Chapter 2 He Needs to Leave before the Sun Rises

Carla was driving herself insane. She had no idea what do with this man. What was wrong with her? How could she take him to her house like this? She took one good look at him and decided that it definitely wasn't a good idea.

A thought crossed her mind, 'Is he a felon? I wonder whether he has a criminal record.' She glanced down at him and saw that he had blood stains all over his shirt. 'By the looks of him, he has got to be some kind of criminal, ' she thought. Looking at him again, her mind began to run wild, 'Why were those people chasing him? He must have done something quite horrific for them to want to beat him unconsciously.'

Looking around her, she took a second and thought to herself, 'There are so many people in this world... Why does this have to happen to me?' Carla's mom had told her never get involved with men like him. Her mom always used to say," Men like that will take all of your money, leave you homeless and heartbroken." Carla believed her mom, hence why she never associated herself with men like him, until now.

'What if these people come back? What if they saw my face and came after me? I hope that they don't think I was involved with this man, nor whatever he did.' Her eyes widened at the thought of men coming after her.

She knew nothing about this man. She knew that bringing him home could cause complete havoc. The thought of him being in her house sent shivers down her spine. 'For all I know, he could be a murderer.'

She really wanted to help him because that was one of her characteristics. Carla had such a caring heart. She was always willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need. As much as she wanted to help this man, she knew she couldn't. She had a little ten-year-old brother to look after and she would never do anything to put his life in jeopardy.

Carla's parents passed away at a very young age. Her brother was only a baby. Ever since then, she was his mom and sister combined in one. They never had any other close relatives in the city, so she took it upon herself to take care of him.

As Carla was trying to carry this man off of her electric scooter, she heard a familiar voice coming up from behind her," I am over the moon with excitement, Carla. You have finally brought a guy home. Is he your new boyfriend?" said the voice behind her. Seeing Carla with a guy was something unusual. Carla never had a serious boyfriend, as she was always busy with something. She was always juggling work, taking care of her brother and working hard towards paying off her debt. She never really had any time for one. Before she could turn around, she heard this lady say," Why don't you take him upstairs for coffee or something? I am sure your brother would love to meet him."

She turned around to see who it was, 'Oh no, it's Jena Wang. I can't deal with this woman right now.' Jena had just come from her usual run around the block and spotted them. She was very pretty. She had long tanned skinny legs and a tiny waist. Jena could never keep her nose out of other people's lives, even if she tried to.

Jena started walking towards Carla with a big smile on her face. She wanted to meet Carla's new boyfriend.

"Please Jena, now is not a good time," said Carla. She was planning to put him in an alleyway between the two buildings, behind the dumpsters, and just leave him there. However, Carla couldn't proceed with her plan anymore, as she knew Jena would see what she was about to do.

"He is not my Boyfriend. Why would you think that?" asked Carla. Jena could hear the slight irritation in her voice. "Come on, Carla... It's obvious. You know, bringing a man home is completely normal. You don't have to be shy about it," said Jena.

"I am really happy that you have found someone, Carla. You have been doing this all on your own for such a long time now. You really need a break," Jena said. She had a big grin on her face. 'I wish that was true, ' Carla thought to herself. After saying what she needed to say, Jena smiled at Carla. She then took a sip of water, turned around and started jogging towards the stairs.

Jena stopped and turned her head with the obvious intention to something more. Carla rolled her eyes and thought, 'What is she going to say now?'

"Don't canoodle for too long outside. It was reported on the news that a storm is on its way," Jena said, winking at Carla.

"I will see you guys around. Have fun!" Jena shouted. Letting out a small giggle, she then disappeared up the stairs. Carla halfheartedly smiled at Jena as she left. She thought to herself, 'Thank goodness she is gone.'

When Jena saw Carla and her 'boyfriend' outside the building, the man's head was on Carla's shoulder. It's rather dark at night and Jena wasn't able to see his face at all. That was why she thought they were canoodling.

As soon as Jena left, Carla placed the man's heavy arm around her neck and attempted to carry him off her scooter. "Why are you so heavy?'' she said to him.

'Am I stupid? Why am I doing all this for this man I've only met?

Why am I doing so much for this man? I saved him from being chased and killed from some kind of gang, and now I have to carry him to somewhere safe. If I take him home, he will be putting both Sean and I at risk. It would only be fair to dump him somewhere and forget that he even existed.'

Carla's mind started to run again, 'That's not the person I am... I will never be able to forgive myself If I just leave him somewhere to die.'

She searched him for any kind of identification. Carla found his wallet and searched for his name but she couldn't find any. While searching him, Carla couldn't help but notice that he didn't have anything valuable on him.

More importantly, Carla started to think, 'Am I attracted to this man?' She stopped her thought pattern before thinking any more about it. She always promised herself that she'd find a man that could take care of her financially. She wanted him to be attractive, charming, romantic and to help her get far in life. Her mind started to drift back to the unconscious man, 'Is he really making me doubt my future soulmate? Did Jena's words get to me?'

