7. She Looks Different

After seven hours of working at a restaurant that was always packed with customers, Claire was finally able to go home. She had no choice but to walk to her apartment, since public transportation had stopped running at this hour.

Josh couldn’t give her a ride home tonight, and hailing a taxi—which had passed by several times—wasn’t a good idea, given her dire financial situation. Next time, she would bring her bike, just as Josh had suggested.

Her feet kept moving along Southwest Highway, passing a church and a museum, then turning right into an area filled with tall trees. From here, her feet hesitated to move forward, and she finally stopped in front of another church.

She frowned as she looked around. There were only tall trees and a building next to the church that looked very deserted and frightening to her. She began to waver about where to go, because this was the first time she had walked from her workplace to her apartment.

Several times she kept glancing to the right and left, hoping to see pedestrians as usual, but her hopes were in vain. Steeling her resolve, she decided to walk past the old church building.

She looked at the watch on her left wrist; it was half past ten at night. She muttered under her breath, recalling how she’d had to help her friends clean up the restaurant, which was absolutely filthy, because the place had been absolutely packed with customers.

The sound of footsteps approaching quickly from behind made her both anxious and relieved. She turned around, thinking it might be one of the pedestrians she could ask for help. But what she saw was a man with a thick beard and long hair.

Instinctively, she turned and ran as fast as she could. Her adrenaline spiked, and her heart raced faster than usual, causing her to pant heavily and feel a sharp pain in her chest. The stretch of greenery along the road she was running through felt like an endless, dense forest.

A few moments later, a car speeding toward her sparked a glimmer of hope in her heart. She raised both her hands high and waved them frantically.

“Help me! Over here, help me!” she shouted at the driver, who was getting closer.

But her hands were immediately grabbed from behind, and her body was forcibly turned around. She struggled, hitting the man and screaming for help over and over. Terrifying thoughts kept haunting her.

Her body was growing weak because she hadn’t eaten dinner yet. She had resigned herself to the fact that this stranger would eventually succeed in harming her. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and fear made her body shake violently.

Would she end up on this deserted road tonight? Why did she always find herself in situations like this, no matter where she was?

***

“Miss! Miss, hey, don’t be afraid! I mean you no harm; I just want to return the item you dropped,” the man called out as he blocked Claire’s swiping hand.

The sound of a car door slamming and footsteps running toward them went completely unnoticed by Claire, as she was consumed by her own fear.

“What’s going on here?” asked the driver of the car.

“I just wanted to return this phone to her, but this girl suddenly ran off in fear. I chased after her, and she just kept running faster until I was overwhelmed,” replied the long-haired man as he handed over Claire’s phone.

“Thank you. Next time, get a haircut so you don’t scare people when they see you. You can go.” The driver took the phone and held onto both of Claire’s arms.

“Claire, hey! It’s me, Arsen. Are you okay? Don’t be afraid, you’re safe,” said the driver, who turned out to be Arsen, after the long-haired man had finally walked away from them.

Claire slowly opened her eyes, still gasping for breath. “Arsen? How did you end up here?”

“Do you think I’m that heartless to let a girl go home alone on a night like this? What were you thinking, helping your friends clean the restaurant until late, huh? I lost track of you earlier because you were walking too fast.” Arsen pulled her arm toward his car and pushed her into the passenger seat.

“Next time, don’t go acting all noble by doing things that aren’t your job. Your shift only goes until 8 p.m., and you could’ve just taken a taxi, for God’s sake!” He snapped after getting into the driver’s seat and starting the car.

Claire burst into tears in response. Her body was trembling, and both her hands clutched her college bag tightly. The incident from earlier still terrified her. After all, this wasn’t the first time she’d experienced something like that in her life.

“Claire? Hey, are you okay? Why are you still so scared?” Arsen’s voice sounded panicked beside her.

She nodded, her body still trembling, but then shook her head.

“What? What’s wrong with you? Your reaction seems over the top,” Arsen asked, growing even more panicked.

Claire closed her eyes, ignoring his panic. A few moments later, she opened her eyes and smiled at Arsen.

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about. Can you take me home? I’m really eager to soak in some warm water before bed,” Claire replied cheerfully, a stark contrast to just a few seconds ago.

Arsen opened his mouth; it was clear he was taken aback by Claire’s sudden change in attitude. “But just a moment ago you...”

“Oh, I forgot something. My apartment is at 715 Southwest Huntington Street. I forgot the way because I’m used to taking public transportation,” Claire continued, then gave a little chuckle afterward.

Arsen frowned, dying to ask more about Claire’s seemingly inexplicable change, but he kept driving toward the address she had just mentioned.

“Do you want to stop by? But my apartment is small and nothing special,” Claire offered as a polite gesture once they arrived in front of an old-style apartment building.

“Alright. Besides, my apartment is far away and it’s almost midnight,” Arsen replied casually, surprising Claire—she hadn’t expected him to actually accept her offer.

“Wait! I thought you’d turn me down. Why did you accept it? I was just making small talk,” Claire protested, feeling disappointed by his response.

Arsen just shrugged indifferently before pulling his car into the apartment building’s basement, whose walls were a dull gray and looked old. Reluctantly, Claire led him into the apartment building and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor to reach her own apartment.

Once they arrived and both stepped inside, Arsen looked around. The items decorating the apartment were simple and inexpensive, but the room’s layout looked neat and comfortable. He hadn’t expected to feel so at ease the moment he entered this apartment.

“Have a seat; I’ll make you some hot chocolate,” Claire said as she headed toward the kitchen, which was just a short distance from the living room. Arsen could even see Claire bustling about from there.

A few minutes later, Claire returned with two mugs of hot chocolate and sat on the sofa across from the one where Arsen was sitting.

“Do you live alone?” Arsen asked, since he hadn’t seen anyone else in the apartment.

“Yes. My mother passed away and my father lives in Moscow,” Claire replied, then smiled.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Arsen said, feeling awkward.

“It’s okay,” Claire replied with a sweet smile.

A smile that Arsen was now beginning to really like because it made him smile too. Although that smile looked a little different from the one Claire had given him earlier that afternoon.