“Matthew won’t harm you,” he reassured me”. Neither will I. Never in a million years would I harm you, Emily. Ultimately, I want want you to be happy and healthy. ”
I rubbed up against his chest and nodded, knowing he was sincere about his friend’s hazardous nature. Even though I tried to avoid danger, I couldn’t be quite sure that I was safe while I was with Mathew. My stomach lurched and my heart pounded as he spoke.
“Stay with me?” I begged, explaining that I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Nicola’s side while Mathew was there.
He reached out and ran his hand down my back to calm me, saying, “I’m here here.” I’ve got you covered.
I knew in my heart that he would keep me safe now that he had made such a reassuring promise, and I could finally let go and rest in his strong arms.
Nicola
As I joined Mathew in the kitchen for breakfast, he guessed that his wife was still in bed: “If you’re down here, I’m betting she’s still sleeping. While she is awake, you must not leave her alone for even five seconds. You two give off an unpleasant odor while you’re together. ”
“What do you mean in practice?”
“As an answer, he just shrugged. Pictures of you two were taken when I dispatched personnel to locate you. You seemed very content. After you returned home, I saw your adjustment to her absence. The fact that you were even human was a terrible failure. I hoped that by bringing her to you, you’d find joy in life once again. ”
I said, “I am glad,” though I had no idea what he was getting at.
After he had finished cooking and turned his back on me, he threw his bacon away. His focus was squarely on me, and his expression was solemn.
“You’re not being honest with her, therefore she can tell. If you want to say anything, say it. ”
“And how would you know anything about that? Was this in response to anything you said to her last night? You frightened her once again, I know. Before coming down for supper, she was nearly shaking. In other words, you need to quit being such a fuckwit. Emily is not a native Earthling. She’s sweet and naive and-”
She’s completely blameless,” he interrupted me. Now I see why you’re so fixated on her. You’re after her naivete, after all. ”
“That’s a factor, I said. Having her apart from us is something I find appealing. ”
“Not at all what I had in mind. You want to taint her in some way.”
The palms of my hands were clenched into fists. “I don’t.”
“Nicola, don’t tell fibs. I am the one who knows you best. You appreciate how innocent she is, but secretly want she would become your very own filthy little angel. ”
“Get the f*ck out of here.” I was at my hearing limit. The horrible reality I’d been attempting to ignore was too much for me to take in. I felt responsible for protecting Emily from the negative experiences I’d had. Even though I had no shame in my quirks, I anticipated that she could be alarmed by them. That’s not something I’d do to her. ”
“She saw my drawings,” he said, maintaining his icy gaze.
“You showed them to her? ” Mathew’s drawings were meant to be between the two of us exclusively.
“No. She was sneaking around and I caught her. Nicola, she was looking right at you. It was obvious she had no idea I was observing her. Her beautiful pink lips were ajar, and her eyes were aglow. The beat of her heart was so palpable that it made my throat ache to see it. ”
“This is why she was so nervous: You really frightened her. Matthew, if he was attempting to calm me down, just succeeded in making me even more enraged. ”
“Perhaps she was nervous. This time, we’re talking about a little amount. A perfect quantity. Really, Nicola, you should have seen her. She just kept gazing at him. She kissed her lips and turned a lovely shade of pink when I showed her the photo of you two together. She probably didn’t even notice. I hear she really wants it, Nicola. ”
But I said, “She doesn’t, despite a nagging feeling in my gut. She came down here thereafter. She was shaking so much as she held on to me. ”
He remarked, with an unusual gleam in his eyes, “I adore watching a lady quiver.”Not only did I find Emily’s purity to be attractive, but so did a lot of other people. ”
“She doesn’t like you,”and my words hurt. She appeared to have a strong aversion to my closest buddy, to the point that she would run to me if she saw him coming. Stop trying to frighten her like way! ”
“She didn’t seem to be frightened in any way. Neither the drawings nor myself. She was anxious about how she would feel around them. Nicola, please put a stop to your pretenses. And if you’re really meant to be together, she’ll love you for who you are. It’s something she’d be happy to have. ”
“I know her better than you do. You probably didn’t run across her throughout your time at Nevada. “She’s had a very easy go of it, Matthew. She wasn’t a virgin, and that made me happy. When I initially met her, I had the impression that she may be. What a pure and naive soul she is. “