“Drink your juice.”
I picked up the glass and took a sip, keeping a wary eye on him. My hat was pulled so low that I could only see his chest, which was perfect for me because his eyes were unsettling.
“You sure you don’t want anything to eat?”
“Are you human?” We might as well get this out the way. I needed to know what I was dealing with. The spoon stalled on the way to his mouth. He put it back down in his bowl and sat back.
“Of course!” I wanted to look him in the eye to see if he told the truth, but if I did there was a chance he would see mine.
“But you’re so strong.” I whispered staring down at my orange juice.
“Why are you talking to your orange juice? I told you I won’t hurt you. Look, I can’t see you with that hat on.” He reached across the table and grabbed at my hat. I put my hand on his, stopping him.
“No, don’t take my hat off!”
“Why?”
“Because… because…” I couldn’t think of anything to say. He gave the hat a little jiggle, dislodging my hands and lifting it off my head anyway, tossing it on the bench next to him. I put one hand over my eyes looking down at the table. I was getting ready to panic. Only my family had ever seen my eyes, and they told me a million times that they weren’t normal.
“Look at me Yasmin.” His deep voice was patient. I shook my head. He reached over putting his finger underneath my chin lifting my head. It was no use fighting him because he was so much stronger than me. I let him lift my head, but I closed my eyes.
He chuckled. “Open your eyes baby.”
“No!”
“Why not?” I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“Because.”
“Because what?”
“Because they’re not normal and you’re going to think I’m strange.”
“No, I won’t, haven’t we covered the fact that my strength isn’t normal, and do you think I’m strange?”
“Yes!”
He chuckled again. “Okay, maybe that was a bad comparison but look at it this way. How can I judge you?”
You know what, he did have a point. How could he judge me when he had the strength of the Incredible Hulk?
I opened my eyes.
Chapter 5
Allow me to introduce you to The Beast
Yasmin
“Damn!” He pulled his hand back staring into my face. “You have purple eyes! When did your eyes turn purple? They were brown last night!”
“Actually, they’re hazel, they just look purple sometimes.” He was staring at me as if I was some kind of strange creature.
“Yeah, but last night they were brown.” He objected.
“Contacts, it’s the reason my eyes are red and irritated. I have another pair I can put in. I just need some solution.” He frowned. And I began to fidget in my seat. His frown was unnerving.
“Why are you hiding yourself, first the wig— now this?”
I looked down at the table. Not able to take his intense gaze any longer.
“Because…” I mumbled, wishing he would give me back my hat. My whole life, my family had told me how weird my dark skin looked with my eyes. I didn’t need this stranger condemning me for something I couldn’t help.
“I don’t want you hiding yourself from me!” His words were low, I almost didn’t hear him. Lifting my head, I looked at him confused. What did it matter to him if I hid myself?
“I don’t understand.”
“The wig and the contacts, I don’t like them. They’re gone—forever!” A strange feeling came over me. For just a moment, it seemed as if his forever had merit. I shook that away. This man was not my forever. As soon as I could, I was slipping out that door. And if God was merciful, I would never see him again.
He was waiting for me to acknowledge that I understood him. The longer it took me to respond, the fiercer his frown became. One thing became clear to me, Gabriel was a bully. I wanted to tell him that he couldn’t tell me what to do. But I wasn’t as brave as I imagined myself to be. I chewed on my bottom lip as I nodded. At this point, I would say anything to get out of here alive.
“Umm… you said you were going tell me what would happen to me?” My words were just above a whisper. I was so nervous, and getting more nervous because he was just sitting there studying me. His deep dark gaze seemed to read me. I felt like there was no part of me he couldn’t see. He picked up his spoon and continued to eat his cereal, all without looking away from me.
I began to fidget in my seat again. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why was he staring at me like that? Oh goodness, maybe it was my hair! I reached up and swept it back with hands that shook a bit. It was dry, and I know that it was starting to become unruly. Pretty soon, it would become futile to try and tame it.
“You’re very pretty Yasmin.” His deep voice washed over me and down my spine. I bit my bottom lip till it hurt. I was in unfamiliar territory. I had never had a man look at me like this. Heck, before my grandfather died, I had never even been alone in a room with a man. What was I suppose to say? And why was he saying this to me when he had a
