Beautiful Ruins

Chapter#08

The question came out almost knowingly to his conscious. Despite everything he thought over this whole situation, his curiosity about her was much greater then he liked. You usually don’t find such cold and indifferent people without a reason but that was it, wasn’t it? She wasn’t really all cold and indifferent. She was almost devious.

Her eyes which were looking at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking made him self-conscious enough to blank his mind in fear she had the ability to read minds because the way she was, it wouldn’t be completely unbelievable.

She smirked and he felt himself shiver, from either cold or her smirk. The movement was almost heart stopping.

She looked away, shrugged carelessly and said, “There isn’t really to tell about me.” But again looked at him in the eye and asked quiet bluntly, “What are those circumstances?”

He was surprised by her question, he didn’t she cared and she probably didn’t. She was probably asking for her amusement. But his circumstances weren’t really a secret. Almost everyone knew around here and the fact that she asked him directly made him a little glad.

“It was simply one of those childish rebellious phases. Just wanted to seem tough so I joined a group. My brother was already in it. I was too young to understand that cool tattoos and smoking cigarette was just minor of the things they did. I left almost immediately except you can’t really leave these things, can you?” his words were low and slow almost like he was carefully thinking over what he wanted to say and how to form words. They were words he never needed to tell anyone, his circumstances were something he never needed to tell anyone but he also noticed that he had turned defensive like trying to push the blame on anything as long as it wasn’t totally his fault- he wanted to believe it wasn’t completely his fault.

“How is this related to being in a relationship?” she asked, her voice also low like she didn’t wanted to disturb the atmosphere.

“My brother is still part of it so my parents are pretty much safe for now but a relationship would be my personal weakness. They didn’t like I left so having someone would just become dangerous for them.” He explained while looking away.

“You ever killed someone?”

His head snapped to her in shock. Was this something you can simply ask but then he couldn’t help laugh out loud. This probably wasn’t something you ask people but neither were his circumstances normal and nor was she.

“I don’t know. I have fired bullets but I don’t know if they killed someone.” He truthfully told her. He didn’t know why he was being so honest but he was the kind that couldn’t really lie and if this made her run away from him then it was acceptable.

But now, he had a feeling that making her run away would need something more than just dead bodies and gangs.

“You can’t just protect her?” she asked like it should be obviously what I should be doing.

“I can’t.” he whispered, gripping his shaking hands. He could no longer hold a gun and usually, protecting someone like that needs a weapon in hand and he was just too weak.

“Then you should find someone who can protect you instead.”

Did she really live on Earth? Why would someone do that for him? He wasn’t worth anyone’s effort and he can’t possibly ask someone to take responsibility for his s**t.

His face probably showed everything he was thinking because she laughed which startled him in daze.

“…..she is very pretty…” Matt’s words suddenly ring in his mind and his eyes widen, his head snapping back to glare at the ground. Pretty? Was she? Does it matter?

But she did look pretty when she laughed. A voice in his mind said which he told to just shut up. He didn’t need more reasons for her to roam in his mind then she already did. It was already hindering his life to the point where he was worried about complete useless things and spending time with a girl he barely knew. He really didn’t needed anything more to distract him to make him fall because he can’t afford to fall.

For a while, a question raised in his mind. Would he have been able to avoid these feelings if he had never said anything? If he had kept quiet about what he felt, never went to Matt and never called her out that day to talk.

“I think, we all eventually find someone who would do the most remarkable impossible for us.” Her voice surprised him, because this time she was the one who looked, sounded dazed like she was remembering a happy memory in some other time. In some other place where he had no place for.

His chest tightened painfully.

“Do you have someone like that?” He blurted out the question before thinking what he was doing. He wanted to take them back immediately because the words sounded almost bitter and he prayed she didn’t noticed.

“I am the kind to do something remarkably impossible for someone instead.” She admitted without making a comment on his tone or she didn’t notice which didn’t sound possible to even himself. Her tone changed though, from that dazed, happy voice to almost blank and hard.

