An Offer That Almost Failed
1296 Words
Ralisa
If someone had told me two months ago that I would willingly get into the same man’s car more than once, I would have laughed in their face.
After Mussa.
After Mathias.
Trust wasn’t something I gave easily anymore.
Yet somehow, Darius had become… familiar.
Not close.
Not important.
Just familiar.
It had started with that first ride home on the night my Bolt refused to arrive.
Then a few evenings later, we happened to leave the building at the same time again.
He had looked at me standing outside with my phone in my hand and simply asked,
“Waiting for Bolt?”
I nodded.
“It’s taking forever.”
“I’ll take you.”
“No.”
He smiled.
“You’re saying no because you’re being careful or because you’re trying to annoy me?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Both.”
He laughed.
“I’ll take that as progress.”
That evening, I accepted.
Mostly because it was getting late.
And because, despite everything, I had already learned something about Darius.
If he said he would take me home, he would take me home.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
No unnecessary conversations.
No attempts to impress me.
No flirting.
No hidden expectations.
Just a safe ride home.
After that…
It somehow became a habit.
Not every day.
Just the evenings when our schedules happened to match.
Sometimes we talked.
Sometimes we spent the entire drive listening to music.
Sometimes we argued over the fastest route through traffic.
He insisted one road was quicker.
I insisted another was.
One evening he deliberately followed my directions.
We arrived almost twenty minutes later than usual.
He looked at me without saying a word.
“I made one mistake.”
“You made seventeen wrong turns.”
“They were strategic.”
He laughed so hard he nearly missed a traffic light.
“You should never become a navigator.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Little conversations.
Little laughs.
Nothing serious.
Nothing dangerous.
At least that was what I kept telling myself.
That Thursday evening, we walked out of the building together again.
The security guards greeted both of us.
One of them smiled knowingly.
“Going home, Madam Ralisa?”
“Yes.”
“And you, sir?”
Darius nodded politely.
“Looks like we’re leaving at the same time again.”
The guard laughed.
“What a coincidence.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Very funny.”
Darius unlocked the car.
“Ready?”
“I suppose.”
The city was unusually busy.
Traffic crawled forward inch by inch.
I leaned back in my seat.
“This is going to take forever.”
“It usually does around this hour.”
“You don’t mind?”
“What?”
“Driving all the way to my place.”
He glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the road.
“I wouldn’t offer if I minded.”
That answer was so simple it left nothing to argue with.
So I looked out the window instead.
The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable anymore.
It surprised me how quickly I’d grown used to it.
Halfway through the journey, Darius spoke.
“Can I ask you something?”
I smiled faintly.
“You ask that every time before asking something.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have to improve my technique.”
“What do you want to know?”
He slowed as traffic came to another stop.
“Have you ever thought about moving closer to work?”
I looked at him.
There it was again.
That question.
“You’ve asked me this before.”
“I know.”
“My answer hasn’t changed.”
“I remember.”
I folded my arms.
“So why ask again?”
He was quiet for a moment.
“I suppose I’m hoping your answer changes.”
I laughed.
“It won’t.”
“Why?”
I looked outside.
The buildings gradually became smaller the farther we drove from the city center.
“Because rent near the office is expensive.”
“You’ve checked?”
“Several times.”
“And?”
“I’d spend almost my entire salary on rent.”
I shrugged.
“Then I’d have nothing left to eat.”
He nodded slowly.
“I figured.”
“My mother and I manage just fine where we are.”
“You spend three hours traveling every day.”
“I’ve gotten used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to.”
His voice was quiet.
Almost thoughtful.
I smiled.
“You sound like Linah.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
Traffic finally began moving again.
For a few minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then Darius cleared his throat.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It usually is.”
I laughed.
“What now?”
He kept his eyes on the road.
“I have a friend.”
I waited.
“He owns an apartment.”
I turned toward him.
“Okay…”
“He’s relocating overseas.”
I frowned slightly.
“He doesn’t want the apartment sitting empty.”
I continued staring at him.
“He mentioned he was looking for someone trustworthy to stay there.”
Silence.
He continued carefully.
“Temporarily.”
I blinked.
“Why are you telling me this?”
He finally looked at me.
“Because it’s close to your office.”
I stared.
Then I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
“You barely know me.”
“I know enough.”
“You don’t.”
“I know you’re responsible.”
“You don’t.”
“I know you work harder than most people.”
I folded my arms tighter.
“You still don’t know me.”
“I know you returned my identification card.”
I blinked.
“Eventually.”
“You could have disappeared with it.”
“I had no use for it.”
“My point exactly.”
I shook my head.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
He expected that answer.
I could tell.
“My friend doesn’t want money.”
That made even less sense.
“No rent?”
“He just wants someone to take care of the place.”
I laughed again.
“Your friend sounds very generous.”
“He is.”
“Or very foolish.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll let him know you said that.”
I looked back out the window.
Something about the offer felt…
Too convenient.
Not suspicious exactly.
Just…
Unreal.
People didn’t simply hand apartments to strangers.
Not in this city.
Not anywhere.
“Thank you,” I said gently.
“But no.”
He didn’t argue.
Didn’t try to convince me.
Didn’t pressure me.
He simply nodded once.
“I thought you might say that.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“Then why ask?”
His answer came without hesitation.
“Because if I didn’t ask…”
He paused briefly before finishing.
“…I’d always wonder whether your answer could have been different.”
For reasons I couldn’t explain, those words stayed with me for the rest of the drive.
When he stopped outside my house, I reached for the door.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And… thank your friend.”
“I will.”
I stepped out of the car.
As I walked toward the house, I could feel him watching to make sure I got inside safely, just as he always did before driving away.
I never turned around.
But somehow…
I knew he didn’t leave until my front door had closed behind me.
- Writer
