He didn't give her the satisfaction to know that he knew who she was, but his pulse quickened at that annoying little smile playing on her lips, as if she didn't take him seriously.
She didn't scurry out of the room when he stood up. He took a few steps toward her, and she shrunk at his approach but still stood.
"I didn't intend to disturb you," she said. "It's my first time in the House and I needed to get my bearings."
Her subdued tone made him feel silly. She would probably take it as one of his famous temper tantrums, but Tim realized he was truly bothered by her intrusion. He wanted to find peace and quiet in this room.
He almost apologized for the overreaction, but he had a reputation of nastiness to maintain. He caught a scent of cigarette smoke, leather and a whiff of a perfume he didn't know. Wood and flowers.
"Fine. Welcome to the House," he said with a sarcastic bow.
The girl avoided his eyes. She pressed her lips together in a slight grimace that turned into a wavering smile. She couldn't tell if he was joking or simply rude. He opened his mouth to spew a line that would tilt the balance, but he closed it again.
Like the very first time they met, his hands itched to run through long toffee brown hair. It fell carelessly on her narrow shoulders, and for a moment he imagined the Viaverde breeze blowing through it to get it in that state. The long fringe covered her eyes and he had to ball his hands into fists to stop from reaching out. He wanted to see her eyes in the bright mid-morning light that shone through the window. She would look up at him and smile, grateful that he helped her see again. Her eyes would be warm... He shook himself. He didn't even know who this girl was, other than Vy's friend, and that she belonged to the very world he was trying to rescue Vy from.
"Do you need directions to find the door?"
She started at his harsh tone.
"N-no. Sorry to have bothered you."
He watched her leave, and wondered why had she bothered him. He should have just pretended to be annoyed, not actually feel his temples throbbing.
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