Chapter 5
1543 Words
Evangeline
This couldn’t be happening.
This was just a dream.
Yes, this was a dream. A very terrible one.
The scene in front of me. The fire. The burning building. People panicking. A lot of firemen trying to extinguish the fire.
This was just a nightmare, right?
My house.
The only place where I could sleep and eat has just been consumed by the fire. Why was has had to happened to me? Why I always suffered? If this was just a dream, please wake me up from this terrible nightmare. Please convinced me that this was just a dream. When I opened my eyes, I will see my usual room.
Wake up! Please, wake up!
I even pinched my cheek just to make sure it didn’t hurt. Because if it didn’t, that means this was all just a dream. But, when I did it – I could feel the pain means that this was my reality. Another pain added into my life.
I just lost my home.
What should I do now?
I didn’t have anything now. Where should I sleep tonight? This apartment was the only place with the cheapest price. The others were all beyond my saving money. Dakota was in Florida and I couldn’t ask for her help.
I was lost.
Alone.
I was all alone.
I could feel the burning tears in my eyes ready to be spilled. No, I can’t cry here. I need to stay strong.
I wipes the unshed tears, trying to look okay in front of people where in fact I was not. No one will helped. I was on my own. No time to cry now. I needed to find somewhere to stay for tonight. I guessed I will ask for a day off tomorrow to look for an apartment for me. I didn’t care if it’s dirty as long I have a place to sleep.
“I should contact Cindy first.” I pulled my phone from my bag and searched for her number. I knew she will give me the permission because of this. What can I say? I just lost my home. My clothes were burned away. Before I could do anything, I could feel someone’s hand on my shoulder. I glance on it and it is quite a large hand where I assume a man’s hand. I looked back and my eyes grown wide looking at the stranger.
“M-Mr. Greene..?” James was standing right behind me. What’s he doing here?
He pulled his hand from my shoulder and I turned to him, fully looking at him. He sets his eyes on my former home and maybe he already know that the building was my home. He glanced at me again without saying anything. This was so awkward.
Half an hour ago, I was so angry at him and praying that I will never meet him again. And here he was, standing less than a foot in front of me. Was he going to mad at me because of what I did? Or he came to insult me? I could imagine his evil laughter because I just lost my home. I didn’t know since the incident at Seven Eleven, I started to imagine something bad about him.
“That was your house?” he confirmed. When he let out that question, I was pulled back to the reality. Yes, I just lost my home. Yes, he could laugh as loud as he can because he thought I deserved that.
I nodded at him. “That’s right.” I felt so heavy just to answer him. “You can laugh at me, you know?”
“And why is that?”
“Because…you think that I deserve it, right? Because of my insult at the store. You can laugh at my pitiful sight and feel happy because you got your revenge.” I had to stop this. Nothing would change. It didn’t change the fact that I just lost my home.
“You think your mere insult will make me to get my revenge on you?” I looked up to him when he asked that. “I don’t have time to avenge someone, especially on what you did back at the store. It doesn’t mean anything to me,” he said. Well, maybe he’s right. It was just I was mad at him but that didn’t mean I already embarrassed him or something.
James pulled something from his pocket and handed something to me. I looked at it and suddenly I could see a light. “That’s…That’s my purse. How did you—“
“You dropped it. I think when you bumped on me, it fell down and I found it. I was thinking to return it to you, that’s why I’m here. Not to laugh at your pitiful state. I don’t even have any thoughts about it, so do not consider me that low,” he explained. That was his intention? Oh, God. What have I done? I shouldn’t do that to him. I was sad and angry because of what happened and I let it out on him.
I took my purse from his hand and I open the inside, everything were still on its place. Come on, Eva. He’s richer than you and there is no way he will steal something from you.
Even it didn’t much, I obtained something back and this time, it is too hard for me to not shed tears. “Thank you… Thank you so much.” I needed to stay strong. I could get through this. I could bear with what my father did to me, I could bear with this new pain. I could do it.
“Do you have any place to crash tonight?” James asked.
I wiped my tears from my cheeks and shook my head. “No.”
“Your family?”
“My mother lives in Seattle.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Well, I was thinking to inform my Boss first to have a day off tomorrow so I can look for an apartment,” I said to him. He then only looking at me with his piercing blue eyes. Looks like he was thinking about something. The way he looked at me, I couldn’t cast my eyes away from him. His eyes were preventing me to look away. Gluing me to him. I was trying to concentrate on whatever he was going to say to me.
“If you don’t have any place to stay, you can stay with me.”
I needed like ten seconds to understand what he just told me. What did he just say?
If you don’t have any place to stay, you can stay with me.
Did he just ask me to stay with him? The man whom I thought now as the mean person has become my savior. What should I answer to him? I mean, his offer will be very helpful for me who has just lost my home. But for staying with him, what people will say to me? To him? It will destroy his image for sure.
“Well?”
I was in lost right now. I was really happy that he offered me to stay with him. For temporarily, of course. There was no way he will let me stay with him forever.
“Really? I’m not a bother to you?”
“If you are a bother, I won’t ask you.”
“R-Right! Of course.”
“Well?” he asked again. His image and reputation will be destroyed if I stayed with him and I didn’t want that. Even though he was mean, he still offered me a place for short time and I couldn’t pass that.
“I…am going to stay,” I finally let out my courage to say it. I couldn’t pass this chance. Not because I needed a place to live, but I was going to stay with the man I love. A chance for me to know more about him. His side that nobody knows.
“Okay, follow me.” He turned away and headed to the opposite direction as I immediately follow him from behind. He walked to a white car, a Lamborghini. Wow! That’s his car?
He open the passenger seat. “Get in,” he ordered. I did as I was told and when I get inside, James closed the door and headed to the driver’s seat. I looked around the cabin and could only amaze of what I see. I never been in a supercar before. As I suspected, a very good and an expensive looking cabin. James get in and ignited the car and drive to our next destination.
His house.
My temporary stay.
- Writer
