Three Days Later
1050 Words
RALISA
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of food.
For a moment, I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling.
The events of the previous night slowly returned to me.
The late shift.
The elevator.
The strange man.
The ride home.
The fact that I still had his ID card sitting inside my handbag.
I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face.
“You’re awake.”
My mother’s voice came from the doorway.
I removed the pillow and looked toward her.
She stood there holding a serving spoon.
Looking at me the same way mothers have looked at their children since the beginning of time.
Like they know something is wrong before you do.
“Good morning, Mama.”
She ignored the greeting.
“You’ve lost weight.”
I sighed.
“Good morning to you too.”
“I’m serious.”
She entered the room.
“You work too much.”
“I work a normal amount.”
My mother laughed so hard she nearly dropped the spoon.
“Ralisa.”
“What?”
“You leave before sunrise.”
I sat up.
“You exaggerate.”
“You come home after everyone is sleeping.”
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Because unfortunately she wasn’t completely wrong.
She sat beside me.
“The food is ready.”
I looked at her.
“You cooked this early?”
She nodded.
“I wanted to make sure you ate.”
Something softened inside my chest.
No matter how old you become, there is something healing about being cared for by your mother.
Especially after heartbreak.
Especially after months of pretending you’re stronger than you actually feel.
So I got up.
Ate breakfast.
Allowed her to complain about my work schedule.
And eventually left for the office.
On the way there, I found myself thinking about something ridiculous.
I hope I don’t see him again.
The thought surprised me.
Not because I wanted to see him.
The exact opposite.
I didn’t need another distraction.
I didn’t need another attractive man.
I definitely didn’t need another possibility.
My history with men looked like evidence in a criminal investigation.
And I had no intention of adding another case file.
The first day passed normally.
Meetings.
Emails.
Deadlines.
No mysterious stranger.
The second day was exactly the same.
And by the third day, I had almost forgotten about him.
Almost.
Then Thursday happened.
The elevator doors slid open.
And there he was.
Of course.
For a second, we simply stared at each other.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
As though he hadn’t expected to see me either.
“Well,” he said.
I immediately pointed a finger at him.
“No.”
His mouth twitched.
“No?”
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything.”
“You look like you’re about to.”
That smile appeared again.
The same irritating smile from three nights ago.
“I was going to say good morning.”
I sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
The smile widened.
“Good morning, Ralisa.”
“Good morning.”
The elevator began moving.
Surprisingly, the silence wasn’t awkward.
A few floors later, another employee stepped inside.
A woman from accounting.
“Morning, Ralisa.”
“Morning, Esther.”
Within seconds we were chatting about work deadlines and an upcoming company event.
By the time we reached the fifth floor, Esther was laughing.
“No, seriously,” she said. “If they ask me to stay late one more weekend, I’m filing a complaint.”
“You’ve been threatening that complaint for six months.”
“Because nobody takes me seriously.”
“That’s because you smile while threatening people.”
The woman burst out laughing.
I laughed too.
For a moment I forgot Darius was standing there.
Until the elevator stopped again.
The doors opened.
An older cleaner entered pushing a supply cart.
One of the wheels immediately jammed against the elevator entrance.
The cleaner struggled to force it inside.
Before anyone could react, Darius stepped forward.
“Here.”
He carefully adjusted the wheel and guided the cart into position.
The older woman smiled.
“Thank you, sir.”
“No problem.”
“You always help.”
Something flickered across his face.
Almost embarrassment.
As though he wasn’t comfortable receiving praise.
“God bless you.”
He nodded politely.
The cleaner exited two floors later.
The elevator continued upward.
And for some reason, I found myself watching him.
Not because helping someone was extraordinary.
Because of how naturally he did it.
No dramatic gestures.
No attempt to impress anyone.
No expectation of recognition.
Just help.
Simple.
Effortless.
The kind of thing most people didn’t bother doing anymore.
The elevator reached Esther’s floor.
She stepped out, still laughing.
“See you later, Ralisa.”
“Try not to file any complaints before lunch.”
“No promises.”
The doors closed.
Now it was just the two of us again.
Unfortunately.
“Still carrying my ID?” he asked.
I froze.
Then slowly looked at him.
“I was hoping you’d forgotten.”
“I thought about it three times yesterday.”
I groaned.
“Why would you admit that?”
His smile returned.
“Honesty.”
“That wasn’t honesty.”
“What was it?”
“Evidence.”
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
A deep, genuine sound that caught me completely off guard.
And for some reason, hearing it made me smile too.
The elevator reached my floor.
The doors opened.
Finally.
Freedom.
I stepped out.
Then paused.
Turning back.
“I’ll bring your ID.”
“When?”
“Eventually.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“Be patient.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Amused.
“I don’t think patience is one of my strengths.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
The doors began closing.
His smile was the last thing I saw before they shut completely.
As I walked toward my office, I shook my head.
Annoying man.
Completely annoying.
But somewhere deep inside me, a thought quietly appeared.
A thought I immediately refused to entertain.
Because after Mussa.
After Mathias.
After every lesson life had already forced me to learn…
The last thing I needed was curiosity.
And Darius Kade was quickly becoming the kind of man who made curiosity dangerous.
- Writer
