A STRANGER'S PROPOSAL

I tensed more, unaware of what he was doing or why I was reacting that way to the mere stranger.

And then, his lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “That was swift. I should get hurt more often if you will always come to my aid.”

I faintly chuckled at that silly joke. “I will not always be there to attend to you, sir. And neither am I always like this, going around causing accidents.”

He smiled. “Well, I just wanted to say thank you. You indeed have the hands of a surgeon.”

His voice was soothing, touching my heart. The sweet moment was short-lived, though, as I snapped back to the words of my cheating boyfriend. I frowned immediately, pain taking over me again. A biting pain swept into my heart, conjuring a sorrowful, sarcastic grin.

I bit back the pain. “Well, not according to that cheating asshole boyfriend of mine.” I swallowed hard. The pain was still so fresh no matter how much I wanted to convince myself that his words did not matter.

His eyes darkened, not with pity or anger, but something else altogether. Something deep enough to pull me into them, have me scouring for what lay in those dark brown eyes.

He leaned towards me and slightly pinched my chin, forcing me to abandon my mission of searching his eyes. “Well, cheaters are nothing but bloody liars, Doctor Chubby Cheeks. You shouldn’t let the words of such people get to you.”

My cheeks flushed red, and my whole chubby face turned cherry-red. Beneath it lay a warm smile of gratitude.

The man continued, “Don’t believe that cheating asshole, whoever he is. Trust me, these magical hands,” he paused, lifted my hands, and kissed each on the palm before enveloping them back into his again. “These gentle hands were exceptionally made for an OR. I could tell that for a fact through every touch.”

Ahem!

How sweet of the stranger to praise me like I had never been praised before! And it was not just his words, but the sincerity in his voice and his eyes that melted me down like ice cream under the scorching summer sun.

Our eyes locked once more, and the tension between us turned into a consuming fire. Before I knew it, I had magically leaned in so close that my lips hovered just inches from his. The pull was so strong, something I could not fight.

I didn’t want to fight it.

Our eyes sought each other, but not for long before I crashed my lips on his and kissed him tenderly, as if thanking him for his compliment. It was as if he had said something that I had wished to hear from someone my entire life.

Or maybe he really had.

My very own mother never believed in me either. She always believed I had big, stupid dreams that a poor girl like me could never achieve. After high school, she signed me off for marriage with an older, rich man.

When I refused to be traded like a useless commodity, she heartlessly disowned me, and I had to start my life in the streets and hustle for my survival. Since then, I vowed to myself that if fate ever allows me to cross paths with that woman again, I will have achieved it all, everything she said I could not. That is why I never let anything, not even my boyfriend’s mistrust, make me lose my focus. And nobody would.

The kiss felt impulsive, fueled by anger, heartbreak, and something I could not quite decipher. And he didn’t waste any time either. He welcomed the kiss with the same passion, his mighty hands finding my waist and pulling me closer, enveloping me in his warm and possessive embrace.

The dance of the tongues took longer than I would have thought but felt sweeter than anything I had ever tasted. It felt possessive, as if the stranger was marking me, claiming me.

When we finally pulled apart, we were breathless. Our foreheads rested against each other for a moment as we steadied our breathing.

‘Wow, Leylla! You find your boyfriend screwing your best friend, and then you kiss a random stranger the next second. Well done. This is how decent ladies behave, right?’ My mind mocked me.

Shit!

I snapped back to the reality of what I had done. From breaking the man’s car, injuring him, and now kissing him? I tried shaking him off, but he held me steady, not letting me go.

“I am sorry, sir. Please…”

“For what exactly, my sweet, chubby doc?” He cut me off, licking the taste of my kiss from his lips.

My! My! My!

That spot throbbed between my legs as I watched him do that. Damn! I really wanted him to lick his lips once more.

“Sorry? For breaking my car window or for the cut?”

I hung my head in befuddlement. What about the most recent misconduct from me? Why was he forgetting that? I mean, the kiss…

“For everything,” I said, swallowing hard at the awkwardness and the heat that was bubbling between us.

He smirked, and then his expression turned cold all of a sudden. His grip on my waist tightened, possessing me with a force that I could not defy. He pulled me closer, leaving not even a tiny gap between us. I let out a soft moan as my chest collided with his.

“You shouldn’t be sorry for this.” He cupped my right cheek and planted a long, hungry kiss on my lips.

I froze, but I didn’t fight it either. My hands rested on his chest as if I wanted to push him away but could not. Or maybe, as if I was trying to hold him still.

“Listen,” he said when he pulled away, wiping my lower lip with his thumb and licking it after, a gesture that made my entire body burn.

That throb between my legs increased.

“I will give you two options. You either go home and weep over your unworthy, cheating asshole of an ex-boyfriend, or you can come with me, and we can make an unforgettable memory. It may not take away the pain entirely, but I promise it will be something that you will never regret, Doc Chubby Cheeks.”

My cheeks turned red, and my breath hitched.

Was that a call for sex?

A one-night stand or something?

With a man older than me?

Looking at the man, he seemed to be in his mid-40s. And I was, what? 29. The gap, though… But that fire that was threatening to consume me made me blur the gap for a moment.

But I still remained hesitant.

Finding my boyfriend screwing my best friend was crazy, but everything that was happening between me and the stranger was the craziest thing I could imagine. He let go of me and opened the passenger door, leaving it wide open while his gaze sought mine.

I stood there for a minute, frozen, battling with my wild thoughts. “I am waiting, Doc. What will it be? Cry your soul out for an asshole who is not worth your tears, or come with me and forget the pain.” His words echoed in my head, and like magic, they walked my legs towards the open door, and I parked myself inside the car.

The door slammed shut, and the man walked to the driver’s side and sat behind the wheel, a smile planted on his lips as he ignited the engine. As if he had won a jackpot.

And me, even at that moment when the car started moving, I could not believe that I was knowingly and willingly following a total stranger just for a tumble!

Like, really?

Where were my morals?