It had been about a week since the "incident" and Lila was glad to see that she hadn't seen the man since then. She had nearly forgotten about him and the whole thing had it not for them meeting again.
Now that she was staring at him again, the atmosphere became a bit awkward. Lila had just opened the door to leave her apartment to go see her family for the weekend, but she never expected to see her neighbor at his door. They hadn't met for a week no matter where she went, so she didn't expect him to be standing at his door at all.
"Hi, we meet again," He spoke after seeing her frozen state. His eyes gleamed in amusement as he watched Lila and her wide eyes.
"Hi..." Lila reluctantly replied with a forced smile. She wanted to quickly leave, but didn't want to be rude.
"Thank you so much for your help last time. I am Ian and if you need anything in the future then please do not hesitate to call me," He said as he handed over a business card. Lila looked at the card in his hands and hesitated before taking it.
There was a company name and a string of numbers on the bottom of the card. Lila paused as she read the name. 'Ian Kline.' Confused, Lila pondered on where she had heard that name before. It seemed as if there was an itch in her brain as she recalled the name.
Lila gasped. Her eyes went wide as they turned to the man in front of her. She looked him up and down before glancing back at the card. This man was Ian Kline.
Her heartbeat started accelerating as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in again. She could feel herself go a bit cold as she realized the man was still staring at her.
"What's your name again?" Lila asked hoping she heard and saw wrong.
"Ian, Ian Kline," he answered, not questioning why she asked.
"It was nice to meet you," She quickly muttered before rushing past him to the elevators. She was glad she didn't stutter, but only she knew how much her hands were trembling at the moment.
What made the situation even worse? The fact that she could feel his stare on her back as she rushed away. Lila only calmed down after she got in the elevator and quickly pressed the close button. Please, please, please!
She never thought a few seconds could feel so suffocating. As the door fully closed, Lila took a deep relieving breath. Swiping her long hair back, she felt beads of cold sweat on her face. Her reflection on the elevator showed her that she needed to calm down some more.
Her mind took her back to the man and woman on the road under the rain. That was the day the main leads got engaged so it had been about a little over a week since then. Which means...
Lila's thoughts were interrupted as the elevator doors opened. She quickly made her way to her car and buckled herself in before peering at the doors of the apartment. She stayed in the same posture as she waited.
Her serious eyes continued staring at the doors until a figure emerged from within. It was Ian Kline. He walked the opposite way from where she was parked but seemed to briefly glance her way.
Lila's breath almost got caught in her throat as she flinched. He immediately kept walking as if nothing happened. Only Lila knew that he had seen her. However, she continued to watch him until he got in his car and drove away. Only then did she turn her head and look in the rearview mirror.
Her face looked a bit pale, but she didn't care. The sense of losing control over something she had worked so hard for her whole life made her feel miserable.
"How could you be so stupid..." She muttered to herself. Now, she truly did regret saving him. But there was an even bigger question in her mind.
"Why is the villain of the story living right across from me?"