Julien wasn’t exactly a short guy, no, in fact he tended to be one of the taller ones when placed in a crowd. 

So seeing someone at chest level—or collarbone level, to be precise—for the first time since middle school felt…different.

Startled, he looked down to see what he’d half expected, half hoped for. 

A puppy with floppy brown ears and beady, worried black eyes stared back at him, tail wagging hesitantly and tongue lolling in a pant. 

It was just a beagle.

Thank fuck.

He breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there, he’d been worried his sister had actually sent him a person.

Even she had a little sense sometimes.

Thinking that he should at least take the pup inside first and figure things out later—regardless of whether he intended to keep it or not—he looked up at the large man standing before him.

He unconsciously stood up straighter.

Is he the…courier?

One to judge by appearances, he wasn’t so sure that was the case.

He took a step back, partially to get a better look, and because frankly, he was a little intimidated.

The guy was not only tall, he was muscular too.

Enough to snap his neck without even breaking a sweat.

The fabric of his black button-up strained with each breath. His black slacks, held up by a belt Julien wasn’t even sure he needed, were straining just as much around his…

Cough.

Catching himself, Julien redirected his gaze to the man’s face. He could admit when another guy was objectively good looking, and this was one of those cases. 

While he wasn't exactly lacking in the looks department himself, they had two very different vibes going for them.

While Julien’s features were more reminiscent of a boy band member than anything else; pale and sharp, with a handsome but youthful quality to it complemented by his long rust-colored and tousled hair and dark brown eyelashes—courtesy of his mother the other man had a rougher quality to him.

His deep, piercing black eyes that made Julien squirm under their watch, warm mid-toned skin under dark, neatly cropped onyx hair and thick eyebrows, were only a part of it. 

The long, jagged scar cutting from the right side of his jaw, across his nose, and under his left eye was the most eye-catching, and raised questions Julien wasn’t shameless enough to ask.

It did nothing to ruin his looks though. If anything, it only made him seem more mysterious and sharpened his edge like a well maintained blade.

He looks like an assassin, or a rogue, or both…

The man didn’t move under Julien’s scrutiny, as if used to drawing attention from others. He did, however, study Julien in return.

He watched as Julien’s lilac-grey eyes darted away from his own when they met, and as they studied him from head to toe. He watched the way Julien’s unkempt auburn hair rustled when he shifted uncomfortably underfoot. And he analyzed every little detail of the young man he was meant to guard. His eyes drifted to the young man’s hand.

He was still holding that gargantuan red collar.

Julien didn’t notice the subtle twitch of the other man’s eyebrow, nor the spaced out look that seemed to appear in his eyes as he cleared his throat and tried to continue as though he’d never stopped and stared to begin with.

“Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m in a bit of a hurry here.” 

He held his free hand out.

“Can you hand me whatever it is you needed me to sign?”

Only then did he realize what he was still holding.

Smiling awkwardly, he shifted the collar to his wrist and patted his pockets. No pen.

Great.

Stalling in thought, he realized his bag was still in the study along with all his writing utensils.

He gave the other man a polite smile.

“My backpack is still inside. Excuse me—wait here for a moment?”

‘They need to upgrade their systems already so I don’t need to do this every time.’

Grumbling about the inconvenience, he stepped back and headed for the study. 

Just then, he felt a gentle, but firm, hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

Julien looked at him in confusion then looked at the man’s other hand.

His confusion quickly turned into horror when the man silently dropped a familiar item into his hands. 

Another midnight letter.

While Julien’s eyes remained glued to the letter, the man crouched, removed his shoes, and picked up the beagle, before stepping past the threshold.

Passing Julien, the door clicked shut behind him.

Julien frowned and looked up.

Wow.

He had no words.

Where did he—

The man stood like a statue in his kitchen, scanning the open space with a casual indifference. 

He was like a weeping angel—blink and you’d miss it. 

Yeah, sure, make yourself at home, why don’t you.

Julien’s eyelid twitched in annoyance, and his heartbeat became just a little bit faster.

Then, he had a realization.

Don’t tell me—

Forcing out a nervous laugh, his eyes skimmed over the letters contents.

He couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh.

She really was that crazy.

Julien ran a hand over his face.

“Go ahead and take a seat over there."

