Julien wasn't exactly a short guy, no, in fact he tended to be one of the taller ones when placed in a crowd.
So seeing someone at chest level—or collarbone level, to be precise—for the first time since middle school felt…different.
Startled, he looked down to see what he'd half expected, half hoped for.
A puppy with floppy brown ears and beady, worried black eyes stared back at him, tail wagging hesitantly and tongue lolling in a pant.
It was just a beagle.
Thank the stars above.
He breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there, he'd been worried his sister had actually sent him a person.
Even she has a little sense sometimes.
Thinking that he should at least take the pup inside first and figure things out later—regardless of whether he intended to keep it or not—he looked up at the large man standing before him.
He unconsciously stood up straighter.
Is he the…courier?
One to judge by appearances, he wasn't so sure that was the case—and if he had been paying attention, he would've noticed the lack of a security guard accompaniment behind him too.
His first mistake.
Taking a step back—partially to get a better look, and because frankly, he was a little intimidated—Julien sized up his questionable visitor.
The guy wasn't just tall, he was muscular too.
Enough to snap his neck without even breaking a sweat.
His fully-fastened black button-up wasn't doing anything to hide it either. Every breath he took pulled the fabric tight enough he was sure the buttons would snap any second now and hit him in the face.
Shopping must be difficult…
Then there were his matching black slacks. Held up by a belt Julien wasn't even sure he needed, the strain was concentrated around his…
Cough.
Catching himself, Julien redirected his gaze to the man's face and paused. He could admit when another guy was objectively attractive, and this was definitely one of those cases.
While he wasn't exactly lacking in the looks department himself—with a few people in the theatre department having tried recruiting him just because of it—they had two very different vibes going for them.
While Julien's features were more reminiscent of a boy band member than anything else; healthy tan skin, downturned eyes, and a handsome but youthful quality to his face complemented by his lengthy mussed-up rust-colored hair and dark brown eyelashes—courtesy of his mother—the other man had a rougher quality to him.
And if he had to describe him in one word it'd be—
Magnetic.
His piercing onyx eyes—sharp as the edge of a well-honed blade—made it hard for Julien to stand still, while his short jet-black hair and thick eyebrows atop bronze, almost golden skin only emboldened his mystique.
Add to that his dense functional muscle and the jagged scars cutting across his face and anyone passing him on the street would either turn tail and run or stand there in awe—much like what Julien was doing now.
He looks like an assassin, or a rogue, or both…
The man didn't move despite Julien's rather overt stare, but he did take the chance to study Julien in return.
He was committing him to memory.
When their eyes met, Julien's lilac irises darted away from his own. As the silence dragged on, Julien began shuffling uncomfortably underfoot. And as the man took in every little detail he could from behavior to mannerisms…
His eyes drifted to the young man's hand.
He was still holding that gargantuan red collar.
Julien didn't notice the subtle twitch of the other man's brow as he glanced between the collar and the beagle at his side, nor did he notice the other man drifting into thought as he cleared his throat—continuing on as though he'd never stopped and stared to begin with.
"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm in a bit of a hurry here."
He held his free hand out.
"Can you hand me whatever it is you needed me to sign?"
Only then did he realize what he was still holding.
Smiling awkwardly, he shifted the collar to his wrist and patted his pockets. No pen.
Great.
Stalling in thought, he realized his bag was still in the study along with all his writing utensils.
He gave the other man a polite smile.
"My backpack is still inside. Excuse me—wait here for a moment?"
'They need to upgrade their systems already so I don't need to do this every time.'
Grumbling about the inconvenience, he stepped back and headed for the study.
Just then, he felt a gentle, but firm, hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping him in his tracks.
Julien looked at him in confusion then looked at the man's other hand.
His confusion quickly turned into horror when the man silently dropped a familiar item into his hands.
Another midnight-blue letter.
While Julien's eyes remained glued to the letter, the man crouched, removed his shoes, and picked up the beagle, before stepping past the threshold.
Passing Julien, the door clicked shut behind him.
Julien frowned and looked up.
Wow.
He had no words.
Where did he—
The man stood like a statue in his kitchen, scanning the open space with a casual indifference.
He was like a weeping angel—blink and you'd miss it.
Yeah, sure, make yourself at home, why don't you.
Julien's eyelid twitched in annoyance.
Thump
Then, he had a realization and his heart skipped a beat.
Don't tell me—
Forcing out a nervous laugh, his eyes skimmed over the letters contents.
He couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh.
She really was that crazy.
