Anastasia’s POV~

As I am looking out the window, Mr. Stranger continues checking his phone, completely ignoring my previous comment. As if I am not even here.

Is It so hard to say a simple ‘welcome’?

Huh! Mr. Arrogant Stranger.

My university comes into view and the driver stops the car.

“This one?” He asks me through the mirror and I nod my head.

I turn my head to look at Mr. Stranger, wanting to thank him again for the ride but he seems tired. So, I shake my head and climb out of the car.

“Thanks” I tell the driver and he waves his hand, dismissing me.

I start towards the university building but then a though strikes me.

I turn and poke my head from the window of the back seat of their car, calling out Mr. Stranger, who is quite awake by now, “You said you will send me back my purse with my car but that will take time. How will I manage my expenses by then?”

“What do you need more right now? Your purse or the money?” He asks me, eyes still closed.

“Uhmm…” I think.

“You have five seconds to decide.”

“The money of course. What will I do with the purse if there is no money in it. Right?”

He leans over the console and takes a wallet from the front seat.

“Hey, that’s mine.” The man in the driver’s seat exclaims looking at him.

Mr. Stranger pays him no attention just like me and hands me the wallet.

“Take it and leave.”

The money bag is quite heavy, perhaps containing my university fees of a year.

“I can not take this.” I shake my head looking at Mr. Stranger and try to give it back to him.

“You need more?” He asks, narrowing his eyes.

“No, no. It is too much. I can not take someone else’s money.” I hurry to explain.

“You can and you will.” Saying this he shoves the money bag in my hands.

“I can not.”

“I insist. If it makes you sleep at night, you can give it back when I return your car.”

“Okay.” I agree reluctantly, “But” I look up at him.

“No buts now girl. You are taking this.” He glares at me.

“I was asking your name Mr.” I squint my eyes at him.

“That is for the next time.”

“There will be a next time?” I raise an eyebrow at him, questioningly.

“Ci sarà. Farà sicuramente.” He whispers, turning his face and looking ahead.

(There Will. Definitely will.)

“What was that?” I ask him, getting confused.

He taps on the driver’s shoulder and the driver starts the car, groaning, “I can not believe you did this.”

“Mr. Stranger. Mr. Stranger.” Their car drives away from my university before I can stop them.

“I will have to return this the first chance I get.” I eye the wallet in my hands.

I sigh as the car leaves my sight and turn towards my university.

As I enter the dim lit hallways of the dorms, silence greets me as it is too late. There is only a couple making out against the corner of a wall, taking full advantage of the darkness. I scrunch my nose up looking at them doing this in public.

I will never understand why people like so much PDA. Their relationship is theirs only, not for us to see. Then keep it private.

I turn the knob to my dorm room and enter. There lays Chloe, my best friend cum roomie, on the couch, watching Netflix and munching on pop corns.

I discard my shoes and put the car keys in the bowl on the table. Then it hits. Mr. Stranger did not even ask for my keys. Now how will he unlock my car and return it to me?

Chloe’s eyes snap up to me, hearing the jiggling sound of the keys and she sits up on the couch, turning her focus on me. “What took you so long, girl? You know how worried I was?”

“Sorry, Chloe. I forgot to call you.” I plop down on the seat beside her.

“And what about your parents? Did you forget to call them too? Your mom has been spamming my phone since the last hour.” She points at her phone.

“My battery is dead.” I wave my phone and throw it at her.

“You are so damn careless, Stacey. Why do not you carry the power bank with you?”

“That is too heavy.”

“A power bank is heavy? Are you for real?” She looks at me incredulously. “Admit that you forget it.”

“Okay, okay. I forget it. Fine?” I resign.

“Always.” She reminds.

“Yeah, always.” I admit finally and go to take her phone from the table. “Now give me your phone. I have to call mom, and dad. They must be worried about me.”

Chloe snatches the phone before I can take a hold of it. “No no no no. First tell me what took you so long. Then everything else.”

“My car broke down and there was this man. His arm was bleeding, so I treated it.”

“Man? Who is he?”

“How am I supposed to know? I just met him on the road.”

“So you are saying that you helped a stranger on the road who was injured.”

“Yes.” I nod my head, agreeing with her.

“Girl, have you lost your mind.” She starts shouting all of a sudden. “He could be a criminal for all you know.”

“Which movie did you see last? The Godfather? Or Scarface?”

“This is not funny, Stacey.” She sighs.

“I know. But this is not Sicily. Criminals do not roam around the streets here.” I make my point.

