Without giving it much thought, I walk over toward the brewery and to the large steps out front. I don’t know what pulls me in this direction, but I know I have to go. I feel it deep inside me. Everything in me is telling me to see it through and so I listen to that voice in my head.
When I get to the metal slab that’s supposed to be a door, I knock. There’s a slight echo, but there’s no answer. I look around, checking for a knocker or some kind of bell, but there’s nothing. I decide to knock again, and this time it hurts my knuckles, but I have to assume someone inside must hear it.
The soft glow of the light is flickering against the window, giving me a sign that someone is in there, but they must not want to talk to me. It’s getting so dark. I shouldn’t be out this late, but I wait just a little longer hoping that someone will come.
Finally, I hear the sounds of bolts moving and slowly the door opens. It’s hard to make out what lies beyond the shadows, but I gasp when I see the man standing there. He doesn’t look anything like a hermit. He’s huge, with dark eyes, tanned skin and a muscular frame. His long dark hair is pushed out of his face and goes almost to his shoulders. He’s lean, but I can see his exposed arms and legs are clearly defined with muscles. My heart flutters as I look him up and down, then try to find my tongue. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. He feels familiar.
“I’m, um, Minnie. I need to speak to the teacher,” I request. If that light means what I think it means, there must be a teacher here. A teacher like my mother.
He stares at me for a long moment and I can’t read his expression. His dark eyes are surveying me just as I did him, and it feels like every inch of my skin burns with his perusal. I have to tighten my fingers against my palm to keep from reaching out and touching him. How could someone so big and powerful look so enticing at the same time? Everything about him is calling to me, and I want to press myself to him and have him hold me in his arms to dispel my loneliness.
Something passes in his eyes, and I wonder if he’s deciding if he can trust me or not. But thankfully after a moment he steps aside and flips another bolt so that the door can open all the way to allow me to step inside.
As I walk through, I brush against him. I feel his whole body tighten for a moment and he pulls in a deep breath. The door creaks as it’s closed and bolted back. The sound echoes through the industrial space and for a moment the otherwise quiet room is filled with noise.
When the door is locked, he comes over to me and I watch as he licks his full lips. I look up into his eyes, swearing I’ve seen them before.
“Wait here for a moment. Then you can enter.” His deep voice leaves no room for argument as he points to a silk curtain that sections off a part of the huge room. He pauses for a moment, glancing back at the door he just bolted closed as if he thinks I’m going to run for it.
“I’m not going to leave,” I tell him. His body relaxes a fraction.
“You wouldn’t make it to the door before me,” he says before disappearing behind the silk curtain. His words should scare me, but they don’t. In fact, they only pique my interest.
I wait as instructed then pass through the dividers and into the dimly lit space. He’s there on the floor seated around some pillows and a low table. The room is tidy and smells clean. It has a scent of something woodsy and warm, and again I have the need to rub against him and cuddle in his lap while he talks to me. I don’t know why I feel so safe here. It’s a sense of belonging like nothing I’ve ever felt.
Instead, I take a seat across him and lay my hands in my lap, clasping them together to keep myself from touching him. I’m worried I’ll come off creepy or over eager. I don’t want him to think I’m here to find out his secrets to relay them to the other side of the wall or to get him in trouble. I don’t want him to be taken like my mother was. The thought makes terror rip through my body, but I keep my face passive and calm. I’ve gotten good at that over the years.