My tempting bodyguard

The silent interrogation

After the talk about Nick, I felt much better. I decided to trust my dad's instinct and let go of the suspicion I had against Nick. After that Nick drove me home, and I decided to work on one of my assignments for college. I hadn't really been prioritizing it this week. It was Saturday and somewhat sad to be spending it on school, but that was the way it had to be.

I was seated on the floor in the living room, with my books on the table. Jane called and asked if I wanted to go out today too, but I was still tired from last night. I have been researching my assignment for the past two hours now, and I needed a break. Nick was standing by the door as usual, and I lifted my head to look at him.

"Nick," I said, gaining his attention.

"Creed," he answered, and I rolled my eyes. Ignoring what he said, I continued,

"Nick. You have been with me for a week now. Don't you have some off time?" I asked, finding it weird because he was here even at night. I laid down the pen I was holding and leaned back on the couch.

"No." he simply said, and I stayed silent for a while longer so he could continue. When I realized he wasn't going to, I continued.

"Why not? You have your own life. How long are you going to guard me until you get some free time?" I asked, c*****g my head. He took a deep breath, as if it was an absolute chore to even answer me.

"Mr. Knowles said you needed a full-time bodyguard. So I'm here. Full time. Until there's no need anymore." he said, his stance immovable as he spoke.

"Yeah, but who knows how long that could take. Why not alternate with someone, so you get some free time?" I asked, feeling a bit guilty that he had been here for an entire week.

"If that's your wish, you should take that up with Mr. Knowles," he said, and I sighed.

"That's not why I asked. And you stand there all day long. You could sit down, you know? I'm sure your eyes still work if you sit down," I said, raising my eyebrows at him. This made him look at me, and I didn't waver.

"And when do you sleep? It must be very boring being here all the time," I continued, trying to visualize how dull his days actually were.

"And I haven't seen you eat. Do you even eat? You could just find yourself something in the kitchen, you know," I continued, and I could see how much this conversation was a hassle for him.

"I don't sleep much. I do eat. I know I can sit; I just don't. I'm not here to have fun, so it doesn't matter how the days are. If you're safe, then I have accomplished my goal of being here," he said, summarizing it all up. It didn't really give me any insight on how his days were, but I guess it said something about his devotion to my father. The thought of it was so simple. You do as you are told; you do not have your own opinion on it.

I chewed my lip as I watched him, trying to do the thing my father does when he watches you like he could see all your secrets. But I got nothing, so I guess I don't have that ability. Nick's eyes never leave mine, though, and I think he knew what I was trying to do.

"Sit," I said to him, leaving no room to argue. He seemed to think about it a bit, before he reluctantly came over and sat down. He sat on the long side of the table, as I was placed on the short end on the floor. He still looked stiff as he sat there, and I sighed.

"Do you even know how to relax?" I asked, eying his position.

"Sorry that I don't sit the way you see fit, Princess. I am relaxing," he replied, annoyance in his voice. I had to smile; it was undoubtedly the weirdest relaxation I have ever seen.

I resumed back to my assignment, happy that I at least could make him sit. I don't care if he wanted to stand or not; I just know that my feet would be killing me if I were to stand that much. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, and it was pretty nice, actually. Doing schoolwork seemed less boring when you weren't alone, even though Nick just sat there. I heard him scoff after a while, and I looked up to see him holding some of my papers. I got up on the couch beside him to look at what papers he had. It was a paper showing some statistics that I had made.

"Why that face?" I asked, taking the papers from him.

"You don't think it's interesting that you are the daughter of a mafia boss researching the most common factors that contribute to becoming a criminal?" he asked, his brows raised. Heh. He caught the irony, alright.

"Yeah... But I didn't choose the subject; I just have to do it. But it's interesting," I said, shrugging. He looked at some more of my papers, going through them with interest.

"What are you majoring in?" he asked, reading the name of my book. He was totally interrupting my study sesh, but I didn't mind. This was the first time we had talked about something that really mattered.

"Child psychology. I want to work in the child protective services when I finish," I told him, placing the book down myself so it would stay on the same side.

"Hm," he said, looking a bit impressed.

After that, I sat down on the floor again and went on some more. I tried to pretend that I wasn't hyper-aware of what he was doing. From the corner of my eyes, I tracked his movements as he flipped through one of my books, looked at the papers, or just was watching me. It wasn't the most productive studying, but it didn't matter. I had a good time. Comfortable silence had never been more comfortable. Nick cleared his throat, and then one more time, which made me look up at him.

"What were you talking about with your father?" he asked, seeming more distant all of a sudden. I averted my eyes and looked intently at the pen in my hand as I considered my options. Be honest about my thoughts on him, or lie and avoid any possible argument? When I looked up at him again, he had leaned back into the couch, put his ankle over his knee, and he was spinning his phone on the armrest. I swallowed at the look of him.

"Uh. Just Liam, and why he was switched," I said, trying to add finality to my tone so he wouldn't ask anything else. Nick nodded his head slowly, and looked at me the way my father did when he suspected I didn't tell the whole truth. Jesus, was this some secret manpower or anything? Or just a skill they've learned over the years, considering they live in a dangerous world where lies were told all the time?

I focused on my studying before he could see something I didn't want him to. I just pretended to read, though, cause I felt his gaze on me.

"Anything else?" he asked after a while.

"Nope," I replied, not taking my eyes off the book. His big hand came into my view and laid down on my book, stopping me from pretending to read. I sighed and looked up at him again,

"I asked him about you," I admitted, just because he probably knew I held back anyway. I searched his face for any reaction, but there was none.

"And?" he asked, still with his scrutinizing look. I shrugged and removed his hand from my book.

"He said you checked out and that he trusted you," I said, locking my eyes on the book again. My hand tapped the pen on the pages, and I forced myself to stop, realizing it was a nervous act. Nicks silence was probably the eeriest thing about this whole situation. If he had asked any further or showed any sign of disappointment, it would be easier for me. The silence and his stoic expression gave me nothing, which was very uncomfortable. I shifted, dropped the pen, and closed my book. Like I would have gotten anything more done now...

"I'm sorry. I just needed to hear it from him." I said, seating myself on the sofa beside him.

Instead of giving me an answer, he just looked at me. I looked back at him. My green on his brown ones. He had already made me tell him things just by being silent, so now I would wait him out. He finally sighed and shook his head.

"You may try asking me the next time you have any questions, instead of running straight to your father and risking my job," he said, holding my eyes. He was right; I should have. And maybe now I could do that the next time when I already got the confirmation I needed from my father.

"I will. I'm sorry," I said, apologizing again. I half expected a speech from him on why I should trust him, but he didn't give me one. He nodded, and I got up and stretched.

"I need to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow," I said, smiling at him as I walked past him.

"'Night."

As I got into my room and had closed the door, I finally let out the deep breath I was holding. I would take a screaming match over Nicks silence every time. It made me nervous and left me dealing with my own thoughts. I sighed, actually glad that I had told him, so I didn't need to keep any secrets.