September 24th, 2005

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"(Y/N) please, just come with me. You can stay at my house for a bit. Just until they catch him." Kira says, clutching her suitcase. She decided to leave after the events that transpired a few days ago, booking the earliest flight possible. You smile, hugging her.

"You know I can't do that Kira. I... live here. I can't let this guy ruin my life." You hug her.

She's close to tears. "I know. You don't have to move out. I just want you to be safe." She says, her voice muffled in your shoulder.

You pull back, looking at her with a sad smile. "I will. I promise. And Bob is going to protect me." You say, gesturing towards the large man standing awkwardly in the corner. He agreed to stay with you for a couple days just to make sure the killer wouldn't come back. 

Funny how that works, isn't it?

Kira sniffles, pulling you into a hug one more time. The taxi pulls up, and she pulls away from you, tears streaming down her face. "Please be careful. And call me every night. I'll make sure to call once I land."

You nod. "Okay." You wave as she walks to the taxi and hops in. Soon, the driver speeds off, leaving just you and Bob now. You turn and walk past him, not wanting him to see you cry. You go and sit on the couch, sighing. You put your head in your hands, blocking out the world around you. It's so scary... the fact he came for you again. He didn't even kill you! And yet you felt like you were going to die. Again.

Too absorbed in your thoughts, you don't notice Bob quietly sit down next to you. He pulls you into a side hug, his arm wrapping around your waist.

You sniffle, looking up at him. "I um. I'm sorry. For making you stay with me."

He pulls you closer, his face tinted pink. "Don't be. I want to stay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Suddenly he is too close, so you pull away, looking away from him. You don't see the somber expression briefly cross his face as your body heat is ripped away from him. You stand. "I'm gonna go take a bath. Feel free to help yourself to any food."

Bob simply nods, watching you walk away. Is he being too touchy? The last thing he wants to do is make you uncomfortable... but he just can't help himself.

-

You lay in the bath, covered in bubbles. It's comforting, but you can't shake the feeling of Bob's subtle touches. His hands on your waist, him hugging you the other day... it was nice.

But am I even ready for a relationship again? Maybe he's just being super friendly? Should...I confront him?

You sigh and sink deeper into the bath. You most definitely aren't ready for a relationship yet, You're still recovering from the trauma of the last one. And this recent kidnapping doesn't help either. God. You haven't even read that letter from your mom yet. And now Kira is gone, so you can't exactly talk to her face about it. Feeling a pit in your stomach, you begin to cry. It's just too overwhelming, and now you feel bad for making Bob stay and watch you like some sort of child.

You reach your hands up to your face to wipe away your tears. It's not fair. Why do you keep getting saddled with the worst possible outcomes in life? Your dad is dead, your mom is a bitch, your ex is fucking crazy, and now you've been kidnapped by some sort of cannibal serial killer. And to top it all off, Kira has gone home.

You feel alone.

...Maybe you can talk to Bob about your problems?

You don't want to put the weight of your issues on him though.

Deciding not to let your mind run a million miles a minute, you drain the bath and step out. You're not going to let your anxiety take hold right now. All you're doing is going in a circle anyways, thinking about the same things over and over again.

-

You step out of the bathroom to smells of delicious food. Bob is at the kitchen, his back turned. You quietly walk up behind him, poking his arm and "booing" at him. He jumps, seeing your giggling self.

"Oh? So ya think its funny to scare me?" He says, putting down the stirring spoon. There's a mischievous look on his face as he inches closer to you, arms raised. Oh no. You know what's going to happen next.

You bolt over to the living room, Bob closely behind you. You laugh as he grabs you, tickling your sides.

"Oh my god! Stop!" You say between hysterical laughter.

He continues to tickle you, eventually pushing you onto the couch. "Oh no, I don't think so darlin'. Karma's a bitch." He says as you lay on the couch laughing hysterically. He eventually gets on top of you, his thighs straddling your legs. You struggle, still laughing as he tickles your sides.

"Bob! You're heavy! Get off!" You laugh, slapping his shoulders.

He's smiling widely, pure glee written all over his voice. "No way kiddo. Not until you apologize for scarin' me."

"WAHAHA! Okay! I'm sorry!!" you say between your laughter. He loves seeing you this way. He will always do whatever he can to make you happy.

But also...

He stops tickling you, staring at your flushed face. Your cute cheeks and plump lips are more than enticing. Your eyes are so easy to get lost in...

You're both breathing hard, and you stare back at him.

"Uh Bob? Seriously. You're heavy." You say with a smile, breaking him out of his trance.

He looks down, realizing this compromising position. Face red, he gets off you quickly. Jesus Christ, you're the only person on this planet that can make him this nervous. He holds out his hand, you you take it. "My bad, I guess I got a bit carried away." He says, rubbing the back of his head.

You smile. "It's okay. What are you making?"

Realizing that the food could be burning, Bob rushes over to the stove. "Oh, uh, stir-fry. Is that okay?"

You sit down at the kitchen island. "Sounds amazing. You're such a good cook."

He looks at your smiling face, flustered. Okay. You can stop being cute now. He turns around, mumbling a thanks. Noticing you embarrassed him, you giggle.

-

After you finish dinner, you and Bob sit down at the couch. Some random game show is on, but Bob isn't really paying attention.

You turn to him. "Hey, have you ever dated someone before?"

Bob is taken aback. That's... a random question to ask. But he decides to answer anyway. "No. I haven't." He looks at the TV. "Life comes at ya fast. Just never had the time." That was a lie. He's just never felt any romantic feelings for anyone before.

Well... except you.

You nod. "Yeah, I get that."

it's awkwardly silent for a moment until Bob pipes up. "Have you?" he asks, looking at you again.

You wring your hands together. Obviously if you asked that question, he would want to know your answer too. Yet you still feel weird answering.

You sigh. "I um.. yeah. I have. One guy."

Oh. Bob's stomach drops at that statement. He was honestly expecting you to say no. It's quiet again, and you look at him, a soft smile on your face. "I guess I never told you why I moved here."

Bob is watching you intently. He remembers snooping through your things when you first moved in. Reading some sort of letter about assault charges...

You sigh, looking away. "It's kind of a long story, and I'll only tell you if you really want to know."

Oh he very much wants to know. Bob gently grabs your shoulder, making eye contact. "I do want to know. But you don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No it's fine... I kind of want you to know anyway. Since we're friends." Friends... yes. Friends.

"Okay."

You go to stand, walking down the hall and peering into your shoe closet. You reach up high, grabbing a box labeled, "please forget" in big bold letters. You walk back over to Bob, clutching the box to your chest. Stalling, you look at him. "Let me make some drinks. It's a really long story."

You walk over to the kitchen, Bob watching your every move as you pour some wine. You hand him a glass, sitting down once again.

You sigh, opening the box. "Okay. I guess I'll start at the beginning."

You pull out your surgeon's license, looking down at it fondly.

"It all started when I was in surgical residency."

A/N: a shorter chapter, but the next chapter will be very long! Stay tuned.