Melissa POV
I cursed softly as I glanced at my wristwatch. Panic surged through me— I was running dangerously late. In this remote countryside, being tardy was simply not an option; reliable transportation was as scarce as rain in a drought.
My boss was to blame for this predicament. I had been free all day yesterday, yet she chose today to send me on an errand, fully aware of how deserted this place could become. And to top it off, I was wearing black.
Of all the days to don dark clothing, today had to be sweltering hot. I should have taken a motorbike, but I was trying to save money.
Finally, the bus station came into view, and a wave of relief washed over me. But that relief was short-lived; my heart sank as I spotted my bus pulling away in the distance.
"No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Panic gripped me as I forced my legs to sprint, fueled by frantic desperation.
"Hey!" I hollered, waving my arms wildly, hoping against hope that someone would see me. All I could hear was the sound of my ragged breathing as I chased after the bus, trying to close the gap.
"Stop! Wait! I'm here! Please..." I begged, ready to kneel on the pavement if it meant catching their attention.
It had been two long weeks since I arrived in this countryside for my assignment, and homesickness was creeping in. The workers I met here were kind, but I missed home so much that I couldn't bear to stay another minute.
Yet the bus rolled on, indifferent to my pleas, its taillights growing fainter.
Breathless and disheveled, I bent over, resting my hands on my knees. After a deep breath, I straightened up and glared at the retreating vehicle.
"Ruthless driver. How could you leave me like this?" I vented, kicking a nearby stone in frustration.
I needed to find a way out of this place. Pulling out my phone, I searched for alternative transport options. A taxi was available, but it would take two hours to arrive and cost a small fortune.
"Huh!" I scoffed at the outrageous fare displayed on my screen, a mix of anger and disbelief bubbling inside me.
"Please, please, God. I could use a miracle right now." I closed my eyes and pressed my hands together in prayer, pleading with the heavens. When I opened my eyes, I was astonished to see that miracles really do happen.
The bus had stopped a good distance away, waiting for me. Oh, thank God! I felt a surge of joy as I took off running toward it.
"Thank you so much!" I panted when I finally boarded, unable to wipe the grin from my face. Just moments ago, I was certain I was stranded, and now...
Sighing with relief, I sank into my seat. But the comfort was short-lived; the heat seemed to intensify. I was burning up, panting like a dog—thankfully, my tongue wasn't hanging out.
But I refused to let myself complain. What mattered was getting home. With that thought, I let my head fall back against the headrest, only to wince in pain when it thudded against something hard.
Unfortunately for me, the headrest was less a cushion and more a wooden plank. I cursed quietly, closing my eyes again as the reverberation of the impact echoed through my skull.
"Be grateful," I chanted under my breath, reaching into my bag for my water bottle, only to find it empty. I stared at it in self-mockery. I couldn't take this anymore—not with the suffocating heat burning me alive.
"Excuse me, sir!" I turned to the guy sitting next to me, hoping he would cave and help me. But the dude didn't respond at all!
Was he ignoring me? I wondered. Normally, I would just let it go, but not today. Not in this heat, not in these clothes, and definitely not for the hours ahead on the road.
"Um, excuse me." This time, I poked his shoulder, finally garnering his attention butonly for my thoughts and heart to halt.
The first thing I noticed was his eyes. Oh boy, those eyes. I had always been a sucker for actors with that striking color, but seeing them in real life was something else entirely.
They were a captivating blend of soft brown and green, reminiscent of fresh spring growth. Just looking into them made me feel like I could finally relax. Hazel was my color.
I snapped out of my daydream as he cleared his throat, likely confused by my sudden interruption.
"Oh, um, s-sorry, could we, um, switch seats?" I stammered, heat flooding my cheeks with embarrassment. Why was I so flustered? I tried to shake off the awkwardness and waited for his response, only to see him raise an eyebrow in surprise.
Of course, who would want to give up a window seat in this sweltering heat?
"My apologies. You see, I'm... um... a little kind of on heat," I stammered, my eyes widening as I realized how wrong that sounded when I saw him raise an eyebrow. "No, no... not that kind of hot! That would be weird..." I cleared my throat and pressed on. "I mean, I'm just really hot—sweaty, in fact. I could really use some fresh air from that window, and believe me when I say my sweat..."