“Should I not have asked this question?” he asked, feeling confused, curious.

She looked at him and gave him a careless grin.

She really changed faces like clothes. It was hard to tell which exactly was the real her.

“I don’t mind.” She said and started swinging her swing again.

They went silent after that as he watched her swing and she ignored his sitting figure like he was air. He didn’t minded. She was probably not used to talking which he could understand.

“Can we get some food?” she shouted while swinging, astonishing him. He nodded his head and rise up. He had to wait a while because Ace looked like she was very sorry to part with the swing so she deliberately let the swing stop on its own pace.

When she finally got up from it, they walked towards the car side by side. He noticed that her steps were light, as if she was dancing alongside him. Her steps felt like they hardly touched the ground but instead just aired like a feather with the wind.

He suddenly felt like a fool like he have made some big mistake.

They drove to the nearest drive through and bought food. He realized that she was very hungry because she attacked the fries like she hadn’t eaten in days. It was either that or she just ate like that.

He stopped the car in the nearest parking lot as she ate, she didn’t offer him any of her food but did creep few bits from him without shame, like it was habit she had long practiced. When she caught his eyes looked at her in amusement she stuck her tongue out on him like she had the very first day she arrived.

He laughed and shook his head, letting her do what she wanted.

Somehow, unconscious to himself and her as well, they broke a wall between themselves. It crumbled down in pieces, letting each see parts of themselves and other without a curtain in future which was to come.

After he finished eating, they were ready to go home. He dropped her off to her place and waited till she was inside to drive to his home. The rain had completely stopped but there were still grey clouds and for once, he prayed that the weather would remain the same for few days.

When he entered his home, his parents were loudly talking in the kitchen. He followed their voices and entered the kitchen. His mother was boiling something on the stove and his father was reading her an article off his iPad. His voice was unhurried and clear as he told her about some fascinating new disease which made Daniel shudder.

Why would anyone want to know about something like this?

Her mother noticed him first. She smiled and waved to his dad to shut up who obeyed her like a well-trained dog. He had a very suspicious grin on his face which made Daniel worried.

“You want me to warm you a plate?” his mum asked. Before he could say anything his father answered for him with that crinkly grin.

“Oh, he already ate.”

Shit!

“He did, how did you know?” her mum demanded but his father just keep on grinning. He should have gone directly to his room. He smiled awkwardly and tried to make a run to his room but before he could even take a step, an arm was thrown on his shoulder.

“Let’s talk, son.” His father said and dragged him from his neck to his room. He had no choice but to follow him quietly without putting a fight.

When they reached him room, his dad made him sit on the bed and sat beside him. His eyes waiting for him to start talking which he really didn’t wanted to.

“It’s not like that.” He blurted out which made the grin fall from his father’s face.

“What do you mean?” From the tone of his father’s voice he knew there is another misunderstanding.

“I mean we are just getting to know each other.” He admitted the half-truth.

He really needed to learn how to lie.

The grin returned on his father’s face and he excited asked like some teenage girl waiting for gossip, “Who is she? Does he like you back? Have you treated her properly? You should have taken her to a nicer place to eat you know, if you didn’t had money you could borrow more…”

“Dad, I told you it’s not like what you think. It’s a bit complicated.” Daniel interrupted him before he created any more delusions.

“What’s so complicated about it all? If you like her, you should go for it.”

“Dad….first, I am not sure I like her. Second, you know I can’t go into a relationship like that.” His tone was grave enough for his father to understand. He sighed and rubbed Daniel’s hair.

“Love is about taking risks, boy. You can’t just not fall in love because you have circumstances. It doesn’t work like that.” His father softly said and rise up. His eyes were old and a bit tired but Daniel noticed a bright happiness in them like he knew something he didn’t.

“Get some sleep.” He said and closed the door behind him after leaving.

Daniel leaned on the bed and closed his eyes, thinking back to his conversation with Ace and what had he found out about her or got to know her before suddenly he snapped them open and sat up. His eyes widen in shock.

He realized that Ace Adams had not said a word about herself.