Taesha's POV
The ride was quiet. Even the music he listens to sounds strange as it plays in the background. Whoever the artist was, they were singing in a foreign tongue. I kept silent. I had zero interest in him or his music. I busied myself, trying desperately to get my phone to power up. So I could call my friend Cameron and let her know what has happened to me. But don't think I wasn't keeping my eyes discreetly on the stranger with the peculiar eyes for a minute.
'Oooh! It can't be happening this way! My head drops in despair. Thinking about leaving my brand-new wrecked car behind was heartbreaking. I've been driving since I was sixteen years old and have never gotten into a wreck until now! I spent a lifetime avoiding dangerous situations like the one I'm in tonight!
I glance down, and I'm barefoot like a fool! I don't have any shoes on my feet! Is that why he made me take my shoes off so I couldn't run away? If that is the case, he is sadly mistaken because if he attempts to get freaky with me, I will jet out of this car while it's moving! Barefoot and all, to get away from him!
Picking my purse off the floor, I begin frantically searching for my can of mace. I never leave my house without a can of mace, and I rarely talk to strangers or make eye contact with people on the street.
Finally, I felt the can in my purse. 'If this man tries something, he's going to wish he didn't.'
He doesn't think I see him sliding those eyes at me, but I see him. Though he's acting like a good Samaritan since our encounter here, who knows, he could very well be an ax murderer! I kept my purse on my lap with my hand inside, gripping the can, ready to spray if he tried anything.
Also, I kept my eyes on the clock in his car. Our ride together was full of awkward silence. It took us fifteen minutes to come to an auto shop. Finally, the bright red sign flashed "closed." I was so disappointed, "No!" I exclaimed. He looked a little disappointed but not as much as me. I sat there pondering my limited options. I had no choice but to take my chances with the stranger as long as I had my can of mace close at hand. I felt I had a fighting chance if he tried something.
Dexter POV
Oh my goodness, I rub the steering wheel. I can see the champagne color of my car on the inside. I see the dashboard and how all the functions are colored-coded. I see a bright light on the clock. And when I occasionally slid my eyes over at the girl, I could see her pretty but agitated face. It didn't make sense to stop driving since the place was closed, so I kept going and requested the next mechanic shop.
But we were going further away from the highway to get her needed help. I had no real complaints because I could see snow for the first time, the colorful signs, the red, green, and yellow traffic lights, and the buildings that weren't covered in snow. Her presence wasn't friendly but having my full vision put me in a good mood to be a good samaritan tonight. What else could I do? I can't drop her off, hoping I don't hear about her the next day on the news.
"Now what?" she asked me in an irritated tone.
Despite her tone, I smile at her, hoping to relax her a bit. Then I point to the screen. "The digital map says there's another auto shop about 20 minutes away."
"Alright, take me there..."
"That's what I'm doing." Silence engulfs the car once more. I clear my throat, looking at her with her hand in her purse. Did she have a gun? Or some weapon? So I proceeded with caution when I asked.
"Do you have a name?" I asked her as we left the small town, heading back on the next dark road. I had hoped a general cordial conversation would help relax and break the silence.
"Taesha."
"How do you spell your name?" She didn't answer me right away. So I said. "Let me take a shot, is it spelled Tayshia?"
"No. It’s T-a-e-s-h-a. Tae-sha Tran. And please don't think about calling me T- n - T. or Tee, tee." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms while keeping one in her purse.
"Mmm... that's interesting."
"What's interesting?" Taesha didn't feel comfortable with him trying to exchange or hold a conversation or get familiar with her.
"You're not going to ask me what my name is?"
"Uhh...yes, pardon my manners. I'm still a little shaken over my car, boots, and all my plans that have gotten blown to oblivion. What's your name?"
"It's Dexter Lee or Lee Dexter"
"Nice to meet you, Dexter Lee." She says, exasperated. Taesha shifted to look out the passenger window watching the snow continue to fall. She's worried about her new car, wondering if the snow is about to swallow it. She couldn't beleive she was in this precarious situation.
