Be Attached. Being Attached

IV.

"Wait."

Ali felt Jonah grabbed her wrist.

Annoyed, she looked at him, "What?"

"Uh, actually..." Jonah looked at anywhere but Ali's eyes, "This is my first time in New York. In Manhattan. Well, no. Heck, this is my first time in the United States."

"So?"

"I have no place to go."

"So?"

"I don't have place to stay for two weeks here."

Ali was bored, so she shrugged, "It's not my problem."

"It should be your problem." Ali felt Jonah's hand holding her wrist firmly, "Your friend, Rizha allowed me to stay in her place if I get here but as you can see, she's didn't show up. Instead you, her friend, showed up."

That little bitch, Ali muttered.

"Still not my problem. If you wanna whine about your unfortunate Tinder date, go whine at Rizha not me. Go back to your country. Or go find a cheap motel for all I care. Just go away."

Once again, Ali felt Jonah hand tighten on her wrist, "Let go of me."

"What should I do to make you let me stay at your place?"

"Nothing. It would never happen anyway."

"Come on, this is a fraud, you know. I went to fly all the way here and get nothing."

"Tell me the part where I should care. I don't know you, you don't know me. You could be a terrorist and I could be a serial killer."

Jonah scrutinized his eyes, looking amused, "Cool, we're definitely need to work together."

"What are you talking about?" She later looked at her wrist, "And you should never grip stranger's hand like that."

"We're not strangers anymore." Jonah said but he let her wrist go and he raised his hand instead,

"Jonah Schneider, 19 years old from Hamburg, and you?"

Seriously? Rizha was about to hook up with a freaking 19 years old?

"I know your name. How could I call you 'German boy' if I don't know your name?"

Jonah ignored her, "And your name is?"

"Why would you wanna know my name?"

"For our marriage certificate?" Jonah shrugged like she's asking him the most obvious question.

"What the hell?" Ali snarled as she looked at him.

"I'm joking, okay, girl?" Jonah's hand was still there waiting for her to shake it, "We're going to be a teammates for two weeks. As you can see, I'm not a terrorist and you're absolutely not a serial killer."

"Who knows."

"You're cool, I admit. But not badass enough to be a serial killer." 

Ali glared at him.

"Come on, for two weeks only before I go back to my country. I can't afford a new plane ticket now." His green eyes looked like the cat on Puss in Boots and Ali had a soft spot for furry animals. 

Ali looked hesitated, should her let this kid sleep at her apartment for two weeks? I mean, he's not bad for a 19 years old foreigner. She applauded his courage to come here. She knows plane ticket from Hamburg to New York is not cheap.

What if he's gonna kill you while you're sleeping?

"I'm not, I promised." he answered, shocking Ali that she just said that. "I mean no harm. 100% no harm. You can trust me."

Only two weeks, Rizha better give her one thousand bucks she promised her.

Ali stopped for a while before she welcomed his hand, "Ali Evans."