Lacquered Tattoo

Chapter Five

The silence would have stretched longer if I hadn’t spoken. The girl didn’t even introduce herself and I have the idea that she didn’t even plan to.

“I’m gonna go,” I told Jolie. It was uncomfortable being eyed by a stranger like this.

“You sure you won’t get lost?” Jolie asked with a hint of a humor in her voice. A smile broke out of me despite how awkward the situation was becoming.

I wasn’t particularly good with geography, but the store wasn’t too far from my flat that I’m confident I can find my way back home.

“No worries, I’ll be fine.”

I raised my hand and gave her a cringe-worthy salute with my pointer and middle finger. Let the ground swallow me whole now.

I tried to salvage the action. Tried. “See you around.”

Jolie chuckled. “See ya, Cassie.”

My heel turned even before she finished her goodbye, trying to slow my pace and not be obvious about the panic I’m feeling by unconsciously speeding my steps.

I was glad I at least made an acquaintance and kind of proud I did so on my first day, but the toll of socializing and getting out added to my now apparent jet lag, was making my head throb.

            Right after I finished dinner while listening to a saved playlist on my laptop, I got ready for bed quickly and double checked the locks on the door and windows before plopping face down on top of the sheets. I didn’t even get under them before I passed out.

            The next morning, I woke up earlier than I would’ve wanted to but after reading for almost an hour in my k****e in the hopes of falling back to sleep, I grunted with a curse finally getting up and fixing my bed.

            No matter, I’ll just take a nap later in the afternoon. I grabbed a dress to go under my coat and black tights to go grab coffee. I need to buy groceries soon; I can’t keep buying meals like this since they’ll cost me too much.

I decided to make a list of things to buy, intending to go to the supermarket later this day. Perhaps I’d go right after I had breakfast. I have this recipe I found online that I really wanted to try. I’m not sure I’d find all of the ingredients since the supermarket I saw seemed small, but I could just do substitution. Sometimes, they taste better than the original.

My body jolted as my doorbell rang, my hand coming straight to my chest. Why am I so jumpy? It was probably the landlady.

I got excited, not because of who it might be but because it’s my first visitor.

Without thinking, I yanked the door open and came face to face with the most beautiful yet terrifying man I’d ever laid eyes upon.

The first thing that came to mind was this was a robbery, then guilt washed over as I realized I was being judgmental and accusing who probably was a nice person, perhaps even my neighbor who was only welcoming me, just because of how he looked like.

I hated myself for thinking like that and immediately felt sorry.

He was intimidating, covered in mesmerizing dark patterns creeping across the exposed skin of his neck and on the back of his huge hands. I could only assume that the ink ran along the length of his arms, bulging out of his jacket, and maybe all over his torso as well and all the way down…

It must have been a full minute that I stood there lack jawed with drool on my chin. Okay, no drool but the effect was just the same.

And it wasn’t just me.

Under thick dark brows, his intense eyes were looking right back at me. I’ve never really been good at reading people and mistake one thing for another, but I could guess. He was either upset about seeing me or confused.

I don’t know which one is worse.

“Uhm…” My foot shifted from one to another. I debated whether to invite him inside but not before I know who he is, right? Judgments aside, he’s still a stranger.

His breath released in a harsh exhale and his body relaxed a little. I most likely looked as tensed as him.

He looked me up and down slowly, making me feel embarrassed. “You Cassie?”

The sound of my name in his deep voice sent a chill down my spine. How did he know my name?

I gulped down my nervousness before I answered. “Yeah? And you are?”

God, I must sound stupid with pronouncing every syllable slowly. What’s the matter with me?

His eyes wander down my body again and without meaning to be rude, I slightly swayed the door forward, hoping he didn’t take notice.

He did.

One of his huge palms presses on my door while the other pushed on the doorframe. He slid it down just low enough to be on my hip level, as if preparing for my flight across the hall.

He’s not wrong.

I have half a mind to run out of my flat to call for attention. The other half was thinking about swiftly shutting the door to his face and lock it before he could get in.

Here I am again, thinking bad about someone I didn’t even know.

Then again, a girl could never be too cautious.

Just because he has a pretty face doesn’t mean he’s automatically a good person.

The man rubbed his scruffy chin, shaking his head. His shoulders visibly dropped, and I don’t know what to make of it yet.

        “s**t, I didn’t mean to scare you, sweetheart” Why did I ever think I wasn’t being too obvious? “I’m a friend of Jolie,” he explained quickly which was a good decision on his part since I absolutely relaxed at the mention of her name.

    “Well, not really a friend ‘friend’ but…” one of his dark brows quirked up the same time the corner of his lips lift. “I’m her boss.”

        “Oh.”

Just when the fear dissipated only did it register that he had called me sweetheart.

My cheeks burned for an entirely different reason.

        “My name’s Monroe. I heard you were looking for a job?”