"Why did I run! This is so embarrassing! Ugh Now, he's gonna make fun of me!", practically pulling the hair out of roots, Ellen groaned. She couldn't wrap her mind around what happened last night. Grim's behaviour of talking to her was...caring one and that was what she couldn't digest! He was always pulling her leg, mocking her and one night, all of a sudden, he appeared showing concern for the girl. But along with the concern which was laced in his said words, something was radiating from his eyes. Something that Ellen couldn't actually decipher. Something cold and dark. There was always something hidden in his eyes but Ellen could never interpret what.
She saved all of these thoughts for later. For now, she had to get out and face the biggest pervert on the earth. Opening the door, she stepped out of it and picked the book from the floor. Dusting her clothes off in nervousness, she walked towards grim who looked like all grinning at the latter.
"What brought you here?", she asked with a stern face. Definitely, doing her best at acting all tough and un-bothered by all the commotion that happened earlier.
"I was passing by your house. Thought might as well drop you off at your work", if the demon Kol was really chasing Ellen, it means grim would have to stay with the latter 24/4 if he wanted to capture the demon.
"And what made you think that I'd ride with you?", Ellen folded her arms against her chest. Shooting Ellen a derisive laugh, grim stepped ahead only to be stopped at Ellen's hand that she drawn out and held in front of him.
"Stop right there. I don't allow you to play around with me", this time grim laughed licking his lips. So, his little fawn already figured out he was planning to play with her. After last night's incident, Ellen realized that all along grim was either flirting with her or pocking fun at her. This time, he was going with the former one. And she wouldn't let grim succeed at his ridiculously childish play. Grim, however, thought it was going to be more fun. What else could be more thrilling than playing with a girl who already knew you were playing with her and still let you go all the way to the end?
"Little fawn, I think you---", Ellen interrupted Grim by glancing the time at her wristwatch. It was eleven-thirty and she would already be with the old woman if grim hadn't interrupted her in her track.
"First of all, I don't give a single thought to what you think. Second, it is off from work today. Third, I don't have spare time to bicker with you. I'm getting late to be somewhere important. Now, I shall get going", Ellen turned around to walk towards the bus station. Grim went around and stood before her at which Ellen arc a brow.
"You said you're getting late. Let me drive you or are you nervous to be locked in the same place with me, breath in the same air as me?", grim posed with a cool face. He knew what exactly he was trying to do.
"Huh? Why would I be nervous? You might not like the place. Anyway, let's go now", that's what he anticipated while enticing the little fawn into his trap. Though it had roughly been a little time, he had known Ellen very well by now. Ellen was the type one could temper into anything by challenging her and that's what grim just did. What if Kol would show up today when grim wasn't around? He couldn't afford to miss any opportunity.
Grim smiled in victory and walked to the driving seat. He hopped in the seat and after seeing Ellen sitting on the passenger's seat, he rolled down the windows and pulled the car out of the driveway.
"Where to?", grim asked glancing at Ellen then bringing his focus back on the road.
"The elderly living facility", Ellen replied while tracing her finger over the book she brought along with her. Every Sunday, she would bring this book over to the place and read a chapter for the old woman.
To Ellen's surprise, the rest of the drive went in silence. She had expected grim to go on with his usual mockery but the latter didn't say a word. Well, as if she cared. It was good that she accepted grim's offer. She didn't have to switch stations and got herself a free ride. The plus thing, it was a peaceful ride which she hadn't foreseen.
Grim stopped the car outside the building.
"Don't wait for me", Ellen said opening the door and disappeared from grim's sight in seconds.
He was going to drive to a near cafe and wait there for a while and then come back here again when he saw the book that Ellen was holding. She had dropped it while getting out of the car. Grabbing the book, he signed the got out of the car. He walked inside the building and went to the counter.
"A girl just walked in. Tell me the room number she went to", he asked.
"Excuse me, sir. You can't just walk in and boss around as if you own this place. Besides we don't provide our visitors' information to any-", the girl who had her eyes glued to the screen of the computer replied darting her gaze from the screen to the figure standing there. The words appeared to be stuck in her throat when her eyes rested at grim.
