Chapter Forty-Four

"Does your father request things like this often?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does he make you take care of people for him?"

Ba Wei hesitated for a moment, "not really. He just gives me task that he can't personally do for himself."

"So that's a yes."

"I guess," he scratched the back of his head, "it's not like I mind. I'm just doing my job."

That last word echoed in my head and I couldn't help but ask, "is your father apart of the gang that you're involved in?"

Ba Wei didn't say anything and just stared ahead. I leaned forward slightly to see that his irises were moving. Is he thinking?

"Yes."

I frowned, "is that so."

"Yeah, but don't think that my father forced me to do anything."  Did I hear him correctly?

"What? How can I not," I asked confused?

He turned his eyes to mine and without breaking eye contact he said, "it's a family thing."

I didn't know what to say back to that sentence because I didn't understand it. It's a family thing? What does that even mean? How can being in a gang be a family thing? His father obviously introduced him to that world, so why was he defending him?

The room fell silent and Ba Wei sighed and let his head fall back. I looked over at him and my eyes slowly worked their way down his throat. I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. How erotic. I shifted my eyes to the floor and tried to calm my now racing heart.

"Why is your face so red," Ba Wei asked?

"It's not," I said turning to look at him.

"If I asked why it's red, then it's obviously red."

"Um. Well I don't know why it's red."

"You sure," he asked? As I stared into his eyes I could feel my face become more red. A smile spread across his lips, and he let out a chuckle. "Do you do that unconsciously or on purpose?"

"You really think I voluntarily make my face do this?" I shifted my eyes down and just looked at my hands.

"Don't get snappy. You just do it a lot so-"

"I only do it around you," I said cutting him off. "It's honestly embarrassing."

He was silent for a minute, "what? blushing around me?"

I pushed my bangs out of my face and glanced over at him. Our eyes instantly met and I couldn't help but shift mine.

"It's more of blushing because of you," I said low. I was hoping that Ba Wei didn't hear it, but unfortunately he did. I thought that he would tease me about that cheesy line I just said but he didn't. Instead he reached out and patted my head. My eyes widened as he did this.

"Don't be embarrassed about it," his voice was soft as he said this. I looked up at him to see that he was leaning over to me. My body immediately tensed up. "I quite like seeing your blushed face." His voice was right by my ear and it sent shivers down my spine. I immediately pulled away from him in shock and this caused him to laugh.

My heart was racing as I watched that smile spread across his face. I looked down at my hands and tried to calm down. What was that just now? Why did his personality slightly shift all of sudden?

I was trying to answer those questions when Ba Wei cleared his throat. I looked up at him and I noticed that his eyebrows were knitted together. I glanced over the rest of his body to see that he was slightly moving his hands. Does his knuckles hurt?

Without giving it much thought I reached out and grabbed his hand. I pulled it close to me and inspected it. It was much more battered up close. Some of the skin on his knuckles were missing. Who the fuck did he fight to cause the skin on his knuckles to tear?

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

"I don't need-"

"Did I ask you that," I snapped back as I rubbed my thumb softly across his knuckles. I looked up at him just as his eyebrows relaxed.

"Yeah, It's in my bathroom." I could feel his eyes on me as I grabbed his other hand. Looking at both of his knuckles, It looked as if he had punched a wall repeatedly. Why would you lie and say it didn't hurt?

"You should treat it if it hurts," I said coldly. I let go of his hand and turned my attention to the wall. I wanted so bad to just sigh, but I didn't want to do it in front of him. Him lying to me honestly made me annoyed. I can't make him tell me the truth but he can at least be better at it.

"Why are you mad all of a sudden?"

"I'm not mad at all."

"You know you say that but you're face says other wise," he said sighing. I didn't say anything and I could feel his eyes on me. Another sigh came from beside me and in my peripheral vision I could see him get up. "If it will make you feel better I'll go put some medicine on it."

"You don't have to."

"If I don't you'll keep acting like this."

I turned around to say something else but I was met with his back as he was walking away. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I got up and followed behind him at a quick pace and just as he was about to enter his room I grabbed his hand. He instantly stopped walking and turned to look at me.

"What?"

"I told you that you didn't have to put anything on it." He snatched his hand away and continued into his room. I stood in the doorway trying my hardest not to get angry because I was on the verge of it. Why do you have to be so difficult?

I walked into the room and went straight to the bathroom to see Ba Wei looking through the first aid kit. Without saying a word I walked over to him and grabbed the alcohol out of it.

"You're being annoying," he said as he looked at me. His eyes were cold, and his face was stern. As I stared at him the only thing I could think of was one word. Cute.

I cleared my throat, "I'll do it."

"Why?"

"Just let me do it," I said as I picked up a cotton ball and put alcohol on it.

I grabbed one of his hands and slowly started dabbing the cotton ball and just like last time he didn't flinch. I couldn't help but wonder how he got use to this pain. Even I flinch when alcohol is applied to an open wound. I glanced up at him briefly before looking back down at his knuckles. A strange feeling rose in me as I switched hands and began to dab the even more bruised knuckles.

"Try not to get hurt like this again."

"That won't be possible with what I'm involved in."

"You could try not to-"

"It won't be possible," he said cutting me off.

I sighed and went back to treating his wound. The room fell into silence and although I was looking down I could feel his eyes on me. Why do I even care about what he does? I physically wanted to pull my hair out because I couldn't answer that question. Not caring would be much easier if I didn't like you.