[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: WHILE YOU'RE AT IT ~ MURPH JESSIE]
Lily blinked to be sure she wasn't seeing things. The face in front of her was very familiar, and for some reason she couldn't explain, she felt safe seeing the devil she once ran away from. When he moved his hand forward to touch her face, fear gripped her. But his touch was mixed with coldness and warmth, and she wanted to wrap herself in it.
While he spoke on the phone, Lily noticed water dripping from the side of his face, making his wet hair cling to his face. He raked his fingers through his hair, pushing the wet strands back. For a moment, Lily forgot her problems and wished she could touch his face for a second, even if it was just a strand of his hair.
"What are you doing here?" The cold voice resonated in Lily's mind, bringing her back to reality.
Raven's eyes showed frustration, a look he never had. Because of this tiny creature, he couldn't think straight. Of all the people in the world, why was she the one inside the box at this point? He rubbed his temples, now looking at the girl, who stared back at him with her big green eyes.
"Achoo!" Lily sneezed, expecting the man to shout at her. She recoiled inside the box, holding her hands close to her chest. She was about to freeze, and all she could pray for was that the man saved her before she died of hypothermia.
Raven assessed the girl, still wearing the flimsy dress he saw her in a week ago. It meant she never returned home that day. He wanted to know what went wrong, but that wasn't his priority at the moment. The girl was shivering.
"Stand," Raven said curtly.
Lily gulped, trying to move herself up without causing any more trouble. But staying inside the box all day had numbed her legs, making them weaker than normal. Trying to get steady on her feet was only successful until her body swayed due to the stress she had endured the whole day, no, the whole week. She crashed onto Raven's chest, gripping his wet jacket tightly for support.
Lily tightened her eyes shut. This man was going to throw her back into the sea and claim it was an accident. She was just acting too clumsily, the girl cried in her head.
"You can let go now," With the closeness between them, Raven's velvety voice brushed faintly on Lily's neck, making the hairs on her nape rise in reply.
Lily finally stepped back, bringing her hands close to her chest. The cold was now biting into her skin, and the salty water of the ocean was itching her body.
Lily, innocently wrapping her arms around her body to stop the cold from getting the best of her, didn't know that she was pushing her bosom out in the process. With her dress being wet, her clothes clung snugly to her body, emphasizing her womanly features.
Raven narrowed his eyes at the girl's action. "Are you stupid or just careless?" He muttered, removing his own jacket and throwing it to the girl. "They are wet, but it's better than that," he pointed out.
Lily didn't wait to hear what he was saying. She hid herself inside the jacket. Oh, how warm it felt! She smiled, basking in the warmth. Wait... Lily said to herself, what is that alluring scent? Like cedarwood mixed with fountain water and citrus. She sniffed the cologne more. If she could, she wanted to sleep on it. It felt like walking on clouds, she had never done it, but she was sure this would be the feeling.
"What are you doing?" Raven, who had started walking but didn't hear the girl's footsteps, turned to see her closing her eyes and waving her hands as if she had suddenly had a revelation.
Lily opened her eyes, "N-nothing..." she stuttered in a small voice.
Raven watched the girl for a moment, unsure of what to do with her. "Walk."
Lily nodded as if compelled by the man's voice and deep brown eyes. She started walking, but she forgot she was still standing inside the box. With her first step and another, she tripped.
"Ah!" Lily winced. Her whole body was already throbbing in pain. She didn't even know where she had hurt herself.
Raven raked his fingers through his hair, which now looked disheveled. For someone who was always organized and prim, he was starting to lose it with the girl's clumsiness.
Lily blinked at the man, trying to move but couldn't. It was as if her ankle was held down by some force that only hurt her when she tried to use it. "Um, sir... please, can you help me?" She asked calmly. When Raven looked at her, she bent her face down.
Raven sauntered to where the girl was, got on his knees, and lifted her up onto his shoulder. Without a word, he started walking. But the girl gently dragged his shirt, like a cat clawing for food but in a nice way.
Raven stopped walking, waiting to hear what the girl had to say, but all he could hear was her soft heartbeats.
"Talk," Raven said to her.
Lily inhaled softly, trying to calculate her words before she said them. She didn't want to annoy the man more than she already had. "Um, my friend is in one of those boxes. Can you swim and help her o-"
"No," was Raven's curt reply. He started walking to his car, which was quite far from where they were.
Lily nodded her head internally. She was only deluding herself, thinking that this man would save a person. Maybe it was only by luck that he found her, and any more of her clumsiness would lead to him ditching her in the deepest part of the ocean. Lily gulped at the thought. She needed to be on her guard. Yes, she had escaped, only to be caught by the devil. Now she was being taken to hell.
Maya... Lily remembered the girl who helped her escape, and she prayed that the girl would also survive. Their plan worked, but it didn't work perfectly, leaving Lily wondering if anything in life ever worked the way people wished for it. She sighed.
Reaching the car, Raven opened the back door and carefully placed the girl inside, making sure she didn't hit her head anywhere in the process.
"Make sure you stay down," he remarked, going around to the driver's seat.
Lily scoffed, "Of course I'll stay down. You don't want your numerous girlfriends to see you with me." She stopped talking when he entered the car.
Raven scanned the area one more time, not wanting to be seen with the girl. Her life would be put at more risk than it already was. Anyone who got associated with him ended up dead, and this girl, though clumsy and careless, was just a normal person.
Raven kicked off his ignition and zoomed off, dialing the old bat's number. "Get your cleaners at the foot three bridge, also divers if you want to get your boxes," he said, ending the call.
Lily, who didn't have the leisure to enjoy a warm and fluffy surface for the past few days, found herself slowly drifting to sleep.