Stella

I open my eyes and flinch, holding up my hand against the evening sun bright in my face. My head is still spinning and I look around slowly regaining memory of what had just occurred. My bike a few feet from me, looking a bit mangled from the tumble.

Did I hit something? Or did I just faint?

His voice still rang in my ears, murmuring my name over and over, adding to the fact that I was dizzy from blacking out. At the house near where my bike landed, an elderly lady waddled hastily off her porch toward me. I could see the concern on her face from here.

My arms and legs were scraped up and my knee bled pretty badly, but I stood up, slowly and agonizingly, but eventually I was able. She walked up to me and held me up, relieving some of the weight off my left leg which became more and more painful as I came down from the adrenaline high.

She began to speak to me, asking me my name and what happened, but my hearing became distant and vision blurred sharply. Blinking several times, shaking my head, I tried to speak, but only a small guttural mumble came from my throat. Another set of arms picked me up just as my body shut off, limbs turning to pointless extremities, my head leaning back so it hung like a dead man. I barely made out the old lady’s face as she held her hands to in worry and pointed my savior to her house.

The rest of my vision went dark as I lost consciousness once more.

.

In the morning when I awoke, there was a handsome man sitting in a lounger across the room, a hot cup of something in his hands and the calming tones of Billie Holliday filling the small space. The record player it was coming from made a comforting sound as the turntable squeaked slightly with age.

My eyelids swept clear the sleep and I rubbed the crust from them before sitting upright against the arm of the couch. The old lady came in with two cups on a tray, one a berry tea, the other, a strong-smelling coffee.

“Something warm to drink, dear? I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought what I had. I’ll drink whatever you don’t.” Her toothy smile was warm and welcoming, cheering my spirits already. I nodded and took the coffee, thanking her. She set the tray on the coffee table and disappeared in the kitchen around the corner for a moment.

I blew off the coffee and she reappeared with sugar and creamer. I smiled, taking a couple spoonfuls of sugar.

“Are you feeling okay? How is your leg?” The man asks, fingers rubbing the sides of the cup subconsciously.

I mess with the hole in my jeans, feeling the tender spot under the bandages I assumed they had placed on me. It stung angrily at being messed with and I flinched. “Still in pain, but I feel less like I’m going to die, so that’s a bonus.” I joke, trying to lighten my mood. He smirks at me and stands up, setting his mug down.

“Now you’re awake, I’m going to head out. I’m just across the street, so let me know if you need any help. My name’s Minseok, by the way.” He says and hugs the old woman before disappearing.

I fix myself to a more comfortable position on the couch and the woman sits in the chair closest to my head. “He’s a doctor, Minseok. He’s helped me on many occasions so I knew I could rely on him to help me with getting you better. He put the bandages on you, since my hands are far too weak and shaky anymore.” She spoke with a small accent and it only added to the lovely old lady next door vibe.

“I’m very thankful to you both, for helping me. I’m not sure what happened, only that I was fine one moment and then…” I remembered the voice again and instinctively turned my gaze out the window, feeling as if there was another pair of eyes on me. Yet there was no one and nothing outside. Someone on a scooter buzzed by at that moment and I shuddered. “Well whatever happened, I’m glad you guys were around to help me. I doubt I would have made it off the road by myself in the state I was in.”

“I’m glad I found you, too, Love. I was so worried when I saw you bleeding, but I’m glad it was only a small cut. You must have been laying there for a while still.”

I remembered leaving the apartment sometime after school, but the rest after that seemed to fade to nothingness. “What time is it?” I ask, looking up at the old woman.

She points to the old grandfather clock in the corner, ticking away. “It’s almost four-thirty now, do you know when you left your house?”

“I left after school, so around two or two fifteen? It only takes me about five minutes to get to this neighborhood, so I guess I was out for a while.”

“Do you faint very often, Dear? If so, I’d have Minseok take a look at you, you might have something wrong.” She said, looking quite concerned that I might have a brain injury. I shook my head and smiled.

“No, I guess I was just tired or something, it’s never happened like that before.” I rubbed the back of my head, not willing to tell her the truth. Standing carefully, I tested my leg, making sure I could stand properly. I limped a little, but felt much better after my little nap. “I think I should get out of your hair, before it gets dark out.”

She hesitated, but nodded in the end, helping me to the door. “Are you sure? I can set a place for you in my spare room, if you’d like.”

“No, no, it’s fine, my house isn’t that far. I’ll be okay biking back as long as my ride isn’t trashed from the accident.”

