But just as Xavier was going to say something, there was a loud crashing noice from upstairs followed by a scream.
"AHHHHH!!"
It's didn't take long for Xavier to register what had happened. "Raine," he whispered as he dashed out of the kitchen, running frantically up the stairs. It wasn't long before Xavier pushed the door of his room open and barged inside.
Raine was standing in the middle of the room with the glass that previously rested on the bedside table, shattered on the floor in front of the opposite wall. Her body was shaking and her face looked terrified.
"Raine! What happened are you alright?!" Xavier said as his breathes calmed down seeing Raine awake and safe.
"He.....I-I......s-shadow......." Raine said with fear evident in her sweet voice.
Xavier looked around the room but found nothing out of place besides the glass pieces shattered on the floor. Recalling the doctor's previous words he understood what had happened. She was having trauma and waking up alone, in an unknown room was clearly not helping.
Xavier stepped closer to her and cupped her cheeks with his soft, warm hands, wiping a tear that slipped down from her eyes. "Hey, Raine everything is fine now. You don't have to be scared."
Raine immediately melted into his embrace, leaning into his body and resting her head on his chest. She couldn't help but feel safe in this position. It was the feeling that she had been craving for the past years as she wondered around in this world, alone and helpless.
Xavier remained quiet as Raine recollected herself. He rubbed her back in soothing circles, allowing her to calm herself down. After a while, Raine gently pulled back out and Xavier quickly removed his hands off of her body. As soon as the contact was lost, Raine seeming to miss his warm touch.
Carefully, her brown eyes, still puffy from last night, met Xavier's piercing blue ones. She allowed a weak smile to come forth on her lips. "I'm sorry. You know....for the glass." She said with guilt and embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it Raine." He took her hand and guided her back to the bed. "How are you feeling now? Are you in any pain?" His eyebrows drew together with concern as he studied her face, looking for signs of discomfort.
"Just a little," Raine said softly. "I....." The intensity of Xavier's gaze causing her to go into a loss of words. "Th-thank you. For yesterday."
Xavier released a breath of relief and sighed. "Don't say thanks. It was really nothing."
"Nothing?" Raine looked at Xavier in shock. "You saved my life Xavier! If you hadn't been there, then god knows what that man would have done to me. I don't even know if I would still be alive and------"
Raine was cut off when Xavier's hand landed on her lips. Her eyes widen as her lips tingled with the touch of his warm hands. She looked at him with her big brown eyes and found him staring at her covered up lips with an unknown emotion lingering in his eyes.
"He wouldn't have harmed you. I wouldn't ever allow it." Xavier said as he removed his fingers from her soft lips.
"But what if you hadn't made it in time?"
"I'll always be there. Whenever you need help, I will always be there for you."
To this remark, Raine remained silent. She was caught off guard. Why was he doing this? What did he want? For all Raine knew, he was a powerful CEO who had access to anything he wanted with a snap of the fingers. Then why did he care? Why?
"Why?" And just like before, the word slipped out of Raine's mouth before she had time to realize what she said.
Xavier too, moved back a little as he processed the words that had left his own mouth, in a search to answer Raine's question. Why was he doing this? Why? He shook his head before looking back at Raine. Her eyes were focusing on the now very interesting carpet.
"I-----" Just as he was about to respond, they were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Xavier stood up abruptly while Raine stared at him as he reached out to his phone, answering it.
"Hello?.........I won't be making it back today. Cancel all of the meetings....Then talk to Jordan about it!.......I'm in the middle of something very important and I wish to not be disturbed. Any questions for me will be passed through Jordan before hand. Do. Not. Call. Me." Xavier's voice was dead serious with no room for arguments. He hung up the phone, not even waiting for a response.
Xavier tossed the phone onto the bed before running his fingers through he messy hair, his back facing Raine.
Raine noticed his tension and slowly got off the bed, walking towards him. She rested her hand on his shoulder to find it stiff. But the stiffness didn't last for long. Within seconds, Xavier's body relaxed and he turned around.
"If it's important, you should go." Raine said in the softest voice Xavier had ever heard.
"It's.....It's nothing Raine. Forget about it and come have breakfast."
Raine nodded slightly and was about to walk out the door when she felt Xavier's hand grip her wrist. Confused, she turned around to find him stand with a smirk on his face.
"You might want to put some proper clothes on. Not that I mind, but I don't think you want my men to see you like this."
