You again!

Never in my life have I thought I would be scared only by someone's voice. His aura was dominating which made me gulp. What's more, he called me a little girl when he, himself, looked the same age as mine.

"I am twenty-three," I yelled. "And, I could understand you also must be of the same age." I scoffed. 

When he tried to free his hand from my grip, I held it with both my hands, and shouted “Are you insane?” 

He narrowed his eyebrows, and at the same time, he clenched his jaw. “What did you say?” 

With all my strength, I pulled him back while he looked at me with a serious as well as confused face. “You…” 

I didn’t let him finish his sentence. 

I shouted “I know life is tough but it is not an option. I don’t know what your problem is, but if everyone, who has problems decide to die, then no one will remain on this earth.” 

“Listen…” he pointed his finger at me. 

“Life is precious. Think about your family before you commit suicide.” I tried to put some sense into his head. 

“Suicide?” he scoffed. 

I noticed his serious expression turning into a small smile but it faded in a second. He bent a little to match my height and I noticed how tall he was. Not less than six feet. 

And, did I mention his muscular chest that was revealed as his top two buttons were unfastened? 

“Do I look like a guy, who is thinking to kill himself?” he questioned, raising his eyebrow. 

From head to toe, everything he wore was expensive. A branded watch, shoes, and his black and black clothes. It clarified to me he was not facing any money problems but his soulless look made me feel he must be facing some other problems. 

I mean, who doesn't have problems in life? 

He snapped his finger in front of my eyes as I lost in my thoughts. He said, tugging his lips to a side, “I don’t like killing myself. I prefer killing others.” 

If it was another situation, I would have laughed at his words but the situation was different, I could not feel anything except to be relaxed as no one was dying or attempting suicide. 

With his expressions, I understood he was not trying to kill himself. I said “My mistake! But, anyone would think the same. You stood there as if you were going to jump off the building.” 

He kept looking at me as if I were his prey. I distanced myself from him when he asked in his hoarse voice “What’s your name?” 

“Sorry! Goodbye.” I turned around to leave but he held my hand which sent chills down my spine. Before I could speak, I was pulled by him, and the next thing I noticed was how close his face was to me. 

“W-what…” 

“SE-RE-NA!” he spoke out loud after seeing my name tag on the coat. “If someone asks you something, you should answer. Especially, to people like me. Do you understand?” 

“The hell!” I gritted. I glared at him after I freed myself from his hold. “And, if someone doesn’t answer, you better don’t force them. Do you understand?” 

I couldn’t decipher his emotions. His eyes were warning me but he didn’t seem to be angry. 

Creepy guy! 

Again, I turned around and started to leave. My walk was halted when he shouted “Selena!” 

I gritted my teeth. Without turning back, I said “It’s Serena. Not Selena.” 

I could feel him coming closer to me and before I could take one more step, he whispered into my ear “Not everyone, who stands at the edge is suicidal. There are monsters, who enjoy standing near death. And, be careful with your words next time.” 

Next time? There would never be next time. I thought.

I rolled my eyes and walked away without even looking at him one last time. 

____ 

My messy long brown hair, tired face, and my not-so-perfect figure, always made me feel insecure about my looks. Though I rarely cared about myself, sometimes I felt ugly when I looked at myself in the mirror. 

Quickly, I combed my hair and walked away from the mirror. I had more things to do instead of focusing on my cannot-be-changed beauty. Plastic surgery was the only option I could think of.

The first thing I heard as soon as I reached the hospital was the patient had left. Though I had no relationship with him, it angered me so much.

“Did he tell you anything before he left?” I asked the nurse. 

“No!” She replied. “He didn’t even consult us before he was leaving. It seems he left just a few minutes back as I checked on him ten minutes ago.” She took a pause. “I can understand he has issues with family members but I never thought he would leave without informing you. Please complete other formalities otherwise we would be in big trouble.” 

I lied to them when I joined him in the hospital. I told them we were distant relatives only to avoid unnecessary questions. 

“Thank you,” I said, took his discharge sheet, and walked out. 

As I raised my head, all I could see was darkness consuming the sky. On the night of a weekend, when everyone was partying, I went to the hospital only to get frustrated. I spent my time and my money on someone unknown but he couldn’t even show his gratitude to me. 

Whatever, it was for my best. What if something serious had happened to him when he was staying at the hospital? It might have put me into serious trouble. 

As I kept walking to reach my house, I saw Mira hanging out with her boyfriend. I waved my hand at her but I stopped myself from doing it as I realized she would invite me to join them, which I couldn’t afford, especially after I spent almost all my monthly salary on a stranger. When I was about to leave, I heard her voice “Serena!” 

I bit my lips and let out a sigh before I smiled at her. As expected, they invited me to join them. Even though I made a thousand excuses, they wouldn’t let me go, and I gave in. 

“We are planning to go to the pub tomorrow. You should come with us.” Mira said. 

When I was about to say ‘Yes’, my wallet laughed at me. 

“Some other time,” I said. 

After having only a cold coffee, I left without staying for more time as it was getting late. I loved their pair. The way he was showing his affection towards her made me wonder how it would be to be in a sweet relationship like theirs. 

I came out of my thoughts and I flinched when I heard a loud thud. It sounded as if a heavy drum fell. I looked around, frightened, and after I realized I was the only one in the street, my fear multiplied that increased my pace. 

As I took a turn, I bumped into a guy that made me lose my balance but before I could touch the ground, a pair of hands grabbed me. 

“You again!”