“Why don’t I get Minseok to drive you back? You can just take my car, I can’t drive anymore, otherwise I would drive you.” I debate the idea, opening her door.

“Let’s see how I do with walking, that might be a better idea than me biking back.” She nods in victory and watches as I limp down the pathway to the gate where my bike had been stood up against the fence. Wincing, I open the gate and grab my bike, turning back to the old lady. “Yeah, I think I’ll take that ride. It’s still fresh, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it all the way home.”

I hear her say something, but it gets lost in the wind as a breeze picks up and I turn, looking upwind to fix my messy hair, now blown across my face. Through the strands, I see a figure at the end of the lane, just standing in the middle of the road, watching. Narrowing my eyes for a clearer vision, I make out the shape of the man. My heart starts to take off on a race, beating almost visibly in my chest. For a second, I see my brother, standing with a smirk on his face. As I wipe the hair out of my face, he disappears, making my knees go weak.

Before I can fall, strong arms are around my waist, keeping me on two feet. I look up at Minseok, looking rather worried as he guides me toward the SUV that the old woman had parked out front. “I should drive you to the hospital. You look really pale.” His wrist finds my burning forehead and my head began to spin, my shaky hand reaching out to grab the handle of the car door, holding it in a death grip as I pull back to open the door. Finally registering his words, I look at him with eyes the size of saucers.

“Please, please don’t take me to the hospital. Please just take me home, I’m fine, I promise.” My hand not on the car finds his arm and I grab him.

Minseok raises an eyebrow, eyeing me. “You have a fever and you just went from fine to almost passing out in a split second. I’m sorry, but you need a doctor and I’m not equipped here plus I’m only a student.”

“No, no, I just need rest. It’s happened before and trust me, a hospital is the last thing I need. Minseok, I beg you.”

He narrows his eyes, but eventually sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose, running his hand through his hair. I had to take a second just to admire how beautiful the man was, the way his face was rounded, but his features angled in just the right way. “Fine. Just get in. I’ll take you home, but it’s not my fault if you’re dead tomorrow morning.”

I sigh in relief, feeling the stress of the hospital rushing out with my breath. “Thank you, really.” Climbing in the car, I hear him mutter something and walk to his side to get into the driver’s seat.

-

He drops me off at the apartment and I look at the two flights of stairs, wishing I hadn’t decided on the top floor of the building. I turn to Minseok and thank him for the ride, nodding my head. He smiles slightly and eyes the stairs. “I’ll help you up the stairs. If I can’t take you to the hospital, at least let me make sure you make it up to the apartment.”

I had no choice but to let him assist me, secretly enjoying the feeling of his strong arms holding up my waist and holding my wrist as my arm drapes over his shoulder. “I’m sorry for being such a nuisance to you. But thank you for taking me home instead of the hospital. I know it really doesn’t make sense, but I really don’t like hospitals.”

He smiles, the first time I see him show his teeth and I’m mesmerized by the bright white grin making him three times as attractive as before. My heart flutters a little and I quickly snap out of it as we reach the top floor. “Don’t worry about it, I like helping people, no matter how odd their request. The hospital thing is a weird one, but I guess everyone has their own stories, it’s not up to me. Just… Make sure you are alive in the morning. Get some rest and put your leg up when you lie down, it’ll help keep the swelling down. It was looking pretty bad when I patched you up.” A look of inspiration flashes on his faces for a second and he reaches in his pocket for a small business card, handing it to me. “This is my card, my phone number is on the back, as well as Sophie’s number.”

“Sophie?” I question, looking up from the card.

“The old lady. She’s the kindest soul you’ll ever meet and said you can stop by whenever you’d like, just give her a quick ring before.” I nod, smiling up at him.

“Thank you, Minseok, for everything today. I really appreciate it, I owe you big time.” A smirk crosses his lips.

“Well you know where I live, so feel free to leave you gifts of adoration in the mailbox out front.” He jokes, making me laugh. I hear him chuckle and he pats my head gently. “Get inside now, Stella. You’re going to need a lot of rest if you think you’re going to get over that fever.”

I nod, offering him one last smile of thanks and enter my apartment with a wave. He watches the door close before walking back down the stairs with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair.

As soon as the door closes behind me, I lean against it, trying to still my rapidly beating heart. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and focus on slowing the drumming in my chest.

An all too familiar laugh rings in my ears and I open my eyes to be face-to-face with him.

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I sincerely apologize for my lack of posting and for the quality of my writing. Slowly slipping into the world of writer's block :(