Lesson 162- You if you can’t say something nice…

**LINDY**
Cole drops me off right in front of the bar. Recently, this has been the most intimidating part of the trip for me because it’s the only part I have to do by myself. It’s not even that far, but it’s dark out and there are so many places people could be hiding. The bar itself used to terrify me, but now I know that I have friends here who will keep an eye on me, it’s not so bad. I turn to wave goodbye to Cole but he’s already gone. Strange how I didn’t hear the car leave. I quickly rush to the entrance to the bar, clutching my pelt tightly. I reach for the door when someone clears their throat loudly. I yelp and spin around. I tense when I realise it’s Richard. He’s standing there with an eyebrow raised. 
“Fancy seeing you here.” He comments with a grin and I roll my eyes. 
“Of course I am, but you’re welcome to go home.” I snap at him. It feels strange to snap at someone. Usually I avoid conflicts, actually I avoid almost everything. But Richard is infuriating. It probably helps that no matter what I say, he never seems bothered by it. Of course that just riles me up more, but at least I know exactly what to expect from him. 
“How could I possibly leave when you’re here?” He answers cheerfully. I fight the urge to roll my eyes a second time. Instead I just sigh and head inside the bar. Richard follows and I fight the urge to groan. He is so annoying. But at the same time, there is a small part of me that enjoys his attention. Mostly because even if he is bothering me, he is still giving me his complete and undivided attention. That’s something I haven’t really had much of since my mother passed away. Rina pays attention to me, but she’s usually working or hanging out with Torin. I love spending time with her, but I rarely get her full attention. I don’t think I've ever had Torin’s undivided attention either because I’m fairly sure at least fifty percent of his mind is focussed on Rina at all times. So while Richard drives me insane, I can’t deny that at least when he’s around I’m not lonely. As usual, Richard follows me to my corner and sits not directly next to me but one more seat over. Then he orders a drink from Laura and has her give it to me. For a while I tried refusing the drinks, but now I can’t be bothered. It’s less work to drink it than it is to refuse it. Not to mention it’s kind of nice not to have to order my own drink. 

Someone walks past and steps a little closer to me than I like. I doubt the person is even aware of how uncomfortable they made me, but the ever present Richard doesn’t miss the way I flinch.
“Are you alright?” He asks. I shrug.
“I’m fine.” I answer primly. Richard narrows his eyes suspiciously. 
“Are you sure? You get upset when people stand too close to you, almost as much as you do when they stare at you.” He pauses then continues.
“You know, you COULD tell them to stop, if their staring bothers you. Selkies are rare, so it’s unsurprising that they’re interested, but it clearly makes you uncomfortable. So you should tell them to back off.” Richard prompts. I frown
“Yeah… I can’t do that.” I say, shuddering at the thought.
“Why not?” He challenges. I scoff.
“Because drawing additional attention to myself is stupid? Because all it takes is one slip up and I lose my freedom forever. You’ll have to forgive me if I like to play it safe.” I answer harshly. 
“I hate to break it to you, but if they’re staring then they’ve already noticed you. You may as well show them you’re not someone to be messed with.” He points out and I laugh. 
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” I demand and Richard shrugs. 
“By showing them you aren’t scared of them.” He says. 
“But I AM scared of them.” I argue and he frowns. 
“You can’t be that scared, you’re here. Besides, you don’t seem scared to me. If you were, you wouldn’t argue with me so much.” He insists. 
“I… That’s different.” I stammer out. Richard raises an eyebrow.
“How is that different? Because you know me?” He questions. I freeze, not quite sure how to answer. He’s right that I do argue with him, I don’t generally hide from him either. Mostly because I’m so busy being pissed off with him that I don’t have the energy to be scared of him too. But I can’t tell him that.
“Because you’re not scary, just annoying.” I declare. I expect him to be annoyed or insulted, but instead the infuriating Kelpie grins like I’ve just given him the biggest gift. 
“What?” I demand. Richard continues to smile brightly. 
“You trust me.” He announces.
“I do not!” I argue but he keeps smiling.
“Maybe not completely, and maybe not as much as you trust your friends here. But you trust me more than some random customer. I’m winning you over. Slowly but surely.” He seems absolutely delighted. 
“But I don’t!” I repeat and he just laughs.
“Every time you argue with me it just proves my point.” He points out and my mouth falls open. I have no idea how to respond to that. Richard smirks, satisfied that he’s managed to stun me to silence. Then he hops off of his seat and moves over to the empty one he left between us before.
“What are you doing?” I demand. He shrugs.
“I was giving you space because I didn’t want to make you feel unsafe. But now that I know you aren’t scared of me, I see no reason why I can’t sit next to you while we talk.” He explains, flashing me his silly grin.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” I immediately answer. He laughs. 
“You’re already talking to me.” He reminds me and I glare at him. 
“Since you trust me now, are you ready to hear why I attacked your friend? I still would like a chance to explain myself.” He tries again. This isn’t the first time he’s tried to justify what he did. But I don’t want to hear it. Mostly because if his reason is good, I might have to actually forgive him. But Rina already did that and I feel like one of us needs to be wary of him at least. Besides, I’m pretty sure that Torin doesn’t trust him either. Although to be fair, I’m not sure Torin really trusts anyone other than Rina. Still, I’ve managed to keep myself safe this long by being suspicious and cautious. I’m not about to suddenly change my ways overnight. I trust Rina because she proved herself and I trust Torin because I truly believe that he has no interest in keeping me around. Mostly because he only has eyes for Rina. Plus I don’t think he would risk harming me because it would upset her. I heard about the betting pool they had going around. I would have loved to get in on that. I suspect that I could have made a decent amount of money on it. But I didn’t find out who was even running it until it was already over. I suppose there are downsides to keeping to myself so much. 

“You’re thinking awful hard about something. Can I take your silence as an agreement to finally hear me out?” Richard asks hopefully. I stare at him flatly. 
“No.” I answer firmly. 
“Damn. So what are you thinking about?” He questions.
“I was thinking that sometimes I miss out on things because I’m so reserved and- wait, why am I telling you this? Ugh.” I groan in frustration. Richard just smirks.
“Because you secretly like me of course.” He answers immediately. I shake my head. 
“I don’t.” I argue. 
“You do, and one day I’m going to tell you how I got involved with Solem and you’re going to hear me out. Then, I’m going to ask you out on a date.” He declares. I glare.
“I don’t like you and I don’t want to hear you out. You attacked my friend and I hate you for that, no matter your reason. I don’t care if you were forced into it, I don’t want to hear your stupid explanation. Not now, not ever. So just leave me alone!” I snap at him.