He pointed to a recliner by the window on the far side of the apartment. The lamp sitting on the coffee table-cum-bookshelf the only source of light when the vast window remained covered by maroon curtains ninety-nine percent of the time.

Julien preferred the moody lighting, what could he say?

The man obliged, settling in and absently stroking the beagles course and patchy fur. 

Julien watched him and moved himself to the kitchen stool furthest away before sitting down.

Julien glanced at the time, clicked his tongue and looked at the offensive text in earnest.

Let’s get this over with.

He read:

“Surprise! I wasn’t originally planning for him to arrive today so excuse me if the preparations seem a bit rushed. Do you like your gift?”

I can’t believe she’s sunk so low as to dabble in human trafficking!

A dog was one thing, but a person was a whole new low!

Julien squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think happy thoughts, his fist clenched in rage as he read on.

“You don’t know how surprised I was when he called and said he was willing to forgo the contract, holding a bundle of cuteness as he was, soaked to the bone. How could I be cold in that situation?”

I can think of a few ways…

“He was the perfect candidate otherwise, so given the circumstances, I had no choice but to arrange for the two of them to move in ASAP. Plus, the DOG—what more could you ask for?”

…Move in?

“He’s mainly your bodyguard but he can do other things as well, so don’t worry about anything, he won’t be in the way.”

Julien had a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that something was off.

He chuckled, unammused, and looked at his supposed ‘gift.’

A bodyguard…

Sensing Julien’s stare, the man glanced at him before continuing to play with the beagle’s paws, his expression unreadable but his touch careful.

He couldn’t have looked more unbothered if he tried.

Lowering the letter, Julien took a deep breath. He continued to watch as the man tousled the floppy little ears on the beagle’s head, then he exhaled. 

Shaking his head, Julien refocused his thoughts.

There was one question lingering in his mind.

Why?

That’s what was throwing him off.

His sister almost never did something without thinking about it first, no matter how seemingly out there the things she did were.

Even if a bit misguided, most of her ‘gifts’ served a purpose that generally benefitted the receiver. Of course there were exceptions, but something as big as this wouldn’t have been one of them.

He checked the time again and sighed.

7:50

He picked the letter back up and finished reading.

“On a more serious note, I’ll be going abroad immediately after Thanksgiving so I won’t be able to take care of you for a while. He’s there in case something happens, so bear with it. At least until I come back.” 

What could possibly happen in the span of a few months?

Nothing, as far as he could tell.

“p.s. If you enjoy his company enough, feel free to become friends.You can keep him for as long as you’d like even after I come back, and I’d feel at ease if you got along as well.”

Julien put the letter down and frowned.

This wasn’t ‘protection’ was it?

It was surveillance. 

No matter how she dressed it up, it was the only reason that made sense. Unless there was something else she wasn’t saying.

He hadn’t been in danger since… ‘He’ happened. Julien cracked one of his knuckles and pushed the thought aside.

He didn’t need a bodyguard.

I need to leave.

Thinking on his own wasn’t getting him anywhere anyway. He could always ask her about it later. 

It took five minutes for him to get to class, three if he ran, and only 6 minutes were left on the clock. Meanwhile the man in his apartment looked like he was ready to doze off any minute now.

Julien weighed his options.

“Damnit.”

He was going to hightail it out of there if he had to. 

He stood up, grabbed his bag, his keys, and quickly scribbled something down on a sticky note before stopping in front of the imposing man. 

At least he only had one class on Fridays, only in that was his sister merciful.

“Hey.” 

The man cracked an eye open.

“I’m running out of time, so I’ll make this quick.”

Julien flung the giant collar at him and it landed on his chest with a rattle.

“Do with that what you will. I’ll be back soon—Don’t touch anything. Don’t leave.”

He glanced at the beagle.

“And don’t make a mess.”

Julien stuck the sticky note to the back of the man’s hand. He read the note then looked at Julien as he continued to speak.

“Call me or text me. I don't care.”

Julien was already across the room, sliding his sneakers on in a hurry.

“If my sister shows up or you get hungry, contact me.”

The man nodded, and for the first time Julien heard his voice: Low, husky, and yet surprisingly smooth like silk.

“Ok.”

With that, Julien bolted out of the apartment like a bat out of hell.

7:56

Four minutes to class.