I chew on the inside of my cheek, wondering for a split second if I am going to regret not telling him what I saw earlier. He doesn't seem to believe me.
Finally, I hear the sound of boots hitting the ground, followed by the creaking hinges of the metallic container.
A man far younger than I had initially imagined stepped into the faint street light. His hair was ruffled and the left side of his cheek bore a knuckle-sized bruise. Around his neck were faint, red marks. My brows furrow at the sight, my shoulders tense.
Before I get the chance to ask if he is alright, the man continues.
«Didn't mean to doubt you. You just didn't seem to think before answering.»
Despite his rough appearance, his voice did sound surprisingly smooth. His low tone doesn't seem to fit him, as he couldn't be more than a couple of years older than me. The faint stubble on his jaw matched the raven black color of his hair; so dark it almost looked dark blue whenever he moved under the light.
«Anyway,» he drawls, leaning down and brushing some dust and gravel off his jeans, «some thugs are after me.»
Again, I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. «Haven't seen any,» I instinctively reply.
The man straightens back up and proceeds to look down at me. There is a cut just above his right eye. A faint, dried streak of blood runs down the edge of his brow as he raises it at me.
He can very well be the victim of whatever assault seemed to have happened earlier. Still, I feel uneasy about the way he approached me so easily. He is certainly calm for a man who looks like he just took a beating.
It is too dark and way too few witnesses on the streets at the moment for me to feel safe talking to him.
My ears pick up louder voices in the distance. The man's eyes flicker in the direction of the noise.
«That's fine,» he mumbles back to me. Though his eyes are hard, he smiles easily as he looks back at me. Unhesitating, he reaches forward and pats me on my shoulder before lightly pushing me in the opposite direction of the approaching voices.
«Let's go to your place for now. We can't talk here.»
I nudge his hand away and defensively put my hands up in front of me to create some distance between us. My legs fumble as I rear away from the man. «Get away from me, please.»
The man sighs as if my reaction was expected.
«They're gonna kill me if they catch up. You'll be sure to get it too.»
I look back at the man, baffled.
What did he just say?
«What the hell? I have nothing to do with... whatever this is,» I gesture to his rugged appearance in confusion.
«You do now,» he answered easily. «If you get caught with me, they won't let you go. And I'm gonna be sticking to you like glue. Now, hurry up and help me out here.»
I'm left speechless as the man taps on my phone. The digital map lights up.
«This your address? Great, I know where it is. Let's go.»
YOU ARE READING
Blessing in Disguise
RomanceWhen moving to the big city for university, Valerie didn't expect to get robbed on her first day in her new apartment. She also didn't expect the robber to be her new classmate. ...
