“I took a few singlestick classes at Vulgate.”
“Singlestick? Sherlock Holmes called, he wants his singlestick back,” he burst out laughing.
“Hey, don’t laugh at my stick.”
“Okay, don’t get pissed off. But you must admit, it’s quite old-fashioned.”
“Which is coming very much in fashion again, thank you very much. I could show you some moves, but I don’t have my stick with me.”
“You don’t need one,” Arthur said, and with an unexpected movement, he grabbed my waist with both hands and pushed me down onto the ground.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked as he got on top of me and pinned my hands over my belly.
“You are a crazy bastard. Let me go!” I sounded pissed, but I was not pissed at all.
“You said you want to become an operative Time Hopper. So, an operative Time Hopper you are. Act as one,” he said as he locked my legs between his thighs.
I tried to get free of his strong grip, but it was in vain; he was pushing my down with all the strength in his muscled body.
“Are you really doing this in the middle of the road?” I could hardly breathe.
“It’s the middle of nowhere; an empty, isolated alley in an ancient city. No one passes by from here. You are a field agent; these things happen to you all the time, no matter the place.” He grinned.
“You are freaking crazy indeed.” I suppressed a naughty smile.
“Stop talking and start fighting,” he said, pushing my down with his chest.
“I’m trying.” I was suffocating under the weight of his toned body.
“Try harder,” he whispered in my ear. His face was now so close to mine that their noses almost touched. My heart was pounding out of my chest and tried to take a deep breath to make my heart rates slow down. I felt his heart beating fast too. The way he was looking at me was so intense, surprisingly intense, as he had never seen me before. I tried to utter a word, but not a single noise came out of my mouth. The heat of his breath fanned across my skin.
“This ... This is wrong. We ... We shouldn’t be doing this,” he stammered as he drew his head away from mine. Avoiding my gaze, he helped me get back on her feet. Hands shaking, I dusted her clothes off and combed my disheveled red hair with my fingers.
“Come on, let’s go home,” he said softly and took my hand in his hand gently.
We walked hurriedly towards the ancient city’s exit. The streets were still empty, and the quietness wasn’t comforting in that awkward moment. I decided to break the silence.
“Do you want to talk about what just happened?”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“What is that you think is wrong?”
“Because I am cursed. At least I think I am. I have heard rumors about me, about who my parents were, about a cause that I am supposed to fight for. The truth is that I do not know who I really am. I do not know who my parents were. I was abandoned at the Academy when I was a baby. No one ever told the truth about my family. I only know that Merlin is fond of me and that he let me live in the underground apartment because he cares about me as if I were his own son. The apartment and the sword are the only things I own, and I am not sure they belong to me. Because of whom I am, I feel that any woman who is with me is in incredible danger.”
“Nothing wrong with a little bit of danger. I do not think you are a dangerous person. And you cannot always take care of the others. You are not responsible for those who are around you.”
He was still holding my hand firmly when we reached the ancient city gates.
We walked quickly under the rain and I tried hard to keep pace with his speed; he was still holding my hand tightly. We stayed silent all the way back home, and that gave me time to process what had just happened on that empty alley.
When I got to my room, I looked at my reflection in the bedroom mirror. The blush had faded away, but she was still bothered about what I had experienced the last few days; attacks, training, flirting.
“Too many thoughts to process at once,” I thought.
So, I decided not to process anything. For once, I would let life to happen with me.
Que sera, sera!
I opened the closet and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans. After I put them on, I paired them with a black and white cropped tee and a pair of black old school sneakers.
It was uniform-free Sunday.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
The door to our bedroom opened with a smooth sound and Arthur appeared with a tray in his hands.
“I thought you’re hungry and I made you an egg sandwich.” He placed the tray on the table and drew the chair and invited me to sit down.
“Enjoy,” he said as I placed the plate on the table.
“It’s delicious,” I said and filled my mouth with a huge bite.
His fingertips slid on the scratched surface of the table before he answered. “Is there anything you aren’t telling me?”
“I love you?” I said innocently and he laughed.
He put his hand in his pocket. “Do you remember these?” He was holding three golden rings adorned with a red stone.
“I do.” I swallowed hard.
“They are identical to the rings the Time Hoppers that had attacked us wore.” He placed the golden rings with the red gem on the table.
“What does that mean to us?” I asked.
“Probably nothing,” he tried to comfort me, but I knew that he was lying. “However, I want you to be extra careful when you’re wandering around alone, especially at night. If you notice anything alarming, please let me know.”
“I’m sure no one
