Ms. Alone and Mr. Lonely

five

Justine stood still as her cheeks felt warm as she heard his voice. She can't help but be entranced by the sound—somehow a mix of somewhat husky and velvety like it was a smooth batter mixed with almonds. Justine snorted at the analogy. But still, she admitted that his voice sounded like a cool breeze that had passed by her, causing the hair on her skin to rise. Her heart was beating profusely as silence engulfed the two of them. Damn, she hated having social anxiety. Feeling the awkwardness sink in, Justin approached the man and kept a meter distance between them. Upon closer inspection, the man has a strong built as his muscles were evident under the glistening sun. The plain white shirt that hugged his figure further supported her claim. Even with the his eyes covered, she can tell that he screamed attractive.

Hearing the man cough to break the silence, he said, "Please don't tell my Mom that I basked under the sun today. Apparently, I'm not allowed to do so because of my eyes." He pointed to his ocular orbs.

Please take care of him, will you? Remembering the words of his mother, panic surged through Justine. "Then we should get you inside! We shouldn't do anything to worsen your condition." She said worriedly.

The man grunted but agreed. He slowly turned his figure to retreat back into his room when Justine noticed the cast on his right leg. He was limping which made Justine fear he will trip on the way back. She hurriedly went to his left side and tapped his left arm which made the man slightly jump in surprise.

"Y-you can lean on me as support. Don't want to see you falling and make things worse." Justine quipped.

The man thanked her and held on to her as both of them slowly but surely passed through the door.

"So . . do you want to sit on your bed or on the couch?" she asked awkwardly.

"Well, since you're tutoring me, let's go to the couch." He replied. Justine silently nodded and guided him towards the couch. Once they reached their destination, she helped him sit down until he was comfortable with his position.

"There are scones and orange juice," she said as she dragged the tray closer to him. The man grabbed one and slowly ate, savoring the taste until Justine saw his lips break into a smile.

"Thank you," the man said. "I'm sorry for burdening you. You really didn't have to help me."
Justine felt her heart drop. Somehow, she felt his words when he mentioned being a burden.

He turned his head left and right trying to sense where she was. "Where are you? Don't tell me you're just standing there? Sit here." He patted the empty space next to him. "Can't tutor me while you're standing, can you?" He chuckled.

Rubbing her hands together, she reluctantly sat next to him, still keeping a safe distance. She heard the man hum in satisfaction.

"Now that we're here, I haven't introduced myself sorry," he scratched the back of his neck. Justine mentally laughed as both mother and son seem to have inherited the trait of forgetting to introduce themselves.

"I'm Noah." He held out his hand.

Justine gladly shook his hand, thankful that he was a decent man and always the first one to speak first so far because god knows how terrible she was at initiating conversations. "I'm Justine."

"Nice to meet you," he flashed her a smile. Although his eyes were bandaged, she can feel his eyes were smiling too. Although they had only exchanged a few words, Justine felt at ease as Noah had not done anything to make the situation unpleasant. She mentally thanked the heavens as she was granted to tutor someone with a genuine personality so far.