Roses & Bullets

XIV. Enough

CLAIRE I can't believe that just happened.

I almost collapsed on the floor as soon as he's gone. Instead of sitting back on the chair, I bolt for my room and clumsily close the door. What the hell is wrong with him?

I pace my room, thinking about what I might have said that set him off. Hot tears are threatening to fall from my eyes, and I stubbornly wipe them away. When I'm sure that I'm not going to cry, I lie in my bed and stare at my wrist, where he grabbed me.

His finger marks are still there, but they are already fading. Hopefully, this won't bruise. I'm not sure how to hide it if it does.

How can he go from being rude to being nice, and then to being rude again? We were just sharing stories with each other a few hours ago, and now he has gone back to being a prick. Well, I did most of the talking, but still.

But that's enough. I'm done being nice. He just crossed the line when he touched me.

Tomorrow, I'll show him that I don't give a damn about him. He can do whatever he wants for all I care. I'm not just some small-town girl that he can push around.

*****

My father rings the breakfast bell, and Mr. and Mrs. Kim come down from their room. Corey is already starting to eat, so we all do the same. I have prepared some pancakes and sausages, served with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"How about Erik?" My father asks. "Where is he?"

"Daddy, maybe we should let him sleep. He must be tired." I just can't face Erik right now.

My father is about to say something, but Mrs. Kim interrupts him. Thank goodness for that.

"Thank you so much for the hospitality, Mr. Wilson," she says with a hint of sadness in her voice. "And to you, too, Claire and Corey."

"Are you guys leaving today?" I ask them.

"Yes," she answers. "We're checking out this afternoon, and then we'll go back to Korea."

"Oh, Mrs. Kim. I hope you had a great time here with us."

"Of course, we did, Claire." Mr. and Mrs. Kim hold hands, and it makes my heart melt.

"I'll never forget what you did for my father," I tell the two of them, and they both give me a bittersweet smile.

"Take care of yourself, Mr. Wilson," Mr. Kim addresses my father. "Don't let Claire worry about you again."

"I won't," my father replies. "And, thank you so much."

Corey doesn't say anything, but I can see on his face that he's beyond grateful to the couple. We carry on with eating our breakfast and chatting. And then, we all hear the front door open.

Erik enters the hostel, all sweaty and topless. Why is he always naked? It looks like he just finished jogging.

He goes to the kitchen, where he doesn't seem to expect to find us. As usual, it's my father who first greets him.

"Good morning, Erik!"

"Good morning, sir," he greets back, panting, as he gets a glass of cold water.

"How's your workout?" I don't know why my father bothers to talk to Erik. He clearly wants to distance himself from everybody.

"Good, sir. It's a beautiful day outside."

"I'm sure it is," my father replies, smiling. "Why don't you sit beside Claire and eat with us. Mr. and Mrs. Kim are already leaving this afternoon."

Erik looks at me, and I glare at him. Don't you freaking dare sit beside me. I think he understands me because he refuses to eat.

"No, thank you, sir," he politely declines. "I need to wash up, and I already ate before heading back here."

"Yes, daddy," I butt in, "I don't think it's a good idea to force him to eat with us."

"I'm not forcing-"

"It's all right, sir. Really. I'll go ahead."

"If you say so." My father looks at him, confused. He then turns to me and whispers, "What's that about?"

"Safe travels, Mr. and Mrs. Kim." Erik heads upstairs, and it feels like a heavy fog has been lifted.

"Claire, what's going on?" My father will not drop this until I tell him the truth.

"Did you see the scars on his body?" asks Corey, wide-eyed. "Especially the ones on his chest? They're so cool."

"There's nothing cool about that, Corey," my father snaps at him. "And please be mindful of what you say, especially when he's around."

Corey groans. "Fine. Anyway, I'm late for school. See you guys later."

"Come straight home," I tell him.

Corey leaves, and so do Mr. and Mrs. Kim. They say they'll have one more tour of the town before they leave. That leaves me alone with my father in the kitchen, and I'm already thinking of reasons to excuse myself.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Dad, nothing happened."

"You know, sweetheart, I know when you're keeping something from me." He starts reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee, and he finally drops the subject.

My father never misses anything. But I can't tell him about what happened last night. Or else, he'll go ballistic.

I start to clear the table and bring everything in the sink to clean up. My father remains in his seat, preoccupied with whatever section of the newspaper he's reading. He then clears his throat, and I know that we're far from done.

"After that, bring a tray of food outside Erik's room."

"Dad!" I protest, whirling around so I can see his face.

"Just do it, sweetheart," he says tenderly. He looks at me and smiles, and that's all it takes for me to do what he says. "He's still our guest."

I let out a sigh of frustration, and my father chuckles. I'm not sure what he finds funny because I'm completely not in the mood right now.

"What's funny, dad?"

"Oh, nothing." He folds the newspaper and takes one last sip of his coffee before standing up. "I think I'm ready for my daily exercise."

"Okay. Let me go with you." I wipe my hands with a paper towel, but before I could even take a step, my father stops me.

"Claire, I'm just going to walk around the hostel. I'll walk around the hostel three times, and then I'll come back inside. I can do that on my own."

"Please, dad-"

"I'll be fine, Claire. Now, do as I say and take some food to our guest upstairs."

He is gone in a matter of seconds. I go back to doing my chores, contemplating whether I should follow my father or not. I stomp my feet in annoyance and quickly look around to see if anyone saw me.

Nobody's there. After cleaning up everything, I prepare Erik's breakfast and put it on a tray. I reluctantly go upstairs, careful not to spill the coffee.

As I stand outside his room, I'm suddenly reminded of how he looked when he opened the door on the day he arrived here. He was only wearing his pants. I don't want that to happen again.

I gently set the tray on the floor. I don't bother knocking because I hear some scuffling inside, and I know his door will open any minute now. Before I know it, I'm already descending the stairs.

That was close. I sit on the couch in the lobby and open my laptop to check my emails. Still, no response from the only publishing company in this town that I submitted a manuscript to.

Pity. I wonder if I should try submitting my manuscript to some of the big publishing companies in different cities. Maybe that will increase my chance of being a writer.

I close my laptop, disappointed but not surprised. The front door opens, and my father enters, his face red from the heat. I immediately get up to assist him.

"Are you okay, daddy?"

"I am, sweetheart," he answers, a little breathless from his walk. "Would you get me a glass of water?"

"Of course." I let him take a seat first before I fetch him his water. He drains the glass in three big gulps before handing it back to me.

"So, how was it?" I ask.

"It was fine. But I'm a little tired, so I think I'll just rest in my room."

"That's a good idea." I take him to his room and let him settle down in bed. Before leaving, I give him a kiss on the cheek, and he thanks me for taking care of him.

I slowly close the door to his room, and when I turn around, I bump into a massive wall that is Erik Daniels. He's wearing a pink slim-fit shirt and khaki shorts, and his hair is still damp. I can smell his perfume, and once again, electricity courses through my body.

I take two steps back, and he remains unmoving. We stare at each other, and I refuse to be the one to look away first. Unfortunately, it seems like he plans to do the same.