Forty Five

***Adonis***

There was no doubt, her dad remembered me from last time and I don’t recall giving that much of a first impression. For all I know, cigar scent was in the air prior his arrival at the party venue and that alone would have made the man disapprove of Ruby’s connection to me.

On a normal day, I wouldn’t give two fucks, but as Ruby disentangled our hands and got up abruptly, I did the same and I assumed a really sober look.

“Dad, what are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you meant to be in school?” His voice seemed to be deepened on purpose and I looked to my side to see how much that affected Ruby.

“Uh-”

“Are you skipping classes now?” he asked sharply.

“No, no.” Her hands waved in the air to refute his claim. “School is already over.”

“Hmm,” he murmured as his eyes darted in my direction. “Isn’t he the same guy I saw you with at that party?”

“Uh…” Ruby looked my way briefly and I gave her an assuring nod. “Uh… yes, he is.”

“Is he a student in your school?” The way his eyes peered into mine made me wonder if he already knew who I really am or if he was just trying to intimidate me and turn me to a fellow that pees his pants.

“No. He is just a friend of Abby’s from college.”

“Hmm,” he hummed again. “So…” He took some steps forward and let’s just thank goodness that we were about the same height. I could see pure intimidation in his body language.
“Are you two dating?”

“Huh?” Ruby looked my way again.

“The question is simple my dear daughter, are you two dating?”

“No.” I watched as she struggled to maintain eye contact with her father. Certainly she wasn’t loving the fact that she had to lie.

“Really?”

“Yes dad.”

“What’s his name?”

“My name is-”

“I was talking to my daughter,” Mr. Powers sharply dismissed me attempt to exempt Ruby from the trouble of giving him a reply, even if for some seconds. “Mind your business.”

“Okay,” I gently replied.

“What is his name Ruby?”

“A- Adonis Klaus.” Her hands kept torturing each other as the moment seemed to drag on and I actually wished I had a means to get her out of there.

Her father nodded, his hands went into the pockets of his well tailored suit pants and after some seconds of boring glares into me, he said, “Ruby, meet me outside, I’ll take you home.”

As soon as he walked out of the restaurant, Ruby crashed onto the bench and I followed suit.
“Are you fine?” I asked and she shook her head.

“He is going to find out Adonis…” Her head came up and I could read fear in her eyes. “He asked for your name so that he can investigate you and he is going to find out who you really are. It will be over soon.”

“Is that what you think?” She nodded and I sighed. “Just go home Ruby, everything will be fine.”

“I hope so. Thanks so much for today Adonis, it was fun.”

I smiled, resisting the urge to run my hands through her hair as a means to soothe her. Who knows, her father could be staring hard at me from a distance and that might give him more reason to dislike me. “Thank you too.”

“I’ll return your jacket after I’ve washed it. Bye.”

“Take care Ruby.” I got up and watched as she walked out of the room, her head hung in a manner that made me feel sorry for her. As soon as she was out of sight I didn’t bother to sit down, I directed my steps towards the bald man who I had actually noticed way before Ruby did.

With a great impact, I planted myself opposite him and as he dropped the food in his hands, he sat up, seemingly ready to engage in a battle with me if it were possible.

“This is not the first time you’ll be following Ruby. Who are you?” I simply asked.

“That’s none of your business.” He sounded rough yet it was obvious he wasn’t. Perhaps he was trying to cover something about him up by possessing a strong, intimidating character but I could see through his cover.

“What do you want from Ruby?”

“Why do you care?” he spat.

“I intend to protect her with all I have and if you are going to bring her danger…” I shifted in my seat and narrowed my eyes at him. “… I won’t hesitate to get rid of you.”

“Well…” He cleared his throat. “I do not intend to harm her in anyway. I am observing her form a distance.”

“So, you are a stalker. And perhaps a pervert because I can’t imagine what Ruby would be doing with someone like you.”

“It is none of your business, really.”

I scoffed, bit into the flesh of my mouth and sat back to study the man some more. He looked like he had gone through a lot in life. With dark circles decorating the sides of his eyes, the blackened attribute of his lips suggested that he took to smoking for comfort after facing enough hardship.

“I don’t think you work for Maximus.”

“Who is that?” he asked.

“You don’t have to know,” I replied as I got up. “A quick warning though. If you hurt Ruby, I will make you pay in the most gruesome way, I promise you.”

“I still have no idea who you are,” he commented, malicious laughter rolling off his tongue in reaction to my warning.

“You don’t have to know who I am now. Make a *lovely* mistake when it comes to Ruby and trust me, only my name will be enough to haunt your dreams.”
I didn’t wait to see his reaction but it was obvious he would still be ignorant of the weight of my words.

Well, one can only hope he doesn’t do anything that would make his ignorance a curse. For all I know, sometimes, ignorance is a huge blessing.

~

The light that welcomed me as I stepped into my living room was enough to let me know that something was wrong. Cautiously, I reached for the hammer that happened to be lying around and with proper handling, I was ready to scare my intruder out of my house.

My feet were already taking steps towards my kitchen when footsteps entered the room.

“A hammer really?”

“Maximus, seriously?” I shook my head as I turned to face the man that was once my boss.

“What?” His arms spread into the air as he wore a smirk on his face. “Can’t I pay my favourite guy a visit?”

“No you cannot. Please leave,” I said as I dropped the tool on a table that was close by. I went to have my seat on one of the white coloured couches that made up my living room.

“At least offer me a drink.” He also had his seat. “My father surely taught you how to accommodate guests.”

“Are you here to pick a fight?” I asked as I watched him take a quick tour of the room with his dangerously smiling eyes.

“I am here to welcome you to the neighbourhood actually. I am glad we live so close to each other now.”

I could tell what he was trying to do and it would be stupid to let him continue. “Thank you for your welcome, you can leave now.”

“That girl…” He crossed his legs. “I believe her name is Ruby. I learnt she lives not so far from here, I should perhaps pay her a visit too. I am sure she would be more accommodating. What do you think?”

“Stop playing your silly games Maximus. I am the one you want, not her.”

“I need her actually. I need her for so many other reasons and luring you is one of them.”

I sighed hard. “Why exactly are you here?”

“I see you have been trying hard to protect her. That’s cute.” He dropped his crossed legs and assumed a threatening position. His elbows on his knees, his back slightly bent, he watched me with all forms of seriousness in his eyes. “You might need to try harder though.”

“I won’t let you harm her.”

“I have more eyes on her and I already have an idea of how she moves and trust me, I can strike anytime, so please, try your best to make sure I don’t get her. Because if I do, you will have no choice but to come back to me.”

“Are you done?” Maximus scoffed, got up, adjusted his suit then eyed me a bit.

“You had better listen to my advice. You had better keep a closer watch on your girlfriend.”

“Thank you for the tip, you may leave now.”

His chuckle filled the air as his footsteps approached the exit. And as soon as he walked out, I rushed into my room to grab a jacket. Once that was done, I walked out of my house, determined to spend the rest of my evening keeping an eye on Ruby.

Hopefully, everything turns out well. Because, it would hurt a lot if she ends up facing difficulties and given what Maximus Xylem is capable of doing, it would be for the best if I protect her to the end.

Even if it means I eventually suffer for all my sins.