1.

As the sun warmed away the chill of the night, Ayesha threw open her windows and leaned on the sill to watch the town below her. Her new home. Well, what she hoped she could turn to home. Every other place she had been before always felt like home at first, until she became restless, bored, lost, and then, moving would feel like the best reprieve for a place she believed would be more permanent. She didn't want that to happen here. Watford felt different.

And to start her day, she had an entire list of items to pick up from the market. So she brushed her teeth, showered under bone-chilling water--she needed to get the heater fixed--and ran a comb through her hair. As she dressed, and hurried out of her room, she snatched her keys from the bowl she usually kept them in, and pulled the shopping list off the fridge, reading it briefly before stuffing it in her bag and heading out.

A few appraising eyes swung her way as she stepped out, one of them she recognised as the man who had helped with the moving in when she first arrived. She threw the group a smile and a small wave as she walked past, but didn't stop for small talk. She had a lot to do, so socializing would have to wait until the evening.

Everything went smoothly until she was rounding up her final errand. After a call to Joseph, her roommate, she stopped to buy some fruits for the house. Under the scorching heat, Ayesha stood beneath the umbrella of one of the stalls inside the marketplace. She examined the oranges, squeezing them to check if they were ripe enough and filled with water. She missed having a cold glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning.

"That would be 10 pounds." The store owner spoke while packing the fruits she selected away.

"Thanks."

She walked to the parking lot, hoisting one bag over her shoulder as she held the other against her hip. She had spent the entire afternoon shopping for groceries for her new apartment. After moving in the day before, there was nothing more than the bare necessities in the fridge. Water, butter and some eggs.

The apartment needed to feel more like home. The fridge needed fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, onions, and garlic. She had gotten enough for the day. It was a start. Now, the fridge would look vibrant and alive. Maybe later in the evening, she'd find a store to buy nicknacks to decorate the shelves and tables.

She looked towards the road, wondering aloud, "I probably should call an Uber."

A car revved, and she spun around to see it reversing towards her. Ayshea yelped, trying to back away, but wasn't swift enough. The vehicle jerked back, slamming against her hard and knocked her down. Her bags crashed beside her as she fell to the ground with a long, loud groan of pain. Pain reverberated through her arm and side.

She groaned, trying to stand, when she heard a door slam. "My arm."

"I am sorry. Oh no. I am so sorry. Are you alright?" A man approached her.

He held her shoulders to hold her still and looked over her. Their eyes met, his filled with worry and hers heavy with anger. He had nearly killed her. Who reversed without looking at their mirrors.

Ayesha exploded. "Watch the road when you drive. Are you crazy? You could have killed me."

"I didn't see you. I am so sorry."

He looked horrified and worried as he helped her sit up and began to dust off her shirt and jean shorts. He asked her how she was and if she was hurt, but Ayesha only had eyes for the bags on the pavement, their contents scattered around her on the floor. Her oranges were rolling away.

"What's your name?" He asked as he touched her chin to turn her eyes back to him.

"Ayesha."

"Ayesha, I am Dimitri. It's nice to meet you. I am going to help you get up, okay? I need to check if you are hurt."

"If?" She spat incredulously.

What a dumb thing to say. Did he think she was made of steel? He rammed into her with his car, a freaking jeep, and wanted to check if she was hurt.

"I am sorry. I want to see how bad it is. Let me help you up."

"No, there is no need. I need to get my things."

She tried to protest, but Dimitri wasn't listening. He braced his large hands around her hip to pull her up, narrating his every move to her before he carried them out. He must have thought she was still in shock since she hadn't said more than two words to him after her initial outburst.

Painstakingly, she set her hand on his shoulder, wincing at the scratches on her arm and leg as he got her to her feet. He offered to carry her, but she put her foot down against it. His car wasn't too far behind. So, they limped towards it, with him resting her weight against him. He lifted the trunk of his car, a strong hand still handed around her waist and helped her sit inside. The car was to high for her to easily jump on with her bruises, so without a word he lifted her to sit in the boot.

"Really, there is no need." She muttered, noticing the suitcases.

"Your arm is bleeding quite a bit."

