Chapter 6 Terrified

"Your clothes might get wet if you hug me like that." Max gently pushed my body away, but I didn't care-especially when the sound of thunder roared again. Instead, my hands gripped his body even tighter, my clothes soaking from pressing against his.

"Vale..." he called, still trying to gently push me away.

"Just for a moment. I'm really scared this time," I replied, my voice barely audible. My body was trembling-not from the cold but from a deep fear of the darkness and the unrelenting thunder. I didn't know what had happened to me in the past to make me so afraid of storms and the dark. Sandra once said I seemed like someone with trauma. Maybe she was right. Even now, I couldn't remember what had happened.

Max didn't say anything. His body was tense, but he stopped pushing me away. I didn't even care that my clothes were soaking from hugging him so tightly.

"You should change your clothes before you catch a cold," Max said once the thunder faded.

"I'm not cold," I replied.

"Oh... sorry, are you cold because your clothes are wet?" I asked, suddenly realizing maybe he was the one who felt cold.

"I ran here in a hurry when the power went out," he said, and I slowly pulled myself away from him. My face instantly burned with embarrassment over what I'd done.

"Take off your shirt and wrap yourself in a blanket so you don't get cold," I said, assuming only the upper part of his clothes was wet.

"I-I won't look. Just take it off-here, use this blanket," I added quickly, grabbing one from the bed using the flashlight Max had brought.

"It's fine. It's not as wet as you think," he replied. But I knew how wet it was-after all, I had clung to him tightly just now.

"I can go back home and change," he said.

"Don't..." I said quickly, making Max stare at me with sharp eyes. Maybe I had overstepped, but I didn't want him to leave me alone in this house.

"At least stay here until the lights come back on," I added, my voice filled with worry. With how cold and distant Max could be, I wasn't sure he'd even consider my request.

"You should change your clothes too. I'll wait outside," he said, without confirming whether he agreed or not.

"Use this flashlight to change," he added, handing me the flashlight before walking out with the blanket in his hands.

I changed quickly, still unsettled even with the flashlight. My clothes weren't too wet, but I wasn't in the mood to argue with Max.

"Why not stay in the bedroom?" he asked when I came to find him lying on a long couch in the living room, wrapped in the blanket.

"I... I'm scared," I admitted honestly.

"There's light from the flashlight," he replied.

"It's not bright enough," I said and sat at the edge of the couch. Max sat up, no longer lying down.

I felt like I kept troubling him. His face looked cold, and he let out a long sigh when he heard me.

"Lie down here," Max said firmly. He got up and gestured for me to lie down in his place.

"Then where will you go?" I asked in a panic.

"I'll just stay here," he replied, then lay down on the floor. I looked at him with guilt, knowing this was all my fault for asking him to stay.

To be honest, I couldn't sleep while the rain poured and thunder rolled. I just lay there with my eyes shut. Back in the apartment, I would hug Sandra tightly until I could fall asleep.

"If you can't sleep here, you should go back to your room," Max said suddenly. I thought he had fallen asleep, but he had been watching me the whole time. I took a deep breath, not in the mood to respond. He probably thought I was childish, scared over something so small.

"Where can I visit my father's grave?" I asked suddenly. Ever since I heard Max's story about my late father, I kept thinking about it.

"Mr. Davis's grave is in the Davis family cemetery," he replied.

"I don't know where that is," I said, sitting up on the couch.

"It's hard to access. You have to go through the Davis family estate," he answered.

"Can you take me there?" I asked.

"No," Max replied firmly.

"Don't you remember what your father's half-brother did to your mother? If they find out you're still alive, they might do the same to you. Everything I did to get you out of Claire's brothel would be for nothing," he explained.

"What if you take me there as a worker? Aren't you still working for the Davis family?" I suggested, which made Max sit up too, now facing me.

"You must be joking," he said.

"I'm serious. You said it would be nearly impossible to get into the Davis estate. Isn't pretending to work there the only way? I just want to know more about my father's family. And most of all, I want to see my father's grave," I explained.

"This is too dangerous. You're finally safe now-don't go looking for trouble," he replied.

"How can I feel at peace knowing how my father's family betrayed both him and my mother? I won't do anything reckless. I just want to understand who they are... and see my father's grave," I said again.

"You can help me, right?" I pleaded.

"No," Max said again, unwavering.

"I made a promise to Mr. Davis to protect you," he added.

"If there's nothing more to say, I'll go back to my house. The rain has stopped," he said as he stood up.

"It's still dark in here. There's no light at all." I tried to stop him from leaving.

"Just use the flashlight I gave you earlier," he replied. Seeing him walk away, I quickly chased after him. But in the dim light, my foot hit something I couldn't see, and I lost my balance-falling hard to the floor.

I winced in pain as I looked to see what had tripped me. Damn! It was just the corner of the table.

