Page 35 of Guarded By the Phantom

Maybe that had been my mom’s goal.

But Phantom wasn’t like my mother. He simply shrugged, grabbed my mug, and took a big gulp. He’d barely swallowed before he started coughing and hitting his chest, making the table shake.

“Are you all right?” I asked after he stopped coughing and just wheezed harshly, holding his hand to his teeth.

He nodded and choked out in a hoarse voice, “I knew you’d be too sweet for me, doll. Had to try, though.”

I swallowed, unsure how to interpret his words. Most likely, they were another joke, so I shrugged and did my best not to linger on the hot, tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“We should get back now,” I sighed with regret, looking out through the window at the bustling street outside. “I have aflower arranging lesson in the afternoon, and I don’t know when my mother will be back. I should be home before she gets there.”

Phantom scoffed. “Flower arranging? You really are a proper lady, aren’t you?”

I shook my head with a sigh. I enjoyed all my classes up to a point, but ballet lessons with Madame Morozova were the only ones that actually felt meaningful. The rest just seemed like vapid ways to occupy me when I wasn’t needed by my parents.

I was like an elegant set of porcelain, languishing away in a cabinet until someone brought it out to be polished for a special event.

“Well, I have to be there or my mother will know I’m up to something,” I said with a bitter smile. “Tomorrow, we’re going to the stables, but I’ll have the afternoon free since my mother will be visiting her friend. I thought… I might go shopping. And… I want to sell some of my jewelry for cash. In a pawn shop.”

The very idea of it excited me and made me a bit nauseous at the same time. I’d never been to a pawn shop, and it seemed dangerous and thrilling. I bit the inside of my cheek, watching Phantom to see if he would shoot my ideas down or ridicule me for being obviously excited about something so trivial.

But he grinned, nodding with enthusiasm.

“Now we’re talking! I’ll teach you how to drive a good bargain. You’ll get cash for all your illicit escapades, though after the library, I’m afraid what you’ll come up with to get your kicks. A church? A picnic? A visit to the zoo?”

A loud, happy laughter tore out of me. Phantom looked so seriously worried, and yet I knew he was joking good-naturedly, not at me but with me. I imagined going to all those places with him while he behaved like he did today, mouthing off, threatening poor librarians, snatching books out of my hands and calling my coffee unicorn’s shit. A warmth spread in my chest and I laughed harder.

“Oh, no,” he said with mock horror. “I just gave you ideas, didn’t I? You’ll have me feeding ducks in a park next! You cruel, cruel woman.”

I laughed until my stomach hurt, and then wiped my tears, still shaking with little bursts of mirth. I didn’t remember ever laughing like this as an adult, and I had a ridiculous urge to give Phantom a hug.

We met only yesterday, but from the very first moment, he eviscerated the distance between us until it almost felt like we were friends or something similar. It helped that he treated me with no respect at all. It was like he felt entitled to call me names, make fun of me, touch me without boundaries, and…

And I loved it. Everyone else, including my own parents, kept me at an arm’s length. He was the only person who pulled me closer.

When we got home, the security firm was just finishing up installing more cameras. Phantom told me there would be three guards on shift every night, two patrolling while one watched the screens. He’d be out there, too, watching out for me.

“He won’t hurt you again,” he said in a rare moment of seriousness. “I’ll make sure of that.”

Back home, I changed into a dress, so my mother wouldn’t see me wearing jeans, and Phantom settled into his room, unpacking a few boxes that were delivered for him. My mother gave him her old office downstairs, now unused because she hated working at home.

He sat in on my flower arranging lesson, making funny faces when my teacher’s back was to him. I had to work real hard to keep my face straight, and he didn’t let up until the last minute. It was the most fun I’d ever had while playing with hydrangeas.

My good humor lasted until my mother came home just in time for dinner. We ate together, and the atmosphere was so tense, the food curdled in my stomach. I could barely eat. Shegave me cold looks and didn’t speak at all, while I tried to puzzle out what I had done again to displease her. I went almost crazy with guilt, fearing she’d found out about my trip to the library.

But when my mother finished her meal and wiped her mouth, she fixed me with a stern look.

“I thought you’d be working hard to repair your reputation, Barbara. Your mess has greatly affected us all. I’m disappointed all you’re doing is sitting at home and playing with bouquets. Do better.”

She left without a backward glance, leaving me there, confused and gaping. A dark, heaving pit opened in my stomach, rippling with pain and an overwhelming resentment at the injustice. Hadn’t she told me the PR team would handle it? Hadn’t I been attacked justyesterday? I was a victim! What did she expect me to do, anyway?

The hurt welled in my chest until I couldn’t contain it. It buzzed and boiled when I tried to fall asleep, until I gave up and paced in my room in a frenzy of anxiety and rage. When I couldn’t handle it anymore, I went to see the only person who didn’t treat me like I was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Knowing it wasn’t appropriate and that he’d probably turn me away, I sought out Phantom.

I wore a thick, fluffy robe over my pajamas, my hair braided for bed. The house was quiet, though I was certain my father hadn’t come back yet. It was almost midnight.

I stood in front of Phantom’s door for a moment, fretting. Even though I needed to talk to someone who didn’t hate me and blame me for the smallest mistakes, seeking him out felt illicit. Besides, he was my bodyguard. Was it even fair to burden him with my shit?

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