Before I could dig myself deeper, he raised his hand to stop me, rescuing me from further embarrassment. Oh my goodness, what was I saying? I inwardly covered my eyes in utter humiliation.
But could anyone blame me?
It's not every day you encounter such a stunning guy in real life! Why was he so gorgeous? I thought beautiful men only existed in fiction or on magazine covers. But here he was, so mesmerizing and undeniably beautiful... Wait, why was he frowning at me?
His hands started waving in the air, as if he were trying to convey something.
It was then that I realized I had been staring again.
"Um, sorry," I stammered. My boss would give me a lecture if she ever found out how many apologies I had uttered today. She always said that over-apologizing diminishes your worth.
As I scrambled to swap seats, I lost my balance when he moved faster than I expected. I bumped my knees and ended up falling right onto him. Suddenly, I was sitting on his thighs, hands on his shoulders. And let me tell you a secret: there was nothing romantic about it, like in the movies or books. Instead, it was just an awkward collision that left both of us feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
Mortified, I quickly scrambled to regain my balance, my apologies spilling out in a hurried jumble. But the glare he shot my way made it clear just how annoyed he was by my clumsiness.
And that was the end of my oh so happy crush relation. Instead of even making him like me a tiny bit, I made him annoyed.
I pouted, wishing the ground would swallow me whole as I settled into the window seat next to him. At least he had let me have his spot, which reminded me just how much I craved fresh air. Wasting no time, I opened the window wide and quickly removed my sweatshirt, leaving me in the cream camisole I wore underneath.
I should have been worried about wearing so little, but the seat shielded me from the other passengers, and my crush didn't seem to care about my existence. Laying my head back—carefully this time—I noticed that the headrest was different from the one I'd sat on before; it was much spongier.
Finally, I could breathe and relax.
Time passed, and the breeze worked wonders, cooling me down and almost singing me a lullaby. But I wanted to feel even more comfortable, so I reached into my bag for my roll-on, touched up my face, and sprayed on a refreshing mist to rejuvenate my skin. The cool mist invigorated me, leaving me feeling refreshed and ready to unwind.
But then I heard someone sneeze right next to me, and my eyes widened in horror. I was still on the bus, not in a washroom! Haze wasn't taking it kindly, either; he shot me a disapproving glare.
In a panic, I tried to fan the smell out the window with my hands, only to accidentally hit his face.
Oh no!
"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..." I blurted, reaching out to his face to rub the spot, but he swatted my hand away.
"Stop," he snapped.
I quickly withdrew my hand, embarrassment flooding over me as I struggled to think of how to make it up to him.
"I'm really sorry. I know this isn't a bathroom or anything like that. I got carried away. I didn't mean to—" I stopped short when I turned to face him, noticing a bruise forming on his forehead.
Did I hit that hard? Guilt washed over me as I began to feel bad.
Unconsciously, my hand reached up to his forehead again, gently rubbing the spot in a vain attempt to soothe the pain I had unintentionally caused. "I didn't mean to hurt you," I murmured, my voice filled with genuine remorse.
Haze's expression softened slightly, and he let out a small sigh. Then, to my surprise, his large hand caught mine. In that instant, a jolt of electricity coursed through me, a spark that made time feel like it had frozen and sent my heart racing.
It was a sensation I had never experienced before, drawing me into the depths of his mesmerizing brown eyes. I felt like a moth drawn to a flame, unable to resist the pull of his gaze. But the moment was fleeting; he abruptly dropped my hand, looking at it as if it were tainted.
As my senses returned, I chastised myself for making a fool of myself, hoping no one had witnessed our awkward interaction. But of course, today was not my day. I caught a glimpse of a guy sitting behind us, struggling to suppress laughter as he stared at me.
"Relax; they don't know you." I muttered under my breath while turning my attention outside the window. I swore not to talk or look at the prince charming beside me again because he had proved to be more of a prince, harming to my sanity.
Come to think of it, he had only uttered a single word compared to the thousands I had spoken. I guess it's true that looks often come with a certain attitude, and they definitely attract the kind of attention women want. Couldn't I be different?
