Five Hargreeves

Dinner unfolded in a comfortable, almost calculated silence. The restaurant was discreet, expensive without needing to flaunt it. Five sat across from me, dark-suited, his posture straight, his attention divided between my plate and his surroundings. He wasn't smiling. He never did in public. With a simple, almost indifferent movement, he reached inside his jacket and placed something on the table, right between us. A small black box. He pushed it toward me with two fingers.

"What is this?" I asked.

Five: Open it.
I did it. Inside, a pair of diamond earrings, flawless, so expensive they were almost unnecessary. The dim light made them shine with understated elegance.

"Five…" I began.

Five: None of that Five stuff —he interrupted—. You needed them.

"There are too many," I said.

"No," he replied. "Nothing is too much when it comes to you."
He reached out and brushed his thumb against my wrist. A slow, deliberate gesture. A male voice drifted into the space.

—Excuse me —said the waiter—, is everything alright here?
Before he could answer, Five looked up.

Five: Everything's fine, go home —he said—. Go home.
The waiter hesitated for a second. Five barely nodded, just enough to make the message clear. The man left without arguing.

"Five was just doing his job," I muttered.

Five: No —he corrected— I was looking at you too much.
His hand moved from my wrist to my forearm, firm. He pulled me slightly closer to him, just enough to invade my personal space.

Five: I don't like it —he continued— when others forget who you belong to.

"I am not an object," I said, in a low voice.
Her fingers tensed for a second. Then they relaxed.

Five: I don't write you letters. I don't say nice things to you. I'm not that kind of man,' he said. 'But no one touches you without me noticing. And if someone tries,' he paused, '...they won't do it again.'
She held my gaze. There was no sweetness in it. There was certainty. Control. Absolute protection. She pushed the box toward me again.

Five: Put them on, I want to see them on you.