“Yes, this is not Sicily but this is New York. This city may not be as dangerous as that, but still, you have to be careful.” She holds my hands, “You can not just go out like this late at night.”

“Okay…mom. Now can I call my parents?” I untangle our fingers.

“First tell me who was that man? What was his name?” She gets all excited.

“After the call.” I negotiate with her.

“No.” She shakes her head.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“No.”

“Yes.” Her eyes go wide.

“I won again.” I smile brightly at her.

She picks up a pillow from behind her and tries to smack me. “You cheat!”

I guard my face with my hands. When the pillow is in mid-air her cell phone starts ringing. I look at the screen and see that mom is calling.

“After the call.” I smile mischievously at her, ducking down under her arms and pick up the phone from the table, sprinting to the other end of the room.

“Do not think you are off the hook.” Chloe mouths, pointing her finger at me from the couch, her eyes narrowed and I mock salute her in reply.

“Hello mom.” I receive the call and greet her, huffing.

“Why were you not picking up our calls? We have been trying for hours.” She bombards me with questions as soon as I take the call.

“My phone did not have enough battery.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to fully charge your phone before going out somewhere? That too this late. You know how worried we get.” She scolds.

But I can not blame her for this. After what happened with Ami, my parents have been overprotective of me. I would have done the same if I were in their shoes.

“Sorry, mom. I did not mean to do that. I will take care next time.” I whisper.

While saying this I remember the words from Mr. Stranger earlier. He said he will tell me his name when we meet the next time.

He was so certain that there will be a ‘next time’!

Forget it, Ana.

Maybe he was just trying to get you off his back, that is why he said this. Yeah, that will be the reason. You are just stressing yourself over a petty thing.

“Are you even listening to me, Ana?” Mom’s voice cuts through my imaginary talk.

“Of course, mom.” I answer her, lying. “By the way, where his dad?” I change the topic.

“With me.” She replies, “Roger, Ana wants to talk to you.” She tells my dad, handing the phone to him.

“How is my baby doing?” Comes the calm and deep voice of the only man in my life. A smile curves its way up my lips hearing it.

“Great, dad. How about you?”

“Just the way you left us. But the old lady here irritates me a lot.” He says, referring to mom and I laugh.

I can hear mom whining in the background, “You two always do this. Team up together and corner me.” I can practically see her crossing her arms over her chest, complaining.

“Mom, No one is cornering you. Dad is just pulling your leg.” I console her. “You know we both love you.”

“And we two love you. So listen to your mother and be careful the next time.” Dad advises me.

“Yes, dad. I know. It was my fault. It will not be repeated.”

“Where is Chloe?” Mom asks me.

Before I can answer, Chloe chimes in, coming to my side, “I am here, aunty.”

“How are you, dear?”

“Good, good. And you, and uncle?” She asks back.

“We are good too, child.” Dad tells her.

“Take care of each other for us, okay?” Mom orders us.

“Yes, aunty. We always do.” Chloe nods her head, even if mom can not see her and winks at me.

“Ok, we will leave you two, then. Go, sleep. It is already late.”

“Bye, mom.”

“Bye, aunty.”

“Bye, girls. Good night!”

“Good night!”

As soon as I cut the call Chloe drags me to the couch, makes me sit down with her and takes her phone from my hand, keeping it on the table.

“Spill.” Her eyes are gleaming with excitement.

This is how I end up telling her all the details about my meeting with Mr. Stranger. Except the fact that I lost my purse and he gave me a money bag. Chloe will surely kill me if she gets to know this.

“So he did not tell you his name?” She questions at the end of my story.

I shake my head in no.

“Even after you treated him without anything in return?” She confirms.

“I said no.”

“Your car?” She asks.

“He said he will return it to the dorms.”

“It sounds kind of weird.”

“How?”

“Something is really fishy about this man. Otherwise, why would he not tell you his name?” She concludes.

“I do not know. Neither do I want to.” I reply her, “It is his name. If he wants to tell me, he will and if not, then will not. I can not pressure him.”

“Whatever, but a man with an injury, at this time of the night, is not someone to mess with. Maybe he is one of the those bad guys.” She says, “If you see him next time. Do not go near him. He can be dangerous.” Chloe warns me.

“Your mind is full of thrillers and mysteries, Chloe, ” saying this, I get up from the couch, “Ok, I am going to bed. I have classes tomorrow in the morning. Can not miss.”

“Good night!”

“Night!”

I get in my room and lock the door, keeping the money bag in the safety of my closet.

I will not use someone else’s money.

Taking a much needed shower in the bathroom, I change the clothes and get in the bed in my pjs.