Maybe, You Will See Me Now

07

Her choice of words puzzled Andrew a little. Yet, he stepped ahead of her, blocking her good view of the stranger in order to prevent her from angering him. "Don't listen to her. You seem like a good man." He paused for a moment. "On her behalf, I'm sorry about the accident. Please, accept this money and let's end this."

At first, the man's gaze on Andrew was steady and unyielding. But gradually, it shook, softening with each second. Then, he released her hand and collected the money from Andrew.

"You're lucky your boyfriend is nice."

Ijeawele furrowed her brows at his words and found herself speechless in the moment. They watched him hurry back to his car.

Andrew turned to her. "Let me drive you home."

Still wearing a frown on her face, she looked him up and down. "I can drive myself." Ijeawele opened the car's door, slid into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. Andrew couldn't restrain himself and ran to the other side of the car. He opened the door and slid into the seat beside her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, rather taken back by his action.

"I don't feel good leaving you by yourself. Don't worry, I'll leave when you're home."

Ijeawele rolled her eyes away from him and started the car. She felt upset with Andrew, the man that just left, Maria, her ex-husband and also the night. She wished she could scream, break anything and get away with doing any of that. It could've been anyone who knew her but it was the man beside her who came to her rescue. Not that she felt she needed rescuing. She could handle herself. For specific reasons unknown to her, Ijeawele didn't like it whenever Andrew caught her in a helpless state. After all, who was he and why couldn't he pretend like he didn't see her?

While she drove, Andrew glanced at her quite often. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself.

"You shouldn't have given him that money." She suddenly spoke up.

"It was necessary."

"If it was, I would've paid him the money myself."

Silence lasted for a few moments between them before he spoke up. "It's fine. Your safety is more important."

Ijeawele spared him a quick look and their eyes met during that moment. She felt a strange uneasiness and stared ahead at the road without saying anything. Ijeawele has been feeling upset for a while and Andrew's way of interceding was irritating and yet at the same time rendering her speechless. It was somewhat new to her.

The rain started pouring down and both of them were left perplexed by its sudden appearance. Not once had they taken notice of the weather that night and the possibility that it was going to rain. Ijeawele released a silent sigh when she realised the man beside her might have to go home under this rain. Almost at the same time, she shrugged off the thought of worry. There was no need for her to care about him. He had decided on his own to burden her with his escorting. Maybe he was trying to be a hero. Still, Ijeawele decided to not worry about what his state could be.

Ijeawele honked a few times in front of a black gate. Barely a few seconds later, the gates opened and the gateman holding an umbrella over his head stood to the side and watched as she drove in. She parked the car, turned off the engine and looked at Andrew. He'd been staring out of the window then shifted his eyes to her.

"Do you live here?" He asked to be sure.

Ijeawele hesitated for a moment. "Yes."

He lightly nodded. Then, he briefly lowered his eyes from her. "I'm glad you got home safe."

When their eyes met after his statement, she realised he was indeed going to find his way home under the rain. Ijeawele remembered the time he brought the money out of his wallet and she saw vividly that there was none after that. She casually bit the side of her lower lip as she looked away from him.

You don't need this. Mind your business. A voice in her head chanted.

Right when he was about to open the door, she turned to him. "The rain is much. You can leave after it calms down."

They matched their gaze. He knew it was her way of telling him to stay. He didn't mind how she said it. It touched him that she cared a little and was offering.

Ijeawele was the first to look away. She hated herself for ignoring her own words of reasoning. Why was she letting Andrew close? He was a junior colleague. Not even a friend. Yet, he always seems to wiggle his way into tampering with her decisions.

Ijeawele carried her handbag over her shoulder and prepared her mind to run to the entrance. Both of them stepped down from the car almost at the same time and made the run towards the entrance. Ijeawele slipped on the wet tile at the entrance and Andrew caught her arm then immediately drew her right into his arms closing any space that ever existed between them. Taken aback by what just happened, both of them remained frozen, staring into space beyond each other's shoulder. For the time being, it was like the world had come to a standstill and only their existence was real. They each felt the up and down movement of each other's chest. In a long time, Ijeawele hadn't felt genuine warmth from another person. It triggered the pain and hurt she felt from the past.

Andrew was only trying to help when he reached out for her. But now, she was in his arms. He'd never felt so awestruck as this period. Finally, it was clear to him. Ijeawele had somehow become someone special to him. He wasn't sure the extent to which she was. He just knew she was special. The thought and realisation of it scared him and at the same time, it left him with a warm feeling. It was somewhat complicated and confusing. But it all went away when he felt her arms wrap around him and she relaxed her head on his shoulder. Her sniffing was less audible, yet, it was enough for him to know she was silently crying.

Hey there. Hope you liked the chapter. Please don't forget, votes and comments are appreciated. Thank you for reading!