Nine Lives

Bronzer

Silence...for a second over ten.

"Why were you standing over me?" His question threw me slightly. This guy was oozing confidence for someone who was just lying on train tracks.

"To fulfil my ethical conscious." I joked.

His hand flew to his chest, holding his heart and tugging at the drawstrings of his hoodie. "Ouch darling, the feelings sting." His face scrunched up in imaginary pain, his side profile revealing a small spiral tattoo just behind his left ear.

"I thought you embraced emotion". I aided this with some satisfactory air quotes.

"Catharsis is a drug". He added, looking me up and down, his deep green eyes lingering on each part of me from my muddy shoes to my frizzed hair. He smirked when he reached my eyes, the dimple deepening as he intensified his gaze.

I sighed. "So, you are a crazy drug addict?".

You could cut the tension with a hot iron knife.

"A sinner." Did I seriously just see him roll his eyes?

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Original."

"Not admirably".

I stared deep into his gaze. His fixture on my face was freaking me out, and the broadness of his shoulders in unison with his towering height left me feeling severely on edge and small - even though I was considered tall by many. I decided to cut this short, no way was I staying a minute longer.

I knelt down, the silence between us deadly. I grabbed my headphones by the dangling lead and spun on my heel, stalking back to the platform while keeping my senses aware to my surroundings. I kept walking down the track, knowing there was a side gate 20 metres ahead that led to the main road.

I heard his footsteps crunch over the leaves outside the tunnel, his pace double the speed of mine. In seconds, he was beside me, a brown bag I hadn't seen before thrown over his shoulder. He was at least a head taller than me and his hair was shorter at the side than I expected. He stood on one metal rail as I stood on the other, making it clear to me he wasn't going to invade my personal space or do anything suspicious. Not that I was convinced. I don't trust strangers.

"Secrets?" He spoke a question, looking ahead into the distance as we walked in broken silence.

"Pardon?"

He brought the other strap of his bag onto his corresponding shoulder, gripping the tighteners. "Secrets. Do you have any?"

"A serious, yet ironic, question for someone who was just awaiting death, don't you think?" I bit back, venom oozing from my fangs.

"Awaiting danger, darling. Not death". God, he thinks he's so charming.

"Don't call me Darling." I snapped.

"It suits you." I hear the smile without having to look at him.

"Whatever, Bronzer." I said, instantly cursing my need to refer to everyone with nicknames.

"I know my complexion is undeniably golden, but putting me in third place...that's a whole other level of ouch." He found this amusing. How cute.

I came to a halt and turned to face his height. He stopped dead, taking a step back. A sign of respect? I wasn't sure. "I meant your hair. It's bronze."

"And your's, it's brown". Captain obvious over here.

"Congratulations, Bronzer. You aren't as dumb as you look."

"Don't call me Bronzer." His tone was halfway jokey; halfway serious.

"Suits you, darling." I spat back, smiling to myself over the repetition of his snarky comment.