Chapter 6

Many things changed after I took her to my place, there were slightly differences in her behaviour every day. She started being nicer to me, keeping everything on a professional level. We didn't become friends but she was offering me more respect and I enjoyed that.

-Good morning Miss Collin, would you like some coffee?

-Yes, thank you Marcus.

-Would you like me to take you somewhere today, Miss?

-No, I think I'll be staying home today.

-Very well, Miss.

-Umm, Marcus?

-Yes, Miss?

-Thank you, for everything.

She smiled and left before I could tell her that she didn't need to thank me.

She changed in so many ways in only a few days after that visit. She looked like she was tolerating me better than before, well at least most of the times.

-Ah you idiot!

-I am sorry, Miss.

-Pay attention next time, you spilled all on my new designer robe!

-I am so sorry Miss.

-Well your apologies won't make it good again, will they?

In one of those moments I thought I was wrong about her being changed, but I soon found out that she was just too easy to piss off. After she burst her anger everywhere she could, she was ready to accept her mistake and be responsible about it.

-Marcus?

-Yes, Miss?

-I am sorry for earlier, I was just a little bit frustrated.

-It was my mistake and I fully take responsibility for it.

-Yes, but it was my mistake that I screamed at you like that.

-Miss, you don't have to apologize.

-I don't, but I want to, so please accept it.

-I do.

I started to slowly get to know her, I would lie if I said she told me everything about her, but she was talking to me more often than before. She was being nice and friendly, like she really wanted to get to know me too. She gave me the impression that she was finally accepting my presence there. A period of time I thought that she gave up the wish of getting rid of me, until one night when I witnessed a fight with her father.

-I am glad that you have finally come to your senses Vivien.

-What are you talking about dad?

-The bodyguard, you have finally accepted the idea that you need one.

-Not at all, I will soon get rid of him.

-Ah, Vivien why don't you understand?

-No. Why wouldn't you understand?

-I am just trying to protect you!

-I don't need to be protected!

-It's my job!

-No! It was your job, now I am perfectly capable to do it myself.

-You don't know what you are talking about Vivien.

She didn't say anything to him anymore, she just left and I hurried to another room so she wouldn't see me. After half an hour I heard steps searching through the house. I was outside admiring the beautiful summer sky when she came to me.

-Hey, Marcus.

I quickly got up the chair I was sitting. She looked far more relaxed than when I saw her in the kitchen, but still there was something in her expression that wasn't right. An inexplicable wrong feeling that was going across a part of her.

-Miss Collin, is something wrong?

-I just wanted you to drive me somewhere.

-Of course, I will get the car ready, Miss.

She left without telling me where to drive her, it was only in the car, when we were completely alone and away from the house that she mentioned where she wished to go.

-I would like you to take me to your special place.

Silence fell again upon us after those words were spoken. Lucky us, it was a perfectly fantastic night to be out in nature, the sky was full of stars and the cold breeze was bearable. The last days of august were ending in a nice note. Only when we were seated on the soft grass I dared to interrupt the continue silence.

-It is a beautiful night.

-Yeah.

I looked at her stoned silhouette and I continued my ideas with my heart racing rapidly. It was the fast pounce of gathering emotions.

-Miss, is something wrong with you?

She looked at me and I could see in her dreamy eyes a bit of growing sadness, even if she wouldn't tell me the truth now, I would've already knew it.

-What do you mean?

-Excuse my audacity but I heard that you were fighting with your father by accident and I continued listening until it was finished.

She turned her head again in the front, she looked annoyed by my mention of the fight. Or was she annoyed that I heard it?

-Is everything okay?

-Yes, everything's fine.

After another few minutes of silence I finally had the courage to ask her the question that was eating me alive from the beginning.

-Why don't you want me here, Miss?

-This is not really a question you can ask, don't you think?

-No Miss, it really isn't.

-Great, now that we have settled this can you give me some peace?

-Of course, Miss.

Maybe it was too soon, I interpreted in the wrong way her acting. She was not trying to bond, she was just becoming visibly nicer but in an obvious professional way. But why the sudden change?

-It's not your fault.

-Excuse me?

-It's not you who I don't like, it's your job.

-What is it wrong with my job, Miss?

-Nothing. My father just makes it be wrong, he doesn't trust me enough.

-Enough to let you take care of yourself?

-Exactly.

-Maybe he is just scared for you.

-It's complicated.

-I understand.

-I don't know if you do.

I wanted to say to her that I really do, but she got up and walked towards the car. She waited a little before she turned with a perfectly straight face.

-We should leave.

I didn't say anything more. I just did what she said. It was long after we left when she spoke again.

-That conversation never happened. Understood?

-Yes.

Indeed many days we acted like that never existed, like nothing changed. It was harder and harder for me to truly understand her, she was once again the brat from the beginning.

She was a mystery for me, a mystery that for most of the time I didn't bother to solve. But soon enough all the questions about her would gather in my head, making my resistance fall.

Often, when I remembered these days I used to laugh, we were so close yet so far and it amused me how despite that everything changed our situation remained the same.

Now when I look back, I realize how easy it was for me, to have her near my sight everyday even if I didn't realize back then that it was more a blessing rather than a nightmare.

-Miss, about that night…

-I thought I said that we were never going to talk about that again.

-I just wanted to say that you should try to understand your father.

-I told you, it's complicated.

-That is an even better reason to understand him.

-Isn't it easy to say something just to keep a job?

-That is not why I'm telling you this.

-No, of course not.