The Stand In

Chapter 19

He scoffs a laugh "You really are one of a kind."

"Why thanks."

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, granted a little mad you've made yourself a security issue. But why are you here?"

"To talk.. If you still want to?"

"What's changed since this morning?" He asks putting me on the spot.

I chew my lip, wondering what the best answer will be when he touches my face making me look up. "Let me in. I can see so much swimming behind your eyes, but you don't say anything."

"Are you sure it's not the light?" I joke.

"You're using humour because you're uncomfortable." He says dropping my face.

Well damn, call a bitch out why don't you?

"Why were you down here in the dark?" I ask.

"Changing the subject.. I come down here for alone time."

"Like alone, alone time?"

"Is there different types of alone?"

"Well did you come down here to chill out? To think? To talk to someone, to.... You know. Relieve yourself."

He looks at me a little weirdly "You think I'd do it here?"

"Well you were in the dark." I point out.

"Okay."

"So you were?" I ask.

"No. I wasn't. I meant okay as in that's weird. I was down here to think, you put a stop to that."

I walk around the room looking at the devil sculptures he has. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

I want to ask him what he sees in me. I want to ask why he came over this morning to explain himself. I want to know if he was playing some game when he invited me over to his house and let me spend the day there.

But like he said before, I use my humour and end up asking him.

"Do you know the muffin man?"

"For fuck sake Elle." He bites storming past me annoyed.

"Where you going?" I call after him.

"I can't speak with you, not down here. Are you following me or not?!"

"Will you be offended if I say, if only I can stare at your butt?"

He appears in the stone arch way, looking a lot more angrier this time. "You're really testing me. Move."

I cut him some slack and lead the way out the basement quietly before being on my best behaviour as he guides me through the museum and into a room I hadn't been in before.

"What's this place?"

"My office." He mutters dropping down behind the desk.

I glance around the room, mostly filled with boxes, and take a seat on the couch across the room, quietly. There's a few monitors set up in here too, watching who comes and goes from the museum.

"You were all conversation in the basement. Now you're in here, you're silent." He notes making me look over to him.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Why you're here?" He plucks.

Why was I here?

What did I want from him?