"Did they really?" she said quietly to herself.

Carla couldn't believe that she was thinking so deeply about a man that she had never even met before.

Her head started to hurt from all the thinking she was doing. She decided that she would have to risk it and take him home until he was better. She knew leaving him somewhere would not be the right thing to do. Perhaps she was even starting to have feelings for him.

Carla struggled to get his unconscious body up the stairs. She finally reached the door. Holing the man with her both hands and unable to reach for the keys in her pocket, she kicked it and yelled," Sean, open the door! It's urgent!"

Carla was battling to keep the man's body up. She had used all of her strength and put his entire body on her shoulder. "Come on. Just a little bit more," she kicked the door and yelled again," Sean, hurry up!"

Sean shouted from the other side of the door," I am on my way. Be patient! Did you forget your keys again? Stop kicking and screaming, Carla. It's late and people are sleeping!"

Sean ran to the door as fast as possible, battling to open the door. "Come on, Sean! Open up!" Carla shouted from the other side of the door. Sean then unlocked the door.

He flung the door open and was just about to give Carla a mouthful," What..." Looking at his sister, the sight of a man, whose face was covered in blood, immediately made Sean forget what he was about to say. He was speechless.

Sean's heart almost stopped. He was just standing there and staring at the unconscious man.

He was only ten-years-old, and had never seen so much blood before. It was only natural for him to react the way he did.

Carla looked up at Sean," Why are you just standing there... Help me!" Sean looked at her with his mouth wide open. He was in shock, yet managed to get out a word," Okay."

She dragged the man in by his arms, as she was unable to carry him any further. There was sweat running down her red face. "That is the most exercise I have done all year," she joked. Carla was just happy that she didn't have to carry him anymore.

Sean looked out the door to see if anyone was watching what they were doing. The coast was clear. He closed the door behind them and locked it just in case. Sean attempted to help Carla by grabbing his feet. After a lot of effort, they managed to put the man on the couch. "That was hard work," Carla exhaled and wiped the sweat off her head.

Sean took his gaze off the man that was lying there and asked his sister," Carla, do you care to tell me why there is an unconscious man with blood on his face lying on our couch?" Sean started teasing Carla," Is this what they give yo

u as a tip for delivering pizza?"

Carla replied with a sarcastic tone," Ha-ha! Very funny, Sean." Carla walked to the bathroom, fetched a wet cloth and started wiping the blood of his face. "Shut up! Go and fetch the first aid kit, now!" she said to Sean.

"This is so exciting. Our house has become a hospital. I have always wanted to be a doctor," Sean said, grinning from ear to ear.

He was standing and staring at the man lying on his couch. His imagination was running wild about how this man got injured. "Sean, the medical aid kit!" Carla shouted. He snapped out of his daydreaming and ran to get the medical aid kit.

Carla cleaned up all of the blood from the man's face. She took his shirt off, which was also full of blood, and threw it in the wash. She fetched a blanket from the cupboard and gently put it over him.

Carla looked to see how bad his injuries were. He only had a few cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious. She had noticed his facial features and the way his jawline was prominent.

"Okay, he seems fine now. Sean, your job is done here so go back to your room now and finish your homework. Don't make me repeat myself."

"But, Carla... I want to be here when he wakes up," Sean replied. Carla looked at him and in a stern voice said," No buts, Sean. Just go."

Sean listened to Carla and went to his room. He needed to finish his homework and get some sleep as he had school the next morning.

For some strange reason, Carla was not tired at all. She just wanted to sit and wait for the man to wake up.

Moments later, she quickly went to check whether her brother was sleeping and quietly walked back to the couch where the man was lying. Since no one was around, she started to examine his face and his features. She poked his nose and tried to open his eyelids, just to check if he was still unconscious.

'I wonder if he's ever had plastic surgery done on his face?' she asked herself.

Looking at this man, her heart started to race and her mind started to drift, 'Look how beautifully carved his eyelids are and how perfectly shaped his nose is. Those lips must have been made by the gods themselves. How can one man be so perfect?'

She could still recall the very second that their eyes met. His eyes were so seductive and he could make you do anything he desired with just one look. Carla had never been so drawn to a man, just by looking at his eyes.

Carla took her gaze off his face and looked at his body.

She thought, 'How did I not notice his body? How can everything be so perfect? This man cannot be from our world.'

She let out a shy giggle and whispered to him," If only you knew how I was staring at you."

The man started to move and Carla's face went red like a tomato from embarrassment, 'What if he heard me?'

With his eyes closed, Terence mumbled," Ow, who is poking my face?" Forcing his eyes open, he almost jumped out of his skin with the sight of a woman staring right at him.

