The Blood Red Rose

Chapter 2 : Believe me?

Chelsea's heart seemed to have skipped a beat at the sight of Hunter.

He was wearing that same expression he had when she looked up at him at school. Chelsea's knees felt weak, as if she was going to fall at any second. Luckily, she didn't. "Hunter . . ." Chelsea tried gathering enough strength to speak. All she could say was his first name. Such a disappointment.

He gave her a warming grin. "She talks. Yes, that's me. Now, please come in. I have to talk to you about something very important." He walked down the steps slowly. Once he reached the ground on her left side, Chelsea felt intimidated. He must be at least six foot one or two. She felt tiny compared to him. Chelsea was merely five foot one. Hunter held out his right hand to her with his left hand behind his back as he leaned forward. "If you would be so kind as to take my hand, I'll help you walk up the steps. I assume you can't walk up yourself with those short legs of yours." Once again, he grinned. Something about his face looked familiar. What it was, she didn't know. One thing she knew for certain, though: She couldn't argue with him. His smile was captivating, as were his blue eyes. Unwillingly, Chelsea took his hand gently.

I shouldn't have taken his hand, but I couldn't refuse, thought Chelsea. It was true. She couldn't refuse. She just couldn't. Once she took his hand, the corners of his mouth curved up into a charming smile. As they both walked up the stairs, Chelsea's face grew hotter and hotter. She felt a drop of sweat run down her face and neck.

She had never held anyone's hand before, other than her friend, Nathan, when they were little. They used to walk to school together. He had always wanted to hold her hand to make sure she was with him. Always. Just the thought of Nathan made Chelsea miss him even more than she already did. As if sensing her feelings, Hunter stopped at the top of the stairs and let go of her hand. "Is something bothering you, Miss Emma?" Hunter asked with calmness. Chelsea's cheeks had flushed, she assumed, because he started smiling. But soon, that smile disappeared. "If something is bothering you, we can talk another time. I don't mind." Chelsea's eyes widened a little with surprise. She could hardly believe how he was behaving.

"N-No, it's all right," Chelsea said, trying to keep her voice steady. Hunter was turning out to be kind, not like the way he was at school. It was almost funny. She couldn't help but give him a smile. A real smile this time. Not like the one she had given Ashley.

At that, he returned the smile. "Well, if you say so Miss Emma," said Hunter. He opened the door to the library and looked at Chelsea. "After you, Miss Emma." Chelsea walked into the library, feeling the cool air flowing out of it. It was warm outside so the air was welcomed. After she stepped in, Hunter didn't hesitate to follow her. Chelsea turned to look at him to see that he had placed his hands into his pockets, probably cold. He caught her looking at him and looked down at himself. "Is there something on me, Miss Emma?" Hunter asked as he looked back up at her.

"A-Ah, no!" she exclaimed. Chelsea hurried over to an empty table, trying to avoid the conversation she accidentally started. Before she could sit down, Hunter gripped her upper arm rather tightly. Puzzled, Chelsea looked up at him. He had a serious expression that frightened her.

"Not here," he said. "Let's go to a table where there's hardly any people."

"Well," said Chelsea,"a-all right." Still holding her upper arm, he led her to an empty area in the library. Nothing surrounded them other than dusty shelves with even dustier books, three wooden chairs with cushions on them, and a small cart with more books and one flashlight. This would've surprised Chelsea, but what surprised her even more was how Hunter managed to find this part of the library.