Harry and Arianna - Chapter 5 - Mystery Man

Harry and Arianna - Chapter 5 - Mystery Man
Arianna rang Pierce's doorbell for several minutes until he finally opened the door.  

"Oh, my God. What the hell happened to you?" she gasped.  

"Your fucking boyfriend is what happened to me!" Pierce growled. Arianna cringed as she observed his injuries. Harry had put in work, and she was surprised Harry's knuckles weren't bloodied and bruised earlier. Pierce sported a nasty black eye, busted lip, and a bloodied nose. To add insult to injury, Arianna spotted a large handprint on Pierce's right cheek. Harry slapped the shit out of him.  

"Do you require medical attention?"

"An apology would be preferred, and I hope his membership is being revoked for attacking a club member."

"If you're fishing for an apology from me, you won't get it. I told you to leave me alone, and you decided to bring your overgrown ass around my desk and corner me. Some would consider it sexual harassment, but I bet after your chat with Harry that you won't pull that shit again. Furthermore, Harry is not a club member; therefore, he doesn't have a membership to revoke. Take care, Pierce," Arianna wished before returning to her car.

Arianna returned home and wasn't surprised that she beat Harry home. She cheerfully greeted Legs, fed him, and took a quick shower. She was toweling herself off when she heard Harry loudly announcing his presence from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Rose, I have returned. I'll meet you in the theater."

"What did you get?"

"Your favorite: anchovies and mushrooms."

"What the fuck?" Arianna exclaimed, suddenly throwing open the door.

"Damn. I was hoping you'd forget your towel."

Arianna shot Harry a stern look.

"By the look on your face, I gather you're quite hangry, but rest assured, I did not purchase an anchovy and mushroom pizza. Please make haste, or I'll start the movie without you."

"Give me a few moments."

"Don't take too long. I have a surprise for you."

"I'll be down shortly," she replied as she rifled through Harry's side of the closet. She selected a white sweater and added knee-high socks to complete her ensemble.  

Moments later, Arianna joined Harry in the theater room.

"What are we watching?" he asked curiously.

"Murder on the Orient Express."

"How fitting," Harry chuckled.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Always," he replied as he slid two slices of pepperoni pizza onto a plate for Arianna.  

"How many people have you killed?"

"What have I told you about your curiosity?"

"I think I should know who I'm sharing a bed with."

"You know enough about me already."

"Not the crucial parts like how you became a hitman and how many people you've killed."

"Let it go, Arianna."

Arianna clamped her mouth shut, then dropped the subject and focused on the screen. The couple was halfway through the movie when Harry finally spoke.  

"I will answer your questions when I trust you."

"You don't trust me?" Arianna mumbled in disbelief.

Harry turned to face Arianna head-on and peered into her chocolate brown eyes. "No," he firmly replied before returning his attention to the screen.  

"Are you serious?"

Harry gave Arianna a knowing look and focused on the screen once more before Arianna shut off the television.  

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Look at me!" Arianna yelled.  

Harry let out a subtle sigh and gave his attention to the incensed young woman.  

"How dare you part your lips to say you don't trust me! It's me who doesn't trust you! You forced me to be in this weird relationship with you and made me move in with you. On top of that, you refuse to share anything with me!"

"Correction, I tell you plenty about me, just not about my job. Stop being so childish, Arianna, and put yourself in my position. You could slip and say the wrong thing to the wrong person, and the next thing you know, I'm on death row. It's not worth the risk. All you need to know is what you already know. I'm a hitman, and the food you eat and the roof that's over your head was all paid for by the blood of others."

"I bet everything you've told me is a lie. I bet your real name isn't even Harry!"

Harry shot her a knowing look.  

"You have got to be shitting me!" she shrilled, jumping to her feet. She towered over Harry with her hands on her hips.

"Arianna...I can see you're upset, but what did you expect? You'd be naive to believe a hitman would go around giving his real name."

"I-I-I thought I was different," she whispered.  

"Rose," he called out after the young woman who stormed out of the theater. Harry released a heavy sigh. Instead of running after her to beg for her forgiveness, he thought it prudent to give Arianna some space to calm down and listen to reason rather than her emotions.  

The movie ended, and Harry retrieved the surprise he had mentioned earlier. He found Arianna bundled in the bed, but knew she wasn't sleeping due to the lack of raucous snoring. Arianna heard Harry enter the bedroom and tightly pulled the cover around herself.

"I know you're not sleeping," Harry drawled, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "This by no means was supposed to be an apology gift, but here," he said, placing the bags in front of her.  

Arianna cracked an eye open and peeped the bag from Best Buy and a local art supply store. She wanted to tear into the bag, but she didn't want to give Harry the satisfaction.  

"You're being prickly. No wonder your parents named you Rose," Harry teased.

"You're not as funny as you think you are," Arianna scoffed, pulling herself into a sitting position.

"You find me plenty funny. You're just in your feelings. Open it."

Arianna was almost brought to tears when she pulled out her brand new laptop. Before she found out her parents had screwed her over, she had purchased a laptop for college, but it was nowhere near what Harry bought her. The computer was top-of-the-line, and it was clear he didn't spare any expenses. She swiveled the laptop's lid and located the stylus.

"The salesman said this would be the best for art and design students. You can draw on it and whatever else you artsy-fartsy types need to do."

Arianna gently placed the laptop on the bed and opened another bag.  

"I took the liberty of purchasing all of your school supplies as well."

"Thank you, unknown man," she whispered.

"You can call me Harry," he sighed.

"That's not your real name."

"It's on my driver's license."

"Your fake driver's license," Arianna reminded him.

"Let's talk, Rose. Obviously, my not sharing things about myself is upsetting you, but I feel this goes deeper than not knowing my body count and my boring first name."

Arianna twisted her lips and scratched her scalp as she carefully formulated what she wanted to say in her head.  

"None of this feels real."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but patiently waited for Arianna to expound.  

"The relationship doesn't feel real. You're like an overbearing dad and not a partner. I don't know how to act around you. I don't know who you really are, and I don't know if you're putting on a front for me. I don't want to make an effort to connect with a persona and not an actual person."

"I see," he replied.

Harry didn't know how else to respond. Was Arianna giving him the green light? He had been handling Arianna with care, trying to make her as comfortable as possible, given the recent drastic lifestyle changes she's had to make.

"Thank you for the gifts, Harry. They were very thoughtful, and you'll definitely get your money's worth. Also, thank you for investing in my education and getting me on the right track."

"You're welcome."

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I have work early in the morning."

"Understandable. Remember, you put in your two-week notice, so there's no sense in you running yourself ragged for Elite SA."

"Do the bare minimum. Gotcha."

"That a girl."

Harry turned the lights out and chuckled as he made his way down the stairs. He could hear her snores from the bottom floor. He had taken her to a doctor for a consultation about her snoring, and the doctor recommended a somnoplasty, which boasted an efficacy rate of 70-95%. Harry prayed Arianna would agree so he could finally get a good night's rest; however, Arianna felt she needed to do more research before proceeding. He dejectedly left the doctor's office with Arianna in tow with several informational pamphlets. He groaned low when Arianna tossed the pamphlets into a nearby garbage can outside the office. He settled on investing in a pair of earplugs.