Carla's eyes widened with surprise," Oh, you are awake!"

Terence tried to get up, but his head was too sore," Who are you? Where am I? Where is my shirt?" He asked Carla. He felt his head and said," It feels like someone hit me on the head with a brick."

Gazing at his angry face and arched brows, Carla was in awe of how magnificent his look was. She couldn't stop staring at him. 'How can he be even more attractive when he's angry? Is that even possible?'

Carla tried to reassure him," Shh, it's okay. You are safe now. My name is Carla, and I put your shirt in the wash because it was full of blood. You are in my house." Terence scanned the room he was in. It was a big living room, with clothes scattered all around and on the floor. Nevertheless, it felt very homey. He then fixed his gaze on Carla.

Something about this woman seemed familiar. He thought to himself, 'Is this the woman that delivers pizza?'

He hadn't really paid much attention to her before, as it was dark and he couldn't really see what she looked like. He slightly moved his thick eyebrows and thought, 'She is quite attractive, but compared to the other women I know, I will score her a 3 out of 10 at best.

Hmm, I will add another 1 for her inviting figure, so let me make it a 4 out of 10, ' Terrence added to his thoughts.

He looked at her eyes, 'Her eyes are so mysterious. Who am I kidding? She is beautiful.'

Carla caught Terrence staring at her, and she joked," Why are you looking at me like I am a piece of meat? What? Are you amazed by my beauty?" She smiled at him slightly. It was weird, but Carla liked it when he looked at her in this way. "Hmm, it seems like you're getting better," Carla said with a smile on her face. She was so used to people staring at her like that. It always happened when she delivered pizza.

Starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with him staring at her this whole time, she decided to get up and fetch Terrence some water.

Little did she know that this man wasn't just watching her, he also had something else in his mind.

Carla came back with a glass of water and handed it to him.

"Thank you, Miss," he flickered his eyelashes and gave her a very seductive smile. Carla almost melted right there.

Terence then looked straight at Carla and said," Of course you are quite beautiful. Thank you for taking me into your home and taking care of me. You have a pure heart of gold."

Her lips curled slightly as she sat next to him. She picked up an orange and started to peel it. Jokingly, she replied," Thank you, but I am not Notre Dame. You don't need to worship me."

Terrence looked at her and said," Listen I don't say thank you often. So when I do, just know that I mean it." "Although you have threatened me to help you flee the scene, you stopped my electric scooter from collapsing on the street, which I am truly grateful. For that, I won't say another word about your 'abducting' me to get you out of your troubles," Carla said slowly.

'Damn, when people's lives are enduring serious risks, they would do anything to survive!

That's when you entered my eyes. Now you are blaming me for abducting you? To save my life? Woman, you were my silver light at that moment. I can't just let you go like that... I'd be a dead man if it weren't for you.' Terrence canted from within.

Carla continued with a smile," But, you do realize that you owe me a lot for carrying you up the stairs, cleaning you up, giving you a safe place to stay away from the people that were chasing you, right? Oh, and also for getting you out of a really bad storm and on top of that, all my delivery orders are missed and ruined." She paused for a second and carried on to say," You did promise me that you would pay me back ten times the value for my loss.

We will have to get those numbers all settled, won't we? Even reckoning makes long friends, right?"

Carla finished everything she had to say without even taking a breath. She sat back down, let out a small giggle and put an orange slice in her mouth.

Terrence's beautiful dark eyes fixed on her and he paused for a brief moment. His thin lips then curled up in a perfect angle and he smiled at her detailed description. He raised his right hand to his head and felt the messy bandages around it. As he was touching the bandages, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and laid back down on the couch.

Looking down to his shirtless body, he couldn't help but think, 'I could stay here. But, I wonder how much of my body had she explored.'

Terrence pushed his thoughts aside and replied to Carla," Since I have promised that I will pay you back every cent, you have my word." He carried on to say," I am still in a lot of pain. I don't have any money on me at the moment. I swear to you, I will make a plan to pay you back when I can." Terrence began to wonder, 'What if she lets me stay longer? I would like to get to know her better.'

Carla was not too impressed by what he had to say. This made her think back to what her mom used to say about men like him.

She replied with a faint smile," Hey, you are just being dramatic now. You are not that hurt. It really can't be that bad. By the way, just downstairs, there is a 24/7 ATM where you can draw money." She went on to tell him," Oh, and please don't tell me that you will pay me later. First thing tomorrow morning, please. Once you pay me back what we have agreed and promised on, then you may leave."

'He needs to leave before the sun rises, ' she thought to herself. Carla really didn't want him to stay any longer than he needed to, especially if people were coming after him. She had to protect herself and her little brother.

"But, wait!" Terence yelled.

"What do you want?" Carla replied.

She turned around and stared at the man. She became very frustrated deep inside, 'What the hell does he want now?'