By the time they got to the porch steps, Jonathan and his son; Wallace stood at the door, staring at them with amused expressions on their faces. Sakura didn't want to explain anything and although it probably looked like she was getting touchy-feely with the person everyone knew as the boss, she could care less about it as she had only been polite when he asked to join on her walk. Pausing her music, she stepped out of his arms and stretched her hand forward for the umbrella.
She watched his eyebrow raise slightly and she began to wonder if he plucked them. They looked too defined to be natural.
"Leaving me so soon?" he asked her. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was that made his eyes seem so deep to her. They looked like they would swallow her in whole.
"Forgive me. This is where I leave you, as I still have a long walk to my cabin." She responded. Honestly, she just wanted to return to walking under the rain
He opened his mouth to speak, but Wallace already jumped in "Let the poor girl go Axton. Everyone around here knows she doesn't take her walks lightly." She could see how widely Wallace was smiling and for some reason, it filled her with suspicion
"I'm simply trying to ensure her safety and health in this kind of weather. It wouldn't be very wise to walk in this weather." Cyrus said, his eyes never leaving her
"I'm perfectly capable." She responded. The rain had dwindled down to light showers and she wanted to let it soak into her hair without regret or hesitance
"Get Mr Axton a change of clothes Wallace. Have April brew a hot cup of coffee too." Jonathan instructed his oldest son, also with a smile that did not sit well with her
Wallace nodded and headed into the house. For a moment, she considered just leaving the umbrella with him, but it was the only one she had and it had served her for many years without any fault. And from the look she found in Cyrus' eyes, it didn't seem like he was ready to let her go anywhere just yet.
"Have coffee with me. It'll warm you up a little before you have to walk out again." The offer was not one she expected and she couldn't help the frown that made its way to her face gradually at the invitation
"Thank you, but no. Now, can I please have my umbrella?" Jonathan saw that she was slowly growing agitated and the need for him to intervene would be obvious if the young man didn't back down soon
Sakura had spent many days surrounded by imposing men; men who tried to force what they wanted down her throat and that had tried to break down the self-esteem she had so desperately tried to build from when she was a child. Coming to America to pursue a degree had shown her that the course she had chosen as well as the career path she had picked for herself, was dominated by men. Since her experience with men had never been something she could speak about so kindly, she was annoyed that Cyrus was beginning to show some characteristics.
Her experience had taught her to despise men that could not take no.
She could see he had no plans of backing down as his eyes had never left hers and his stance, although normal was more intimidating. She had to remember that this was not just any man, but the man that held so much power and respect in him, she could not imagine how it would turn out if she stepped on his toes. Then again, nothing like that had ever stopped her from doing what she wanted. It was the fact that she liked her current job and she didn't want any bad blood between them so soon, that kept her tongue in place.
Instead of an argument, she turned sharply on her heel and walked down the porch steps, hoping he wouldn't do stop her.
"You'd rather walk under the rain than share a cup of steaming coffee with Jonathan and me?" Cyrus' voice that reached her ears was not condescending but sounded genuinely curious
"I don't drink coffee." she answered, her feet still moving. Of course, she had lied. Coffee was one of the many things she had found herself addicted to for years, but he didn't have to know that.
"What about your umbrella?" she could hear him move now. His heavy footsteps made the earth underneath crunch loudly behind her
"You can keep it for now. It's not a problem."
The buzzing in her pocket let her know that her phone was ringing. Pausing, she dug it out of her pocket and lifted her hand over the screen to see who the caller was. Candace's name and her signature smile flashed at her, and she remembered she wasn't supposed to spend so much time out due to the work they had ahead of them. Looking up, she found Cyrus right in front of her, stretching out her umbrella and smiling apologetically. For a second, she had completely forgotten about him.
"I'm sorry if I was being too demanding. It's something I can't control sometimes." he said, the regret plain as day in his voice. Hesitantly, she grabbed the umbrella from him, tucking it under her arm "I actually do hope we can sit and have a conversation one of these days."
Tilting her head to the side, she gazed confusingly at his form, trying to piece together what he had just said and just what it meant.
"I'll have to decline in advance, but thank you."
"Why?"
"Because..." the right words didn't seem to be at the tip of her tongue. Why couldn't she sit and talk with him? The truth was far from what she could tell him so she settled for being stubborn "I don't think it's a good idea and frankly, I'm not interested."
She thought he would be offended, but instead, a smirk appeared on his handsome face, ultimately catching her off-guard.
"Well, I guess I have to wait till you are. Enjoy the rest of your day Miss Guerro and again, thank you for letting me walk under your umbrella."
He had already moved past her when she regained herself, leaving her unable to respond. Resisting the urge to turn back, she kept walking, more quickly this time and dialled Candace's number. When there was no response on the other end, she left a voice mail informing her friend that she would be with her soon. Her music played through her headphones once more, and as she walked, she couldn't help but notice the way Cyrus' cologne clung to her, mixing with the dewiness of the air.
It left her with memories and reawakened the ones she wished stayed buried.