Raine scrunched her eyes in confusion before she looked down at her clothes. Immediately her head shot up and her eyes widened. Xavier smirked at her response as he looked at her with amusement.
"MY CLOTHES?! WHO CHANGED ME CLOTHES?!"
Xavier chuckled at Raine's shocked face but collected himself quickly. "Relax Raine. I swear it wasn't me. I had a nurse come last night and she dressed up all of your wounds as well as changed you."
Raine relaxed a bit and looked back down to see what she was wearing. It was one of Xavier's t-shirts that was obviously huge on her figure. It stopped just before her knees, exposing her bare legs, and the sleeves hung loosely off her shoulders. But what Raine noticed the most was the warm scent of the material. It smelled just like Xavier. A blush crept onto Raine's cheeks when she looked back up to Xavier to find him intently staring at her.
"Um...where are my clothes?"
"Your clothing from yesterday was ruined. I sent my secretary to get some clothes for you. She will be here in a minute."
"Thank you." Raine said as she fiddled around with the hem of the t-shirt, shyly.
Xavier nodded at her before he slipped out of the room and closing the door. Meanwhile, Cindy the secretary, arrived with a fresh pair of clothing. Raine quickly changing into a white lace top and pink pants that hugged her figure perfectly. Once she was all dressed up, she stepped out of the room for the first time and headed to the kitchen, admiring the house as she walked along.
When she arrived at the kitchen, she found Xavier sitting on the dining table with his computer and files scattered on the table. Slowly walking over, Raine pulled out a chair besides him and took a seat. Xavier looked up from his files as he heard the sound of the chair moving against the floor and smiled when he found Raine sitting besides him. He shut the computer and pushed the files out of the way.
"You look beautiful." Xavier say with a genuine expression, letting Raine know that he meant it with every atom in his body.
However, Raine weakly smiled and looked away from his eyes. "I've seen myself in the mirror Xavier. And I don't." Xavier was about to open his mouth to argue but Raine cut him off. "This house is gorgeous! I absolutely love it!"
Xavier paused for a second, staring at the smile that was playing on Raine's lips. She had gone through so much the night before yet she still managed to brighten up the house with the luminous smile of her's. How was she capable of doing this?
All his life, Xavier had only met weak women who didn't bother to lift a figure for the majority of their lives. Women who covered their faces in layers and layers of makeup trying to define beauty as something that was tangible. But the woman in front of him right now, wasn't the same. She was strong, intelligent, brave and full of courage. That was beauty. It wasn't something that could be seen. It was something that could be felt. And Xavier felt it every time he was near her.
And just as these thoughts registered in his mind, Xavier realized that for the first time in his life, he had called a woman beautiful. Yes he had been with many women before, calling them stunning, sexy or even gorgeous, but never had beautiful been a word to describe any of them. Yet here he was, sitting besides an innocent girl, calling her beautiful with no doubts in his mind.
Xavier gave Raine a gentle nod before turning to one of the waiters that was roaming in the kitchen, signaling him to begin serving breakfast.
It wasn't long before the once empty table, was filled with delicacies of all kinds. From Belgian waffles to cinnamon rolls to strawberry topped pancakes to cheese omelettes to Nutella filled crepes. Every breakfast item Raine could possibly imagine, was in front of her.
"Isn't this a bit too much for two people?" Raine asked as she looked at Xavier with amusement.
Xavier stared at the food, rubbing the back for his neck with one hand. "I wasn't sure what you preferred for breakfast so I kinda told them to make everything."
A soft, sweet melody resounded throughout the room as Raine laughed. "That's really sweet of you Xavier." Raine said in a genuine voice. "I think I'll go for the strawberry pancakes."
Xavier smiled at Raine as she reached out for the pancakes and began to eat. He himself, took a plate of the scrambled eggs and ate while questions kept running through his mind. As soon as they were done eating, Xavier diverted his full attention to Raine who had been looking out of the window in silence.
"Now tell me Raine." The seriousness in his voice had once more return. "What were you doing in the cafe so late? I know Cathy's closes at 5. Then what on earth were you doing there at 11? And that too alone?"
Raine lowered her eyes to the empty plate in front of her. She knew that everything that had happened was partly her fault. She was being irresponsible and that caused her to end up beaten and bruised. Closing her eyes, she once more rose her head up. She didn't know what to say or even why she was so concerned about what Xavier's reaction would be. Shaking away the bitter memories, Raine opened her eyes to find Xavier watching her attentively.
