Sparks of Love ☑

Six

"Dr. Miller?" He uttered, staring at the woman who had run around the hospital finding him grape Gatorade.

"How do you know my name?" She whispered, tilting her head to observe him. She lowered her arms, hugging her choice of weapon to her chest.

Locks of hair had escaped her hijab, flapping against her tear-stained moist face. Her creased clothes were bunched up in an unruly fashion. Her eyes, the ones that had startled him earlier stared back at him in question and fear.

"I'm...I'm, uh," he tried to find his words. She wouldn't remember his name, would she?

He ran a hand through his short hair, taming them before he combed his fingers through his moist beard, trying to make himself presentable enough for her to recognize at least something.

"My name is Abdur Rehman, you helped me at the hos-"

"Abdur Rehman? So you...you aren't some thug?" Her shoulders sagged as worry left her body. She sighed heavily.

"Excuse me? Do I look like a thug?" Half offended and half understanding how he must be looking in the dark of the night, he stood up, brushing his bottom in the process. "These jogger pants cost a hundred twenty, no thug would wear something that expensive."

She took a few steps back, leaning on her car as he straightened his clothes and looked at her intently.

"I am most definitely not a thug, so you don't have to worry about anything," he assured, standing a few feet away.

The warm streetlight shone above them, hiding their faces in the shadows yet illuminating their surroundings. The breeze that had dried his sweat earlier had stopped, now replaced by a heavy and humid air that hung densely between them.

"What are you doing here?" She finally asked, hugging herself. Her face was far sadder than he had seen before, a complete contrast from the day at the hospital when despite being panicked, her grin had been full of life.

His appearance must have really scared her, he thought, unconsciously running his fingers through his thick beard. He didn't know how long she had been parked on the side of the road, troubled, alone.

"I live around here."

"You live here? Where, near the hospital?"

"Uh, yeah, right behind...hey do you need help, is everything okay?"

His words snapped the woman before him out of her thoughts, making him wonder if she had heard him at all. She shook her head as if freeing her head with thoughts, before gesturing to the car.

"It stopped unexpectedly...and my brother isn't picking up the damn phone," she whispered the last part, her face burning with a mixture of emotions.

Abdur Rehman could only imagine how frightened she must be feeling. Defending one's self was something not many could do, and she had gone full force in fighting back even when he wasn't exactly a threat.

"Would you mind if I take a look?" He wondered, nodding towards the car.

When the doctor nodded in affirmative and walked away from the door, he slid into the driver's seat and tried to start the car. His eyes rested on the dashboard, reading the lights that illuminated with the spark of the ignition. A familiar sign lightened up, making him smile.

He bit back his grin and got out of the car to announce, "Is this your car, Dr. Miller?"

"Yes?" She squinted her eyes. "I mean yes, this is my car. Why, what happened?"

"When...when was the last time you filled up the tank?"

"What tank?"

Abdur Rehman lowered his head and covered his mouth to stop a chuckle from escaping his lips.