Her Breath Caught In Her Throat

They have already reached the outside of the building. The man still held her hand absentmindedly.

"Ahemm.." She cleared her throat and glanced at their hands.

"Oh." The man let go of her hand regretfully.

"Thanks for playing along." Diana offered a small smile.

"Do I at least get to know your name?" The man inquired with a lopsided smile.

Diana chuckled and offered her hand to shake. "Diana"

"A pleasure to meet you, Diana, I'm Lucas." He shook her hand with his, flashing his pearly white teeth.

"Pleasure is all mine," Diana replied, crinkling her nose. Lucas found the mannerism cute.

"Who would have thought I would be someone's knight in shining armor." He grinned.

"That's a stretch--" She snorted.

'This guy is easy to talk to.' Diana contemplated.

"Alright. Thanks again. Have a good night." Diana turned to leave.

"Wait!" Lucas stopped her. "Can I add you in Chatify?"

Chatify is a trending social media app in today's generation. It allows you to call, text, video call, send stickers, send payments, follow trending news and do live videos.

Diana raised her eyebrow. She looked at the man in front of her, contemplating whether she should add him.

Actually, there was no harm in adding him.

She doesn't have to reply to him. She doesn't have an obligation to start anything with him either.

After a while, she took her phone from her handbag. Opened a QR code and let him scan it.

"Where are you heading? I can drop you off." He offered.

"Sorry. But we've just met. I don't feel comfortable riding in a stranger's car." Diana reasoned.

"I understand." He nodded. "But isn't it the same if you will ride a taxi?"

'Damn. He got a point there.'

Suddenly, she had an idea. She could send her GPS to her roommate so she knows her location in real-time. 'Just in case.'

"Alright then. Sorry to trouble you."

Lucas saw her tap her phone a few times to what looked like a map.

'This woman is cautious. That was actually a smart move.'

Lucas opened the door for her.

In the Driver's seat, Kyle Murphy saw his boss outside and was about to open the door for him when his boss opened the door for a woman. He then shot him a look, forcing him to remain in his seat.

Lucas sat next to Diana in the back seat.

"Your address?"

She told them her destination.

The ride to her apartment was quiet. Diana couldn't think of anything to talk about with Lucas.

What should she talk about? About her pretending to have a boyfriend? On top of that, to involve Lucas of all people.

Speaking of which, this man is unbelievably gorgeous. He looked like a celebrity. No, even those celebrities can't be compared to him. His figure is tall and lean, his hairstyle a high fade haircut with the side-parted. His hand is bigger compared to hers. His long fingers are not tapping his knee, while his other hand holds his phone, scrolling. The brightness from his phone illuminates his facial features. Long eyelashes, perfect eyebrows pressed together into a frown, his nose elegantly straight, his lips had a tint from when he was kissing her not long ago. His eyelids were halfway closed when their faces were only inches apart but she can still remember that his eyes were as dark as the night sky.

At this thought, her cheeks and ears flushed red. Her breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes in humiliation. Her hands-on her thighs clenched into fists, the whites on her knuckles could be seen. If she was alone right now, she would have hit her head a couple of times for even daring to put up an act.

Noticing her stiff posture, Lucas turned his attention to her after reading the e-mail his Assistant sent him. "Is something wrong?"

Hearing his cool voice in the car is like dumping cold water on her body, she snapped out of her self-berating.

"Umm--N-no. Nothing's wrong." She stammered. She bit her lip, trying to control her nervousness.

He wasn't convinced. Thinking back on the situation earlier, he could guess that Diana is on bad terms with those people.

'If she's being bullied, she should find a way to get out of that situation. But how could I help her with my own capacity?.. A job? What does she even do? But does she really need it? She seems to be closely acquainted with the people who organized the party.'

'Never mind. If she would even need help, then why not?'

Without a second thought, he gave her his business card, which she took and kept inside her handbag, not really reading what's written on it.

"Don't hesitate to contact me. Perhaps I'll be of help in some way." His voice was reassuring.

Diana was conflicted. 'How could this man assure me with just a few words?'

She didn't take his words seriously. They were still strangers to each other.

How could a stranger give her a sense of assurance when her own family couldn't even do so?

It was simply unimaginable.

Which is why she didn't dare take it to heart. She didn't want to be disappointed in the end. Tonight was only a passing encounter. It would be a miracle if their paths would cross again.

She bid farewell and said her thanks when they reached her apartment. She hurriedly left, already thinking of hiding under her blanket and smothering her flushed face with her pillow. She was too bold earlier. Walking up towards a stranger and even performing a charade.

She wasn't clear why she did it. Was she at the end of her wits with their crazy accusations? Was she feeling rebellious?

When her lips touched the stranger's, she couldn't explain it in so many words. But all she could acknowledge was the desire she felt at that moment. Desire that she never felt with anybody else before. And because of that, she wanted to dig a deep hole and bury herself in embarrassment.

Lucas's car drove away.

Outside of her apartment's door, her phone rang. She answered immediately.

"Y-you…" The woman on the other end started, stammering. Her anger could be felt all the way through the other line.

Diana steeled herself.