Wearing the Shoes that Fit You - Fan Fiction Eminem

Please

Morena POV

"You can't ignore this forever, Morena," my attorney Lee said as he stared at me from the comfort of his overly large chair, behind his impressive mahogany desk. I sighed and stood, wandering to look out the window and over the city. 

Five nights ago, I'd had the best evening I'd experienced in about a year. Out there, somewhere, Marshall was going about his day and my starved need for real human interaction was calling out to him. I'd felt so...normal, with him. I'd forgotten about everything but how good it felt to laugh and share easy conversation with another person. As much as it pained me to admit it, that date was probably going to be the only bright spot to my month. 

"I'm not ignoring it," I muttered, only to hear Lee scoff. He stood and walked over to stand beside me, looking down from his six foot height. 

"Yes," he said quietly. "You are." In response, I groaned and closed my eyes.  

"You know, you're one of the ones who told me not to just give it all away," I reminded him. "If I'd done that, none of this would be happening," I noted. He shook his head. 

"Not necessarily," he responded. "No one would believe that you'd given it all away. You'd still have the threats, still have the demands, still have been required to move," he argued. 

"Well," I said wryly. "Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" I asked. Lee chuckled and put an arm around my shoulders as he turned his eyes back to the view. 

"We'll keep you safe, Morena," he said softly. I nodded and sighed, closing my eyes to the cityscape as I thought. 

"I don't want more guards," I whispered. "It's weird enough having one guy follow me. More would be-"

"Safer," Lee interrupted sternly. 

I swallowed and looked up at him. Lee had become a friend of sorts over the last year. I trusted him to look after my interests, but only in that I paid him for his services. He might seem like the brotherly type right now, but if I weren't paying him his hourly rate, this comforting scene wouldn't be happening. 

The silence stretched as he tried to stare me into submission. He was used to using his icy gaze to get regulators and heads of companies to do his bidding. He still seemed to think that it would work on me one day. It was almost endearing. 

When I merely raised a brow, he shook his head slightly and stepped away from my side. In a move atypical for him, he blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He was frustrated with me, but I didn't want to be even more disconnected from reality. Some part of me knew that the further I got from a regular life, the more likely I'd go down a path that I'd have trouble getting away from. 

"So, you had a date the other day," Lee said, changing the subject. I frowned and cocked my head at him as I turned to face him more fully. 

"Excuse me?" I asked, my tone no longer carrying the warmth it had moments ago. Lee raised his hands in mock surrender as he stepped back a little. 

"They were hired by my firm," he reminded me. "And the one they had on you failed to keep you from a potentially dangerous situation. It was in the report," he explained. 

"You're getting reports on me," I confirmed hollowly. Lee grimaced, looking to the side. 

"Morena," he said quietly, but I shook my head.

"What did you want to know about my date?" I asked, my words clipped. 

Lee had insisted on the guard as a safety precaution, but no one had told me that, in addition to having a shadow, my personal life was going to be invaded further. I'd thought they would be subject to some kind of confidentiality or something. Apparently not. 

"Morena," he pleaded. "It's not what you're thinking," he insisted and I took a deep breath. 

"Then what is it, Lee?" I asked and he twisted his lips. 

"I wouldn't know at all if there hadn't been a breach in protocol," Lee explained. "It was only because the man got so near to you without protection that it was in the report. Every other night, it's merely indicated that there were no 'incidents'."

"Every night?" I asked, feeling sick.  

"Morena," Lee said, stepping closer. He raised his hands to my arms as he looked down into my eyes. "The threats have been increasing. They are getting more erratic, more graphic. It's not going to be forever. You just need to weather the-"

"Storm," I finished, so familiar with that line that I could have predicted it would arise in this conversation. "I know," I said. 

Closing my eyes, I searched for the feeling Marshall had left me with when he'd dropped me at my door several nights ago. It was still fledgling, a barely there spark of hope, but I could feel it. I let the warmth of that tiny spark settle in me as I nodded. I wanted more of it, and if the only way to make that happen was to have more guards, then I'd do it. 

"Alright," I conceded as I opened my eyes. Lee smiled and I shook my head and pointed at his face. "But don't go snooping in my business, Lee. You want to know about things, ask me. Don't make me feel like you're my next stalker."

Hurt flashed in Lee's eyes, but he quickly covered it with a wry grin. I wasn't going to apologize. He'd overstepped in not telling me all the details of the bodyguard's assignment. 

"Fine," he answered. "So, tell me about the date, then," he asked and I smiled as I pulled back, falling to the chair in front of his desk. 

"It was nice," I replied. "He took me to a café that serves these doughnut chunks that are amazing. It was a comedy night or something. I haven't laughed that much in ages," I explained. 

"You've been saying that you don't want to get back out there," Lee noted with a tilted head. "What made you change your mind?" he asked and I shrugged. 

"He was trying to save me," I answered with a smile. Lee coughed. 

"What?" he asked. 

"He thought my guard was a creeper," I responded. "He was trying to get me away from him."

"So, all it took to get a date was him acting the knight in shining armor?" Lee asked drily. "What the Hell do you think I've been doing?" he asked and I frowned, shaking my head on an exasperated breath. 

"Come on, Lee," I returned. "You save my butt for a well-earned hourly rate. Marshall did it because he cared," I said. 

"I see," Lee answered. I looked back at him, but he had his back turned as he walked to his chair opposite me. When he sat, the odd tone in his voice wasn't carried over to his eyes. 

"Do you know who he is, Morena?" Lee asked and I cocked my head and then deflated. 

"You had his background run?" I asked softly. 

Lee nodded and I stood, gathering my purse. I wanted to know what Lee found, but I also wanted to enjoy the feelings Marshall inspired. I wanted to get to know him myself, not read about him from some cold file. 

"Morena?" Lee called as I got to the door. 

"I'm heading out," I said. "Let me know when the new guards are supposed to start."

"Morena," Lee tried again, standing. I raised my hand, shaking my head. 

"I know you're trying to protect me," I explained. "But, let me just have this for now. Just for a little while." I paused and smiled, though I knew it didn't reach my eyes. 

"Please."