With You, I Feel Safe

ANSEL

I shove my hands into my pockets, walking towards Jeff who’s just closing his car door.

My footsteps echo in the quiet, catching his attention. The parking lot’s dimly lit, so he squints, trying to make out who’s coming.

As I step into the light, he recognizes me. His eyebrows furrow into a frown and he straightens up.

“What do you want?” he growls.

From the moment I met Jeff, I knew there was something off about him.

It wasn’t just his overbearing protectiveness or his exaggerated concern for Rainey. It was the way he looked at her.

His eyes held a spark of lust that was far from innocent, and it wasn’t hard to see.

At dinner earlier, he had that same look in his eyes. He probably thought I didn’t notice, but he was staring at her cleavage the whole time.

After I left Rainey’s house that day, I asked Max, a friend of Alaric’s, to do a background check on Jeff. Max is well-known on the streets, and he’s good at digging up dirt.

He’d do anything for the King family, mainly because we’re always there to back him up when things get rough.

After five days of searching, Max came by this morning with what he’d found out about Jeff. I wasn’t surprised that it confirmed my suspicions.

Jeff scoffs, his breath forming a cloud in the cold night air. “Got something to say, kid?”

I stare at him, my face expressionless. “You haven’t changed since 2006.”

He squints at me, confused. “What?”

“You’re still the same sick, twisted person you were back then. Tell me, Jeff, where’s your perverted friend?” I ask, tilting my head.

Jeff shifts uncomfortably, pointing a finger at me. “You don’t know anything about me. Watch your mouth, boy.”

I smirk, and a muscle in his face twitches.

“Did you just smirk at me?”

“I’m not one for beating around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point,” I say. “I heard about you and your friend…Greg, right?”

His face softens, turning into a look of surprise.

Seeing his reaction, my smile grows wider. “Judging by your horrified expression, I’m guessing I got the name right, huh?”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!”

“Let me jog your memory. You and your buddy—Greg Taylor—sexually assaulted a thirteen-year-old girl in 2006, when you were both sixteen.

“But after charges were pressed, you both managed to avoid any punishment or jail time.

“Thanks to Greg’s father, who was the police commissioner, and somehow got you both off the hook.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He tries to walk away, but I step in front of him, my face hardening into a glare.

“They say once a rapist, always a rapist. If I were you, I’d clean up my act.”

He squints at me, fear clear in his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

“Take it however you want. If I find out you’ve done anything to Rainey, believe me, I will kill you.”

He swallows hard at my threat, his teeth clenched. I stare at him for a moment, making sure he sees the warning in my eyes.

Having said what I needed to, I turn to leave, his shouts echoing behind me.

“Kill me?! I’d like to see you try. You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me, you little fucker!”

I shake my head as I walk away, not giving him another second of my time.

“Trust me, you don’t know me either,” I mutter.

RAINEY

I’ve been sitting at the table for a while now, and Ansel still hasn’t come back. Jeff reenters the ballroom, a strange look on his face as he takes his seat.

He seems nervous and on edge as he hands my mom her jacket.

“You were gone for a while. Are you okay?” she asks, draping the pink sweater over her shoulders.

Jeff nods. “Yeah, I just needed a smoke.”

She laughs. “I could use one myself. This guy’s speech is putting me to sleep.”

A few heads from nearby tables turn our way, having heard her blunt comment. She gives them an embarrassed smile, reaching for her water glass and taking a sip.

Jeff glances at me but quickly looks away. His behavior is odd, but it’s not my problem. I get up from my table and leave the ballroom to find Ansel.

I wander around the hotel grounds, the cool wind sending shivers down my spine. I wrap an arm around myself as I continue my search.

This hotel is huge and seems to go on forever. I’m tired, and my feet are aching from my heels.

I stop walking, wincing as I shift my weight in my shoes. Looking around, I realize I’ve ended up in the pool area.

It’s quiet, with no one around. The only sounds are the distant voice of the speaker from the ballroom and the chirping of crickets.

I stand by the edge of the pool for a moment, the calmness helping to clear my mind a bit.

The color of the water reminds me of Ansel’s eyes, and I realize I should have just texted him instead.

But it’s too late for that now, since I stupidly left my phone inside.

I know it might seem like I’m obsessing, but I honestly can’t stand being inside with my mom and Jeff while Ansel’s not there.

I’m feeling a bit awkward, so I decide to stand here, gazing at the pool until I’m sure he’s gone back inside.

“What are you doing out here?” a voice suddenly asks from behind me, startling me and causing me to lose my balance.

A hand swiftly wraps around me, trying to keep me from falling. But the attempt is in vain, and we both end up tumbling headfirst into the pool with a loud splash.

I surface, coughing and wiping my eyes with my hands.