"You're so careless. Who knows what would've happened to you if you hadn't gotten out of Claire's brothel in time," Max said, sounding more like a scolding. His hand reached out and grabbed my arm.

"I think I twisted my ankle," I groaned, struggling to get up. Without waiting for my consent, Max scooped me up into his arms. I let out a small yelp, startled by his action. But Max probably didn't hear it because of the pouring rain.

I held my breath. The blanket that had covered his body earlier was now gone, so I could clearly see his bare chest. My hand accidentally touched his skin. It was embarrassing. My heart was racing from this odd and unexpected interaction.

"Where exactly does it hurt?" he asked after laying me down on the bed. I silently pointed to my ankle. The dim light from the flashlight Max brought faintly lit up the room. I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could feel how fast my heart was beating.

Max's hand reached for my ankle and began to massage it. Even though he did it gently, it still hurt. I held my breath as the pressure from his hand sent waves of pain through me.

"See? This is just a minor injury and it already hurts this much. If you're really set on working at the Davis family estate, things will be a lot tougher than this," he said, his tone exasperated.

"It was an accident," I replied.

"You have no idea how cruel Mr. Davis's stepbrother can be. You should drop this foolish idea of going there," Max said seriously. I stayed silent, unwilling to argue as his hand continued to press against my ankle. It hurt at first, but slowly the pain began to ease.

"It feels a little better," I said, signaling him to stop the massage. My eyes caught the way my clothes had shifted, exposing half my thigh. My face flushed, and I quickly adjusted my clothes. I was grateful the lights weren't working-at least Max couldn't see my blushing face.

"Can I go home now?" he asked. What should I say? The electricity was still out and the rain hadn't let up. But if he wanted to leave, I couldn't stop him.

"There might be a fallen tree. I doubt the power will be back until morning," he added, making me even more anxious. I had no idea what time it was or how long until morning. But I couldn't force Max to stay if he wanted to leave me alone.

"Go, if that's what you want," I whispered, barely audible. I lowered my head to hide my anxious expression. Maybe it was time I learned to face my fears, no matter how irrational they were. No one could save me this time-not Sandra, not anyone. I didn't even have a single friend left.

"Alright, I'll stay with you," Max said. He then sat with his back against the wall beside my bed.

"Sleep. I'll keep watch here," he ordered. It was awkward-how could I sleep soundly with a man I barely knew sitting beside me on my bed? But I didn't want him to leave either. I'd be terrified if he did.

"Th-thank you, Max," I said sincerely. He didn't respond and simply closed his eyes. I let out a small breath of relief; his presence helped calm me down. Even if his face was constantly unreadable, I did feel safer.

"About your request to work at the Davis estate... I'll find a way to get you in safely," he said suddenly. I thought he had fallen asleep. Turns out he'd been thinking about my request this whole time.

"Just go to sleep so I can finally go home." I was about to thank him again when he returned to his cold demeanor.

"Use this," I said, walking toward him and handing him another blanket from the bed. The one I'd given him earlier was still in the living room.

"No need," he declined, just as I was about to drape the blanket over his bare body. Damn! Why did my face heat up when I saw his broad chest?

"It's really cold. You'll catch a chill like this," I insisted, trying to convince him to use the blanket. One of my hands, propped on the bed for support, suddenly gave way, and I fell right into Max's arms. My eyes widened, and I held my breath when our eyes met. Max's sharp gaze was locked on me.

"Ah! Sorry, I... I couldn't see clearly in the dark," I stammered and tried to pull away. But just as I moved, Max suddenly pushed me down onto the bed and pinned me beneath him.

"You're so clumsy," he said, clearly annoyed. I looked up at him, full of worry. It seemed everything I did today only irritated him more.

"S-sorry," I said apologetically. I couldn't move. His hands seemed to lock me in place, his legs positioned between mine.

"I've been trying to hold back since yesterday. But you keep making it harder," his voice was cold and tense. I knew Max didn't feel anything special toward me-he was only doing this out of the responsibility my father had entrusted him with. Of course he felt burdened by my presence.

"I won't trouble you anymore after this," I said seriously, hoping he would let me go. Being underneath him like this made me feel incredibly uneasy.

"You think it's that simple?" he asked. I almost laughed at myself. He had a point. What could I possibly do alone in an unfamiliar place? I couldn't even feed myself without asking Max.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. After escaping Claire, I'd become completely dependent on Max. What if he left me to fend for myself, or worse, returned me to Claire?

"Why are you the one apologizing?" he asked, his voice low and heavy, his eyes staring into mine.

"I should be the one saying sorry," he continued, his voice barely a whisper. I blinked a few times, confused as to why he was apologizing. Then his hand suddenly reached out and touched my lips. I froze, stunned by his unexpected gesture. His dark eyes were fixed on me, and I couldn't calm the rapid thudding in my chest.

"I'm sorry, because this time... I really can't hold myself back anymore." His voice was deep and husky. And before I could reply, his lips were already silencing mine. (*)