Chapter 3

I woke up on a hard plank bed.

There were water stains on the ceiling, abandoned tires and wrenches piled in the corners, and the air was thick with motor oil.

This was probably the back room of an auto repair shop-Daniel's territory.

The moment consciousness returned, last night's memories flooded back like a tide.

I had actually hugged Daniel, the scariest guy in school, and pressed against him all night.

My cheeks instantly burned.

But I quickly realized that the ever-present anxiety was gone.

My hands and feet were warm, my breathing was smooth, my heart was beating strongly and steadily.

This feeling of being fully alive was something Robert had never given me in ten years.

"Awake?"

A cool voice came from the doorway.

Daniel leaned against the doorframe, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

He wore only a black tank top, revealing smoothly defined arms marked with old and new scars and tattoos.

The way he looked at me suggested I was trouble.

I sat up and noticed his leather jacket covering me.

"Last night... thank you."

I was somewhat uncomfortable, reaching down to find my wallet.

Daniel scoffed, tossed the cigarette into a nearby trash can, and walked over to look down at me.

"Isabella, where'd that wild energy from last night go? When you were holding onto me and wouldn't let go, you weren't this polite."

My face reddened further.

But reason told me I had to seize this opportunity.

Robert was unreliable. Not only couldn't he relieve my symptoms, he'd become the source of my pain.

And Daniel-he was the cure.

I took a deep breath, pulled out all the cash from my wallet-probably a few hundred dollars-and placed it on the shabby table.

"I want to make a deal with you."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the stack of bills, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"You want to buy me?"

"No."

I looked him in the eye, trying to appear calm. "I have a condition-skin hunger syndrome. Your body temperature can save me. When I have episodes in the future, could you let me hug you? I won't do anything else, just hug."

"This is the deposit. I'll give you two thousand every month after this."

Two thousand dollars.

For someone like me living on scholarships, it was a fortune.

But for Daniel, who rumor had it was so poor he had to fight in underground matches for money, it should be even more tempting.

Daniel didn't speak.

He just stared at me, those eyes so deep they made my heart race.

After a long while, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the money.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The next second, the money was thrown back at me.

The bills scattered on the bed like green snow.

"Take your stinking money and get lost."

Daniel's face was terrifyingly dark, the veins at his temples throbbing. "Isabella, I may be trash, but I don't sell my body. What do you take me for? Robert's replacement?"

At the mention of Robert, my heart stung.

"You're more useful than him."

I told him the truth. "His body temperature's too low. Hugging him is like holding a block of ice. You're warm, a hundred times better than him."

Daniel froze.

He seemed surprised I would compare them so bluntly.

The anger in his eyes dissipated somewhat, replaced by a strange expression.

"That's all I'm good for?"

"That's enough."

I climbed off the bed and crouched down to pick up the money, one bill at a time, very carefully.

"Since you're not willing, forget it. Thank you for last night. I'll leave the money here as payment for letting me stay the night."

I knew that with people who had strong pride, you couldn't push too hard.

I organized the money, placed it on the bedside, and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Daniel's voice came from behind me.

Then came the sound of a phone vibrating.

He pulled out a phone with a cracked screen, looked at it, and his expression changed.

It was an automated voice from a debt collection company. I'd heard similar ones at my part-time job before.

Daniel bit his lip, as if making a difficult decision.

"Two thousand."

He stopped me, his voice hoarse. "Two thousand a month. Besides hugging, nothing else?"

I turned to look at him.

He looked away, not daring to meet my eyes, but his ears were turning a suspicious shade of red.

"Yes, I'm not interested in anything else."

Daniel took a deep breath, picked up the broken phone from the table, and swiped across the screen.

I caught a glimpse of his phone wallpaper flashing by.

It was a blurry photo.

The background was the school's awards podium, and the subject of the photo seemed to be me.

Before I could see clearly, he locked the phone and shoved it into his pocket.

"Deal."

He said roughly, "Don't leave after school tonight. Wait for me at the back gate."

A weight lifted from my heart.

"Okay."

At the door, I looked back at him again.

"Daniel, give me your account number for transfers."

He clicked his tongue impatiently: "Such a pain."

But still obediently pulled out his phone.