Chapter Two

Stranger

And now Tiffany is currently stranded in the middle of nowhere. She tried to look around again in hope she’ll be able to find anyone. The place is so quiet, she wearily looked at her wrist watch for the umpteen time again and saw that it’s already 4pm an hour more and the whole place will gonna be swallowed by complete darkness.

She’s about to say all the prayer she knows when she heard a faint sound of an engine from a distance. Her senses heightened in a flash.

Tiffany still couldn’t see the approaching vehicle because it coming from the curve road. She continued to utter her prayer for her fast salvation.

‘Lord, please let it be someone that knows my grandfather or just anyone!’

From the curve, a huge blue pick-up truck emerges, and Tiffany couldn’t be much happier when it turned to her way. Shortly, the pick-up stopped behind her car. She waited till the driver finally goes out.

Tiffany almost laughs out loud but restrained herself for doing so, when she saw that a petite young woman slowly emerges from the driver’s door and slowly walks towards her.

She eyed the stranger curiously, the way she walks was like she had all the time in world and just leisurely taking each stride with pleasure.

Then her eyes shifted to the stranger’s outfit. The petite girl was wearing a faded polo shirt that’s fully ed showing a white shirt underneath it and was paired with the same faded tight blue jeans. Her sleeves are rolled up uncharacteristically showing her delicate yet firm arms.

Tiffany still couldn’t outline the stranger’s face for it was covered with a huge cowboy hat. The stranger looks calm and fine but there’s something about her that screams trouble.

Tiffany could almost hear her logical brain shouting at her to just run and don’t engage herself to talk to the stranger but there’s this part of her brain that can’t help but be mesmerized with this stranger’s movement.

“Hi! I almost thought that I would be stuck here forever before someone pass along this road.”

Tiffany greeted the stranger and tried to casually start a friendly conversation.

Then she flashed her friendliest smile. As far as she knows, townsfolk are naturally friendly and helpful to strangers, especially those who seem lost, like her.

“Did your car break?”

The stranger asked her. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the stranger’s eyes shifted at her car’s hood. But that brief moment is enough to send Tiffany’s brain to stop for a moment.

The stranger’s voice suited her aura, calm. But her eyes, there’s something about it that she can’t exactly point out. It was dark and mysterious.

“Uhm… it started to smoke and then just stopped and I don’t know anything about mechanics just fixing the tires.”

She nervously told the stranger what happen when suddenly, the stranger look back at her and flashed her a small smile.

“What would have happen to you if I didn’t decide to take this road to go home?”

The stranger’s corner lips tugged upward and flashed a lopsided smile at her, Tiffany felt her breath hitch because damn! It was one of the iest smiled she had ever seen.

That was the kind of smile Tiffany was dreaming of that her prince charming must have. And she can’t believe it that of all places and of all people she’ll be able to truly see’s it in this forsaken place somewhere in Jeonju and in the form of this petite young woman.

And what’s more disturbing is, she found herself looking at the stranger’s lips. And her lips were… were… Tiffany couldn’t help herself from gulping.

‘Damn it Tiffany! Stop it! Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you?’

This stranger might almost have all the descripti