I look at her waiting for her to say something next about my name. Since she didn't recognize my face or music when she got in the car, I knew she would pick up on my name. She was stranger than I thought. I'm sure her last and first names have a story because minds certainly do. She catches me staring at her out of the corner of her eye.
Taesha irritatedly adjusted her purse, ready to spray him senseless if he tried anything.
But instead, she turns and boldly looks at him, glaring with narrow slits in her eyes.
I asked her, "was it something I said?" shaking my head in disbelief.
"What?" she says with an attitude toward me.
"You don't realize who…? Forget it. It's not important." I feel slightly offended, thinking, does she live under a rock or something? But quickly, I realized that could be to my advantage as well. If she thinks I'm some regular guy, then I don't have to be as cautious about her trying to expose me to the media. But now I got my work cut out on getting her to be friendly with me. If I don't, this will be the end of me continuing to have my whole vision and being able to find out why and how this is happening.
If the next mechanic shop opens, she will no doubt feel like she no longer needs my assistance and will be ready to leave me. I look at my GPS, and we will be there soon.
Taesha turns her head back toward the window again with her phone. Probably wishing she could call someone so they could come to pick her up at the next stop. I hear her say.
"What a disaster!"
I didn't acknowledge her remark. Here I was, having this incredible experience that I had to keep to myself. And the thought of our encounter ending and me going back into the shadowy darkness. My mind went back to those dangerous thoughts again. I felt unsure of what to do next to make Taesha feel like she needed me by her side.
His Perspective.I have never been in the company of a female who is unphased by my presence. Almost all females are usually intrigued by my appearance or dress style. I'm so used to hearing. "Ah, Dexter baby, I love how you talk and sing, and your music is awesome." I've even had some girls tell me I smell and look good enough to eat. And my scent was irresistible. So I'm perplexed by this girl's lack of interest in me. Her reaction, or lack thereof, is something I've never had happened to me before. I sighed and tightened my grip on the steering wheel to keep frustration from building or making it obvious. I glanced over at her, confounded by the lack of attention toward me. Being in the entertainment industry, I've been in the company of pleather of women most of my life, though not every kind of female. Despite that, I thought I was pretty knowledgeable of girls, regardless of race, creed, and color. But I'm sitting here so perplexed. Why isn't this easier? "What kind of fema
It took Taesha a minute for her to register what he had said. "We?" "Oh, there is no "we" and no us. So soon as Dexter gets back in here, I need to set him straight. So there won't be any confusion." The minute Dexter gets back into the car, Taesha tells him. "I hope you don't think I need you to stay out here with me. I'll be fine. You can go home." "I can go home? I can't head home this time of night. Have you forgotten already about all the road closures? The road that leads to my home is closed. That's how I ended up meeting you. I'm in a predicament like you. Sorry, it looks like we are in this together. You can't go where you were trying to go, and neither can I. The snow is falling too heavy to be on the road trying to make a long-distance trip. It wouldn't be safe or wise for me or anyone to drive out." Taesha sighs. "So, what hotels did the mechanic suggest?" He mentions that a woman named Ms. Henry rents out cabins to overnight travelers about a mile up the mountain.
