Don't be so judgmental, I thought as I slowly approached him. Careful not to make a sound in case he woke up hostile, I swiped a thick, hardback book off a nearby shelf.
I stopped about a foot from him, holding the book tighter as I looked him over, paying close attention to his heavy breathing and the little crease between his brows as he slept.
If someone had told me yesterday morning that I would be patching up some bad boy boxer in my apartment during the early hours of Sunday, I would've called them crazy. But that had happened, and now I didn't know what to do with him.
I sat on the coffee table, book in my lap as I drummed my fingers along the spine until his eyebrow twitched. I straightened and quietly stood as he lifted his hand to rub his eyes. He stirred with a groan while I slowly tiptoed backward to retreat into my room to avoid a confrontation altogether.
Romeo paused when his finger brushed over his eyebrow. Confusion quickly riddled his face as he felt along the gauze and tape there, discovering my handiwork, before he frowned at his fingertips. I assumed it was to check for blood.
It seemed to all come back to him at once when his eyes widened, and he sat up fast. His silvery blue eyes immediately landed on me as I stalled like a deer in headlights, frozen on the spot with the book clutched to my chest.
I imagined it was a very confusing thing to wake up to; a random woman standing awkwardly nearby in pooh bear pajamas while he lay on a floral print couch in an apartment full of plants.
"Hi, um, I'm—I'm Lily," I stammered. "We met last night."
Romeo didn't respond. His face was blank as his eyes dropped over my body. Cocking his right eyebrow, he took in the pattern of my pajamas, the book in my hands, and stood.
I shifted my weight between my feet and adjusted my hold on the book. He was no longer a barely conscious person but the tall, strong fighter from last night. Meanwhile, I was on the petite side of average and could be crushed like a bug if he tried anything.
He casually checked his pockets, eyes on me as he did, and turned to leave, releasing me from his gaze while my heart skipped a million beats.
I should’ve been relieved he was leaving instead of being taken aback by his abruptness. Without so much as a thank you or even a little acknowledgment for what I had done for him, he had breezed out of sight into the hallway, leaving me stunned by the couch until it sunk in.
I started with a jerked step forward and walked toward the hallway entrance to check he was actually going.
He had reached the front door already and pulled it open just enough to allow him to see into the hallway. Checking both ways before his eyes narrowed, his jaw tightened, and he pulled back to close the door quickly and silently.
“Fucking perfect,” he said through gritted teeth as dragged a hand through his hair. Then he went still, rubbing his jaw as his eyes snapped to me.
I stood awkwardly at the end of the hallway and straightened stiffly under his attention. It was like he was burning a hole straight through me, and my heart rate skyrocketed. I needed to run, lock myself away in my room, and call for help, but my feet had rooted themselves in place. When he started walking towards me, I managed to step back.
With several feet between us closing fast, every possibility of what he might do had skimmed through my head twice until he was only a foot away. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by three loud knocks.
“It’s the police. Open up, please,” said a strong female voice on the other side of the door.
Stupidly, I went to step around Romeo to answer the door. Like I was moving on a reflex that hardwired my brain to respond quickly to the mention of a police officer. My father’s occupation strongly played a part in forming my response time.
But Romeo’s response time was faster.
He clocked my step before it had landed and took hold of my upper arms, backing me into the wall while I sucked in a breath and held it. Unable to form a scream as every thought left my head.
His hands dropped, but he remained in front of me, blocking any escape with his body a foot from mine.
“They can’t know I’m here,” he warned, voice a low murmur that fluttered the nerves in my stomach. “Alright?”
The police knocked again, this time with a little more urgency.
Romeo backed towards the door again while his eyes remained on me, darkening in the dimness at the end of the hallway. He lifted a finger to his lips and nodded as if to say, go ahead.
I was still against the wall, finally breathing again but frozen. When the police knocked a third time, it jolted me from my trance, and I quickly went to the door. I took a second to compose myself while Romeo watched from beside me, backing himself further into the corner behind the door.
After a feeble attempt at squaring my shoulders, and trying to seem as calm as possible, I pulled the door open. I faked a yawn to mask the adrenaline pulsing through my veins.
“Sorry to disturb you, miss,” the female officer said firmly, tucking her thumbs into her belt as she tilted her head to see further into the apartment behind me.
I smiled politely, pulling the door closer to me while I stood in the open gap. I could feel Romeo’s eyes on me as I said, “Good morning. Is everything okay?”
"We're looking for any witnesses regarding a shooting that occurred in the early hours of this morning. Did you hear or see any unusual activity between three and four o’clock?"
