suddenly told him she wanted to experience hell, even offering herself to him despite his warnings. What made her do it, bravery or stupidity? He didn't know, but her actions just kept on contradicting this judgement of her that he decided to believe that he might be wrong this time, even believing that she was just acting coy to try and get close to him like so many other women had previously done.

So now that he finally proved that she wasn't acting coy at all, he became angry both at himself and at her. A girl like her belonged to a comfortable, peaceful and bright place; he couldn't possibly drag her into his tortured world - his hell.

"I am not the man for you," he whispered with a stern expression on his face and before Abi could even process what he said, the man picked up her dress and gave it to her. "Get dressed. I'll wait for you in the garden," he added and just like that, he left, leaving Abi alone in the vast room.

Abigail looked at the crumpled dress in her hands, unable to comprehend what just happened. The words 'I am not the man for you' echoed in her head and she didn't know why but it stung her hard. She really had failed. She tried so hard to do what he wanted, to prove herself to him, but in the end, it seemed she really wasn't good enough.

So this was how it felt to be rejected… this stinging feeling in her heart; she didn't know that it felt like this.
Abigail had always been the one to rebuff her would-be admirers. She had never been on the receiving end of rejection before maybe because no one had ever sparked her interest. She had not met anybody who was able to evoke that desire in her, to want to be with them. No one had ever made her behave this fearlessly, until she met this mysterious Mr. Qin.

She clearly heard him - he didn't want her, which was supposed to be a good thing in the first place.

As she quietly put on her dress, Abi's thoughts were in chaos. She had clearly told him that she would come back once she gained more experience so that she could pass his test, but the rejection that followed crashed her resolve, hard. She was caught so off guard with all these unfamiliar feelings and new experiences that she didn't know how to even cope. Abi almost felt like crying. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes but she wouldn't let them. She closed her eyes and pushed back her tears as she took deep, steadying breaths to calm her mind and her heart. Once she felt more in control of herself, she walked to the door and left the room.

When she reached the garden and saw him standing there, facing the dark sky, Abi bit her lips. 'No, Abi! Get ahold of yourself!' she inwardly berated herself.
The man noticed her presence and immediately walked towards her. He led her silently down the stairs and out the building until they reached the car that Mr. Black Leather Jacket drove to fetch her. They both sat inside the car; she, on the passenger seat and he, on the driver's seat. Still, no one spoke a single word. The atmosphere in the car was gloomy and dreadful and she wasn't sure what to do or say to make it better, while he just concentrated on the road and didn't seem to care.
After some minutes, the car finally stopped in front of Kelly's apartment. The car sat idling but Abi didn't move to climb out of the car.

"Miss Chen," he finally broke the silence and Abi looked at him with a determined look on her face.

"Mr. Qin, what's your name?" she asked and the man's brows slightly creased. "I'm not going to climb out of your car until you tell me," she threatened and the man's lips curved up slightly. His smile was the same as that first night they met. This was the first time that night that he gave her that wickedly cold smile. He looked like he was trying to scare her away again.

"Miss Chen, I don't see any reason why you still want to know my name but okay, I will indulge you one last time. I might as well introduce myself before we part." he said, making it seem as though this would be the last time she would ever see him. She could feel that he was only telling her as some sort of parting gift. "Alexander Qin," he said and Abi's gaze at him deepened.

"Alexander Qin," she echoed under her breath.

"It's late," he sighed and she knew that he wanted her to leave.

Unwillingly, Abi opened the door. She glanced at him one more time before she stepped out of the car. She closed the door but she was still holding onto the door handle. Then suddenly, she ran around and knocked on the driver seat window.

As the window rolled down, Abi signaled him to move close to her because she wanted to whisper something to him. The man did what she wanted, with a deadpan expression.
Out of nowhere, a kiss landed on his cheek, causing his expression to change. His eyes widened for a split second before he turned and looked at her.

Abi just smiled at him. "Goodnight Alex, see you again soon," she said before she ran away.