Pink Walls

Day One [Part I]✓

"But you aren't Jericho and Alex isn't Obadiah."

I didn't know why I was surprised to find Ron leaning on the streetlight right in front of the house of the kid I had risk my life to keep alive. With how today was playing out, nothing should have been able to shock me at this point, but seeing her made me take a pause.

She had switched her skirt out for trousers that flared at the knee and her jacket for a trench coat. She was also wearing heels now, which didn't bode well for me.

But what really caught my attention was have her presence had turned the scene into something more than it was.

Without a care, she examined her nails under the flickering streetlight. Right now, the world was her canvas but she still didn't let her gaze flit elsewhere. For her there was nothing more distracting than herself, and I agreed.

The early morning rays fell softly along her fingers, highlighting her dark skin beautifully. The only thing that could have made the scene more aesthetic would have been falling snow.

I could picture the finished shot in my mind. The sun would be dim but elegantly so, streaking the sky orange and pink as it announced the start of the day. The snowfall would be light and frozen in time when the shutters closed, and Ron would be in the center of it all, unaware of how much of nature's appeal revolved around her in that instant.

'Ebony Charm' would have been the name of the photo if I could I had the opportunity to take it, but unfortunately now it was just another moment only I would see.

Maybe I had stared for too long because in the next moment, she turned in my direction and smiled. Just like that, the picture-perfect scene vanished.

I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of Alex's coat and picked up the pace. If I was lucky, she was still in a good mood despite having to deal with Antonia's complicated situation. Maybe the heels had been worn in a celebratory mood.

"You two sure took your time," she commented the instant I was in front of her, and instead of craning my neck to meet her gaze, I chose to stare at the sidewalk instead.

"I fell asleep. Again. Alex didn't wake me up."

"Did something happen?"

"No," I mumbled, then winced when I realized what I had just said. I wanted nothing more than to forget what happened in the car, but that didn't mean that I could get away with lying to the boss.

Saffron hated liars to the bone, much more than roaming eyes and messes. I had learnt that the hard way. It was a rookie mistake to say no to one of her questions. There were many ways I could have avoided giving a direct answer, yet I had chosen the wrongest one.

Saffron didn't say a word, and I just stewed in the silence, wondering what was going through her mind. I considered apologizing but that would only make it obvious that I had done something wrong-which I hadn't.

I was just about to confess that Alex had kissed me when she raised an arm to place her nails under my chin. I stiffened at the feel of their sharp edges against my skin, having no doubt that they could cut me open if she wished. She had never done it before but the fear was always there.

I was once again reminded of the fact that my life was always in hands. She had saved me enough times to be able to take it whenever she wanted.

When she nudged my head up, I didn't resist and allowed our eyes to meet.

Under the scrutiny of her knowing gaze, I felt like a child caught with their hand stuck in a jar of forbidden cookies. I felt my face flood with heat when I realized that she was observant enough to know what had happened from seeing me alone.