Chapter 8 Stranger

• ~ Zoie’s POV ~
• If someone this morning would’ve told her that by midnight, Zoie would be following a stranger, walking into what looked like a dark warehouse on the outskirts of the city, she wouldn’t have believed it. And yet, here she was.
• The stranger walked in front of her and she was a few steps behind. He went to flip a switch on the wall and the whole warehouse was filled with fluorescent white light. Zoie’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness, and she realized that it was actually a car garage. There were several cars being worked on, stripped, and a few other junk ones that were scrapped for parts. In the corner of the warehouse were a simple mattress on the floor and a big backpack.
• The stranger casually pulled the garage door close and it came down with a loud bang. Then he proceeded to go to the small fridge on one corner of the garage where the workbench was.
• “You want a beer?” he asked without turning around, pulling out a cold bottle from the mini-fridge.
• “No, thank you,” she replied. More alcohol was probably the last thing she needed right now.
• But then again…
• If I’m gonna make bad decisions… might as well.
• “Actually, on second thought, I can use some of that,”
• The stranger had closed the fridge door, but he reopened it and grabbed her a bottle. He skillfully used his mouth to open the beer bottle before handing it to her. Zoie was taken aback, but she grabbed it nonetheless.
• “T-thanks,”
• After giving her the bottle, the stranger walked away casually, sipping his beer and kicking off his shoes. He then threw his leather jacket to the workbench and revealed the sleeveless wife-beater he was wearing. Zoie could see his rock-hard muscles and the sleeve of tattoos running down his arm.
• The stranger had his back to her and Zoie found herself watching his every move. It was a hot summer night and he was sweating a little. He hooked up the table fan on the desk and turned it on. Then he took off his shirt in one quick move, revealing his Greek-god-like body.
• Zoie was entranced. Her mouth fell open a little as she held the beer bottle shakily in her hand. She watched as he turned back around, he was leaning against the desk. His abs were so perfectly sculpted and the tattoos also ran across his chest and to his upper abdomen.
• “Can I help you with something?”
• Zoie flinched immediately. He totally caught her gawking.
• “So!” she exclaimed in an attempt to change the subject. “…Is this where you live?”
• Zoie could feel her cheeks burning up. This was so embarrassing. The stranger was looking at her with a half smirk. His eyes were mocking.
• “I guess,” he shrugged. “For the time being,”
• “Do you like working on cars?”
• “Among other things,”
• The stranger took another sip of his beer before putting the cold bottle on his torn knuckles. Zoie could see the scars and scraps of dried blood on it. The blood was recent, but the scars weren’t. They were probably acquired some time ago. And not just on his hands and knuckles, he had scars everywhere, all over his body and face. He then poured some of the beer over the dried blood and grimaced. It must’ve been painful, but judging from the way he was handling this, this was probably not his first rodeo.
• “Does that hurt a lot…?” she asked cautiously.
• “Meh,” he shrugged, grabbing a clean towel from the workbench and drying his hand.
• “Why do you have so many scars on you?”
• The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.
• The stranger looked up at her menacingly and replied, “From saving helpless little girls like you,”
• Zoie swallowed hard. The stranger cocked his head to the side and studied her expression.
• “You’re a curious girl, aren’t you?” he deduced. “Asking a lot of questions,”
• His dark blue eyes were piercing deeply into hers. Zoie couldn’t look away, and her heart suddenly started racing.
• “I-I just…” she stammered. “I just wanna say thank you… for what you did,”
• “Is that it?” he said as he stood up straighter, tossing the dirty towel to the ground. “A thank you’s all I got?”
• The stranger started moving closer and Zoie stepped back instinctively. He was nice and chill one moment, and suddenly, he had this menacing vibe about him. Zoie kept moving back to keep a distance between them, but he kept coming closer. And finally, she hit one of the parked cars and she couldn’t move back anymore.
• “I just saved you from a rapist and those guards,” he said as he put his arms out, leaning against the car and trapping her in place. “What are you gonna give me in return?”
• Zoie swallowed hard.
• Right. Of course, he wants something in return.
• “W-what do you want?”
• “How about a kiss?”
• A what?
• Zoie looked up to see his dark blue eyes piercing like a knife. Her heart had literally stopped beating for a second.
• Is he serious?
• The stranger kept his eyes locked on hers for the longest time. Zoie couldn’t even breathe. She just watched in terror and anticipation as he leaned closer and closer. And finally, he stopped when their lips were only an inch away from each other. Zoie could smell his masculine scent and her knees went weak.
• What’s going on with me?!
• “Ha! I’m just playing with you,” the stranger let out a wild laugh as he suddenly pulled away.
• The moment there was some distance between them, Zoie let out a breath of relief. She was relieved, but also… she kind of missed his presence.
• “Ha-ha. Very funny,” she rolled her eyes, trying to maintain a sense of composure.
• Oh, come on! Pull yourself together, woman!
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• - - - - - To be continued - - - - -