The Faded Rose

Chapter 5

I rose unsteadily on my feet, trembling. Nicholas punched the man in the face. The man staggered back, blood trickling down his nose. Nicholas kept pummeling the man. The man tried to take a swing at Nicholas missing him. Nicholas slammed him against the wall with his hands around his neck choking him.

"How dare you touch her?" Nicholas growled. I had never seen anyone so angry.  I saw indignation in his eyes, a storm raging in them. The man was running out of breath. 

"Don't! Let him go.. He will die." I said finally finding my voice. Nicholas ignored me. 

"Nicholas please," I pleaded. He heard something in my voice which made him let go of the man. Nicholas slowly walked towards me. His eyes full of emotions. I could see fear, panic, dread and later relief. Nicholas Lorde for the first time seemed vulnerable. Then and there I knew that this man was going to be my downfall. 

He put his coat around me when he saw me shivering. 

"Are you okay?" I nodded in response. 

"Are you okay?" I emphasized looking into his eyes. He gave me a nod.

"Please take me home," I whispered. 

"There will be Paparazzi at the front entrance. Let's get out through the back exit." I nodded, touched by his thoughtfullness.

He called his driver asking him to keep the car ready at the back exit. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders guiding me to the exit, a black Maserati Quattroporte waiting for us. 

He opened the door for me. "Get in."

"What about my car?" I suddenly remembered. 

"I will have someone drop it at your place." I nodded and got in the car. 

"Where to sir?"

Nicholas looked at me. "59 west, 46th street," I gave him my address. 

We sat in a comfortable silence. If someone had told me that I would feel safe and at ease next to Nicholas when I first met him, I would have laughed at them.

I shuddered thinking about what almost happened tonight. If Nicholas hadn't reached on time.... I shook at that thought.

Nicholas sensed my anxiety. "Are you okay?" He asked in his soothing voice. He took my hands in his and started rubbing them attempting to calm me down.

I nodded, resting my head on the window pane, closing my eyes. 

We reached my apartment after half an hour. Nicholas got out and opened my door. I stepped out, he held my hands and started walking towards my apartment. I looked towards him confused.  

"I just want to drop you to your door, especially after what happened tonight," he clarified. 

"You don't have to."

"I want to." We walked silently till we reached the door to my apartment. 

"Goodnight." He just stared at me not saying anything. I sighed and unlocked the door when he caught my wrist bringing me to a halt.

"Look I am sorry. It's my fault that this happened to you tonight. I had promised to stay next to you, to protect you and I failed." He tugged his hair in frustration. 

I could see that he was berating himself for what happened tonight. I walked towards him, taking his hands in my own. 

"It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself." 

"I..." I could see that he was about to argue. 

"If anything, you saved me." I interrupted him not wanting him to feel guilty. 

"How did you even find me?" I asked him wanting to distract him from his self loathing thoughts.

"After finishing talking to an investor, I came looking for you. I went to the buffet counter where you said you would be but I couldn't find you. I asked your employee at the buffet counter if they had seen you." His eyes stared at a distance as if remembering something very terrifying.

They said that you haven't been there since you had left to meet me. I felt a flash of dread, I somehow knew that something was wrong. I frantically searched for you but couldn't find you." His eyes found mine as if searching for something.

"Shhh! I am okay" I cupped his cheeks trying to comfort him.

"Someone then informed me that a lady matching your description had gone towards the restroom. On my way to the restroom, I heard your scream. That's when the real fear set in. I ran towards the voice and saw that filthy man on top of you. It was like I had lost all the sense of right and wrong. I just wanted to kill that man for putting his hands on you." He continued, removing my hands from his cheeks and holding them. He touched the corner of my lips with his thumb. I could see all his emotions in his eyes, only one that I could not recognize. It was very different from before where he masked his emotions with a blank, cold look.   

He dropped his hands and sighed. "Go inside, it's late and you must be tired." I nodded.

I walked inside my apartment but not without turning back to look at him to only to find him still standing there, waiting for me to get inside.

I closed the door behind me locking it. I was exhausted after everything that transpired today. 

I walked towards my bedroom and entered the bathroom. I gasped at my reflection in the mirror. My face was a mess, my make up ruined, mascara and eyelined smudged, my lips bruised. I sighed and washed my face. I walked out of the bathroom and towards my closet. I changed into my PJs and got into bed pulling the duvet over me.  

I had seen the other side of Nicholas today. I knew one thing for sure that he was not the heartless prick that media made him out to be. No matter how much I would like to deny it but there was an attraction between us. I felt safe in his arms, a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time. With that thought, I fell into a deep slumber. 

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SG