Ayesha frowned, turning her arm around and wincing when she saw the blood meandering from her elbow to her wrist. He slipped the strap of her backpack off and set it aside.

"That doesn't look too good." She murmured, still looking at her bleeding arm.

"No, it doesn't. Just let me clean you up."

"My bags. Please, my bags." She urgently tried to stand, noticing her groceries again.

"Don't!"

"No. My stuff. I need to..."

"Don't!" He warned, using his body to keep her from getting up. "Stay there. I'll get them for you."

Dimitri rushed to pick them up from the road. He looked ridiculous, squatting low to pick the things that fell out and chasing a rouge orange down the lot. Once everything was caught, and he had served as enough entertainment to evaporate most of her anger, he returned and set the bags closer to his car.

Not wasting any more time, he grabbed a bottle of water from the front seat and a towel. He poured a little water on the towel and lifted her arm by the wrist. Carefully, he began to wipe the blood off her arm.

"Tell me if it hurts. I'd be gentle."

Ayesha stilled herself against the burn while he cleaned the wound, murmuring his apologies anytime she flinched or reacted in discomfort.

As the shock of what happened began to subside, Ayesha began to feel the pain ricocheting around her body. Her legs ached, her arms felt itchy from the scratches, and her ankle felt strange as if she had twisted it at some point.

She wore a white off-shoulder blouse, so a good portion of her shoulder had been scraped when she fell. When Dimitri finished with the scrapes on her elbow, he dampened the towel again and started cleaning the specks of blood on her shoulder.

He leaned closer, bringing his face closer to her neck as he worked.

Ayesha took a second to look at him from the side of her eye. The sweatshirt he wore was bunched up to his elbows, exposing his forearms. He had very veiny forearms. She stared down at it as Dimitri continued attending to her scrape. Maybe it was the passing shock, but she found him strikingly handsome. The jet-black setting of his hair was a compliment to his ivory skin tone. But at some angles, his hair managed to appear brown. He had a strong jaw and dimpled cheeks. It surprised her that she could see them even with the hard set of his face.

He didn't seem to notice her assessment. His mouth was pressed thin, his eyes intensely focused on the task of getting her clean. It gave her the freedom to look so she did.

He reached around her to push some of the hair away from her back. The tips of his fingers scraped over her skin before she felt the cool touch of the towel. His breath fanned across her neck when he exhaled through his mouth. She gasped as goosebumps broke over her skin and tore her thoughts out of the clouds, sharply turning away to look at anything but Dimitri's face.

"Sorry." She heard him say and felt his touch fall away. "Did I hurt you? Was that too hard?"

"No. Sorry."

"Don't apologize."

His smile was sweet, and it brightened his dark grey eyes. If it was even possible, the crater in his cheeks deepened even more. Ayesha tried not to stare, looking away when she caught herself doing so. Unsettled by the sudden attraction to the stranger who, apologetic or not, almost ran her over.

"How's your leg?" He softly asked.

"Fine." She lied. "You don't need to worry about that."

It was time to get back to her day, but he didn't get the memo. Dimitri's eyes were still focused on her shoes.

"It won't take long. Let me have a look at it just make sure nothings sprained."

Her eyes followed him as he went on one knee. As he had done since getting her on her feet, he narrated everything he was about to do. His warm hand cupped the back of her leg and lifted it a little as he lowered his eyes to inspect the cut. Despite the hardness of his palm, he handled her with care.

"You a doctor?"

He glanced up, that Cheshire grin returning to his face. "Not in the slightest."

"Then how do you know what you're doing?"

"Learnt a little something here and there." He turned her feet right then left, watching her expression for clues. "Like how people are encouraged to know CPR. I think it's good to also be able to treat minor wounds and acertain when a bone is sprained or broken."

She licked her lips nervously, and caught a few interested glances turned their way when she looked around. Embarrassed, she raised her leg and brushed his inquisitive fingers aside.

"Maybe I should take you to the hospital."

"No. No. I-I think I am better now. It's just a few scrapes. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Does anything feel broken?"

A smooth eyebrow arched at his question. "You should tell me, doctor."

"Nothing feels broken, but I still think you should get checked out. Let me get you to the hospital and have a doctor look at you. You might have hurt yourself more than you think."