This was going to be a long ride.
Going back to the sceneray outside the window, I tried to will myself to sleep, hoping it would divert my thoughts from the stranger beside me. As I closed my eyes, the gentle hum of the bus lulled me into a state of tranquility. Just as I was about to drift off, a slight rustling from my side jolted me awake.
I turned just in time to see him reaching for his bag in the overhead rack.
Oh no! Was he getting off already? But I didn't even know his name yet! Hold on, get a grip on yourself, woman! You're not a high schooler anymore!
To my relief, he was just reaching for his bag and unzipping it. But then I noticed it was a cooler backpack. My curiosity piqued as I watched him pull out a chilled bottle of water, reminding me just how parched I was. My eyes followed every movement he made, from grabbing the bottle to twisting off the cap.
He took a long gulp—once! Twice! Thrice... And there I was, staring at him like a hungry child, desperate for a taste of that refreshing water. It felt like pure torture, as my longing for a sip grew with every swallow he took.
I wished I could kiss him right then, my thoughts shifting from thirst for water to a wild fantasy of his lips wrapped around that bottle. With each gulp, his Adam's apple bobbed violently, like water being pumped from a deep well, chilled and invigorating.
I imagined his lips brushing against mine, the coolness of the water mingling with the heat between us. What would it feel like to taste that icy freshness from him? My mind spiraled into visions of his mouth, the way he would pull me closer, the world around us fading away as we lost ourselves in the moment-
My absurd thoughts came to a sudden halt when something cold touched my lips. Blinking, I focused and found him looking at me with a bored expression, holding his bottle near my face, offering it to me.
Yeah, right, I was thirsty, but somehow my thirst had morphed into something else entirely. Was I losing it?
Without breaking eye contact, I accepted the water from him. Normally, I'd find it hard to drink from the same bottle as someone else, but I unconsciously brought it to my lips, wrapping my mouth around it.
Why did it feel so sensual to do this while maintaining eye contact with him?
I took a gulp.
Damn, it felt good.
I drank like a child who hadn't seen water for a week, a blissful numbness creeping into my brain. When the bottle was finally empty, I took my time savoring the coldness on my tongue, running it across my lips. This time, I noticed his eyes linger on me before he cleared his throat. or maybe I imagined it?
"Oh," I said, glancing from the empty bottle to him. I had finished his water. What was wrong with me?
"Did you want me to leave you some?" I asked meekly, almost grimacing at my own awkwardness.
Haze—yes, I had decided to call him that—merely scoffed, snatching the bottle from my hand with a casual ease.
Well, I had gotten the chance to meet and sit with the hottest guy I'd ever seen, yet I kept embarrassing myself. Way to go.
"Thanks," I said sweetly, but he merely shook his head, plugging in the earphones he had removed as if he'd had enough of me.
Taking a deep breath, I let my head rest back against the headrest, my eyes drifting to the view outside the bus window. As the trees rushed by, I was reminded of my childhood. I used to think the trees were waving goodbye as we drove away. It was a silly notion, but it brought a smile to my face as I reminisced about those innocent days.
I felt the rhythm of the wheels gliding over the road, following the curves and smoothly greeting each slope. The ride became my meditation, a moment for my thoughts to greet the horizon, salute the clouds, and prepare my mind for the day ahead. Before I knew it, I had dozed off, and the next moment I woke up—it was my stop.
A yawn escaped my lips as I stretched my arms, trying to shake off the grogginess from my nap, but in the process, I accidentally knocked into the poor soul unfortunate enough to be sitting beside me.
"So sorry." I didn't dare meet his eyes as I grabbed my bag, stood up from my seat, and headed toward the exit. But it felt awfully unfair to leave things as they were. A crazy idea popped into my head, and I took a step back. The guy clearly hadn't expected me to return; he raised an eyebrow.
"I'm Melissa, by the way, and I owe you an apology for my clumsiness. But can you blame me? You're just too damn hot to resist. Thanks for the water and the seat, Haze."
With a playful grin, I blew him a kiss and added a cheeky wink before striding out of the bus. As I glanced back, I caught his eyes wide with surprise, and the look on his face sent a thrill through me, making me giggle.
I had never been that bold!