'Who is he? A Greek God!', she mentally screamed, eyes not leaving grim. Grim had worn a black dressed-shirt with rolled-up sleeves. The top three buttons opened, displaying a part of his perfectly toned tattooed chest.
"If you consider giving me the room number, I might as well give you my phone number", licking the bottom lip following by a bite on the corner of it, grim ran his hand through his black locks. The girl quickly held her phone in her palm before grim.
'All the same. Ordinary, useless and foolish humans either driven by lust or greed', pressing in the number he thought and gave it back to the girl who looked as if she had won a lottery ticket.
"Go straight and turn to your left. The second room on your right", the girl glimmered while pointing her finger at the corridor.
Grim made a mental note to leave this place as soon as he handed the book to Ellen. He had come to this place many times to the take lives of old people but never stayed for more than a minute. He always felt irritation upon seeing elder people at the elderly facility. Why? Humans conceive, spend their whole life struggling, some even thriving for basic needs only to end up having white hair, weak bodies, and taken care of by some other unknown humans. What an utter piece of rubbish!
Were they this worthless to be fed by the one they brought up, took care of and earned for throughout their lives? Well, he never gave a shit about how they lived or their social norms. They all were welcomed in the hell all to his care. He, being a grim reaper, was very proud of his existence. He wasn't created to grow old or weak. He was strongest and the dominant not only among all the other grim reapers but on the realm of skies as well.
Twisting the doorknob, he pushed the door open and narrowed his eyes at the scene. Ellen was lying her head in the lap of an old woman. The woman was slowly running her wrinkled hand through Ellen's hair while Ellen's eyes were closed.
"In my twenty years of staying here, this is the first time when an outsider, besides this little angel, has entered this room", seeing a boy standing at the door the old woman smiled.
Ellen opened her eyes to find grim blankly looking at the woman. She pulled her head off the lap and sat straight.
"Young man, are you lost?", the old woman asked.
"He and getting lost? It's the opposite granny. He makes people lost", Ellen scoffed as two scenes from the past unfolded before her eyes. One when Mrs. Benson gave in to grim looks and the second when the girl brazenly asked the number of a stranger walking down the street. The man indeed had cast a spell on them. Otherwise, why would they swoon over a stranger? Oh, this innocent little fawn. Only had she known what the world had come to.
"Lost in my charm", at grim's contemptuous comment Ellen rolled her eyes. Seeing the youthful duo pulling each other's legs, the old woman chuckled.
"Come here, gentleman", the old woman gestured grim to come near.
"He's not a gentleman, granny!", Ellen lost it hearing the name her granny had called the pervert of the world with. Grim could be anything but a gentleman. No way.
Grim walked over to them, enjoying the annoyed-to-the-hell Ellen now.
"You dropped your book in my car", he showed the book. Ellen looked around her and only found her bag. When she entered the room earlier, she was so engaged with getting all touchy with the old woman that she didn't notice any of her belongings missed.
At not finding it, she looked at grim and snatched the book from grim's hand.
"Thank you doesn't exist in your dictionary I guess", grim didn't want her to thank him. He just thought that her granny would scold her for not behaving and oh, how he would love to skies to see the pissed-off face of his little fawn.
"For you? Got it right. It doesn't", Ellen grunted at the elder.
"Angel, you should be thankful to your friend for bringing your book to you", ever since the woman had met Ellen, she neither heard nor saw her picking childish fights like this with anyone. In fact, Ellen was a well-mannered and nice girl who always respected everyone. However, she was relieved upon seeing how these two were behaving.
It reminded her of the time when she and her husband would always pick up on small fights and ended up loving each other crazily. Only if her husband was alive, she wouldn't have survived all those years alone. Her husband died when her son was thirteen. She knew how she struggled to bring him up. But her son died too. She had no one but this little angel beside her side.
"Sit here", she patted the spot on her right side.
"I have to meet my fri-", before grim could complete with his excuse the woman's low and weak voice cut him off.
"Sit, young man."
Complying with it, he sat down. The old woman grabbed one hand of grim and one of Ellen. After having them in her hands, she placed them over another in her lap.
"Perfect match."