Diane looked around, other cars had stopped too. Some honked, but the sound only echoed against shouts from people she couldn't see clearly. They were dressed in black, standing on the road like guards.
"Why can't we move?" Diane shouted.
"They blocked the road," someone replied.
The tension in the bus was heavy. Everyone stared fearfully at the figures outside; some even started reciting prayers. What's everyone so afraid of? Diane thought, even though her hands trembled slightly. It's just a face-off right?
Big broad-shouldered men stood around like precautions twisted into threat. Some had hands buried in pockets, others held what looked like weapons. Troublemakers, Diane guessed.
She couldn't see clearly because passengers pressed against the windows, blocking her view. But between gaps, she saw him.
Llewellyn wore a black suit, all black from his hair to his shoes. He stood before an exotic hotel building that was glowing with light, the neon blue and white reflections from nearby structures washing over him. Yet he remained still, unshaken. His expression was anger bathed with serenity, no smile, no frown, no hint of emotion. Just a calm that felt like horror.
Around him, rough-edged men radiating danger formed a ring of protection. They stood like soldiers guarding their leader, eyes fixed, bodies tense.
Opposite them stood another man dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. He appeared neat, but his very presence screamed danger. He was tall, though not as tall as Llewellyn. His own men stood a few steps behind him, not too close, but close enough to act. Their eyes burned with hostility as they glared at Llewellyn's crew.
The tall man in white smiled, a teasing curve that dripped with mockery. Llewellyn didn't move, didn't blink, he watched him in silence. The man's smile deepened, hypocrisy written all over it. He spat out what he was chewing and stepped closer, his movement sharp, deliberately a silent signal of war.
Instantly, Llewellyn's men reacted. They shifted forward, eyes cold, faces carved with threat. The other man's group mirrored them, stepping in with the same deadly energy.
For a moment, no one spoke. The two leaders only stared at each other, it was not just a contest of wills, but the resurfacing of an old spark. The air between them was heavy, too familiar, too dangerous. Like history that decayed into hatred.
"Fine, Dog, I'm going," the person said, throwing his hands in the air in mock surrender. He bounced and walked away from Llewellyn. As he passed Rick, Rick's face was calm but rebellious. He smiled widely, a psycho smile, and kept walking. But.
"Llewellyn!" Diane called his name from the bus.
He didn't turn, but his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was a lady's voice but who could that be? he wondered, still standing as he was.
Rick turned, looking toward the sound. Then he caught sight of a hand waving from the bus window.
"Hmm, stranger?" Rick whispered.
All the men turned to look at her, including the tall man in the white shirt and trousers. He turned back, dangerously cold, to see who had called Llewellyn's name.
Diane was glad that Rick noticed her waving. She tried to step out of the bus, but a hand pulled her back.
"Miss, don't go...y...you'll be in danger!" a voice cried out.
"I know them. We go to the same institute," she said, trying again to leave the bus.
The passengers looked at one another in confusion.
"Wait? She knows them?" a voice said.
Diane got off the bus. The moment she stepped out, the driver locked the doors behind her out of fear.
"What's wrong with them?" Diane muttered.
She adjusted her coat with pride. Llewellyn's men stared at her, confused. She noticed their dangerous faces, their commanding presence. Still, she stood her ground near the bus door.
She cleared her throat and yelled, "Bodyguard!"
Rick's eyes widened. "Who is she referring to as bodyguard?" he said.
Llewellyn's men grew angry, almost stepping toward her, closing in with a scary, enclosing movement.
The passengers pressed their faces against the windows, half scared, half entertained.
Llewellyn heard her voice clearly and let out a heavy sigh. "Mhhhh."
It was as if this was the part of himself he hoped no one, especially someone like her, would ever see.
Llewellyn's men walked slowly but viciously to her side. Their presence carried command.
"What did you just say?" one of the men asked, his voice like a grinder.
Diane looked at him. He looked angry, rough on the edges — dressed in a black leather coat and heavy boots. His eyes told stories of many fights, and his tone felt like a threat aimed directly at her.
