Monique Found A Stranger On My Bed.

Ashley's point of view

>The Next Morning<

My eyes shot open, and I sprang up at once in fright as I heard a blood-curdling scream pierce through my ears. My heart pounded in my chest, and my mind raced with thoughts of danger lurking nearby. I frantically searched the room, desperately trying to locate the source of such a terrifying sound.

But as my eyes darted around the room, my fear quickly dissipated when I realized it was just Monique.

Relief washed over me, and I placed my trembling right hand on my chest, feeling my heart slowly return to its regular rhythm. I let out a sigh, grateful that it was only Monique and not something more sinister.

“You scared the living daylights out of me, Monique” I chided her, my voice still trembling slightly from the adrenaline rush.

Monique's once widened eyes narrowed at my words, and she averted her gaze from me towards my bed. Another scream escaped her lips, louder and more piercing than before.

“WHAT THE HELL IS A STRANGE MAN DOING ON YOUR BED?!”

Confusion etched itself onto my face as I furrowed my brows and let my eyes follow her gaze. There, lying on my small bed, was a man covered in bandages, peacefully sleeping as if nothing were amiss. My mind raced once again, trying to make sense of the situation. How did he get here? Who is he?

Lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, I struggled to recall the events of the previous night. Memories came crashing back to me like a tidal wave, and I gasped, realization hitting me like a ton of bricks – Jesus Christ, I wasn't planning on letting Monique see him here.

“DON'T TELL ME YOU DIDN'T COME HOME LAST NIGHT BECAUSE YOU WERE BANGING THIS…"

I didn't let her finish her words before slamming my hand on her mouth, muffling whatever she wanted to say.

“Bang him?” I frowned as I nodded at the man's injuries. “He's wounded for God’s sake, I'm not as selfish as that” I clarified in a hushed voice, trying not to disturb the man's sleep.

“Oh” she whispered as her senses finally came back to normal.

She slapped my hand away from her mouth, and threw a nasty glare at me, then averted the glare towards the strange man.

“You've got some explaining to do. Who is he? What happened to him? And how did he end up on your bed?”

“I'll explain, but let's go over there” I glanced at the man, to make sure he's still sleeping. “We shouldn't disturb him”

She glared daggers at him for a moment, before nodding in agreement. “Fine”

********

“Start talking” Monique commanded sassily, her eyes threatening me to tell the truth. We're currently at a few feet away from the sleeping man.

I took a deep breath, and briefly ran my fingers through my messy hair, then began to tell her everything. I told her how I had met him outside my café, his clothes soaked in blood, and how I had made the split-second decision to help him.

Although, Monique kept quiet, and her gaze was fixed on me as she listened carefully to my explanation. But judging from her expression, I could tell she wasn't pleased.

“So, in conclusion,” she said, nodding towards the man lying there. “You know nothing about him, right?”

“Huh…" I hesitated because I had no words to defend myself.

Her frustration boiled over, and she punched the wall in front of us – not to the extent of hurting herself, though. She then held her face in her palms, letting out a frustrated sigh. I could see the mix of anger and protectiveness in her eyes as she spoke.

“What is wrong with you, girl? Do you even think before doing anything?”

“I… I was just trying to help…"

“Trying to help my ass” she cut me off angrily. “It's good to be kind, but do you know that sometimes our kindness isn't justifiable? Do you know who that man might be? What if he's some kind of criminal who's trying to escape punishment? Do you know what danger helping this man might bring to you?”

I mentally rolled my eyes. Of course, I know she is right, and I have also thought of these possibilities, but I can't just leave him to die when I know I can help him.

“I understand your concerns, Monique, but what if he's an innocent man? What if he's just a victim of circumstance? We can't jump to conclusions without knowing the full story.” I tried to reason with her, but it seemed like she wasn't having any of it.

“That's precisely my point, Ashley! We don't know anything about him. You can't risk your safety for someone you don't even know. It's reckless and foolish.”

“But…" she held up her hands to me.

“Listen, we're calling the cops right now” her words pulled me back to consciousness, but I still haven't processed her words yet.

She dragged her purse off her shoulder, she rampaged through for a moment and pulled out her phone.

“Wait, what are you doing?” I asked, my eyes widened in fear when I saw her typing rapidly on her phone.

“I'm calling the cops…"

Her words were left unfinished as I instinctively snatched her phone from her trembling hands. I noticed she had already dialed 911, and without hesitation, I ended the call, deleted the number, and switched off the phone. The room fell into an eerie silence, broken only by our heavy breathing.

“We can't involve the police” I finally spoke.

“We can't involve the police?” I shook my head. “Then what should we do? Keep him here and wait until the police track him to here?”

“Nobody is tracking him to here” I replied.

Her brows raised. “How can you be so sure of that?”

“I took him in, and I'll make sure he isn't tracked back to us”

Her narrowed eyes looked straight in my unbelievably, she's giving me this 'are you crazy?' look.

I sighed and put my hands on her shoulders, as though it will help her calm down.

“You know what?” she didn't respond, but I know she's listening. “Let's just wait until he wakes up, then we can throw him out, and we'll have no business with anymore”

She scoffed as if I just said the most ridiculous thing. “Did you listen to yourself just now?”

“I know I sound ridiculous, but trust me, my instincts said he's not the type to repay kindness with evil”

“You… " she started, but I quickly cut her off, not wanting to hear any more of her nagging.

“Trust me”

She glared at the sleeping man for a while longer, but eventually released a defeated and frustrated sigh.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “But I want him gone by the time I'm back from work” she snarled. I know she must be mentally saying I'm hopeless.

“Hm” was all I managed to respond with.

I gave her a very brief hug with a warm kiss on her cheek, and watched her stormed out of the room, I watched her go with a mix of relief and apprehension. Damn, Monique could be scary sometimes.

But honestly, I hope this gesture of kindness won't get me in trouble, I already have a lot on my plate with Nike's murder case.