❝ 'Cause every time we touch, it cuts the deepest,

but I don't wanna fall if it's not in love ❞

❦

Fai insists on going with me to the work. Sometimes he stays, sometimes he just drops me off and goes back home and comes to pick me up.

I told him all of this is unnecessary, but he doesn't even let me argue about this. He says he chooses to do this because he'd rather be over-protective than getting me hurt again.

But all of this is slightly making me paranoid, as well. I'm constantly looking over my shoulder. I constantly have a feeling as if someone's there. I know there's no one. But what if they are, though?

And so I can't do anything but accept that he cares too much about me to wander around in the night, even if it means that he doesn't get enough sleep and it's showing, although he never once complains.

I'm grateful for that and it makes me happy knowing that I have someone like him. I feel safer. I know he'd protect me, no matter what.

Things have changed a little between us. Our gazes became longer and filled with longing, our touches became sweeter, yet still desperate for each other and I think there are more kisses now. And a hell of a lot more making out when we have time for it.

There's not that much with my school and his job and we often just take a nap in the afternoon because, otherwise, we wouldn't function normally.

Tonight's a rowdy night. Which means there are a lot of customers and I already have my eyes on a few of them. I know that allowing men to touch you and tell you all kind of inappropriate stuff gives you more tips and I know that kind of behavior is appreciated, in some cases even expected, from the girls, but I don't allow it.

I can put on one hell of an act of sweetness and seductiveness, but I can also throw a mean punch. It wouldn't be the first time.

And one of the guys is really walking by the thread, standing out to me in particular. He's getting drunker and he's getting bolder every time I walk past or to their table. But I'm not concerned about it or him.

Fai, however, is a different story.

When I come to his table to check on him and see if he needs a refill and just to get another look of him, I notice he's clenching his jaw and seizing the guy that's acting out a little up. He doesn't even see me approach.

I lightly put my hand on his arm and he slowly movies his head, locking his eyes with mine. "Do you need anything?"

"Yeah. Another drink and for that man to stop fucking trying to touch you. That's all."

I blink. "You better relax, Fai. This is my job. Don't even think about causing a scene."

Fai arches his eyebrow. "A scene? I'll put a bullet right through his skull if he doesn't stop."

I give him a bored look. "No, Fai. You won't," I say gently, patiently. "Because you can't. We have bodyguards for that. Don't play a personal one. Not tonight."

I find it quite hot that he's so blatantly jealous. He's not even trying to hide it, he's just straight-out, shamelessly showing it.

I pat his shoulder as I walk away with his empty glass. I try not to touch him too much in front of the others so as to not give any of the men in the room any ideas that they could touch me, too because I let someone do it. They don't know who Fai is to me and I have a feeling they don't wouldn't want to.

I try to avoid their table as much as I possibly can in the next hour because, not only do I not want a scene from Fai, but they also annoy me and I'm afraid it'll be me causing the scene any minute now.

And Fai is fuming. He's getting more and more furious every time I walk up to him to check on him.

And at one point, thinking that it's going to make things better, I sit down on his lap, wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. In front of everyone. He doesn't hold back, either, his hand coming to my jaw, the other one caressing my outer thigh.

I did this mostly to calm down the chaos I'm sure he's experiencing in his mind, but also to show them I'm very much taken.

It was a stupid idea.

I learn that when I hear hoots around us and when I pull back, all the pigs are now grinning at me with their sleazy smiles, thinking they're going to be next. I almost throw up in my mouth just thinking about it.

I get off his lap, straightening my clothes.

And then things get progressively worse with the guys that have been causing trouble all night. Not only them, but others join them now, too.

Fai has murder in his eyes and I'm on the verge of breaking a glass – or a bottle of an expensive champagne – on someone's head. This might be one of the worst shifts I've had and, usually, guys like this didn't annoy or bother me that much. I'd ignore it or sort them out, either myself or I'd call the security.

But now, it bothers me. Much more than it used to and I think that has to do a lot with actually having a guy in my life now. The only guy I let touch me. Everyone else is just repulsive to me now.

And at one point, when someone actually grabs me (which is forbidden, anyway) and forcibly pulls me on their lap, I've had enough. Fai has, too, but I'm quicker than him, although he's approaching at a fast pace, but I know self-defence, and the guy isn't ready for me to fight back.

I elbow him in the chin and he immediately loosens his hold on me in reflex, so I am able to stand up. I do what I've been wanting to do and throw the expensive champagne in his face. I'd do much worse if I were somewhere else, but there are people and they're watching.

I also have to put my hand on Fai's chest to stop him before he'd attack him because it seems like he either doesn't notice people around anymore or he just doesn't care and he's ready to kill in plain sight.

"Get the fuck out. All of you," I say, feeling myself getting worked up.

"Now, wait a damn minute, baby girl. What did we do that others didn't?" One of the men asks.

My eyes flick downwards involuntarily, spotting the ring on his left hand. Figures. That's been my hobby here, looking at the men's hands, seeing if they're wearing rings. Most of them are. Some of them aren't because they're hiding it in their pockets – for whatever reason. We also get a lot of bachelor parties held here and all kinds of disgusting things happen for the grooms-to-be.

