Hourglass

1 | familiarity.

Her bloodshot eyes looked at him while her body shivered. Not because she was drenched in water, but because fear mercilessly clung to her. Suddenly it felt like there was a heavy cloud in the room - a form of unwanted tension.

His facial expression softened when he caught a glimpse of her and he let go of her. His fingers, which had been harshly digging into her skin, left her arms aching.

With no words, she began to slowly pace in his living room, trying to figure out an explanation. Her bottom lip became encapsulated between her teeth.

He remained in the same position, observing her state. She appeared disoriented and from his observation she needed help.

"What happened to you?" He softly questioned.

"I'm so sorry. I had nowhere else to run to and you were the only person I could think of and-" The word vomit escaped her lips. She spoke so fast that he had to place his hands on her shoulder to ease her.

"Calm down, Victoria," he spoke softly, looking her directly in the eyes.

They were full of sadness.

She returned the look and continued trying to narrow down her breaths. It was as if she had spoken so fast that she forgot to breathe.

"Who are you running from?" He questioned with concern laced in his voice, his hands still grasping her shoulders.

"There were these men... and they... they were chasing after me. I think they wanted to hurt me."

"Do you know any of the men?"

"No," she shook her head, almost feeling hurt by the question.

He wasn't wrong to assume, however.

"Okay, let me call the police," he muttered, letting go of her shoulders and walking over to his phone that had been placed on a nearby couch. He unlocked it and started punching in the emergency number.

"No, don't do that, please. They didn't see where I went," she plead with him, stopping him immediately.

He turned to her in confusion, "I still have to call them so they can escort you home safely."

"I don't think I'll be comfortable being home alone," she spoke softly. She tried hard to not cry more than she already had.

Clifford sighed, "Okay, then I'll request that they drop you off at a friend or relative's place."

That was enough confirmation for her to know that he was bothered by her presence. She had a feeling things would take a this turn, but her hope was bigger than that. The painful realisation hit her so violently that she almost broke down.

"You must really hate me right now. For being here... and crossing your boundaries."

He clenched his jaw with his eyes closed. He had an internal battle between his hoarded anger and the sympathy he felt. He tried to imagine his younger sister in her situation. After all, Victoria was still a woman and the outside wasn't a safe place for her, especially in the storm.

He opened his eyes and exhaled deeply, observing her yet again. The flowing red fluid on her leg caught his eye and he had to do something about it.

Instead of disagreeing with her statement or at least making her feel welcomed, he slightly pointed at her wound, "Let me get you something for that. Have a seat."

He disappeared, leaving her by herself in the living room. After a long hesitation, she followed his instruction and proceeded to sit down on his black couch.

Her eyes wandered around his living room - not much had changed.  There were framed pictures of him with family and friends, and even a picture of him at his graduation. She remembered that there was another photo of them from the very same day he graduated, and she assumed he had probably gotten rid of it. The thought hurt her, so she tried to distract herself from it.

She looked away and only then did she notice that the television had been on the entire time, playing Japanese game shows on mute. Clifford still enjoyed them.

His footsteps approached from the hall and when he came back into the living room he had a first aid bag in his hand. He stood before her and went down on his knees to begin the wound care process. He pulled out a saline solution and drenched a cotton ball before putting it on her wound.

She winced, feeling a stinging sensation.

"Sorry," he looked up at her before continuing.

She paid attention to everything he did, acknowledging his level of concentration and how tender he tried to be. The privilege of being close to him again made her appreciate every second of it. She trailed her eyes along his jawline and then to his lips. She missed them. She missed him.

She missed how his touch felt and all the moments where they were within close proximities. She missed the sound of his laughter when she had told him a joke or funny story. He had those types of laughs that made other laugh, not because of how it sounded, but because it was very contagious. Most importantly, he missed his words - the sweet I love yous and the compliments he constantly showered her with.

He pulled out a large plaster and placed it on her wound. He had been oblivious to the stare she had been giving him.

Clifford cleaned up everything and stood up from his crouched position after packing the supplies back in the first aid.

"Thank you," Victoria softly said

He gave her a brief head nod before walking away and leaving her alone in the living yet again.