4

Tina started crying again, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Where would she sleep? How would she face her mother when she got back home? And where would she even get the transport money to return to her village at this late hour, considering it was already dark due to the heavy rainfall that had quickly fallen? 

While lost in her thoughts, Patrick finally stepped out of his house and was shocked to see Tina still standing outside, crying. She was shivering from the cold, her clothes soaked and clinging to her body, revealing her shape to his view. 

Patrick knew Tina was stubborn, but he still felt compelled to ask her what she was waiting for. He was surprised that Prisca had actually left her behind. 

Patrick stepped out to instruct the security guard to lock the main entrance gate, as it was already past 9 p.m., and Sharon had called him to inform him that they weren't returning home. 

At first, Patrick hesitated to speak to Tina, knowing her stubbornness. He walked past her to inform the security guard to lock the gate since Sharon had told him she was sleeping over at the hotel. Just as Patrick walked past Tina, she shivered in fright and shifted backward, not expecting anyone to walk past her. 

However, upon realizing it was Patrick, she called out to him, "Hello, excuse me, sir!" 

Patrick paused and turned back to Tina, hearing her sweet voice. She immediately looked down, unable to meet his intense gaze, as she recalled being rude to him earlier. 

Unsure how to ask for his help again, she stammered, "Please, sir, can you?" 

"Wait, I'll be right back. Let me tell the security guard to lock the gate since Sharon and Prisca aren't returning for security purposes," Patrick replied, meeting Tina's gaze. 

"Okay," Tina gulped as Patrick left her. She watched him walk up to the gatehouse to instruct the guard, then return to her. 

"Honestly, I thought you had gone home with Prisca and Sharon. I’m quite surprised to see you here, meaning that Prisca actually left you behind. Why not come inside and wait? You'll feel too cold by now, and I don't think Prisca will be back tonight since she already left with Sharon." 

Patrick offered his kindness, fully aware that Tina might still reject it and prefer to stay outside. However, she had no other option, so she stood silently, remembering her previous rudeness to him. 

Patrick stepped closer as it began to rain again, asking, "Aren't you going to say something, miss?" 

"I... I..." Tina stuttered, meeting Patrick's dark, handsome gaze. She finally said, "I wanted to ask if you could help me with the transport fare to get back home to my village, but I don’t even know my way back. Or can you help me with both the fare and directions? I’ve never been in this area before, and my mom will be worried and looking for me if I don’t return home tonight."

 "Hmph," Patrick sighed, listening to Tina's sweet voice. "I can help you with directions, but it's late now. By the time you reach the junction that leads to your village and start walking home, it'll be very risky and likely midnight. So why not stay in for tonight? I can personally drop you off first thing in the morning before I leave for work." 

Tina remained silent, and Patrick hoped she would understand. He calmed down, not wanting to see her sobbing, and shook his head as he walked to open the parlor door, ushering Tina into his house. 

Her clothes were completely soaked and clinging to her body, revealing her shape, which made him a little uncomfortable as he found himself liking her. 

As Tina stepped into Patrick's living room, she watched him lock the parlor door. Turning to face her, he said, "Wait here; let me go find something for you to wear." Patrick went inside and returned with some of Sharon's clothes for Tina to change into. 

Noticing that Tina’s wet clothes were dripping water onto the tiled floor, she said, "Thank you, sir." Tina took the clothes from Patrick's hand, but feeling uncomfortable changing in front of him, she asked, "Can I use the restroom?" 

"Sure," Patrick replied, and Tina immediately went into the restroom, feeling scared and anxious since it was just the two of them in the house. 

With no other option, Tina changed into one of Sharon's dresses. After drying her wet body, she rinsed her clothes and squeezed them tightly to dry before hanging them in the restroom window, hoping they would dry by morning so she could wear them home to her family. 

Tina also took off her bra and panties, rinsed them out, and hung them beside her wet clothes on the restroom window. After finishing, she stepped out of the restroom, feeling dread run down her spine as she walked back to the living room to meet Patrick. 

Patrick had set his dinner in front of him on a stool by the blue couch, eating delicious jollof rice and fried fish. He saw Tina step out and asked, "Would you like to join me for dinner?" 

Tina hesitated at first, but her stomach grumbled loudly from hunger. She nodded, realizing she hadn’t eaten since noon because of the silly gossip Prisca had shared and her insistence on visiting Sharon.

 Patrick knew he was dealing with a stubborn lady, as he noticed that since Tina arrived, she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything. He stood up from the blue couch, abandoning his food to serve Tina her meal. 

He brought it out and set it on another stool and blue couch in the parlor. Patrick had cooked the meal before the rain started, knowing that Sharon was lazy and wouldn’t agree to cook. He wanted to avoid any silly arguments between them. 

After placing the tray of food on a stool, he walked back to the fridge to get a bottle of water for Tina. He returned and set it down before going back to his seat, looking at Tina, who was still standing and staring at him. 

"That’s your meal, and I hope you like it," he said. 

Patrick resumed eating as Tina nervously sat down and replied, "Thank you, sir." Despite being hungry and the food smelling delicious, Tina hadn’t touched it yet. She remained unhappy, worrying about how her mother and siblings would feel since she hadn’t returned home. 

As Patrick finished his meal, he cleared his plate and returned to the parlor, only to see that Tina hadn’t touched her food. He walked over and sat opposite her, staring directly at her face. 

"Aren't you going to eat? Do you want to starve, or should I feed you?" Tina shook her head, meeting Patrick's dark, handsome gaze. 

"No, sir, thank you. I will eat, but I’m just worried about my mom and siblings." Finally, she picked up her spoon and began eating the jollof rice little by little while Patrick asked, "Don't you have a phone to contact your mom and let her know you’re at a friend’s place? With the heavy rain, you won’t be able to return home until tomorrow." 

"No," Tina replied, shaking her head. "I don’t have a phone."

 "What about your mom's phone number? Do you know it by heart? Let me help you contact her," Patrick offered, but Tina shook her head again, saying, "No, I don’t know my mom's phone number either." 

Patrick sighed and glanced away from Tina to the television, while Tina managed to eat half her meal. As she grew tired, Patrick noticed she was dozing off, nearly falling off the couch. He interrupted her slumber, asking, "Are you feeling sleepy, miss? You won’t be comfortable here. Why not come sleep in my bedroom?"