"I know that, dude. I'll be there in a few minutes," a young man with well-trimmed, short black hair replied to the other person at the other end of his call.

He held his phone glued to his ear with one hand and with the other he held onto the steering wheel.

"No, not really. I just flew into the country this morning... No, I haven't gone home," he stated as he tried to hold the mobile phone between his ear and shoulder and tried to pick up his drink with the other, and therefore took his eyes away from the road.

He managed to do that but by the time he got his eyes back on the road, he noticed the light had turned red and a young woman was walking slowly across the road.

He quickly let go of the phone and dropped the drink back at its place and with both of his hands now on the steering wheel, he tried to slow down. This was something he should have done gradually from a long distance away and now, even after hitting the brakes, he doubted he was going to stop on time before hitting the young woman. She didn't make things any easier by taking her time while walking. It felt as if she had no idea a car was drawing closer and when she finally turned her head in his direction, it was too late.

* * * * *

Ema saw herself fall to the ground as the car finally came to a halt, barely grazing her. It was all blurry. Her vision was blurry and her hearing for a second was abnormal as all she heard was her heart thumping faster and faster in her ears.

Through her blurry vision, she saw someone quickly come out of the car and couldn't make out the person's face as he drew closer to her. She saw the person's lips moving as he bent closer to her but she heard nothing. She couldn't make out his words. She blinked several times to regain her vision and slowly it came back with her hearing ability.

"Miss, are you okay?" She heard the young man's voice at last.

She managed to look up at his face, although she still felt confused about what just happened.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there. I hope you're not hurt. Are you okay?" he asked with care as he noticed she was trying to get up to her feet and offered to help.

She flinched at a sudden sharp pain in her ankle and brought her hands to rub it.

"Does it hurt?" he asked as he noticed her reaction.

"Of course it does," she replied, frustrated at the constant repetition of his questions.

"Why on earth would you drive in such a manner? You almost killed me," she complained as she soothed her right ankle as if that would make things better.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Let me help you. I'll take you to the hospital, you need to see a doctor..."

"No, I don't!" she snapped at him as she rejected his offer to help.

"I'm fine. Please just go on ahead and leave," she told him without taking a look at his face and tried to get up on her feet on her own. She was determined to show him that she was okay.

"No, you're not, and please let me help you."

"I already told you that I don't need your help. Why are you determined to waste your time?" she rhetorically asked him as she painfully managed to get up to her feet while resting on just her left foot.

She hadn't tried resting any weight on her right foot. She was going to do that. He remained silent as he watched her, unknowingly irritated at her stubbornness.

"You need a doctor..."

"No, I don't," she cut him off as she hung her bag over her shoulder properly and tried to take a step forward, away from him. She decided to try her right foot, but a sharp pain sunk in, making her unconsciously take the weight off her foot. Then she lost her balance and would've fallen to the ground if not for the arms of the handsome young man behind her.

"I'm sorry to do this but you need to see a doctor," he told her as he unexpectedly lifted her off her feet and into his arms.

"Put me down! I have a say to my body! Put me down!" she demanded as she tried her best to struggle, but he ignored her rants and carried her to the other side of his car.

He opened the door to the front passenger seat and gave her the seat there, then shut the door. He realised she was finally silent after he got in as well and started the car.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll take care of the bills," he told her, as if that would lighten her worries. Money was always the problem.

"I don't need your money. What I need is for you to let me go," she told him without taking a look at him and keeping her eyes glued to the street.

"I'm just trying to help you know. I didn't mean to almost run you over."

"Well, you did, and I forgive you, so let me go. I don't want to go to the hospital. I just want to go home, cuddle my pillow, and get a good night's sleep; it's not too much to ask. I can't get a good night's sleep nor can I get a good job. Everything is just messed up," she complained as she felt the frustration coming on. She tried her best not to cry in front of a stranger.

There was an awkward silence in the car for about a second before he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. I can see I came in at the wrong time. I just want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt you," he explained and waited for her reply, but she gave none, so he gave up and thought it would be better to remain silent.

"I'm sorry but this is not me. I'm not usually mean...I'm just...I have a lot on my mind. I forgive you for almost running me over with your car. Now, can you please stop and let me get out?" she asked him nicely as she took a look at him.

He took a glance at her and chuckled.

"You're something else, aren't you?" he told her with the same smile on his face and his eyes glued to the road.

She stared at him, frustrated at his determination to take her to the hospital. She was okay. She was very much fine. An icepack on her ankle would most probably do the trick. It obviously couldn't be that bad. She sighed as she looked away from him and back on the streets.

* * * * *

"I can't use crutches. How will I work? The doctor just said it was a slight sprain and would heal in a few days or so and it's not a fracture, so I don't need crutches," Ema complained as she limped out of the doctor's office, dragging her right foot along with her.

