5. A Not-Prince Charming

He lowered his head while his hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I can't say it. I'm sorry. And now I'm even more burdened because you've helped me twice."

"Then you'll have to pay," I said flatly and quickly. He looked at me with an inexplicable gaze. "Give me an explanation."

"Other than that."

"I don't want anything else," I retorted, not to be outdone.

"Then be prepared for disappointment." The young man replied softly and coldly.

"But you promised me."

He ruffled his hair and growled, "You've turned my two principles against me." The man let out a long breath. "Well, let's just say that I'm not a man whose life is smooth and doesn't have a variety of problems chasing me wherever I go. You know, I've done something that makes them angry and eager to take my life. Are you satisfied?"

"I'm not really surprised," I commented in a coldly pretentious tone. Although inwardly I was thinking about what he had done to put his life in danger.

The roar of the car sounded faintly, growing louder and louder. I looked behind me, and was immediately startled by the sound of a barrel bouncing.

From beside me, I immediately heard the man grumble. "What a lunatic! He shouldn't have gotten his license that fast."

The Ferrari spun 180 degrees before coming to a stunning stop near this car. The window opened, revealing a man with a witty face who seemed to be having fun. His face looked younger and more energetic than the man I had been with. He offered a grin before saying, "Did I miss something?"

"Don't be crazy," said the man beside me. Really, I think I need to ask his name. He looked at me as he said, "Come on, we'll take you home." He then turned to the man in the Ferrari again. "To the Hyatt Regency Hotel."

Within seconds, we had changed places. The man and I sat next to each other in the back seat. Isaac said that he had sent someone to take care of the half-destroyed car.

"I'm Isaac, what's your name?" Isaac asked in his pleasant tone. He looked at me in the mirror hanging in the center, his smile was bright and he looked like the happiest person in the world.

"My name is Leandra," I replied as politely as I could, while enduring the pain in my shoulder that I had ignored.

"You saved Marco, right? I'm really glad he was saved by a beautiful girl like you." Marco? So that was his name? The name of the young man whose mere kiss could make me think of him like an idiot.

"Isaac, shut up!"

Isaac pursed his lips. "You're really not cool."

I ignored them. I'm currently prioritizing the pain in my shoulder. Unconsciously, I hissed softly, then instantly bit my lip. I channeled how much it hurt by tightly squeezing the cardigan I was wearing.

"Come closer," Marco whispered. Hesitantly, I inched against him. He turned my body until we were facing each other.

"This really hurts," I murmured, trying not to cry.

Marco took off the left sleeve of my cardigan, so I was now wearing only one. He examined my wound with a grimace. "Isaac, do you have a First Aid Kit?"

"Just a sec," Isaac replied anxiously. He opened the desk and took out a white box.

Marco reached for it. "Drive carefully!" he ordered, because Isaac had been driving like a racer.

The pace of the car slowed down considerably. Marco started to open the box and worked skillfully on my wound. "Do anything if you're in a lot of pain."

I squeezed his thigh firmly. Marco did not show that he minded my action at all. In fact, he didn't even show any expression of pain at all, seemed calm and concerned about my situation. There were also many times I bit my lip to hold back a scream.

I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Marco ended it well. There wasn't much change, but it was better. The man straightened my clothes before handing the First Aid Kit to Isaac again.

Isaac looked at me through the mirror. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" I didn't answer, just nodded slowly while blinking. He reached for the bottle and handed it to Marco. "This is for Leandra. Not for you."

Marco gave the water bottle a little annoyed glance and unscrewed the lid. I was too late to take the water because he had already drunk it to me. For the sake of everything else, this water really felt refreshing in my throat.

"Thank you."

He nodded. "Are you sure you want to go home now?"

" Yeah," I replied not really sure. I couldn't imagine Kim's reaction when she found out I was going home in this condition.

"Hey, Leandra... I was wondering why you saved Marco back then," Isaac said.

"I don't even know what I was thinking at that moment." The incident at the café replayed in my head. When that bald bastard pulled out a gun and pointed it at Marco. Then without thinking, I saved him from the bullet. And because of that, I made an innocent woman the target of that damn gun.

"We're here ...." Isaac admonished when we were in the hotel courtyard. I looked out the window, we were indeed there. I'd been thinking so much that I didn't realize that it was time for me to say goodbye to Marco. Our unexpected meeting, me getting hit with a gun for saving him. And now... it ended with me having caused an accident. Later I thought that as long as I was with him, bad things always happened to me. Not that I want to blame our meeting... but until now that was the case.

"I'll open it, just a moment," Marco said and immediately got out of the car and opened the door for me. The young man helped me out of this vehicle.

"Marco...," I called hesitantly. He looked at me as he waited for me to continue. "About your second debt, I want to ask for it now."

"Good." He smiled happily. "What do you want?"

I stared fixedly at his eyeballs, I saw how dark and mysterious they were. I sighed softly as I knew that I had to say it. Holding my breath, I began to part my lips, I spoke in a hushed voice.

"Kiss me."

221122, Anne Joyce