I could hear the echoes of my footsteps as I stormed down the stairs of Dario's apartment building.
The early morning breeze blew in my direction causing me to blow onto my palms and rub them together.
I clung unto my jacket tightly and crossed to the other side of the road to get a taxi.
It was a little past 3am and the streets were a bit empty except for a few cars that sped through every 10 minutes.
I stood under a street light that was barely lit up as the bulb dimmed every now and then. With my back against the glass doors of a closed boutique and waited for a taxi.
The outline of a man's form startled me from across the street as it walked towards me causing my heart to beat erratically and my palms to sweat despite the cold.
I turned on my heels and ran with no idea where I was headed as the man behind me quickened his steps and broke into a run as well.
The tears now streaming down my face, obstructing my sight as fear took over my whole existence and had me screaming for help at the top of my voice.
Tripping on a soda can that had been on the sidewalk, I braced myself as I fell face first.
"God!! Diane are you alright?". A rather familiar voice asked .
I turned to look at the face of whoever it was that had been chasing me.
"Dario?... What the fuck are you doing here?".
I asked a bit confused and irritated at the same time.
"I felt bad after what happened, and then rushed down to apologize but then you started running so I ran after you".
He replied helping me on to my feet.
"Shit!! You know, A simple 'hey stop, it's Dario' would've gone a really long way?" .
I said wriggling out of his hand.
"Can we go back up, to my apartment?... You're bleeding".
He said, touching my face.
"No I'm fine!".
I told him as I pulled away from him attempting to walk back to where I'd been standing earlier before. But the pain of the fall earlier shot through me and had me wincing in pain.
"This is not the time to be stubborn Diane, you're hurt! If I leave you down here, what if someone with actual bad intentions show up?, How are you gonna escape? And this area is has its fair share of creeps".
Dario said with his hand on my waist as I rested my weight on him whilst trying to support myself.
Finally giving in, I put my arm across his shoulder and had his arm firmly rested on my waist as he helped me walk back into his apartment and sat me down on one of his sofas while he left to get something from his cupboard.
"A first aid kit?... How dependable"...
I scoffed and rolled my eyes as he approached with the first aid kit he had pulled out of his cupboard.
Ignoring my comment, he opened it up and brought out a cotton ball, stood up and walked towards his fridge, opened it and brought out a bottle of brandy, walked back to where I was sat, opened it up and poured a bit on the cotton ball he had brought out earlier.
I stared wide eyed as I watched him mouth an ' I'm sorry ' and proceeded to clean my injuries with it. The only conversations we had as he cleaned me up was my occasional complaints at how painful the whole process was and him replying with "I'm sorry, I'll be gentle".
After he had finished cleaning the scratches on my knees as a result of the fall, he returned the the First aid kit back to its place and took a drinking glass from his kitchen sink and walked back to the living room.
"It's almost 4:45. Are you sure you should be drinking this early?".
I turned to say to him as he sat on the opposite side of the sofa I was sat on.
"Worried about me now are you?". He replied with a smirk.
"Oh please"
I waved him off with a scoff.
"I need this" he said waving the glass he held in his hand "it'll help me relax" he said, as he moved, to sit down next to me.