What's with him? He's clearly young, and he's acting all tough, she belittled him in her mind.
"I am not afraid of you," she said, though her legs dragged backward as she spoke.
They were only a few meters from her now, and she began to shake. One of her legs pressed against the bus, her hands gripping it as if she had surrendered.
"They are going to swallow me," Diane whimpered, no longer hiding her fear. Of course, she couldn't, their aura was like that of wild dogs circling their prey.
Some passengers inside the bus feared for her, while others whispered, "I told her not to go."
Then a cold, calm, dangerously gentle voice — Llewellyn's, broke through the thick evening air.
"Ease," he said.
The men stopped immediately, their movements falling still.
Diane thought she had won by chance. She straightened, took a breath, and said, "What is wrong with you all? You see a lady, and you hover around her?"
She yelled at them, forgetting that moments ago she was trembling before them. Clicking her teeth, she started walking again. This time, the men only watched her, their eyes still sharp, but calmer.
"What's with them?" she muttered, loud enough for them to hear.
The man in the black leather coat widened his eyes at her words, "how dare you." He said with his stern face. But she ignored it.
She reached their side, paused for a few seconds, then walked on, right through their midst like someone being honored.
When she reached Rick's side, she said excitedly, "Bodyguard?"
"Stop calling me that" Rick snapped.
Llewellyn turned to her, like something inside him was trying to avert a storm.
He turned fully, and Diane saw his face.
He looked unhappy. Harmfully hurt.
She wondered why his face looked like that , just for a fleeting second.
"Hey, partner," he said casually as he walked forward, danger dripping from every step.
But Diane remained unshaken.
He walked to her side.
"Why..." she began, but didn't finish.
Because Llewellyn suddenly pulled her carelessly yet gently, with his hand circling her waist. He did it to block her from the tall man, whose dark eyes were fixed sharply on her.
His men gasped at the unexpected gesture. They knew their leader had girlfriends, but this, this was too personal.
"What are you waiting for? Chase them away," Llewellyn ordered, referring to the tall man and his men.
Some of his men immediately went after them, escorting them out of the city.
Diane's eyes widened. what is he doing?
This again...I protected her, Llewellyn said thought, his heart hammering in his chest.
He slowly removed his hand from her waist, almost regretting that he'd touched her at all.
She cleared her throat. "Why did you drag me?"
"Just because," Llewellyn said quietly.
"Why are the two of you standing here? And everything is..." Diane began, but didn't finish.
"I don't owe you an explanation," Llewellyn said, his tone heavy, as if carrying old hurt.
"The road is clear. You can go now." He gestured toward the open path as one of his men removed the blockage from the road.
Diane watched him as he turned and began walking away.
"Llewellyn!" she called out softly loud and clear.
It was the second time she had called his name. He stopped walking. Something in him stirred; he kind of liked the sound of his name on her lips.
"Why were you guys standing there, and everything stopped?" she demanded.
He turned to her, eyes steady on her. He didn't answer.
"Just go home, stranger. And I'm not a bodyguard," Rick said.
Diane's glare was sharp enough to make Rick rethink his words.
"In case of... another time," he corrected himself quickly.
"Let's go, Rick," Llewellyn said, giving Diane one last look, though he avoided her gaze when she tried to meet his.
Rick walked up beside him, and the two exchanged low words before entering the hotel building.
Diane turned slowly and walked back to the bus.
When she entered, the passengers looked at her as if she were a legendary figure from Greek mythology. Some praised her; others stared in disbelief. She said nothing.
The evening's events replayed in her mind, only her thoughts echoed loud now.
Why were they standing there?
Who were all those men with such rough, stern faces?
And why was he facing that tall man like that?
Was what Clara said true? she wondered, but disbelief still clung to her.
Everything that had happened was too much for her to comprehend.
The bus ride was filled with low chaos-murmurs, whispers, scattered voices retelling what they'd just seen. But Diane's mind was louder. It screeched with noise and confusion, drowning out the quiet hum around her.