Dexter had gone completely still as his fingers felt a sizzle from touching her neck. He stared directly at her, liking what he saw. We both stared at one another for a long heated moment with many questions whirling around in our minds. At least I knew I had questions that I positively wanted and needed answers to.Ms. Henry's blue eyes peers at them with a hint of a smile as she clears her throat, watching the powerful attraction right before her eyes between these two. Taesha rolled her eyes at Dexter, giving her attention to Ms. Henry's obvious hint that she was still in the room. "So, was there really an accident?" Ms. Henry asked, looking at the two of them. But before Taesha could respond, she heard him say. Dexter had gone completely still as his fingers felt a sizzle from touching her neck. He stared directly at her, liking what he saw. We both stared at one another for a long heated moment with many questions. "Yes! When I found her on the side of the road, she had hit a
"Good night Ms. Henry and thanks for everything."They both said, waving as they hurried back to the cabin. The snow outside was falling heavier. But once inside, they were now alone under the same roof. Even though Taesha felt exhausted, her nerves wouldn't let her relax. The uneasiness of being alone with a man; on top of that, he was a stranger kept going through her mind. "Is this counted as a one-night stand?' Taesha begins to reflect on her many conversations with her best friend, Cameron. Taesha remembers telling her how she could never have a one-night stand. Well, this is the closes she'll ever come to having one.She watched Dexter remove his long black coat from his slender frame, hanging it on the coat rack. Taesha asks herself, 'what are you doing?' It wasn't the first time she's had to check herself when it came to him tonight. Taesha feels the need to fill the awkward silence. Taesha walked around the cabin, exploring and talking out loud. "It feels so good in here," sh
The following day Dexter begins to stir, feeling uncomfortable. He sits up but with his eyes still closed. He rubs his neck, which had become stiff from lying on the couch. When his eyes finally opened, he got the shock of his life. The shadowy darkness had returned. Everywhere he looked in the cabin was ash-gray. He stood rubbing his eyes, blinking, and then reopening them. But the shadowy darkness remained the same. Finally, he rushed over to the bathroom to look in the mirror. He splashed water on his face several times, rubbing it into his eyes as if to wash the ash gray away! Everything was still that awful ash-gray color! "Why?" Never before has his lack of vision ever bothered him. But for the first time, it bothered him greatly! Dexter had never hated his eye condition in all these twenty-eight years until now. The heat of anger rushed to his head, and immediately, water welled in his eyes; looking in the mirror, he couldn't stop the waterfall of tears from streaming from t
Taesha was quiet. She didn't say anything as she continued to look up at him. Taesha's longingly startled eyes had Dexter thinking about how she must taste like sweet melted chocolate. Lust pounded through him now that he could see her face. He took a good long look at the gorgeous mouth, desiring to taste her lips' sweetness. Dexter lowered his head, and his mouth landed on her soft pink lips. The impact was nothing short of incendiary—the kiss for him, unlike anything he had ever experienced. A moan came from her throat as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Dexter pulled her closer, not caring that she'd feel his instant arousal. Her breasts flattened against his chest as her mouth opened more to his heated tongue. Oh my God. This was the hottest kiss he'd ever experienced, and Dexter has experienced his share of hot kisses. Dexter found himself sinking into her sweetness as Taesha began to withdraw. "Wait, I'm so confused," she said, her voice hoarse and sexy. "Confused abou
Dexter had never driven in broad daylight without his sunglasses on. It was refreshing not to need anything over his eyes and not be affected. He had missed out on all the simple pleasures due to his rare color blindness. His color blindness is not your typical eye disease. Most people may be familiar with the disease, where you see limited colors. It's the one more common in males. Most people don't know that 1 in 12 men are color blind. The men with my rare case suffer in silence and keep it a secret. What most take for granted, like seeing the morning sun and watching the snowfall, are elements he's seeing for the first time.To be out today is perfect for grocery shopping. Once they make it to the store, he looks at Taesha's grocery basket, which consists of candy, ice cream, and junk food. On the other hand, Dexter's basket was filled with necessities like; vegetables, finely cut meats, seafood, bread, eggs, pasta, rice, wine, and other commodities. Taesha takes it upon herself t
The two of them couldn't be more opposites. Once inside the cabin, Taesha tossed her bags on the counter and took out a bag of Reese's pieces bite-size candy. She plops down on the sofa tossing a piece of candy into her mouth. "I'm so tired after all that shopping. I like shopping, but boy, you wore me out! I guess I'm still exhausted from last night's catastrophe!" Dexter also set his bags on the island counter and went to the closet to hang his new clothes first. Next, he took and put his black trench coat on the coat rack. When that was done, he put up the groceries he had brought, which were the necessities for both of them. He also put away Taesha's food and junk items that she conveniently left on the counter. She sat there on the sofa and stared at him in amazement. "I'll give you this much. You can't find too many guys like you, all pampered and bougie, but you don't mind working. What kind of work do you do for a living? From looking at your hands, you probably work for so