Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Chad kept his word.

He didn’t touch her more than needed. Every word that escaped his lips was polite. He had even held the cab door open for her and then repeated the action when they finally arrived. He was on his best behavior – the perfect gentlemen.

The first thing Chad had done after a complimentary tour around the first floor of his house was offer her that toasty shower she had found herself dreaming of. She accepted, probably more excitedly than needed. He laughed at her enthusiasm before he ushered her upstairs and into a marble tiled bathroom. She stood there, feeling quite helpless, as Chad collected things he deemed necessary for a woman to shower. On that list was a brush, towels, about a dozen different hair products, facial scrubs, body wash and loufa. When he first mentioned the loufa she laughed. It was such a strange word. Then she questioned him on what it was. He replied with a bunch of awkward motions that look liked he was washing his body while describing a soft spongy material.

Eventually she was alone and allowed to engage in the act of bathing. She had never been so relaxed in her entire life. There were no time limits, no banging on the door. No harsh voices threatening to come and drag her out if she didn’t hurry. It was leisurely. It was peaceful. But most of all, it was warm.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had bathed in warm water.

After washing her hair and scrubbing her body she dragged herself out of her heaven. It would be rude to use up all the hot water. She quickly dried herself off with one of the many incredibly lush towels that had been provided before slipping into the clothes Chad had left on the counter. He had offered to wash her own dirty clothes for her.

It felt weird being in Chad’s pajamas and they didn’t quite fit right. How, Bramble thought, was she going to complain about such a thing after all he had done for her? It just wouldn’t do.

Slipping out of the muggy bathroom, Bramble was assaulted by the cool air of the hallway. It was well lit but she didn’t see anyone nearby. She looked to her right and then left before she decided to track down Chad himself. He had told her to make herself at home. It wasn’t long before she found that her motives had moved from locating Chad to exploring the home. She was peeking into each room not really sure what she was looking for. Bramble realized what she was doing was probably considered rude but she attempted to keep it as innocent as possible by refusing to enter the bedrooms.

She finally happened upon the last room in the household. She reached forward and was just about to grasp the knob when Chad managed to snake his way between her and the door.

A sly smile was on his face and he shook his head. “You can’t go in there.”

Oh, sweet lord all mighty. Not another secret door.

Her expression must have given away her away because Chad had thrown his head back and was currently laughing; “I’m not hiding any deep dark secret.”

“Then why can’t I go in?”

“If you see my room you’ll laugh at me. All my suave moves with be for not.”

Bramble’s eyebrow arched and she shook her head, “First off, don’t get ahead of yourself. I never hinted that your ‘suave’ moves were working in the first place. Second of all, how bad could it be?”

He shrugged, “It’s not bad… its…” his last word was too low for her to even catch.

“What?”

“Nerdy.”

“Nerdy?” Chad, nerdy? The outgoing, fun-loving, flirty man in front of her a nerd? She found that hard to believe.

“I know, I know. He has looks, personality and brains? Impossible.” He winked at her playfully, “I’ve never shown it to a woman before.”

“Oh, stop it. Let me see.” She reached around him and opened the door with a twist of her wrist. Inside the room was dark. Chad remedied that dilemma for her with a flick of his own wrist. Light flooded the room and what filled her sight looked like a science facility with a bed in the middle of it. There were beakers, tubes and other chemistry utensils thrown around haphazardly. It smelt distinctly of bleach and chemicals. If a spot or two was empty of experimental objects, power tools filled the gaps.

“Oh. You weren’t kidding.”

He chuckled again, a small shrug accompanying the sound, “It’s my spark. I’m a genius in the medical field.”

She glanced around the room one more time before letting her gaze rest on Chad, “So, if you’ve never had a woman in your room before… does that mean you’ve been talking big but are really a…”

“WHOA! No. No. Trust me. The guest room sees more action than-"

It was Brambles turn to interrupt, “Never mind, forget I asked!” She didn’t want details, “Can I watch you work?”

Chad seemed taken aback by this. He surely hadn’t expected this turn of event, “You know, it’s not a gentlemanly thing to bring up, but how do you go from running away from me to asking me to work in front of you?”

She blushed scarlet. Bramble had hoped that Chad would have pretended that didn’t happen – she had been scared. Whenever she was scared she only knew two ways to respond: aggression or escape. While he had startled her that evening, she in no way had thought he deserve a punch in the face so the only option left was…

“I don’t know why,” she started slowly, “but something tells me that you’re not trying to hurt me.”

“I’m not.” He assured her.

Bramble spent the next few hours watching Chad work on experiment after experiment. Most didn’t work. Some even exploded or melted their containers. He had stated, however, that many of the recent advances in medicine were discovered by none other than himself.

When things weren’t blowing up or melting, they just chatted. At first it was mostly Chad, delving his conquests of women and embarrassing stories about his brothers. Eventually Bramble began to talk about herself, though nothing too personal. She told him about Airin - skipping the part where she kidnapped his grandfather and attacked him, twice.

“He wants me to help him,” Bramble concluded, “I don’t trust him.”

“Why not give it a shot?” He said it as if it was so simple.

“What if it’s a trap? What if he’s lying to me? What if-"

“He’s an alien trying to implant you with his egg!” Chad mocked gasped with a grin.

“Not funny.”

“Look, Bramble, I have no authority over your life. I also don’t know the guy,” He said as he poured a blue liquid into a purple one and it started to fizz. He seemed pleased with this reaction, “However, I say give him a chance. If anything looks sketchy, just run. You’re good at it.”

Bramble had half a mind to toss a pillow at him, since she was lying on his bed, but thought better of it. Last thing she needed was to knock something over and set the whole house on fire. Instead she rolled over and stared at the roof.

What an odd duo they were, Bramble thought, one who saved lives and one who took them.