She started at him with a sad smile. Although no words left his mouth, Xavier lifted his hand off the cold surface of the table and rested it on top of Raine's small hands. And that was all she needed. Comfort. Reassurance. Affection.
"I.....Daisy was gone for the day so I was in charge of the cafe. I had been working with Mike all day but Mike had to leave early." Raine looked back up to Xavier and found him deeply listening to every syllable that came out of her mouth. After a short pause, she continued. "After he left, I still had a couple of minutes before closing so.....so I started reading and I don't know what happened but the next thing I know, I look at the clock and it's 10:30." Raine shook her head remembering seeing the streets empty and dark with not a human in sight. "I guess I had just drowned myself in the book so much that I didn't realize the time. I quickly got up and went to the kitchen to turn off the lights when I heard a nosie. I....I went out front and saw the man....he...he..."
Raine didn't have to continue. The look in her eyes was enough for Xavier to know exactly what had happened next.
"Were you out of your mind Raine?! Who forgets about everything and reads for 5 hours?! How could you be so irresponsible! What if I hadn't come on time?! You know that part of the city is deserted in the night! Gosh Raine, I thought you were smart enough to know that!" Xavier said with disappointment clearly visible in his eyes.
"I know! I'm so stupid! It's all my fault any of this even happened! I'm sorry Xavier! I'm sorry you had to go through all of this trouble because of me." Raine said as tears welled up in her eyes. If only she had paid attention to the time, none of this had ever happened.
Taking a deep break, Xavier softened up. "Hey. Raine look at me. You are not stupid and this was not your fault. And please don't don't say sorry. If anything, I could have made the same mistake as you. Anyone could have."
"No you wouldn't have! I was the stupid one to not realize the time and-----"
"Raine, don't call yourself stupid." Xavier took her hand into his own and looked straight into her eyes. "I think you should forget about this. The man had been arrested and I'll make sure he never bothers you again. Just.....Just be more careful next time ok?"
Nodding, Raine gave Xavier a smile, looking back down at their hands. "I will. I promise."
* * *
After breakfast was over, the police officers had returned back to Xavier's mansion to take Raine's statement. All of the paperwork as well as the medical reports had been submitted and Raine was happy that she hadn't been doing any of this alone. Xavier was standing by her side the entire time, holding her hand when she needed strength, backing her up with she needed support, and standing in front of her when things got too tough to handle.
Once everyone had left, Xavier and Raine were alone in the living room once more.
"Oh, by the way, Jordan retrieved this from the cafe. Your phone was destroyed but thankfully everything in your bag is still there." Xavier said as he handed Raine's bag back to her. She quickly looked through it finding her keys, wallet, and book just as she had left them.
"Thanks." Raine said, zipping the bag back up and hanging it on her shoulders. "Um....Xavier I think I should get going. Thank you for everything. What you did was more than I could ever imagine. And I'm not just talking about last night."
"Please Raine. Don't embarrass me by thanking me."
"Would you....would you be able to drop me off? I don't know where we are or I would have just walked and------"
"Raine, of course I'll drop you off. Although I think you should stay a little longer and rest."
"You've already taken enough care of me. Please? Can you take me home?" Every bit of Xavier wanted to say no. He wanted to keep her in front of his eyes and know that she was safe. But he couldn't. He had no right. After all, what were they? Friends? Xavier wasn't even sure of that.
He nodded at Raine before calling Jordon to get the car ready.
* * *
The drive to Raine's apartment wasn't long at all. Within a couple of minutes, the car pulled up in front of a tall brick building. It was nothing like Xavier's house. Not one tiny bit. It was a regular red, brick building with windows arranged orderly. A fire stairwell ran down the middle of the building, stopping at a window on every floor, for an escape route. The grills were rusted and overall, the whole building looked cold and old.
Xavier frowned at the sight of the building which didn't go unnoticed by Raine. She turned to him with a bright smile.
"You don't have to come inside if you don't want to. This place isn't for men like you anyways. I'll be fine."
"Men like me?"Â Xavier said with a frown. "Raine I never took you to be the discriminating types."
"No, no. I didn't mean it like that. And you're more than welcome to come inside. It's just that my house isn't as lavish as your's."
"It's your house Raine. That's enough to make it lavish to me."
Raine blushed at the comment before giving him her brightest smile. "Well come on in then."
The two of them walked through the glass down and down the hall till they reached the elevators. Xavier was about to push the button, when Raine stopped him.
