Eternal [HS]

Chapter Two

She instantly turns away from him, struck by the realization of what happened after her shift at work, and looks at her reflection in the mirror. The wound on her forehead, which had been gushing blood when she was slammed into the wall, is tidily patched up with gauze and bandages. She doesn't even want to know what it looks like underneath. Based on how bad it felt, there should be a nasty scar left behind.

Did he patch her up? If so, why? He doesn't know her, and if he's the man that rescued her, it's still odd that he took her to his home instead of the hospital right up the street...The one she is likely late to her shift at and will be in deep trouble with her boss at soon.

Speaking of which.

She speaks slowly, as to not lose her train of thought within her fuzzy mind, "Are you the man that saved me last night? And can you please tell me where we are so I can go to work? I've been asleep for a few hours, I'm guessing, and I can't be too late."

There's a funny expression crossing his face that she doesn't enjoy at all, and he steps a little bit closer to her, which she responds to by scooting away. With the toothbrush clenched in her fist, she doesn't intend on letting her guard down anytime soon. He acts as if everything is fine, as if she didn't just wake up in some random weirdo's bed, and it's really throwing her off.

The man reaches for the toothbrush like you would approach a wounded animal, and she gives him a warning look before letting him take it from her. It's not like it would've done damage anyway.

A single curl of hair dangles on his forehead as he leans against the counter to look at her. He must be the only man her age that she's met who maintains such persistent eye contact while talking. For a potential kidnapper, he has wonderful manners.

"M'not the man that saved you. He's my best friend, and he left you with me. You can go see him if you'd like..." he trails off into a buzzing silence as if withholding something.

Her brows furrow at him.

"What?"

"You slept for two days, not a few hours. I was getting a little worried for a moment when you wouldn't wake up, but then you did and now we're—"

She nods, still sifting through everything in her shaken state of mind, and cuts him off with a wave of the hand.

Her arms are now braced against the edge of the counter.

Is this real?

She wonders, Is this a dream, or a hallucination? Did I die last night, and is this what comes next? A strange bedroom to wake in with an equally strange man to greet me on the other side?

Her scrubs feel gross against her skin beneath them with the movement. She has half a mind to ask him if she can use his shower, but she's too worried about who he is and why the hell he's acting so calm. Wouldn't any sane human being stop to explain themselves? To, at least, introduce themselves to the poor, confused woman they practically kidnapped? Well, maybe he's not sane.

After all, there's a sharp intensity to his green-eyed gaze that she can't decide whether she hates or likes. It feels threatening and relaxing all at once, and the conclusion she settles on for now is that she doesn't mind it but doesn't like it either. Being under that harsh stare is quite intimidating, especially considering her situation. If he were a stranger passing by in a coffee shop by the hospital, perhaps she wouldn't be so bothered by it.

After a long beat of silence, he starts speaking again.

"I'm Harry, by the way. If I found you, I wouldn't have made the mistake of bringing you here."

He emphasized "here" as if it's some horrible place, yet all she sees is a wealthy home surrounding her. Sure, not bringing her to the hospital was odd, but why does it sound like the end of the world?