The Cards We Are Dealt (Scarlett Johansson Fanfic)

Chapter 6: Rescued Again

Scarlett pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh as she watched the recognition dawn on Tinsley's face. The way her expressions betrayed every thought—shock, disbelief, then a faint trace of awe—was almost comical. Tinsley would be a terrible poker player, given how easy it was to read her. Twice now, Scarlett had ended up rescuing this clumsy woman, and the bizarre coincidence wasn't lost on her. She tucked the thought away for a later reflection.

Tinsley, still too stunned to grab her phone, gaped at Scarlett like she was seeing a ghost. People brushed past them with annoyed looks, and Scarlett, noticing this, slipped the phone back into her sweatshirt pocket before gently taking Tinsley's arm. "Come on, let's get out of the way," she said softly, steering them closer to the building and out of foot traffic.

Tinsley finally snapped out of her daze, blinking rapidly before shaking her head with a grin. "Man, I feel like you're stalking me now."

Scarlett chuckled. "Man, I feel like you're just a clumsy person," she teased, her tone light but genuine.

The smile on Tinsley's face grew just a tad, as she gave a what-can-you-do shrug, "Yeah, I am."

Scarlett's eyes flickered to Tinsley's forehead, noting the size of the bruised bump she was sporting, courtesy of the light pole. She was relieved to see the swelling had decreased and the bruise was fading. "How's your head holding up?"

Tinsley scrunched her face as if it hurt to even talk about it. "Head's alright. I haven't had any more dizziness; it's just a headache that comes and goes as it pleases.

"I'm glad to hear that it's doing better. But...where were you headed? Please tell me it's home to rest."

Tinsley's mouth stretched into a line as she glanced around, a guilty look crossing her face. It looked like whatever she was about to say, Scarlett was not about to approve of. "Well...I just came from work and I was headed to the gym, but..." She trailed off, looking down towards the ground.

But what? Scarlett arched an eyebrow, following Tinsley's line of sight. Her gaze found what Tinsley was looking at. She frowned as she realized Tinsley was favoring her left ankle, lifting it slightly off the ground as if putting pressure on it was too painful.

Scarlett's concern deepened as she raised both eyebrows, her forehead creasing as she met Tinsley's eyes. How did Tinsley manage to hurt herself again? Scarlett was starting to think Tinsley probably had a track record of getting hurt. "What's wrong with your ankle? Is that the same one you twisted when I rescued you?"

Tinsley bit her lip and sighed, a confirmation in itself. "I just twisted it when I fell a minute ago," she admitted, "and yes, it is the same ankle I twisted when you rescued me."

Scarlett couldn't suppress a shake of her head, a mix of disbelief and concern swirling inside her. What was it about this woman that seemed to attract trouble? She thought back to what Tinsley had said before she trailed off. "Where do you work? Where is the gym you were headed to?"

"I work at a coffee shop called Coffee Haven. It's about two blocks away from here." Tinsley pointed up the street, then turned and pointed in the opposite direction. "And the gym is a few more blocks that way."

"I've never heard of that coffee shop, but maybe I'll check it out.... I apologize if this is out of line, but I'd advise against going to the gym. You should head home and rest."

Scarlett noted the contemplative expression on Tinsley's face as she mulled over her options. Clearly, she was torn between her desire to hit the gym and the more prudent choice of heading home to rest. Tinsley's frustrated sigh spoke volumes as her lips twisted to the side and her shoulders sagged in resignation. "Yeah. I guess you're right. No, no. I know you are right, it's just that I'm going stir-crazy being home. It's so boring. I have nothing to do."

Although she was the one pushing for Tinsley to go home and take care of herself, Scarlett understood very well what Tinsley was feeling, the feeling of restlessness that came with being cooped up at home. "Okay, tell you what....how about I give you my number, and we can plan something for tonight?"

Tinsley looked at her like she had just spoken a foreign language and then her face morphed into a shy look of gratitude. 'Oh!! Um, yeah, okay. That would be nice." Tinsley began patting her pockets for her phone, panic creeping into her expression as she searched for her phone.

Scarlett reached out, gently tapping Tinsley's arm to capture her attention. With her other hand, she retrieved Tinsley's phone from her sweatshirt pocket and held it out to her. Tinsley's relief was palpable as she accepted the device, offering Scarlett a sheepish smile of thanks.

Tinsley's fingers tapped at her phone screen before she turned it towards Scarlett, prompting her to enter her phone number. Scarlett obliged, typing in her number and handing the phone back. "Done."

Tinsley glanced at her phone, tapped a few times, then clicked the side button before looking up at Scarlett expectantly. "I just sent a message so you have my number in your phone too."

Scarlett nodded as she felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her pants. "Yup. Just felt the message come through."

Tinsley beamed at her and then pointed down to her ankle, shaking it out before placing it down fully against the ground with a small grunt. "Okay, well, I'm going to go home now and ice my ankle. See ya."

Scarlett didn't have to force the smile she returned to Tinsley, genuinely glad that she had chosen to take her advice. "Yes, you do that. I'll shoot you a text later tonight."

Tinsley slowly started to walk back into the main foot traffic, flashing Scarlett a thumbs up before fully turning and heading back in the direction of the coffee shop where she worked.

No longer just a paradox. A clumsy one.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Heyyyy guys, a little bit of a short chapter but I hope you still like it! Don't forget to like and comment, it really gives me motivation! Love - A