“I apologize for my lack of manners,” she said, regaining some of her composure, although that blush on her cheeks was still as prominent now as it was several minutes ago. It suited her perfectly. He didn’t like that pale, porcelain complexion ladies preferred these days. He enjoyed some blush on a young lady’s face.
Her voice soothed him in a way he found surprising. While he was still angry regarding how this situation ended, he realized that he was eager for some company.Hercompany.
“I was simply worried because I heard two people arguing,” she added.
He grinned. “You thought you could talk some sense into us?”
“I…” she started, but once again, could not bring herself to finish. Her confusion was so endearing.
“You were curious,” he pointed out, taking another puff of his cigar.
She pressed her plump lips together so tightly that they turned into one single slit on her moonlit face. He was right. She simply did not wish to tell him that he was.
“I can’t blame you for being curious,” he finally said, wishing to take some strain off of her. Besides, it was true. If he heard someone arguing, he would probably have done the same thing. Claiming otherwise would be unfair. “Although, curiosity can be a dangerous thing, especially for a young lady.”
As soon as he said those words, he could not help but think of his sister. It had been two years since her disappearance. Two long years, with each passing day more difficult than the one that preceded it. Rachel had always been a wallflower. There was childlike curiosity in her, and that was how she perceived the world. She was gullible and trusting. She believed all men and women were good, decent people. She never even dreamed that someone might have any desire to harm her in any way.
Rachel was his younger sister, his only sister. As her older brother, he was supposed to be her protector. They were supposed to be each other’s harbor. They were supposed to keep each other safe from harm. He failed her. That was why he could not rest until she was found and brought back home.
“I think curiosity is what makes life truly worth living.” She surprised him with her reply, bringing him from his troubled thoughts back to the present moment. “If you aren’t inquisitive, if you don’t ask questions, if you don’t notice the mysterious things around you, why are you living then?”
For a moment, he was stunned into silence. He had to admit that he wasn’t expecting such a profound response, especially not in the situation they had found themselves in.
“You like mysteries?” he wondered, already sensing what her answer would be.
“Ever since I was a child,” she confirmed. “I think life is one big mystery. We all have this capability of trying to solve it, but not everyone wants to do it. Some are content living mediocre lives without questioning any of the whys or the hows.”
Suddenly, he realized that her curiosity might be a problem. She might start asking questions, and that was the last thing he needed right now.
“Did you recognize the man I was speaking to?” he asked her, sounding grave. She noticed the change in tone. He could see it in her expression.
“No,” she shook her head. “Who was he?”
“That doesn’t matter,” he replied with silent relief. This didn’t mean that she would not be asking any questions on her own, but at least she did not know who the man was. “Believe me, it’s better for you that you do not know him.”
“Why were you arguing with him?” she asked boldly, and once again, he was stunned by her determination to find out more about what just happened.
He smiled. “I’m afraid that would be a tale too long to tell in the few minutes I plan on spending here with you. Furthermore, it is a tale that still has no end, so I would not know exactly what to tell you. Bottom line, it is best that you do not tell anyone of what you’ve witnessed here.”
“I might do that,” she told him, “but my curiosity needs to be satiated.”
She said it with such sweet determination that he could not help but chuckle out loud. He took one last puff of his cigar then threw it on the ground carelessly, stepping on it with his shoe. Yet another thing that was not exactly according to the rules of theton,but he stopped caring about those a long time ago — somewhere around the time when his sister disappeared, and he realized that he had no one to rely on for help, no one but himself.
“You are a tough negotiator,” he had to give her that. She seemed to like that unusual compliment. “All I can tell you is that I spoke to this man demanding information regarding the disappearance of my sister.”
Upon hearing that, her facial expression changed immediately. There was no more defiance, no more confidence, just pure human sympathy. He had not seen such an expression of true compassion in a long time. It surprised him to see it from a complete stranger.
“I am truly sorry to hear that,” she said softly.
Against his better judgment, he continued talking about Rachel. “Everyone thinks she is dead,” he admitted, and the potential truth of those words weighed heavily upon his heart, like the stab of a thousand daggers all piercing through him at the same time in one swift puncture. “Or that she ran away of her own accord,” he added the other, softer version of events, the one which he still wholeheartedly believed in. “I am certain that she is still out there, waiting for me to find her, and that is what I intend to do, no matter what.”
She smiled. It was a smile unlike any other he had ever seen. In it, he could see the glow of innocent cherubs, and he could hear the music of an angelic chorus, all voices singing in unison as one.
“I would have done the same for my sisters,” she admitted. In that admission, he felt he just gained an ally.
There were so many other questions inside his mind. He suddenly wanted to know all there was to know about her. He wanted to hear her thoughts, her wishes, her dreams. But the silence was overpowering. A comfortable silence. The sort of silence that enshrouded one in a cozy embrace, promising only good things to come.
He had no idea how long they were standing like that, occasionally catching each other’s gaze only to look away again. He could not have imagined that this woman would understand him more than those who knew him for ages. She took one look at him and understood why he refused to give up searching for his sister. It was simply how older siblings were. At some point, they become parents, protectors, guides. It was a role one would never outgrow. It lasted forever.