The Warmest Slumber He Got

Melanie stood silently with no intention to respond. She also didn't move at all, letting her body block the entrance to her room. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the figure in front of her with her chin raised.

"Please?"

Melanie remained silent even as the guy pleaded, clasping his hands in front of his chest. She could clearly see that the hands beneath his gloves were trembling.

"I am here to give you all the answers you wanted to ask," he said. His voice slightly hoarse. He clears his throat. "Please? I am freezing."

Exhaling loudly, Melanie finally opened the door wide and stepped aside. She heard the man mumble a thank you before he strode inside with long strides.

"Here." Nonchalantly, Melanie walked over to the bed after handing a steaming cup of tea to this uninvited guest of her. "I'm so generous tonight that I hope you'll willingly give me the most honest answer you have in mind."

She watched the man stand still in his place for a moment. After that, he moved his hands to lower the mask he was wearing, then slowly sipping the drink he held. Melanie observed this with wide eyes.

"You show me your nose and mouth as a thank you for a cup of hot tea?"

"Then how do you think I should drink with my mask covering my mouth?" He rubbed his nose, then snort. His low voice returned, almost like a whisper. "Anyway, thanks for the tea. It makes me feel alive again. I will wash the cup."

"No. Sit."

Obediently, he slowly walked over to the chair behind Melanie's study table and sat down right next to her bed. Melanie remained silent, and he also stayed quiet.

"Speak," Melanie commanded when she didn't see any signs of him opening his mouth. "You said you came here to talk. If not, you know where the exit is."

"Mhm, where should I begin?"

"Let's start when you gave me that warning."

He intertwined his hands while leaning slightly forward. He sighs and then said, "That bar you visited is unofficially known as a hangout place for drug dealers. The elite kind, to be exact. Some people with great connections know this, but the ordinary visitors have no clue about it. Also, they rarely schedule their meetings, making them less visible to the cops."

He paused, turning his gaze to his clasped hands. "But that night, there was one undercover cop trying to catch this dealer red-handed. Unfortunately, he seemed inexperienced, so he did a clumsy thing made the dealer automatically raise their guard. After that, you knew what happened."

After finishing his explanation, a long silence fell over them. Melanie observed him closely with a flat face, making him remain silent, mirroring her actions.

"That undercover cop is not you, right?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I was a bit preoccupied with another matters that time."

"You lying?"

"You ordered me to give the most honest answer. And here I am." He stood up from the chair he was sitting in, then shifts to sit on the edge of her bed, causing her to reflexively shift away to maintain their distance. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly before pulling up his mask again. "I know you cannot fully trust me just yet. But what I just told you is the truth I know. Since I felt like I could not lie when you did your own best to search for the facts yourself."

Melanie widened her eyes and opened her mouth, quickly covering it with one hand while blinking. He chuckles softly, tilting his head to the side.

"But, are you fine with that? You probably know I would write it down on paper."

"From whose source will you write it? An anonymous stranger? Your stalker?" he asked playfully. "Who will believe what I told you? Even I could predict your boss would immediately make you rewrite it from the beginning."

A crushing realization hit Melanie. It also made her realize the meaning behind he tells her everything.

"I only told you all of this because you coincidentally were there that night," he muttered. "I predicted this scenario would happen even before I warned you. And here I am, risking myself by abandoning my little contract. Ha!"

Melanie gripped the blanket in her hands, which didn't escape his notice as he placed his wool-gloved hand over her wrist.

"I already planned backup and other things before I came here. Relax," he said in a tone that seemed to try to soothe her. "You should only keep this knowledge to yourself. Do not write more than you asked from the bar owner."

"Is that enough?" Melanie suddenly panicked. "I mean, I still write about it. Even if I'm not including what you just told me, they still mark my name, right? Are you really sure they would free me if I prove myself to know nothing?"

He paused for a moment before gripping both of their hands. "I believe you can lead a low-profile life. Until they are sure you are innocent, they will let you slide."

Melanie fell silent, lost in thought. A moment later, she lifted her head and stared intently at the man in front of her, making him feel uneasy.

"It's including you too, right?" Melanie asks while pointing her finger against his chest covered by the thick parka jacket. "You shouldn't appear near me or text me for a while it seems."

"No. I am an exception," he firmly denied while holding her finger that pressed against his chest. "I would not let them track me in your life. They would never."

Melanie huffed loudly, pulling her finger from his grasp, then crossing her arms over her chest.

"So, am I doing a good job?" He asked in a sweetened voice, nearly making Melanie burst into laughter and forget the fact that it was already late at night. "You not mad at me anymore, are you, Pumpkin?"

Instead of answering, Melanie tried even harder to keep her distance from him. However, before she could shift further away, he had already grabbed one of her hands, holding it gently.

"Can I have a little reward?"

"You already finished your tea a long time ago tho."

"No, not that," he chuckled while glancing at the empty cup he had placed on the nightstand between the bed and Melanie's study table. "You know, I rushed here so I rode my bike."

Melanie widened her eyes, then shook her head while staring at the man next to her as if he were the strangest person she had ever met. "Happy riding back, Mr. Snowman."

"No, please. I cannot bear it anymore. Just let me stay until dawn."

She thought hard. At the end of the year like this, it wasn't impossible that he would actually freeze if she let him ride back home at this hour. Melanie wouldn't and didn't intend to do something that cruel. However, if she allowed him to stay a little while longer here, it would be no different as she endangering herself.

Melanie growled, "Whatever. But stay far away from me! And don't you dare lay a hand on me either!"

"Aye, Capt'n! I owe you my life!"

With enthusiastic movements, he snuggled into the blanket. Before he let his head fall onto the pillow, he mumbled, "Dream of me, Pumpkin. Good night."

Melanie rolled her eyes as she watched the man next to her quickly fall into a deep sleep the moment his head touched the pillow. She sighs, reached for her phone, and began typing something in the notes.