Chapter 9: Six Years Ago pt. 2

Six Years Ago pt.2: **Her Deep Black Eyes



Rian sat in silence as she stared to the man she has brought home—stranger, is what she calls him.


Back in the restaurant, after mustering up enough courage, she decided to go out and check to know who was that uninvited visitor. After seeing him bleeding, she decided to take him home. She covered his body with her jacket to hide the blood marks on his clothing. After that she called on a taxi passing by and asked the driver to help her carry her drunk friend inside the car. It took all of her energy to carry him from the street to her apartment—she didn't actually carry him as she placed his one arm over her shoulder and his whole body leaning on her. It was more like she was dragging him on his feet.

Looking at him lying on her bed at the moment, a sudden realization dawned on Rian.

"Omg!" She gasped. "Did I just brought home a stranger who might be a criminal, an addict or part of some occult?" Her jaws dropped. "More importantly he was injured, meaning there are people after him." Rian slapped her forehead in dismay. "You're such a fool Rian, no matter how good-looking a person is you can't bring them home so easily."

She was pulled out from her self-reflection when she heard the stranger groan in pain. His wounds were deep. Rian have examined them earlier when she disinfected it—gladly she knows how to conduct first aid and she's got a first aid kid at home. Gladly, she isn't the girly type who is afraid of blood and open flesh.

She touched his forehead by the back of her hand and felt his high temperature. "This is not looking good." His cheeks are also burning from the fever. Rian hurriedly went to the kitchen. She came back holding a basin full of water and a dry towel. She damped the towel and wiped it on the person's face and body—she removed his shirt before treating his injuries leaving his muscular topless body in sight with bandages covering his open wounds in the chest and stomach area.

While tending to him, Rian concurred that he is in his early twenties. He also doesn't look Filipino in her eyes. "You must be a foreigner." Rian deduced as she tucked him in to sleep. She breathed a sigh of relief after comparing his temperature to hers and discovered that it has cooled down to normal already. The frown from his clean-cut face has also faded indicating that he might be feeling a little bit better than before.





**Rian's POV

"Caring for sick person is harder than I thought." I sighed as I slumped on the sofa.

Tonight, I am sleeping in the living room. I can't share a bed(I mean a room) with a man whom I don't where he came from. Who knows? He might just kill me the moment he wakes up while I'm in deep sleep, then my slumber will last forever when that happens. I mean, he's good-looking and all but I can't let my guard down. I don't trust others easily and I don't place my trust based on looks and first impression.

I am really an overthinker. I might not get to sleep peacefully tonight. With all of these on my head, I didn't noticed that the tiredness of my body from work that day automatically seeped into my body the moment I laid my back on the soft cushion shutting my eyes unconsciously.





**Xander's POV

I felt the sunrays hitting my face. As I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. I turned my head and saw a window on my right. It was already morning but the sunshine isn't that strong yet, maybe it's around six or seven.

Someone must have found me passed out on that sidewalk. I thought I wouldn't be able run away from them. Fortunately, there dark alleys around the area that served as a hideout. It's been a whole week since I'm being hunted. Will I be able to come back alive? I was drowning with these thoughts when I remembered that I'm in a stranger's room resting defenselessly.

I observed the room more while lying. It is painted in plain white. Judging from the skin cares displayed above the nightstand on my left, the owner must be a girl plus she might be a student as there were piles of papers and notebooks on her desk. Her room was also a total mess so this might be a dorm or she's living here alone. Just what kind of person did I stumbled in to?

When I had the desire to get up, my body was quickly sent back to bed the moment I tried to raise it from my supine position—the shattering pain came thundering into my body making my face twist in grimace.

"Ughh shit." I groaned in despair and shut my eyes tightly, calming my self. I took a deep breath and tried to get up again—this time, more slowly. The bed creaked as I moved, I looked around and saw no one in the room. I went outside the opened door and the first thing that I saw was a girl lying on the sofa—my guess was right. I stood in front of her a I stared curiously estimating the danger she might pose against me. She's tall and petite, not much of strength can she exert from those slim arms and legs of her.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't noticed that she was already awake. Her eyes rounded in shock as she sprang up. "You're awake" She looked up at me as I stared down at her. She glanced at my body "How do you feel?"

"Much better" I replied. After that, none of us continued the conversation as we stared at each other with snoopy eyes that tries to get pass through one's minds. The air was filled with an awkward silence as she suddenly gasped while looking at the clock.

"Holy shit!" She bursted. "I'm already late!" She exclaimed and hurriedly ran inside her room moving me out of her way. After a few minutes she came out carrying a backpack. She went to the door and frantically grabbed a pair of white rubber shoes and put it on. She was about to go unlock the door when she suddenly turned at me remembering that I was there. "Hey stranger" She called me "I'll come back at 4:00 pm, stay still and wait for me here." And she dashed outside leaving the door open. I was stilled in awe and before I could react I saw her come back at the front door gasping for air as if she forgot something. "And there's food in the ref, eat whatever you want." And just like that, she went again.

I was left alone dumbfounded. I don't know how and what to react to what just happened. I mean how could she talk casually to me like we've known each other? And how could she leave just like that? Leaving a stranger in her house alone, she didn't even introduced herself yet. And this stupid brain of mine just stopped working when I saw her deep black eyes gazing in mine. There was something captivating in her gaze that my eyes unconsciously locked with hers. I was so engrossed that I forget to ask her name, or how she found me and where on earth am I. I don't know what it is but I have a feeling that just like me, her life might not be that ordinary.

I came back to my senses when I heard my stomach grumble in hunger. That right, I haven't had anything since yesterday. I was so busy running away that I didn't even cared to have a meal. Recalling what she said, I rushed to the fridge standing at the corner of the kitchen. I opened it and saw an ample amount of foods sitting on the compartments.

After finishing my breakfast, I sat at the sofa. "What's going to happen now?" I asked my self. "With his resources and number of men, it's only a matter of time before they can find me. I might compromise other people's lives if I stay here for long."





At school, Rian was restless. She kept on thinking about the stranger she left at home. He might not understand what she said before leaving. She just mindlessly left him alone because she was already late for her test. It was a relief that she arrived just before the exams started tho. She ate her lunchbreak with a guilty conscience remembering that he might not be able to move well because of his injury—he needs someone to assist him. She released deep sighs while eating then resumed her classes in the afternoon. She became more fidgety with each passing hour. And when the bell rang it last she didn't waste any time and automatically rushed home.

She was chasing her breath when she slammed open the door and to her surprise, a smell of enticing aroma seeped into her nose. She breathed it in and her mouth watered with excitement. She can hear the crackling of oil in the kitchen. That smell was familiar, she always gets to smell that scent everytime she walks the street at night.

"Calamares!" Rian exclaimed which called Xander's attention while he's busy attending to the dish he's frying.