The Nature of Cruelty Read Online Free Page A

maybe my mother was right when she forced me to bring along the rape alarm, I think darkly.
    He studies me for a long time, and then he gets up from the bed. “Fine, if you’re going to go and cry about it, then I’ll go.”
    “I’m not crying.”
    He looks almost sympathetic when he glances back at me as he stands in the doorway, but that can’t be right. “Sure you’re not.”
    The door closes, and I drop down onto my bed, burying my face in the palms of my hands.

Two
     
    A fter I’ve unpacked my things, I go and take a long bath. Since I had to get up at five o’clock this morning to make my early flight, I’m extremely tired, so I take a nap after the bath. A few hours later, the sound of tapping wakes me, and I slowly rub my eyes before opening them. When I do I practically jump out of my own skin, because a pair of heated dark brown eyes are staring right back at me.
    Robert is sitting in a chair that he’s pushed up to the side of my bed and is tapping his short fingernails against the wooden surface of the nightstand. The moment draws out, and I feel a blush creep across my skin. I fell asleep lying on top of the blanket in shorts and a vest top. Robert is eating me up with his gaze.
    “What on earth...” I mutter, trying to figure out whether or not this is a dream. Robert is still there, though, even after I blink several times. Now he smiles.
    I gape at him, at the audacity of him to come in here while I was sleeping, but he doesn’t give me a single word of explanation.
    “Well done, Rob. You’ve succeeded in creeping me the fuck out. You can leave now.”
    One end of his mouth twitches, and he continues tapping his fingers. “Creeping you out? I don’t understand.”
    “You need help, do you know that? It’s no wonder your girlfriend kicked you out of your own apartment, especially if this is the kind of behaviour she had to put up with.”
    For a split second he winces, but then he covers it up with a laugh. “You are fiery these days, aren’t you?” He glances at my hair, which has curled a little because I slept on it damp. “I suppose it matches those locks.” His eyes move lower and stay there. “Now, that’s a good look for you.”
    I narrow my eyes, not knowing what he’s getting at, before I glance down to see I’m braless. Feeling indignant, I reply, “What, breasts? I should hope so. Women are generally supposed to have a pair.”
    He gives me a vague look that’s almost a grin, but not quite. “Nipples, too.”
    “Huh?” I say, embarrassed now, rubbing at the back of my head. Two seconds in Robert’s company, and I can already feel a headache coming on.
    He leans in closer, and I jump back instinctively. He keeps coming, though. His breath whispers over my cheek when he gets close enough, and he says, “Women have nipples, too. And I can see yours.”
    Okay, that’s the last straw. I push him away from me, hard. Then I get up and push him to the door, and then out into the hallway. “Stay away from me, Rob. I’m serious. I’m not getting sucked into your games this time.”
    He’s laughing now. “Sasha’s downstairs. She told me to call you for dinner. Chinese, remember?”
    “Yeah, I remember. And staring at me while tapping your fingers is not the same thing as calling me.”
    He shrugs and then asks randomly, “Do you remember that one Halloween when you dressed up as a witch?”
    His question brings on a chill. I know exactly which Halloween he’s referring to. I was fifteen, and he was seventeen. Sasha and I were drinking a bottle of cider up in her bedroom while Rob and his friends partied downstairs. Their mum had been gone out to visit relatives. I didn’t get as drunk as Sasha though, and when she passed out I decided it was time for me to go home.
    Making my way down the stairs, I bumped into Robert. Before I could react, he had me pushed up against the wall and started kissing me; his hands felt like they were everywhere all at once, groping