"Well, you'll have to go on leave or something," the young man told her as he followed behind her. She stopped at his comment and gently turned to look at him.

A chuckle left her lips.

"I wish. Unfortunately, I can't do that. I have to feed myself and pay my bills. I can't afford such luxury," she told him as she collected her handbag from him.

"Thank you for bringing me to the hospital," she told him and turned to walk away.

He took hold of her hand to stop her and she turned to him.

"Let me help you. You need money and I have some. Just tell me how much you need to get by until your ankle gets better," he offered.

She gently took his hand off hers.

"I don't need your money and I definitely don't need your pity. I've always gotten by with what little I have and I'll continue to work for my money. Thanks for the offer but I'll manage," she told him and tried to leave again.

"Please, I insist," he said, but she just shook her head.

"No." She tried to leave again, and he rushed in front of her.

"Okay, fine. I won't talk about the money anymore but let me take you out," he suggested to her.

"It's getting late, mister, and I really need to go home, so thanks for the offer again but no," she plainly told him and tried to walk away again, but he blocked her path.

"Please, would you stop it already? My ankle is killing me. I'm resting on one foot here."

"Let me treat you to dinner and take you home."

"No to taking me home. No. You did all you could, now please let me be," she pleaded, but all her words fell on deaf ears as he collected her handbag from her.

"Then we better leave quickly or that ankle might just swell," he told her as he took hold of her hand and placed it around his neck to help her by balancing her weight partially on him.

"I can't leave with you. You're a complete stranger and I don't even know your name."

"I'm Chris, and you?" he introduced himself as he helped her walk farther.

Confused as she was, she answered.

"Ema," she managed to murmur her name as they walked out of the hospital together.

She found herself eating to her fill. There was so much food on the table and she'd barely had anything to eat throughout the day. She ate anything that came her way and she didn't care about the swarming eyes thrown at her.

"Just tell me if you need more," Chris told her with a smile of satisfaction on his face as he watched her eat.

For the first time since the food was placed on the table, she looked up to him. With her mouth full, she tried hard to chew a bit slower as she became aware that she was with a stranger.

"Why are you so nice to me? You seem like a rich guy with the nice car and this restaurant... Why do you care if I'm satisfied or not?" she asked him out of curiosity as she chewed. He had no food in front of him. In fact, he had refused to eat, stating that he was okay.

"What do you think?" he asked her as he relaxed back on his chair and stared at her with his light brown eyes.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"I don't know. I've always thought rich people were locked up in their own world and the poor in theirs or something."

"Well, what would you describe me as?"

"Annoying, obnoxious and...kind."

"Really? Hmm...I thought I made it to only the nice words."

"Nearly made it, but you were annoying when you carried me without my permission."

"I'm sorry for that. Do I have to apologize to your boyfriend or husband?" he asked, and she almost choked on her food. She gulped down a glass of water before looking up at him and away from the dish.

"I have none," she said as she shrugged her shoulders before she continued with her meal.

There was silence between them as he watched her eat, and her eating manners brought a smile to lips.

"Do you wish to share your trouble with job hunting?" he asked all of a sudden, and she raised up her eyes to him.

"Why?"

"Who knows? I might be of help, more than you imagine," he explained to her, and she just brushed it aside.

"Well, I had a job interview earlier this morning, but I went late and...well, I was told to wait tables for the rest of my life by the so-called Mr Hendrix," she stated nonchalantly as she felt the frustration coming on again.

"Hendrix? As in...Hendrix Enterprises?" he asked her, suddenly more interested, and she didn't really find that strange. Hendrix was big in the business world and the majority of people would know about their existence.

"Yes," she replied.

"The person who interviewed you...is his name perhaps Lucas Hendrix?"

"Uh, Lucas...I'm not so sure, but Mr Hendrix, yes... Do you perhaps know him? He was very mean to me. Fine, I know I don't have all the right certificates, but he didn't even give me a chance to explain myself. He asked me to give up any dream I had of having a better life. He told me to forever be a waitress. I wonder why such a mean person runs such a big empire." She narrated her frustration and he just sat still, paying attention to all she said.

"I had so many good plans. I tried my best. Truly, I did... I just happen to not have completed college and woke up late this morning. Fine, he can get the best P.A. there is for himself in this world, but I am going to make it in life and someday I'm going to stand in front of him and say to him, 'I told you,'" she explained and finally fell silent. She noticed he was staring at her attentively.

"Why am I telling you all this? I just keep ranting all the time," she told him, or more so to herself.

"You needed to find someone to talk to and you did. Don't worry, you'll get a good job someday."

An unknowingly slow, wide smile grew on her face.

"Thank you," she appreciated, feeling good about herself as she finally got a calm look at the man in front of her.