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Skylar

"It's too late and dark for you to cycle home alone. I'll walk you." Dmitri is looking at me with a look I can't read, waiting.

I almost decline. Not that it was a question, but more of a demand. After considering for a minute, I nod my head in agreement.

The image of the unknown shadow I thought I saw hiding in the woods the other night briefly flashed through my mind. A shadow who I thought could be this very man standing in front of me, I remind myself. Coupled with the fact that as awkward as I feel around Dmitri, I'm unexplainably drawn to him. I still wanted to be in his company and wasn't ready for the night to end. My whole body screamed for it, and I couldn't seem to help myself.

"I'll follow your lead," he says before we fall in step next to each other in the direction of my house. As soon as we exit the town and the source of light it affords, I whip my flashlight out. I keep one in my bag for just these instances. 

When I first moved here, I left the store late one night, not owning a flashlight at that time. Luckily, I had the light from my phone guiding me home, but just before I got to the house, the battery on my phone died. Navigating the rest of the way in the dark was not awesome. The feeling of someone following me caused me to rush and trip right by my front door, spraining my wrist while I tried to break the fall. The next day I invested in a flashlight and a load of batteries which I always keep in my bag. The small price I pay for staying on the outskirts and away from people.

"How are you liking the town?" His face is expressionless as he looks down at me. Bizarre question considering he just moved here, and I should be asking him that.

"It's great. Really peaceful. The people around here don't take well to newcomers, though, so don't expect a warm welcome," I warn him, looking away from him to the ground before me.

Speaking about warmth, I'm beginning to feel the cold. The thin cardigan over the plain blue T-shirt I'm wearing isn't nearly enough to keep the chill out. I should have brought a thicker jersey. Had I known I would be out late tonight, I would have planned accordingly. I've always been one to get cold way too easily and now I have goosebumps all over my body.  Thank the pope my place is not too far. 

"You're cold." I flick my head up to look at him, thinking he must be a mind reader with that statement.

"Just a bit." A shiver chooses that moment to crawl over my body.

Before I know what's happening, an arm drapes around my shoulder, and a hand on my arm pulls me into a rock-hard side. Tiny tingles erupt where flesh meets flesh. It's bizarre. Gives a literal meaning to feeling a spark with someone.

Shocked, I look up at him, but he looks forward, nothing showing on his face. He is hot. Literally. His skin is like a warm blanket. Or maybe my body is just being traitorous and reacting to his nearness. Either way, I'm heating up. Our scents love this too, their various colors mingling together.

"So, whereabouts do you live?" I hope composure I don't feel seeps into my voice.

"I live out of town for now, but I'll be moving to a house a little way from here in about a week." His voice is calm and even. I am disappointed that our proximity seems to do nothing to him. I'm literally freaking out here, and this guy is cool as a cucumber.

"What do you do for a living?" I query more for small talk than anything else. He could plant veggies for living or blow-up balloons for all the difference it would make.

He hesitated so long that I almost didn't think he would answer me.

"I run a security company. I keep people safe." Maybe he was embarrassed about what he did. He certainly looks like he could keep people safe, I think, side-eyeing him.

Mmmmm, yum. My brain has just turned to jelly.

"So, I'm in good hands," I mumble quietly, looking over at the large hand on my arm.

After that, we walk in silence. I wish it were comfortable, but it's not. I'm acutely aware of the heat coming from his arm draped across my shoulder, my inner arm snug against his torso, and my shoulder wedged under his arm. His hand is now slowly rubbing my other arm up and down. If it's supposed to be calming, it's not. All it's doing is turning me on.

We were currently walking through the forest driveway, the entrance leading up to my house. It's not a driveway per se, more like a clearing between pine trees. About twenty meters before we reach my house, Dmitri brings me to a sudden halt. It's so abrupt that it makes me jump.

"Go home and lock the door," he says, eyes focused on a spot in the darkness off to the right.

"Why, what is it?" I look around, aiming the flashlight into the dark forest, trying to figure out what he saw, but there is nothing except trees. He is freaking me out.

"Just go. Only open the door if you hear my voice." He gently pushes me forward in the direction of my house.

With one last glance, I quickly head to my front door. The motion sensor light comes on, the illumination only a brief comfort. Shoving the flashlight into my bag, I fish out my house keys. I'm so nervous and panicked I drop them on the floor in my haste to get them in the lock. My heart is beating so fast. Looking behind me, I see Dmitri no longer standing where he was. He is nowhere to be seen. Retrieving my keys from the floor, I finally get my door open.

Quickly stepping in, I lock the door behind me, not sparing the empty driveway another glance. There is only one lock, and now I wonder if that is enough. Perhaps I should invest in some sort of slam lock, I absentmindedly think.

Listening intently, there is no sound. Not in the house or outside. The only sound is the beat of my heart in my ears as the adrenaline rushes through my body. After some minutes pass by, I finally move, unlocking the sliding door that leads from my lounge into the sunroom. Looking out towards the dark forest, I see nothing unusual.

I stand there, stock still, for about five minutes, just peering into the dark of the forest before my feet start aching. Finally giving in, I sit in the chair next to the door, pulling a blanket over me. I'm super alert. Warm but super vigilant. Nothing will sneak up on me.

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