"Get the fuck out before I –" I put my hand over Fai's mouth, not letting him finish the sentence. He can't say anything that might put him in trouble because things could quickly get out of hand. This is a place where threats are not welcomed and you could get thrown out immediately.

"Before you what, boy?" one of the men chuckles.

I catch an eye of a security guy that's been waiting for my signal, watching the scene unfold. "These guys giving you trouble?" Rodrick asks me.

"Please be kind enough to escort them out," I say.

"Gladly," Rodrick smiles that sadistic smiles that tells me he wouldn't like to do anything more than that right now. "Boys, either you walk willingly on your own legs, or I make sure you'll never be able to walk again."

Yeah, Rodrick is a scary guy, but he's on my side and I love that for me. I wouldn't want him as an opponent.

The men around the table look at each other, gauging how serious this situation is and if it's worth the fight. They mutually agree with no words spoken that they're going to walk out peacefully, although I can see their ego took a big hit because all of them eye me devilly as they walk past me as if they're trying to memorize my face.

I shake my head. Fuckers.

I swivel around to face Fai. "Well. That was fun," I say dryly. Fai doesn't say anything to that. "You can go back to your seat now. I'll be done soon, anyway," I say, feeling drained all of a sudden. I don't want to be here and that's obvious. Not just today, but lately, I've been starting to despise this place more and more. I mean, who would want this kind of job? It pays good, sure, but it's like you're in hell.

Just a few more months. And then I'm gone. Forever.

The next day, I am allowed to visit Harper at the club she works at. With Fai right next to my side, of course.

I feel almost nostalgic stepping inside it because it's been quite a while. John, the bodyguard working there, is surprised and happy to see me. "Look at who came tonight. It's been some time, huh?" he asks me with one of his tight-lipped grins.

"Yeah. Way too long," I say in agreement.

I go to the bar, finding Jon sitting there already, his eyes trained on Harper. If he's anything, he's persistent. And I guess he really meant when he said he'd be looking over her. He's with her just like Fai's with me and I appreciate him for that, even though he's probably going to mess up one million times with Harper because it's just who he is.

Harper almost drops the glass she's holding when she spots me sitting at the bar, her eyes wide in surprise. "Oh, my God!" she squeals happily and I wince a little, but keep a grin on my face.

"I'm happy to see you too," I say.

She immediately rushes towards me. "It's been so long ... I think the whole club missed seeing you here."

I'm sure they did. "That's surprisingly good to hear," I say. "Hey, Jon," I offer to my left side. He just nods in acknowledgment. I also notice he has a glass of water in front of him, which makes me relax even more because Harper's in good hands here, I can't deny that. At least if we're talking about safety.

Fai quietly sits down next to me, greeting Jon with a nod, no words spoken. I look around myself, realizing I've missed this place. It holds a lot of memories.

I put my hand on Fai's thigh to grab his attention. "Remember the first time we've met?"

Fai eyes me. "I remember you being bold and annoying the hell out of me, yeah."

I bite down on my lip to suppress a chuckle. "I remember you almost begging me to sleep with you."

Fai snorts. "Must be some other guy because that wasn't me, princess."

I nod my head with a click of my tongue. "Oh, it was definitely you," I say, squeezing his thigh.

Fai pushes his tongue against the cheek, his eyes smoldering a little. "Now I don't have to beg anymore, do I?" he says quietly, intimately.

"Definitely not," I agree. "We've come a long way from there, haven't we?" I ask, still lost in the memories.

Fai breaks our eye connection, his eyes settling on the glass in front of him that Harper put there. "We sure have," he responds, looking like he's miles away, too.

Harper puts her hands on the bar, turning our attention towards her. "So, are you officially out of prison yet?" she asks and I know she means it lightly and she says it as a joke, but both men sitting on either side of me tense up.

"Not completely, but my bodyguard now allows me to take walks, so that's a progress." I nudge Fai a little and he purses his lips, making my eyes fall down to them.

"One walk here and there only. Otherwise, the princess is still locked in the tower."

He purposefully doesn't use the term prison. And, truthfully, I don't look at my situation that harshly, either. It is what it is. If it makes Fai sleep better at night, I'll do what I can because he's already doing so much for me and that's only fair of me to not cause him even more trouble. I know he's dealing with a lot of things on his own, too.

"How romantic," Harper says with a small smile.

When I give her a long, studying look, I notice a few things. She's definitely changed. She's smiling more, she's more energetic and bubbly whereas before, she was usually closed-off and sheltered.

Things with Jon must be going in the right direction, then.

Someone sits on our left, ordering a shot of whisky. I don't know what it is about the person, but that voice makes all of our heads turn into the direction it just came from.

And I immediately recoil.

I'm met with the pair of eyes that aren't unfamiliar, yet I wish they were.

The guy looks at us – at me – with a self-satisfied smile. "Evening," he says easily. Like he didn't kidnap and almost raped me once. 

*

The next chapter's going to be in Fai's POV just FYI ;)