~Noah~
The rain beats against the roof and windows of the bookstore relentlessly. The thunder booms and lightning crackles so close that I jump. A shiver ran down my spine, the wet washcloth gripped tightly in my hand, and I mentally shook myself.
Get a grip.
I continue to wipe the tables and counters. Scrubbing a sticky spill—old syrup. Someone had pancakes this morning. I was not too happy about it. And then, out of nowhere. There was an insistent knock on the front door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Knocking over a chair in my haste to back away from the door, I tremble like a leaf. The store is closed. I'm not expecting anyone—my heart races.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each knock on the door grew louder, and each knock on the door made me want to open it less and less.
"Who could be on the other side of that door at this hour?" I whispered to myself shakily, almost unheard over the roaring storm.
I tentatively walked over to the door and looked through the watery window. It was a fruitless attempt because I could only see the outline of the figure, making the person look more mysterious and scary. My shaking hand rattled the doorknob as I tried to open it. The sound was jarring compared to the muted silence in my ears. The door wouldn't open.
What the hell?
I looked down and saw the deadbolt locked. I sighed and turned it over.
The door creaked as it slowly swung open. I dragged my eyes up to the man in front of me, the smell of blood and rain overtaking my senses. He stood there silently, looking down at me. He towered about six inches above me, with dark brown, almost black hair, and impaling, icy blue eyes. His hair dripped just below his ears onto the thick leather jacket that was slung loosely over his shoulders.
"C-can I help you?" I stuttered quietly. I looked toward the smell of blood and saw a big gash right under his ribs. His shirt was ripped and tattered. I gasped.
"Can I come in?" he grunted out like a statement, not a question. I mentally shook myself and ushered him in, feeling foolish.
"Uh.. Yeah, I'll get the first aid kit too." I offered a wobbly smile. I led the mystery man to the back office, which contained the first aid kit. I turned on a lamp the second we entered and started rummaging through the cupboards.
Nope. nope. Where the hell is it? Finally!
I grabbed it and took it over to the desk where the mystery man stood awkwardly.
"You can sit in the chair right here, and I'll help you. What's your name?"I pointed to the plush red chair across from the desk as I was talking. He nodded and sat heavily. I glanced at him and saw that he had tattoos and piercings everywhere; his jaw was sharp and tight with pain. I could see every one of his muscles through what was left of his shirt. Even the leather jacket he wore showed his lean body. My mouth watered, but I snapped out of it quickly. I kneeled in front of him and opened the kit.
"Could you lift your shirt, please?" I said quietly with a slight blush as I saw the extent of his abs and toned body.
"Yeah, my name's Leo by the way. What's your name?" he said just as quietly. He sounded like he was consumed by the pain.
"I'm Noah. How did you get this gash? It looks fresh." I shuddered at the blood dripping down his stomach.
"My dad's 'friends' get violent when dad's not happy. It happens a lot. It's fine. I was just running and found this place," he gritted his teeth. I quickly grabbed the anti-septic wipes and patted the wound as gently as I could.
"This'll probably hurt," I muttered as I tried my best to concentrate. Leo's grip tightened on his shirt.
"You almost done?" he grunted.
I wrapped the gauze firmly around his stomach. "Yep. All done." I said with a slight smile.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?" I asked softly, the initial shock and fear of his arrival dissipating.
"Nah, it's fine," Leo said a little hesitantly.
"Are you sure? It's really no big deal." I said reassuringly.
"Alright then, I gotta get to the university in town. Do you know where that is?" he spoke more smoothly and comfortably. I nodded and stood, realizing I was basically sitting in his lap. Heat traveled up my neck to my cheeks in a bright red blush. Leo smirks at my blush and stands up as well. Again, I am reminded of how much taller he is than I am. I tilt my head up to meet his gaze, and our lips brush from the closeness. I stumbled back in shock, and I backed towards the door.
I clear my throat. "Uh… follow me. I'll take you to the college. I'm going there tomorrow, coincidentally enough."
Leo followed me through the door and down the hall to the entrance where Leo came in. The storm calmed down enough to allow safe driving. We exited the small building, and I locked up behind us. The parking lot was empty except for a sleek black car at the far end.
"This is my car," I said as we walked up to it. Leo stumbled a little from the blood loss right into me. I grunted in surprise and just barely caught him before we both fell. Wherever our bodies touched felt like it was electrified and sent a shiver down my spine.
"You okay?" I blushed again, my arm snaking around his waist to hold him up.
"Yeah," he grunted through gritted teeth. His hand grabbed mine with bruising strength as he supported himself on me to walk correctly. His knuckles turned white from the force. By the time I got the passenger door open, we were both thoroughly soaked and panting.
Once we were both seated in the car with the doors closed and the heat blasting, I shook the water out of my fluffy, light brown hair. Shivering violently, I rubbed my hands together, looking for warmth. Once I was warm enough, I put my shaking hands on the steering wheel, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
"You good?" Leo asked beside me. I slowly opened my eyes and nodded.
"Yeah, I just get nervous when I drive with someone else in the car, but don't worry, I need the practice anyway." I sighed and pulled out of the parking lot. I offered a half-convincing fake smile as I turned off the street. I got into the familiarity of the roads and relaxed.
"So… what year are you?" Leo's question took me by surprise.
"I'm a freshman, a newbie. How 'bout you?"
"Same, what are you going for?" he asked politely, or as politely as someone like him can. 'I wonder why he's asking all of these questions.' I split my attention between the road and the conversation, my eyes never leaving the road.
"Art history and library science, so I could own my own library someday. What about you?" I smile a little, thinking about that library.
"I'm just going for general studies. I've got no commitments. You gonna join a club or something?" he smirks like he knows everything. I roll my eyes, but I can't help the smile that splits across my face.
"Am I really that obvious? I want to join an A cappella group and probably a book club. Are you interested in that kind of thing?" I glanced at Leo for a second to see his reaction, and it was priceless. He looked horrified and offended at the same time, and I couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped me, nor did I want to.
"Hell no, I ain't that type a person." I giggled at his response.
"What type of person are you then? The kind that gets drunk and high with his friends?" I asked playfully. I turned on another road and into the student parking lot.
"Not exactly. It doesn't matter. Thanks for patching me up and taking me here. See ya, nerd," he said stiffly as he reached for the door handle. I unlocked the door.
"Goodnight, mystery man, thanks for distracting me so I could relax on the road," I smirked a little, feeling very comfortable around him. I pulled out of the parking lot with a smile on my face. The whole ride home, I couldn't get Leo out of my head.