CHAPTER FOUR
1594 Words
Two days after the alley I still hadn't told anyone what happened.
I kept telling myself there were good reasons for it.
I didn't want people worrying.
I didn't want people looking at me differently.
And I definitely didn't want anyone hovering over me every time I walked somewhere alone like I was a glass cup someone had dropped once and was afraid to touch again.
But that wasn't the whole reason.
The truth was, I didn't know how to explain it.
A stranger saved me.
I didn't know his name.
I ran away before I could even thank him.
The more I said it in my head, the more ridiculous it sounded.
It sounded like the beginning of one of those stories people told online and ended with, Guys what do you think I should do?
Except it had actually happened to me.
“Why are you looking at your coffee like it insulted your family?”
I looked up.
My best friend dropped into the seat across from me and placed a cup on the table.
She had two coffees.
Of course she did.
“You're giving me one?”
“No” she said, pulling the other cup toward herself. “I bought yours because you looked like you were about to fall asleep standing.”
“I look that bad?”
She studied my face.
“Honestly?”
I narrowed my eyes.
She smiled.
“Yes.”
I sighed and took the coffee.
She always did that. Bought me coffee without asking what I wanted, as if we'd been married for forty years and she already knew my order.
I took a sip.
“It's too sweet.”
“You're welcome.”
“I didn't say thank you.”
“And yet here you are drinking it.”
She had a point.
Unfortunately.
“You're quiet today” she said.
“Just tired.”
“Again?”
“Again.”
She stared at me over the rim of her cup.
“Is this because of the internship applications?”
“No.”
“Exams?”
“No.”
“Your terrifying contracts professor?”
I laughed quietly.
“No.”
She leaned closer.
“Are you dying?”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Because you look terrible.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
I shook my head.
She took another sip.
“You know you're at the top of the class, right? You don't have to turn every assignment into a United Nations emergency.”
“That's rich coming from you.”
“What?”
“You once stayed awake until four in the morning because you couldn't find a font you liked.”
“That font was important.”
“It was Times New Roman.”
“It was the right Times New Roman.”
I stared at her.
She stared back.
Neither of us lasted three seconds before we started laughing.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
And maybe that was why I hadn't told her.
Because sitting there, arguing over fonts and coffee, I didn't want to ruin it.
I didn't want her to look at me differently.
She'd been my best friend since first year. We'd met during orientation and somehow never separated after that. I'd always thought she was the easier version of me.
She laughed more.
Worried less.
Turned things in ten minutes before the deadline and still somehow got good grades.
I hated her a little for that.
“You've been distracted all morning,” she said.
I looked down at my coffee.
“I'm fine.”
She watched me for another second.
I expected another question.
Instead, she shrugged.
“Okay.”
Just like that.
No interrogation.
No dramatic speech.
She started complaining about our contracts professor again.
Apparently, he had personally decided students didn't need sleep anymore.
“He gave us thirty pages to read.”
“That's normal.”
“Not when he expects us to understand them.”
“That's usually the point of reading.”
She pointed at me.
“See? This is why I don't like talking to smart people.”
I smiled.
She kept talking, and I let her.
It was easier that way.
---
“My cousin's getting married next month,” she said suddenly.
I looked at her.
“The one who is always late?”
“The very same.”
“She can't be trusted with a wedding.”
“She can't even be trusted with a ten-minute appointment.”
“That woman once arrived at lunch when we were already ordering dessert.”
“She said traffic was bad.”
“We were at the same restaurant.”
“I know.”
I laughed.
She laughed too.
Then she groaned.
“Anyway, I'm a bridesmaid.”
“That sounds fun.”
“It sounded fun.”
“What happened?”
“They've already chosen the dress.”
I waited.
She looked personally offended.
“It's peach.”
“And?”
“I don't look good in peach.”
“How would you know?”
“Because peach looks like it was created specifically to humble people.”
I nearly choked on my coffee.
She continued like she'd just delivered an important academic argument.
“And I need someone to come dress shopping with me for the after-party outfit.”
“You want me?”
“I trust your judgment.”
“That might be the worst decision you've ever made.”
“Saturday?”
I thought about my shift.
“I'll be done by then.”
“Perfect.”
She smiled and went back to her coffee.
Then she looked at me again.
“Also, you're coming to the wedding.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“That wasn't a question.”
“No.”
“You just invited yourself into my weekend.”
“Yes.”
“You're a terrible friend.”
“Yet you're still here.”
Fair.
I checked the time.
My shift started in twenty minutes.
I pushed my chair back.
“I have to go.”
She pointed at me.
“You're still coming over tonight, right?”
“I said I would.”
“Good. I need you to look at my assignment.”
“You mean you want me to save your assignment.”
“I mean I want your emotional support.”
“You haven't even started it.”
“Exactly. I need emotional support.”
I laughed.
“See you tonight.”
She waved me off.
“Go be brilliant.”
“I'll try.”
“And Valeria?”
I turned.
“Don't forget.”
“Forget what?”
She smiled.
“To bring food.”
I stared at her.
“You're coming to my house and asking me to bring food?”
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable.”
She grinned.
“I've already made peace with that.”
I walked away shaking my head.
For the first time in two days, I almost forgot about the alley.
Almost.
---
The library was busy that evening.
Students were everywhere.
People came in looking for books, quiet corners, chargers, printers and, apparently, emotional support.
I checked books in.
I checked books out.
I reshelved a cart of returns.
I answered the printer question so many times that by the fourth person I wanted to put up a sign that said:
YES, IT IS OUT OF PAPER.
Instead, I smiled.
“There's another printer upstairs.”
The student nodded.
“Thank you.”
I watched him leave.
Five minutes later, he came back.
“Excuse me.”
I looked up.
“Yes?”
“The printer upstairs isn't working.”
I closed my eyes for half a second.
Of course it wasn't.
I stood up.
“Let's go.”
By eight, the library had finally started to quiet down.
I was standing behind the returns desk when my mind drifted again.
The alley.
The voices.
The hands.
Then him.
Are you hurt?
I hated that my brain kept replaying that one sentence.
I still didn't know his name.
I didn't know where he lived.
Didn't know where he worked.
Didn't even know what he really looked like.
I'd been too panicked to notice much.
Just a tall figure.
Dark coat.
Calm voice.
And somehow, in the middle of all that fear, he'd made me feel safe.
I rubbed my forehead.
It was ridiculous.
He had probably forgotten the whole thing by now.
Why wouldn't he?
To him, it had probably been one strange night.
Help someone.
Call the police.
Go home.
Done.
Maybe I should do the same.
I looked around the library.
Rows of books.
Quiet desks.
Students buried in their laptops.
My normal life.
That was all this was.
One strange night.
Nothing more.
At least, that's what I told myself.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from my best friend.
Did you bring food?
I stared at the screen.
I typed:
No.
The reply came immediately.
Wow. So this friendship means nothing to you.
I laughed under my breath.
I typed back:
You're literally in my house every other day. Feed yourself.
Three dots appeared.
Then:
Heartless.
I put my phone away, smiling.
Maybe ordinary life wasn't so bad.
Maybe I didn't need to think about that night anymore.
Maybe I could just keep going like nothing had happened.
I picked up the next book from the returns cart.
The problem was, somewhere in the back of my mind, I already knew I wasn't going to forget him that easily.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD