The Golden Rule 2: The One That Got Away

The Offer

Marco let out a long breath as he closed the door after Alec left.

The man was annoyingly nosy and noisy, a lethal combination in a person.

He walked to the bathroom cupboard and took out a first aid kit. He also went to grab some towel and warm water and carried everything to the guest room where Ari was soundly sleeping.

He put down the basin of warm water on the night stand and placed the kit beside him on the bed.

He let out a quiet a sigh and stared down Ari's sleeping figure.

He has never tended anyone's wounds before. Hell, he has never attended to anyone. He was always the one being cared for and not the other way round.

So what the fuck was he doing in there? Better yet, what the hell came over him that he impulsively took Ari home?!

This is insane.

Shaking his head to clear away away his thoughts, Marco folded the sleeves of his shirt and pushed them up his arms. Ignoring the inner battle raging inside his head, he dipped the towel in the warm water and then squeezed the liquid off it. Very gently, he wiped the dirt off Ari's face making sure he didn't touch any of her wounds.

When he was done, he quickly took the first aid kit and started tending to her bruises and wounds.

He couldn't decide wether to change her into fresh clothes or not. He recalled how Ari was so frightened of him in the hospital and he was certain she wouldn't like the idea of him changing her.

Deciding against it, Marco covered Ari with the comforters instead. He was spreading it evenly over her body when her eyes suddenly opened.

Marco froze and quickly pushed himself off the bed in case she started to freak out again. She stared at him, unblinking. He didn't know if he should speak or not.

But the decision was made for him when Ari slowly closed her eyes and shifted to her side. She was snoring in seconds.

Marco let out a silent sigh of relief. He knew he should leave the room and let her be but he found himself staring at the back of Ari's head, a mix of emotions in his chest.

If he didn't meddle in her life, she wouldn't have been in this situation. He thought guiltily. It was his fault why she ended up homeless and sleeping in that horrible place. He could only imagine what she went through with all those cuts and bruises. He was relieved when he didn't find any major wound on her and it didn't seemed like she was hurting anywhere else.

His hands balled into fists angry at the thought of someone hurting Ari. Which kind of bastards would hurt a defenseless woman?

But...maybe he should be making himself pay for what happened to her. If he didn't visit her that night, she wouldn't have been in the hospital and she could have been spared from all this. He thought he sorted everything for Ari - the cafe, the supermarket, the school. But he missed to sort her apartment. He thought he was keeping her safe by keeping her in the hospital. But look where it got her.

Damn it, Marco's nose flared. Why can't she just open up and tell him what happened to her? What was holding her back? Why did her life turn this way?

The sound of his doorbell broke his train of thoughts and Marco quickly glanced at his watch wondering who could be his visitor at this hour.

Switching the lights off, Marco closed Ari's bedroom door and went downstairs to see who his visitor was.

He groaned silently when he saw Marga standing at the other side of the door from the peephole. He was done with women's dramas for the day. The one sleeping upstairs had caused him enough physical and mental stress, he swore he couldn't handle one more.