CHAPTER 4: THE PROTECTOR’S RULE
941 Words
Rae hated Tuesdays.
Tuesdays meant therapy. Tuesdays meant Tita Loring asking “are you feeling better” like DID was a cold. Tuesdays meant pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t.
So on Tuesday, Rae fronted.
She walked into Bean There with her hood up, black jeans, and a face that said don’t talk to me.
The bell jingled.
Daniel was behind the counter. Of course he was.
He looked up and his whole face softened. “Hey, Maya.”
Rae almost laughed. Maya. Like that meant anything.
“Black coffee,” she said. “Large. No sugar. No small talk.”
He didn’t flinch. “Got it.”
He made it himself. No one else touched it.
When he handed it to her, he didn’t ask how she was. He didn’t ask if she slept. He just slid it across and said, “Table’s open if you want it.”
Rae sat. She didn’t drink. She watched him.
Rule #1: Test them.
See if they run when you’re sharp.
A guy at the next table dropped his spoon. Loud.
Rae didn’t flinch. Maya would have. Bunso would have cried.
Daniel did.
His head snapped up. Eyes scanning. Looking for her.
When he saw her sitting still, he exhaled.
Interesting.
She waited until the shop was empty. Then she walked to the counter.
“You new?” she asked. Her voice was lower. The voice she used when people got too close.
“I’ve worked here for a year,” Daniel said. He wasn’t looking at her like she was broken. He was looking at her like she was a person. Annoying. “Are you… are you okay?”
Rule #2: Shut that down.
“I need you to not ask that,” Rae said. “We’re fine.”
We.
His eyebrows pulled together. Just a little.
“Right,” he said. “I’ll… let you be.”
He went back to wiping the counter.
Rae stood there for three seconds too long.
No one had ever done that. Not pushed. Not panicked. Just… stepped back.
She left without saying thanks.
---
That night, inside, it was chaos.
Bunso: He was nice!
Elena: He’s gathering data.
Dreamer: He didn’t ask us to leave.
Rae: He’s going to leave anyway. They all do.
Rae sat in the dark and stared at the wall.
She remembered the way Daniel looked at the table after she walked out. Not relieved. Not confused.
Tired.
Like he understood tired.
She hated that.
---
Two days later she came back. On purpose.
This time Maya was closer to the front. Soft. But Rae was riding shotgun.
Daniel saw her and did that thing again. Nodded. Like he remembered her.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” Maya said. Soft voice.
She ordered tea. Chamomile.
When Daniel brought it, he set it down and didn’t leave.
“You look less tired today,” he said.
Rae surged forward. “Don’t comment on our appearance.”
Daniel blinked. “Sorry. I meant… you look less tired in your eyes.”
Maya looked down at her tea. “Oh.”
Rae pulled back.
Rule #3: If they compliment you, assume it’s a lie.
But his voice didn’t sound like a lie.
She let Maya stay for an hour. Reading. Not talking.
Before they left, Daniel said, “See you, Maya.”
Rae answered. “Don’t get used to it.”
She walked out.
---
The next day, Tita Loring found the notebook.
The one with the poem from Daniel. The one with His name is Daniel. He leaves notes.
“Who is this?” Tita asked. Her voice was sharp.
“No one,” Maya said. She felt herself slipping.
“You’re not seeing anyone, right? Not with… you know.”
With you know.
Rae fronted so hard Maya’s hands shook.
“It’s none of your business,” Rae said.
Tita’s face crumpled. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“From what? Living?”
Rae left the house. Walked all the way to Bean There in the rain.
Daniel was closing.
He saw her and unlocked the door. “You’re soaked.”
Rae dripped on his floor. “I don’t care.”
“Come in. Please.”
She did.
He gave her a towel. A cup of hot water. No tea bag. Just hot water.
“Sit,” he said.
Rae sat.
For ten minutes neither of them talked.
Then Daniel said, “Bad day?”
Rae laughed. Bitter. “You have no idea.”
“I figured.”
“Don’t figure me.”
“I won’t.” He paused. “Can I ask you something?”
Rae tensed. “What.”
“What do you need from me right now?”
The question knocked the air out of her.
Not what’s wrong. Not let me help.
What do you need.
Rae looked at him. Really looked.
Tired eyes. Steady hands. No pity.
“Nothing,” she said finally. “I need nothing from you.”
“Okay,” Daniel said. “Then I’m just going to sit here.”
And he did.
---
When Rae left, she didn’t slam the door.
She walked home in the rain and for the first time in years, she didn’t feel like she had to fight everyone to stay safe.
Inside, Bunso whispered: He’s okay.
Elena: We don’t know that.
Dreamer: But maybe.
Rae didn’t answer.
But she didn’t throw away the towel either.
She folded it and put it in her bag.
Rule #4: If they stay, watch them closer.
Daniel had passed test one.
There would be more.
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