She was working at a coffee shop.
"Oh, no. Shh...I know you didn't do it. It's okay. I won't hurt you. Please, what's your name?"
"Sapphire."
He smiles. "That's a wonderful name. Swell. Gorgeous like you."
She looked away.
He came a little closer. "Please don't be scared. You're...you're innocent. I won't hurt you. Here, let me untie you."
He smiled softly, cocking her head. "You've got a...really wide eyed look yknow? Like...doe eyes."
She covered her face.
He chuckled. "Oh don't be shy. It's cute. Are you hungry?"
She nodded. He offered a plate. "Eat. Eat baby."
He watched her carefully, smiling at her every move. "Is it good?"
She nodded, her cheeks full of food. He chuckled, rubbing her cheek gently. "You're so cute."
She blinked. "Thought you were a gangster?"
He paused. "Well I am."
"Gangsters hurt people. Kill people. But you seem nice. Is it because...you want to hurt me in a different way?"
He stands. "I assume you're asking if I'm going to violate you."
She nodded. "Are you?"
He crouched down. "No. No I am not. No one is. No ones gonna hurt you. This was all a misunderstanding. The boys thought you stole something. But I know you didn't."
She swallowed. "Then why am I here?"
He looked down. "Because I like you. Oh don't be alarmed! I won't keep you here much longer..."
He looked her over. "You know I would give over half my fortune for a kiss."
She cocked her head. Then she leaned in and kissed his cheek.
He smiled. "Well if you give it for free, baby, then it's..bad business."
She went back to the plate. "So what are you gonna do? To the person who did steal from you?"
He smiled. "Don't even worry about that. I'll take you home at the end of the day. Treat this...like a vacation. That's fun, right?"
She put her plate down, stretching. "I don't really take vacations. What's it like?"
He smiled. "It's where you relax. And do what you want. You can...sleep. Take a bath. You can shop. Do whatever you want."
"But is you're giving me a vacation, what do you want?" She asked.
He smiled. "I've been alone for a while. Your company is fine."
"Company?"
He nods. "Yes. Talk to me. I would like to get to know you, Sapphire."
She shrugged. "There's not much to know. But what about you? Why aren't you a bad guy?"
He glanced away. "I am. I mean, I can be. Just not to you. And why would I be bad to you, Sapphire. You did nothing wrong."
"Actually, I took a toilet paper roll from work and—"
He brushed out laughter, inching closer to her. "See? You're innocent."
She said nothing.
"What would make you smile, right now," he asked.
"Ice cream," she said instantly.
He grinned. "Coming right up."
He left the room for a moment, making her look down at her untied hands. He said he'd let her go at the end of the day, but he already confirmed he was a criminal.
It was probably best not to do anything drastic yet. It by the end of the day, he didn't take her home, she'd start planing escape.
He came back in, handing her two tubes of ice cream. "Forgot to ask you what flavor."
"Vanilla please," she says softly.
He looked up, grinning at her sweet voice. "Yes. Of course." He handed her the tub of ice cream and a spoon, sitting beside her.
"I've seen you in the coffee shop," he said after a while.
She looked up at him. "Oh?"
He looked down at her nodding. "Yes. I pass by the area frequently. Your coffee is amazing."
She shrugged. "The key is to make it according the proper instructions every time," she licked her spoon. "Other baristas get lazy, and don't measure properly."
She shook her spoon and her head. "And it throws off the taste. It's not nasty, but it's just not right."
He watched her intently as she explained the different types of coffee. She didn't like it, she said, unless it was sweet and cold.
He noted that. And so they talked about different things. The sun started going down.
He shifted, looking over at her. She was so pretty.
"It's getting near that time," he said softly.
She nodded. "It is. Will you keep your promise?"
"I will. But I..."
She met his eyes. "You know, I can't save you. If that's what you hoped. Sweep you away or anything like that."
He snorted. "No. I don't want you to save me. But I would like a kiss."
She leaned in, her hands on his face. He closed his eyes, making her frown. An odd thing for a gangster to do around a stranger.
She placed her lips on her softly, kissing him gently before pulling back. He sighed, standing, offering his hand.
She took it, and he walked her through the long winding halls, to the front door.
"Do you mind if I give you a ride home?" He asked.
"Can you stop by the store?"
He smiled. "Sure."
• • •
It was odd watching him follow her around the Walmart, his towering frame reduced to the picture of a puppy trailing after its master.
She paid him no mind, doing her shopping.
He paused, eyeing a bar of chips.
"Do you want it?" She said Nonchalantly.
He shrugged. "It's not good for me. Junk food goes straight to my hips and I don't feel like working then off."
She nodded and they moved past it, as she rung up her items and paid for it. They walked out of the store Hey bag in his car. She produced a bag of chips from her bra.
He blinked.
"Surprise!" She handed them to him. "If you jog up the stars stairs in your house, you'll burn the calories from a bag this small."
He chuckled. "Why? I could've paid for it."
She shrugged holding her hands out gently. He took it from her, rubbing her cheek. So cute.
"Thank you." He smiled.
He stopped outside her house, parking.
She paused. "Is it...very dangerous to be around you?"
He thought for a moment. "I don't know. I've never had anyone normal around me. Why?"
She smiled. "Stop by the coffee shop some time."
He grinned. "Sure. I'd love to."
Sapphire got out of the car, heading into her small apartment. She glanced at the bag.
Innocent huh? Interesting.
