Ivy's POV
After a while of restoring artworks in my workshop, it dawned on me that I was all alone with a strange man. Sebastian stood over me the whole time, watching what I did and how I restored the paintings.
"You know, I think it's time for me to go," I sighed. "I'm completely worn out and I need to head back home now and rest now."
"Of course... A beautiful lady like yourself needs her beauty sleep," He said.
"Well, there's nothing beautiful about this lady," I said, my hands wavering over my body. "But you are right, I do need to sleep."
As I wrapped up my tools and cleared off my desk and a little space in my workshop, I looked over and Sebastian was still standing, his hands still placed behind.
"What about you?" I asked as I turned towards him.
"What about me?" He asked, genuinely confused.
"Yeah... you. When exactly will you be leaving? Cause you weren't supposed to be here," I replied.
"Oh! I'll be leaving now," He said, as he turned away from me and headed to the door. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ivy."
"Well... I don't know what to say," I chuckled. "I guess it was a pleasure too. You did surprise me."
I stood still, watching him leave until he disappeared from the hallways. I returned to what I was doing. A few minutes later, I was done and locked my workshop. There currently wasn't any security available in the Museum cause my sister gave everyone two weeks' leave, so I volunteered to watch over the place for some time. But today was different. I wanted to go home and rest on my cozy bed and feel the comfort of my home.
As I stepped out to the parking lot to get my car, I noticed my tires were tampered with, and at that moment, I remember. Before I drove over to the Museum in the morning, I had driven over some nails and needed to change my tires but forgot.
"Oh... sh*t, sh*t, sh*t," I whispered in frustration, kicking the tires with my feet as hard as I could. "What am I going to do now?"
My phone battery was dead and I had left my chargers back at my place, so even if I wanted to go back into the museum to charge, I couldn't.
As I beat myself up in anger at how differently everything could be, I heard some sound coming from behind me. I froze in fear.
"Ivy?'
I heard my name, as quiet as it was, it sounded peaceful and familiar. I slowly turned towards the direction of where the voice came from. The person I saw made me feel calm.
"Sebastian?" I called out, softly.
"Ivy," He answered.
"Aren't you supposed to be far away from here by now?" I asked.
"Yes. But I wasn't far from here. I heard you. You sounded frustrated and I rushed here to check if you were okay," He replied as he walked over to me gently.
"You heard me?" I chuckled. "Well... thank you for coming to help. It's just that my car tires are busted and my phone battery is dead. It's a long way from home, I'm just tired. So you see, that's it."
"Oh. That's sad. Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked.
"Well, Sabastian. We just met... and in a complicated circumstance. But I'd appreciate it if you help me out with your phone so I could book a ride online," I answered.
"I do not own a phone."
I burst out laughing. "Sorry," I said, as I cleared my throat. "You're joking right?"
"No."
"Wait, hold on. You don't have a phone?" I said, my face squeezed in confusion as I looked at him from his feet up to his head. "Okay... you've succeeded in freaking me out."
"Do I need one?" He asked.
"Sabastian? Yes, you do. Okay, do you have a car? I could join you and maybe you can drop me off somewhere," I said as I dropped my car keys back inside my bag.
"A car? Yes. I have a car," He answered.
"Thank goodness, I thought you were going to say something like, you don't own a car," I exhaled.
"Hmm."
"So, where is your car?" I asked, looking around for a car.
"Not here."
"Of course," I sighed. "You know what Sabastian... thank you for coming over to check up on me again. But I think it's time for me to leave."
"How do you plan on doing that?" He asked.
'Well, Sabastian. I'll walk," I answered as I walked away from him, but as I looked over my shoulder, there he was, following behind me. "Sabastian... what are you doing?"
"Walking," He replied.
"No, you're following me. Can you not? Please," I pleaded.
"You want me to leave you alone... out here... to walk by yourself?" He asked with a smirk on his face.
"Yes. I'm sure I'll find a ride while I walk," I replied.
"Please, can I at least walk with you till you find this ride?" He pleaded.
I paused and turned to look at him again. After a few moments of thinking, I decided it was okay for him to walk with me.
"So where do you live, Sabastian?" I asked.
"I just moved here a few months ago. I guess you can say I live around," He replied.
"Of course you did. You know what Sabastian, I'll just stop asking you questions. The more I ask, the more creepier you get from your answers. And I would like to feel safe walking with you, please," I said as I tilted my head.
"You are safe, Ivy. You don't have to worry."
As the evening went by, we walked, matching each other's pace, and maintaining minimal conversations. Time passed by quicker than I expected, I didn't even realize I had gotten closer to my house. As we got closer, I stopped and turned to face Sabastian.
"Is everything okay?" He asked.
Sabastian is six feet tall and has an athletic build. As I turned to face him, I bumped my forehead on his chest. I never realized how close he was to me until that moment. As I hit my face on his strong chest, he grabbed me with his left hand as he used his right hand to gently lift my face.
"My goodness, Sabastian... you're strong," I chuckled, trying to hide the pain as I placed my hand on my forehead.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. I just wanted to tell you that we've managed to walk to my place. I can't believe I enjoyed your company that much. Thank you once again, but I have to head home now."
"You're welcome."
As we stood there, still close to each other, his hand on my face. I couldn't help but look in his eyes. He was looking into mine with so much passion and curiosity, that I became weak in the knees.
"Can I go now?" I asked, my voice soft and calm.
He lets go of me. "Sorry about that. I have to leave now."
"Yes, you do."
"I'll see you again."
Before I could say anything, he turned and walked away. After a few minutes of watching the intriguing man fade away in the evening mist, I turned and walked into my house, locking the doors behind me and rushing to the bathroom.