I turned my head and smiled, embarrassed, or flattered, or whatever. I couldn’t really identify the name of the emotion. It was uncomfortable and yet not in a bad way at all. He winged out his arm and I looped mine through it cautiously.
“Lead the way, m’lady,” he said. I nodded and we set off at an easy stroll.
Rat City never really slept. At least not completely. There was distant rap music and the thump and bump coming from cars with rims that cost more than the vehicle itself as they cruised up and down the streets – gangs patrolling their territory. It was a sketchy neighborhood on a good day and there weren’t many good days around here despite the efforts made and the creeping gentrification that was slowly taking hold.
Soon this neighborhood would be like Georgetown, or South Park, only perhaps trendier considering it had much more storefront space at its core than either of the aforementioned neighborhoods. The only thing keeping the boutiques out right now was the high potential for their front windows to be shot out or for the place to be robbed in its first week.
“You did a really good thing for Mace,” Sauley said about a half a block into our walk.
“Yeah, I know,” I murmured, nodding.
“You didn’t have to. You could have just let his ass get beat.”
I chuckled mirthlessly and shook my head. “No, I couldn’t have. It’s not my nature,” I said.
“That makes you a really good person.”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I’d like to think I did what anyone else would have done.”
“They wouldn’t,” he said with conviction and I paused in my step.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“You know why a lot of us guys turn our back on the world and join the club like we do?” he asked. I froze up as a Seattle Police Department cruiser glided by, going up Roxbury. The black-and-white SUV shiny, polished, and new.
I shook my head, letting out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding as it continued by without stopping.
“Because the world turned its back on us first. People judge and judge harshly. I feel like the internet has just made that shit worse, but at the end of the day? Man.” He raked a hand back through his hair. “No.” He pursed his lips and shook his head. “People like you who treat us like we’re human and not garbage? You’re few and far between and I for one appreciate that about you. Mace is alive because of you. We all know it. Eulogy even said so. You did us a huge favor.”
“Uh… um, you’re welcome,” I said, for lack of anything better. He met my eyes, his expression solemn and nodded.
We continued walking, and it wasn’t lost on me that Sauley made certain he was between me and the street. He was taking his duty very seriously.
When I stuck my key in the lock back at my apartment, Sauley remained at my side like some sort of loyal guard dog. The locks started to click and flip from the other side as Mace undid them. When he opened the door, he looked me over first, then said, “Good job, Prospect. You can go.”
“Sure thing, night Raven.” Sauley gave a half wave and stuffing his hands in his jean’s pockets strolled down the hall and went down the stairs.
“Night!” I called after him and turned back to Mace who was smiling at me warmly.
“You didn’t have to send him to walk me home,” I declared. “I’ve been doing it for a long time before all this.”
“No, I know. You can take care of yourself,” he said, standing aside so I could slip into my place.
I moved past him, lifting my messenger bag over my head and setting it on the floor by the door as he shut it, and threw all the locks and bolts behind me.
It occurred to me, that although tired, I was comfortable around Mace. With the days going by and his movements becoming better and his pain diminishing, that comfort level wasn’t diminishing at all as he regained his strength.
That was… curious.
“How you doing?” he asked me, backing off and giving me some room to breathe.
“Tired,” I said truthfully. “Just want a cup of hot tea to warm up, and bed.”
“Sit down,” he said. “Let me figure this whole tea thing out. I think I can manage.”
I smiled and chuckled lightly and touched his arm softly on my way past to the kitchen.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” I chided.
“I’m restless. Can’t help myself,” he said.
“Mm, not used to being sedentary, huh?”
“Nope. Not at all. You?”
I shook my head. “I like to keep busy,” I said as I filled the kettle.
He switched on the stove for me as I turned with the kettle in hand. I smiled and set it on the burner.
“Seriously,” he said when I sighed. “Go sit down. Let me do something nice for you.”
I eyed him and haltingly nodded.
“Okay,” I murmured, and I edged past him to go sit down.
“Feel like watching something?” he asked.
“Mm, no.” I shook my head and smiled to myself, knowing he couldn’t see either from inside the kitchen.
“Just tea and sleep, huh?”
“Pretty much. I lead a boring life, what can I say?”
“I don’t know if I would go that far. Seems pretty interesting to me.”
“How do you figure?” I asked softly and looked up and over from my seat on the end of the couch to where he leaned in the kitchen doorway.
“You helped me,” he said softly. “Not just once, but several times now.”
I smiled and said, “I just don’t know any other way to be, Mace. I’m just me…”
“I like you,” he said and lightly punched the archway into the kitchen, biting his battered bottom lip and looking so unsure of himself. “It’s easy to talk to you and… I don’t know. I don’t want to say I’m glad I got the shit kicked out