"It all feels fine. Your assessment is right. I have to get going."

"Are you sure?"

"There is no need for a hospital." She rushed to add, forgetting herself for a second as she tried to step down from the car. Pain ricocheted up her leg almost immediately, she grabbed his arm when he stepped close to catch her.

"Okay, no hospital."

He chuckled when she yelped from pain, his hands bracing against her hips to prevent her from taking another step. He gently lifted her back up to sit where she was. For a moment, her nose brushed against his shirt and his perfume settled in her nose. It was simple, not overwhelming. Was it odd that she liked that?

He sighed, clearly frustrated with her stubbornness, but as he was the one to run into her, she chucked it up to his penance. She stared at her ankle, twisting it to check if the soreness was still there.

"How does it feel?"

"I'll be fine." She insisted.

"Sure. If you don't want a hospital, let me drive you to where you are headed."

"No. There is no need."

"Please let me drive you. It's no trouble at all." He urged, helping her step down. With his arm on her shoulder, he steered her towards the passenger side of his car. "It will be my apology for hitting you."

Ayesha managed a smile and a nod. She had a feeling he wouldn't let her go otherwise. He opened the door and held her arm gently as she climbed in, biting back a moan of discomfort when a shot of pain spread through her leg. Their eyes met and she ignored the teasing glance towards her ankle.

"Don't even dream about it, buddy."

Dimitri smiled and left to pick up her bags from the side of the car. He placed them in the back seat and went back to slam the trunk shut. Ayesha took the time to look around. Every surface of the interior was polished to a shine. It smelled like fresh flowers and new leather at the same time. The radio was on and playing smooth jazz music on a volume so turned low, she needed to listen intently to notice.

The door opened, and he slid into his seat, jutting his chin at her. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes." She looked around with a smile. "Your car is nice."

He smiled back. "Thank you. I am glad you can appreciate it."

"Seeing as it nearly killed me?"

He nervously grinned. "Yeah."

For whatever reason, she couldn't stop herself from talking more. "It's very spacious and big."

Dimitri looked around the car, too, as he revved the engine. He shook his head and said, "No. You're just small."

She gasped, and he laughed even harder.

"Right. Where to?"

"MPL Apartments." She huffed, acting offended, which only made him smile more. "Town centre."

"Seatbelt."

"Ah, yes." She grabbed it and pulled it tight across her chest. "With the way you drive, I definitely need this."

He laughed again. "You caught me on an off day."

"Right."

As he joined the road, Ayesha remembered the suitcases in the back of the car and looked at him.

"You don't have to do this. You can drop me off at the nearest bus terminal. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Not really."

"I noticed the suitcases. I thought maybe you had a flight to catch. If you do, please you can stop at a bus stop nearby, and I'll take a taxi. I am fine, truly."

"I am not travelling." He assured her calmly. "I just got into town. There's no flight to catch, so don't worry."

"Oh." She looked out the window at the street.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." She looked at him, and he winked.

She chuckled and nodded, relaxing into the seat. He drove her to her apartment as promised without any directions, she noticed. After he parked, he got down quickly and made the rounds to her door to help her out as well.

Ayesha took his hand, thanking him as he helped her down. She waited beside the car for him to get her bags out of the backseat, but when she tried to reach for them, he made no move to hand them over.

"Let me help you take them."

"No." She shook her head sternly, taking the bags from him. "You have done enough for me already by taking me home."

"But your leg and your arm."

"Scrapes. Nothing I can't handle. You've already taken care of most of it."

"You are sure you don't want me to help you with the bags?"

"No. There is no need. I live with someone. I'll call him to help me. You have repaid your debt with me."

Dimitri looked up at the buildings and finally stepped back. "Alright. Take care of yourself. And once again, I am deeply sorry."

"It's alright. Truly. And thanks for the ride."

She waved at him, and he returned the gesture before sitting in his car.

Ayesha watched until he drove far away enough. She reached for the bags and picked them up even as her arm protested. The bashful smile remained on her lips. She started walking to the front door. Then, she gasped in shock, spinning quickly to look back at the road he had driven down on.

"Wait!" She screamed to no one. He was already gone.

Her backpack. She left her backpack in his car.