"They work but I wouldn't count on them. Last week Mr. Benson got stuck for three hours." Raine said with a laugh. "I live on the third floor. It's not too bad if we take the stairs."
"Very well then. After you."
Nodding, Raine began to walk her way up the flights of stairs while Xavier following behind on her tail. Finally they reached the third floor and walked down the hall. There were four doors on this floor and Raine's apartment was the last one in the aisle. Raine shuffled through her bags, hunting for her keys while Xavier looked around, inspecting the place. Sure, it was like nothing he had ever seen before. He was doubting Raine's safety staying in a place like this, when Raine opening the door and led him inside.
He hadn't ever imagined what Raine's house would look like, but walking into the studio apartment in an almost rundown building, Xavier received a sweet surprise. Unlike the rest of the building, Raine's apartment was warm and bright, radiating just as much energy as the bubbly girl Xavier had known Raine to be.
The walls of the apartment were a nice forest green that gave the whole room a refreshing feel. The sofas were old, yet looked as comfortable as ever. There was a small TV hanging on one of the walls and white furniture scattered throughout the room.
"Welcome home!" Raine said in a cheerful voice as she looked around the room making sure there wasn't anything out of place.
Xavier walked further into the house, admiring it. He noticed the small kitchen furnished with white cabinets and the tiny dining table that stood in on the the corners. "It's a nice place you got here. Peaceful and quiet yet refreshing and bright. I like it."
"Thanks." Raine said with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Oh and thats the bedroom, and that's the bathroom." She pointed to the two white doors on the opposite wall.
Xavier nodded looking around once more, he was about to turn back to Raine when he notice a pile of boxes scattered in one of the corners. There were more boxes sitting on the dining table and in the kitchen as well.
"You moving?"
Raine froze for a second, recalling the sad truth. "Uh....I guess you can say that."
"What do you mean?" Xavier said, confused by Raine's change in voice.
"Nothing. It's not even important." Raine shook her head and put up a bright smile, although it didn't reach her eyes. "Would you like to have something?? Tea or coffee perhaps?"
Raine was about to turn around when her vision began to blur. She held her hand to her head, shutting her eyes tightly. Upon seeing Raine's face, Xavier rushed by her side, putting an arm around Raine's waist and guiding her to the couch.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Raine said as she shook herself out of Xavier's hold.
"Fine?! You were about to faint Raine! This is why I told you to stay back at my place and rest!" Xavier said with a slight bit of annoyance in his voice.
"I can rest here too you know?" Raine said hiding away her emotions with a playful voice. But when she looked at the seriousness in Xavier's eyes, she could tell he wasn't joking. "And seriously Xavier I'm fine."
He gave her a brief glance, staring to find truth in her eyes. "Ok fine. But stay seated, I don't need anything."
"Ok Mr. Thorn! Command accepted." Laughing Raine folded her legs beneath her as she sat deeper on the couch.
They both sat on the sofa looking around the apartment in an awkward silence. Raine still was registering everything that was going on in her life. Clearly her life was crazy. I mean why else would the CEO of a multibillion dollar corporation be sitting in her living room, giving her advice on how to take care of herself?
Deciding to break the silence, Raine looked back towards Xavier and spoke. "Um....so you never told me what you were doing at the cafe last night anyways."
Xavier looked back up at Raine, thinking about what to say. "Oh I.........I was working."
"That late?"
"Well I lost track of time."Â Recalling Raine's own dilemma that had caused this problem in the first place, he spoke again with amusement. "Seems like you're not the only one who does that after all." With a hint of humor in his eyes, Xavier tried to lighten up the mood.
"And? How did you end up in the cafe?"
"I was waiting for the cab when I saw the lights of the cafe still on. I decided to take a look and when I got there I saw......"
Raine nodded at him as his eyes trailed off to someplace behind her. Maybe it was the fact that she never expected anyone to do anything like this for her, or the fact that she didn't expect Xavier to do any of this for her, but processing all of this information seemed unreal.
"I don't know how I'll ever repay you honestly," Raine stated as she played with the silver ring on her thumb. "I don't think there is anything in the world I could do, that would make up for what you have done for me."
"You want to pay me back?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. I mean I would love to.....But what do I have to give you? You have everything."
"There is one thing that I lack. Something perhaps you would be able to give me."
Raine's eyes brightened up. "Really? What?"
"I have a proposition for you Ms. Raine Woods." Xavier said with a playful voice.
"A proposition?"
"Be my friend."
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