Julien ran a hand over his face.
"Go ahead and take a seat over there."
He pointed to a recliner by the window on the far side of the apartment. The lamp sitting on the coffee table-cum-bookshelf was the only source of light in the otherwise curtain darkened space.
Julien preferred the moody lighting, what could he say?
The man obliged with a slight nod. Settling in, he absently stroked the beagle's coarse and patchy fur as he waited.
Julien watched him and moved himself to the furthest kitchen stool he could before sitting down.
He glanced at the time, clicked his tongue and looked at the offensive text in earnest.
Let's get this over with.
He read:
"Surprise! I wasn't originally planning for him to arrive today so excuse me if the preparations seem a bit rushed. Do you like your gift?"
I can't believe she's sunk so low as to dabble in human trafficking!
A dog was one thing, but a person was a whole new low!
Julien squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think happy thoughts, his fist clenched in rage as he read on.
"You don't know how surprised I was when he called and said he was willing to forgo the contract. Holding a bundle of cuteness as he was, soaked to the bone, how could I be cold in that situation?"
I can think of a few ways…
"He was the perfect candidate otherwise, so given the circumstances, I had no choice but to arrange for the two of them to move in as soon as possible. Plus, the DOG—what more could you ask for?"
…Move in?
"He's mainly your bodyguard but he can do other things as well, so don't worry about anything. He won't be in the way.".
He chuckled, unammused, and looked at his supposed 'gift.'
A bodyguard…
What was he supposed to do with that?
Sensing Julien's stare, the man glanced at him before continuing to play with the beagle's paws. Despite the unreadability of his face, his touch was careful.
He couldn't have looked more unbothered if he tried.
Lowering the letter, Julien took a deep breath. He continued to watch as the man tousled the floppy little ears on the beagle's head, then he exhaled.
Shaking his head, he refocused his thoughts—he only had one question.
Why?
That's what was throwing him off.
His sister almost never did something without thinking about it first, no matter how seemingly out there the things she did were.
Even if a bit misguided, most of her 'gifts' served a purpose that generally benefitted the receiver. Of course there were exceptions, but something as big as this wouldn't have been one of them.
He checked the time again and sighed.
7:50
He picked the letter back up and finished reading.
"On a more serious note, I'll be going abroad for a few months after Thanksgiving so I won't be able to take care of you for a while. He's there in case something happens, so bear with it. At least until I come back."
But you've never done this before…
What was she expecting to happen over the course of the next few months that she got him a bodyguard of all things?
There was nothing, as far as he could tell.
"p.s. If you enjoy his company enough, feel free to become friends.You can keep him for as long as you'd like even after I come back, and I'd feel at ease if you got along as well."
Julien put the letter down and frowned.
Not a housekeeper, not a close friend sent to check in every now and then.
A bodyguard.
No matter how many times he repeated it in his head it just didn't make—
His face stiffened.
Was he being surveilled? Again?
It's the only thing that makes sense.
But if that were the case, what triggered it? Or was he missing something else?
Theoretically if he was in danger… it would either be because she poked a wasps nest herself or… someone with bad feelings towards him because of… 'Him' was moving around again.
Squeezing his eyes shut to block out the impossible, Julien stood up.
He didn't need a bodyguard.
I need to leave.
Thinking on his own wasn't getting him anywhere anyway. He could always ask her about it later.
It took five minutes for him to get to class, three if he ran, and only 6 minutes were left on the clock. Meanwhile the man in his apartment looked like he was ready to doze off any minute now.
Julien weighed his options.
"Damnit."
He was going to hightail it out of there if he had to.
He quickly grabbed his bag, pulled his keys off the hook, and scribbled something down on a sticky note before stopping in front of the imposing man.
At least he only had one class on Fridays, only in that was his sister merciful.
"Hey."
The man cracked an eye open.
"I'm running out of time, so I'll make this quick."
Julien flung the giant collar at him and it landed on his chest with a rattle.
"Do with that what you will. I'll be back soon—Don't touch anything. Don't leave."
He glanced at the beagle.
"And don't make a mess."
Julien stuck the sticky note to the back of the man's hand. He read the note then looked at Julien as he continued to speak.
"Call me or text me. I don't care."
Julien was already across the room, sliding his sneakers on in a hurry.
"If my sister shows up or you get hungry, contact me."
The man nodded, and for the first time Julien heard his voice: Low, husky, and yet surprisingly smooth like silk.
"Ok."
With that, Julien bolted out of the apartment like a bat out of hell.
7:56
Four minutes to class.