I stayed with Min for the rest of the day. We skipped class after lunch and decided to take her back to my place to treat her bruises. I barely touched her as I put my hand at the small of her back and guided her out with the nurse’s permission. As we passed the lunch room the hollers and shouts from my friends filled my ear with distaste as I hurried Min out the doors.

 “I’ll take you to my place.” I said nonchalantly as I took the lead. Her footsteps slowed to a stop when she whispered, “I can’t.”

I turned to her seeing her eyes were focused on the pavement as her foot made circles on the concrete, “Why not? Where else are you going to go? I’m not letting you go back to your house.”

I walked towards her again when her eyes drifted to meet mine. They were round with fear and glistening with tears that were b at the edges. She was like a child. A child that had fallen off their bike or lost her parents in the crowd. The man inside of me wanted to wrap my arms around her securely, but the boy told me I’d only hurt her.

“I just can’t.” Min shook her head as it fell once more to look off to the side as she wiped her tears.

“Please just trust me.” I bowed my head down lifting her chin up to look at me.

We stared at each other for a while. Her eyes searched mine for that hint of faith that she was looking for. I only stared back with a petty plea in my eyes that said ‘Just trust me.’

I held my hand out towards her as I kept my eyes on her face. Small fingers laced through mine slowly as I gripped them with affirmation that I’d take care of her.

I kept her close to my side as we passed her house. It gave off a vibe of just horror. I glanced to my left to see her pressing herself against my side for security. I gently placed my arm around her and speed walked to my front door.

No one was home. No one was ever home. I lived alone in a house left by my father as he went off finding me another ‘mother’. Lies. He was off gambling, drinking, and who knows what else.

“You can take a seat on the couch. I’ll be right back.” I left towards the kitchen to get what I needed to treat her wounds.

Through the door, I watched as she moved around in her seat looking at her surroundings. She was the first girl I’d ever brought home.

I grabbed everything I needed and took a seat in front of her on the coffee table. She looked at me as I sat myself on the edge our knees slightly brushing each other’s.

“Take off your sweater.” I told her as I reached for my concoction of pineapples and papayas. They would lighten the scars and take away the pain. She hesitated before slowly ridding herself of the jacket. Min was left in nothing but a short sleeved butteon up shirt.  I gently took her wrist and laid it on my thigh as I took a cotton swab and began to dab her bruises.

‘I’ll take the pain away.’

‘I’ll heal your scars and clean your wounds.’

‘You won’t ever have to know the meaning of abuse again.’

‘I’ll protect you.’

“This will heal your bruises, and help the scars fade.” I remarked as she curiously stared at what I was doing.

Min did not say a word the whole time I took care of her. She only watched me and my wandering hands as they slowly moved up her arm. When it finally came time to do her neck, I paused.

‘Would this be wrong?’

‘I’m not touching her really…’

“May I?” I asked as I pointed towards her neck. She nodded her slightly as she lifted her head a bit so I had easier access.

Psh, easier access. Something else would be implied, but this was serious.

I dabbed her scars with care as she winced a bit when I applied pressure.  Her chest rose slightly as she drew in breath and sighed. The juice from the concoction s down her collarbone down into her shirt. I gulped and drew my hand back watching it flow done her body. The beast inside was banging on its cage to be set free but the saint in me had me thinking otherwise.

I turned my head to the side and grabbed a tissue, “Here.”

I fled to the kitchen to free my mind of all impure thoughts and leaned against the counter.

This was why I didn’t bring girls home. This was why girls were so foreign to me. I never traveled to places of this kind of temptation before. It was not a nice place to be. Some call it heaven. I call it purgatory. I hadn’t reached heaven because the temptation was just hanging in front of me enticing me to enter another kind of heaven; a paradise where regret and consequences called home.

Should I play with fate? Play the devil’s game of good and evil? I was doing good. I was housing a broken angel, but the attraction was there. The desire was there. But the confidence and the incentive was somewhere else.

I walked out again and leaned against the door post as Min sat looking at her arms.

“I want you to stay here with me.”

The girl looked up baffled at my request when it was more of a demand. She only blinked her eyes a couple of times.

“I’ll take care of you. I’m not letting you go back to your dad.” I said firmly as she didn’t have a say in this.

She was staying with me.

“Do you trust me to take care of you?” I said softly as I took a seat beside her.

Do I trust myself enough to take care of her? And not push the boundaries of a man and woman living under one roof?

How could I ask such a question when my own self assurance was wavering?

“I trust you.”

Good. That makes one of us.

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you know the drill! Fill in the blanks haha with your name.

the tags were giving me trouble so I just did the blanks.

hehe

FSU! OMG total spaz to this behind him! I live in Florida so it just had that connection hehehe