Chapter XXIII

                                    

                                          
Coriolanus sat across the room from you, a warm drink in his hand. He was slumped against the wall by your door. His eyes locked locked on his feet. 
You hadn't given him a pleasant greeting, and the look on his face as you opened the door showed he wasn't enthusiastic to see you either. Maybe he sensed your emotions through the atmosphere in your apartment and decided to lay low until you were ready to talk. 
No matter the reason, the silence had overstayed its welcome. 
"Why'd you come here?" you asked. Coriolanus slowly lifted his gaze from the floor, a melancholy emotion sweeping across his face. 
You knew he didn't appreciate the monotone voice in which you asked that, but your tone was not something you could help. 
He shook his head, scoffing at himself. "I don't know why," he said. "I just can't stay away from you." 
"Yeah, I've gathered that," you responded shortly. Usually, you would be blushing ear to ear at a comment like that, but you were stuck in your pit of self-loathing. You doubted any amount of advances from Coriolanus could help. 
You stayed staring at him, your body visibly unwell. Yet, his eyes didn't deviate from you for a second. It looked like he might've even pitied you for the state you were in. 
"Do you regret what happened between us?" Coriolanus looked at you with storms in his eyes. 
You weren't sure if you should answer truthfully, as that would bring up a past you knew he didn't care to hear about again. 
"I don't regret it," you said. "I just feel guilty."
Coriolanus was hesitant to speak again, his body leaning towards words but backing away from them. He didn't like your response, but that was because he didn't understand. He would never comprehend what it felt like to be used by someone, as he had abused others and never looked back. 
You now fell upon the list of people changed by Coriolanus Snow, and you were struggling to figure out if that was okay with you or not. He wasn't mean; he didn't cuss or yell at you, but he didn't know you either. He came out of nowhere and overtook your every waking moment, stealing your ability to think of anything but him. Maybe that was his goal all along. 
"I want to show you something," Coriolanus said as he approached you slowly. "I've seen much of your life and much of you. But, I haven't given you the same."
He took your hands in his own, gently stroking the backs of your palms. His body heat was welcoming, and his fingertips were strangely soft and smooth. Your eyes met his, the gorgeous hue of his ocean eyes glowing in the sunlight from your window. You didn't give a verbal response, but you nodded timidly. When you were lost in his eyes, there was nothing you wouldn't say yes to.
Coriolanus packed your bag for you, letting you sit and rest on your bed while he shuffled around your apartment. Any item you told him to throw into your pack, he instead placed gently and meticulously to not break or damage anything. 
You couldn't help but warmly smile at him, wishing this version of the man in front of you was how he always was. Maybe you wouldn't be so confused about what you felt for him.
You both walked out of the entrance to your apartment building. The cold air stung your nostrils, and you took your hand out of its warmth from within your pocket to cover your face. Coriolanus looked at you, trying to hide the smile behind his scarf. 
You smacked his arm for mocking you, but he stopped you in the courtyard's center. He unwrapped his scarf from his neck, bunching it in his hand as he reached for your neck. You stood speechless as he wrapped the scarf around you, covering your nose.