A deep chuckle echoes in my ears, and I squint to see Ansel, his jacket clinging to his body and his wet hair plastered to his forehead.

His lips are wet, and he bites his lower lip to suppress more laughter.

“This isn’t funny, Ansel. We’re soaked.”

I can’t help but smile as I push wet strands of hair from my face. He climbs out of the water and extends a hand to help me up. I take his hand, and he pulls me onto the deck.

He laughs as he wrings out his jacket, his hair falling over his eyes in a way that’s incredibly attractive. “I thought you’d recognize my voice by now, Rain.”

“I thought I was alone. You scared me,” I giggle, twisting the hem of my dress. “What are you doing out here?”

He shrugs. “Just needed some fresh air. I was in a bad mood. Were you looking for me?”

I nod. “Yeah… I—I didn’t want to be alone with my mom and Jeff.”

He nods, looking down and shaking water from his shoes. “Sorry I was gone for so long.”

I shake my head. “You weren’t. I’m just being weirdly clingy. Sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize, you’re not being clingy. I like being around you too.”

I smile.

I squeeze some of the water out of my dress, then move on to wringing it from my ponytail.

Ansel is tousling his hair to dry it but suddenly stops, staring at me. I notice his gaze, and he quickly looks away.

I look at him curiously, twisting my hair. “What?”

“Your… I can see…” He gestures vaguely at his chest, and I look at him, puzzled.

“What?”

“Your chest… I can see everything,” he says, avoiding my gaze and looking off into the distance, his face noticeably red.

I’m confused by his fragmented sentence, and I furrow my brow as I look down.

I gasp when I realize that my wet dress is clinging to my body, and since I’m not wearing a bra, my entire chest is visible through the soaked fabric.

My eyes widen as I quickly turn my back to him, wrapping my arms around myself as I close my eyes in embarrassment.

~Oh God.~

I hear footsteps approaching behind me. With my eyes still tightly shut, I feel Ansel’s presence as he drapes his jacket around my wet body.

“You can wear this home,” he suggests.

“Thanks.”

I quickly slip my arms into his jacket and wrap it around me. Even though it’s wet, it’s much better than Ansel seeing my entire chest.

I turn back to him, and his face is as red as mine.

“Um…I can’t go back inside looking like this,” I mumble.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go get your stuff for you. Wait here.” He smiles and walks away, and as soon as he’s out of sight, I silently berate myself for deciding not to wear a bra.

Ansel returns quickly with my purse, saying the entire dining room was staring at his wet clothes and that my mom was upset about my decision to leave the banquet so early.

Despite the utter embarrassment of Ansel seeing my chest, I don’t regret falling into that pool. It’s a great excuse to leave this stupid dinner.

We start to leave the pool area. The sky is filled with stars, and the silver moon is full and bright above us.

Ansel had to park quite a distance from the hotel, because all the parking lots were full.

As soon as we leave the hotel gates, my right heel breaks, and my ankle twists painfully from the force.

I wince, bending down to remove the shoe from my foot. “This is why I don’t wear heels,” I grumble.

“Are you okay?” Ansel stops walking and looks back at me with concern.

“My heel broke.” I frown.

I lift my bare foot off the cold ground, but the pain is immediate and intense. I cringe. Is it sprained?

Ansel comes over to me, squatting down to examine my ankle. He touches the spot, and I wince at the pain.

“Can you walk?” He looks up at me, and I try to ignore how handsome he looks under the silver moonlight. This is definitely not the time to be swooning over him.

I shrug. “I’m not sure. It hurts.”

He bites his lip. Then, without standing up, he turns so his back is to me. “Get on my back.”

I stare at him, blinking as if he just spoke a different language. He turns his head when he realizes I’m still standing there. “Rain?”

“I’m fine. I don’t think—”

I stop talking when Ansel positions his arms under my thighs and effortlessly lifts me onto his back. He stands up, holding my legs around his waist.

My eyes are wide. “A-Ansel, you can’t—”

“I can’t what, Rain?” There’s a clear note of amusement in his voice, and I close my eyes as I feel his hands near my bottom.

It feels strange and nerve-wracking, and the fact that my chest is pressed against his back makes it even more uncomfortable.

“Put your arms around my neck,” he gently instructs.

I do as he says, my heart pounding in my chest. My body is stiff against his, and he notices.

“Relax against me, Rain.”

I take a deep breath, resting my head gently against the back of his neck. His body hums as he speaks again. “Better, isn’t it?”

I nod, my arms tightening around him. His scent fills my senses as I close my eyes.

His body is a warm, comforting presence, and when he pulls me this close, I can’t help but wish that he’d never let go.

I feel secure.

I feel like I’m ~home~.