“Hey…” Dorian said, looking in on her. “Oops, sorry didn’t meanto frighten you.”
“Oh, that’s okay, I frighten easily,” she said from herposition in front of the drawer in question. “Umm… do you know whothese things belong to?”
Dorian raisedhis pierced eyebrows when he looked from her to the items in thedrawer. “Ah, here let me get those out of your way.” Crouching downbeside her, he gathered up the various items.
“I hope I’m not taking up someone’s space,” she said, avertingher eyes, pretending not to have seen the racy magazine.
“You’re not,” he said with an easy smile. “These things shouldhave been removed ages ago.”
“Oh,” she said, observing her new housemate. Out of all threeof her male housemates, Dorian would be what she would describe asdifferent from the others. For instance, he always had on hisperson, a multitude of intricate wristbands and timepieces withornate visible gears. Often like now he wore goggles, eitherstrapped to his forehead or hanging around his neck. He hardly everwore a shirt, giving her an eyeful of well-defined sinewy muscle.While she was under the impression that he was Goth, there wassomething else about his appearance that made him… oh, what’s theword?
“Steampunk,” he stated, jarring her from herthoughts.
“Pardon?” she asked.
“You’re wondering what I’m about,” he said with a devilish winkof his steely blue eye.
“Yes, I guess I am,” she said, blushing slightly. “What exactlyis steampunk?”
“Kind of like goth or punk, except I’m more intoscience-fiction and gadgets,” he explained cheerfully, pulling outhis pocket watch and displaying it for her.
“I see,” she said pensively, lightly touching the fancytimepiece.
“Becky?”
“Yes?”
“Sorry about last week,” he said with a sorrowfulfrown.
“For what exactly?” she asked, slightly taken aback. Ifanything, she should be apologizing to him for being such a burden.Even though she knew that Kelley had been her primary caregiver,Dorian was never too far behind. Often bringing her tea, water, andtissues.
He lookedguiltily at her as though he’d done something unforgivable. “Forwhat I said last week, about you being a girl. As if that should beenough reason to not welcome you here.”
“Oh… that’s all right,” she said with a tiny shrug.
It wasn’t really okay, though. It had hurt her feelings at the time.Not to mention the fact that none of them had stuck up for her, noteven Kelley. It wasn’t her fault that she was female. She’d beensimply hoping for a place to live with people that were kind andrespectful.
“No, it’s not,” he said with remorse. “I made it sound as ifyou wouldn’t be safe here. That’s the furthest thing from thetruth. In fact, Becky, you’ll never be safer than here with us…with me.”
“Aw, thanks for saying that,” Becky said with a shy smile.Maybe getting sick hadn’t been such a bad thing. Perhaps having hadher around made them realize that she wasn’t such a threat to theirall male Gothic sanctuary after all. “You took such good care ofme. Thanks for that, Dorian.”
“Well, what did you expect?” He all but laughed. It was histurn to be shy now. “Human sacrifice?”
“No… of course not.” She giggled. “Although, I’m not quite sosure about Crispin.”
“Ah, don’t let him worry you. He is a peculiar one, though,I’ll give you that. Even I don’t feel completely safe around him,”he said with a mischievous grin. “I’ll let you get back to work.”He stood up and left the room, taking the questionable items fromthe bottom drawer with him.
***
Having gottenher room ready, Becky decided to better acquaint herself with thebathroom facilities next and perhaps carve a wee bit of space forher toiletries.
“Ah, we meet again,” Crispin said, leaning in the open bathroomdoor, catching Becky off guard.
She had beenstanding there for who knows how long, contemplating where to storeher little basket of toiletries. The bathroom wasn’t very big tobegin with. An oversized old fashioned claw foot tub took up mostof the space, encircled in a barely there, gauzy shower curtain.There was a toilet, a sink with an already filled to capacitycabinet underneath, a small medicine chest with a mirror, set waytoo high up on the wall for her to properly see her reflection.Besides all that, there was a rather unfortunately located window,right by the tub, facing the backyard. No curtain or blinds toshield the bather’s modesty.
“Crispin, you startled me,” she gasped shakily, causing thecontents of the basket to rattle.
At herunwelcome reaction to him, Crispin couldn’t help but scowl. Hecrossed his arms in front of his chest defiantly and quirked adefinitive eyebrow. So, this was what he would have to come toexpect every time he ran into her. Fear, shock, repulsion… Look ather, standing there looking ever the victim in a house of horrors.Why did he even bother?
“I… I was just putting some of my things away.” She forcedherself to ignore his glaringly obvious dislike of her. “Let me getout of your way.”
“It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it? Getting out of my way?” heasked coolly. “Looks like I’m stuck with you whether I like it ornot.”
She flinched inreaction to his biting words and quite possibly shrunk even smallerin stature. Becky couldn’t help but frown at him. Would he alwayshate her? What had she done to deserve such loathing? What hadhappened to the kindness he’d shown her the other day? He’d broughther soup. He’d sat and listened to her concerns.
She must havemistakenly believed that they had gotten past the obvious disdainthat he clearly still had for her. How could someone so otherwisebeautiful be so cruel?
“Oh, put that miserable little thing back in its place,” hesaid with a scowl, pointing at her slightly protruding bottom lip.“It won’t work on me, that quivery pouty thing you do.”
“I am not pouting!” she said indignantly, realizing that indeedshe was.
“Right.” He snickered. “Well, cut it out or I’ll be forced tocut it off.”
“Why do you have to be so hateful?” she said with agasp.
Avoiding herquestion and averting his eyes from her sorrowful gaze, lest he betempted to apologize, Crispin simply tisked and stepped towardsher.
His approachwas so sudden and purposeful that she took an instinctive stepback.
“What have you got there?” he asked, pointing an elegant fingerat her little plastic basket.
