_Oh crap!!

Hmm...weird! Supposed I was sweating from the running but why do I felt the sweating came from the coldness at my back?

Did the temperature just dropped?

??

Turned around holding my neck while the other holding the card I was stunned to the floor.

Who is this?

Was demon real just now?

He staring down at me with his coffee cup on his hand and the brown splotches on his coat, tie, and white shirt on the display so much in silent fuming.

Oh!

Shit!

I was the one who did that? I thought I was hitting a wall before but I was hitting into a human wall of brick actually.

Suddenly my bum started to aching. Did I fall so hard on the floor leaving my bum aching like this?

I just rubbing my bum due to the incident along with the punch card.

Ouch! Now the pain on my neck and bum making me to fall to be a sick person. Got so many occurrences today...

What day is today? My harmful day is today??

I look up from the brown splotches on to his face back.

Errkk...he was just staring at me with unreadable facial. Is he thinking on how to 'punish' me?

No more angry look but more to 'long-time-no-see' look at me. He gave me that kind of cast just to let me took a guess what was he thinking about now.

Krikk... krikk...krikk

Another wave of crickets making a sound on my ears. All silent...the group of people and 'them' at the back also in a silent situation.

What was going on?

"Baby doll..." breathlessly...

"What?" I asked again once hearing he was saying something...doll...confusing on him.

He smiled widely approaching me and suddenly grab me into his arms.

What the heck happened here? Why this stranger hugging me like I was his long lost friend?

I pushed away from him as all my might and place back my palm on to my throbbing aching neck.

I was angry but he just displayed his worried gaze on me then he look at my hand on to my cover neck. Who is this man? From demon turned to be a man... is he real?

I was about to scold that guy...

"Dude!" Romeo called out from somewhere and I could see he was running to me with worried faces.

"I thought you were off today...what happened?" he check me like usual if I was fine after being late like always. Worried if I got my self into troubles like he always presumed I would be. I'm not a trouble magnet, silly!

"Nothing..." that was all I said before he gasped wide eyes when his eyes plastered on my hand at my left side.

"Who did that?" he asked pointing into the direction making his unusual expression. He was angry!

He turned around trying to find the culprit before stop at the demon-man guy.

"He did this on you?" he pointing his finger on that guy.

"No dude! I got it from someone else..." I put down his pointing fingers away from that standing aloof guy.

"Then who? Them?" he pointing to the colleagues behind me.

"No! His not from here dude...calm down! I tell you later but I need to go to the pharmacy first..." I was grimacing on the strong painful pulsating on the neck.

"Lets just go upstairs..."

"Wait!"

Looking at my punch card he grabbed it and helped me put it back to the rack and giving the colleagues unsatisfied look to them then he helped me to other

side, away from the crowdness there.

____________________

"Is that so? How dare he is trying to do that to you!"

I sigh inwardly making up another story. I had to involve with no one just to making the story real to cover up Z's back. Furthermore, Romeo shouldn't know about Z until I do tell him myself.

"Then what happened with that drunk guy?" he asked another question.

Err...how would I know that! He doesn't even exist!

"I don't know and I don't care!" I gave him that look just to convinced him to do not question me about the un-existed man again. I might end up spilled the beans and finally, Romeo knows about Z. Well, I'm not ready yet to tell him anything...just not yet.

"I've should ask the authority there to tighten the security around the area just to avoid this kind of incident happen again."

"What if..."

No!...I shouldn't say it cause he might worrying me even more and asking Danny for the help. They will work together and investigate more about this if I told him about any possibilities of the 'drunk guy' came from that neighborhood too.

Nooo....

"What?" he turned his back on me waiting for me finishing the sentence.

"I just...what if you ask the guard to do whatever you request and finally someone complaint about it and I might be blamed to that...because be the one who cause it..."

Haiya...how am I supposed to say to him?

I was totally nervous...

"I just want to make sure they keep their eyes open much brighter onwards. Just don't sit down lazily then sleeping in the post like nothing happened. After this kind of thing occur again not only they will be in the trouble but the victim even more in danger. Looks like that neighborhood not secured enough for everyone anymore..."

Wow...looks like he was too much care about the neighborhood...good guy! A very good guy much concerned guy! 😅😪😪

"Just let it slide for this one okay...I just got move there so I just want to live happily quiet life not bothering to anything..." I trailed off.

"But~"

I quickly said it just to ease his anxiousness about my well being. "I'll handle it back home okay. Just nothing to worry about...you should more focus on Sofea, she's about to give birth soon!"

I changed the subject about his wife.

"Yeah I know...that is why I want to tell you about my off days..."

"Oh...really?" I sighed relief-ly because he could be bent away from the main topic easily, for this time.

"Yeah...I last until this week. Next week I'm off until she's finish with her confinement. Her mother request to take care of her so I had to move temporary back to my in-laws once she gave birth."

"Owh...okay..."

I knew they had a bit platonic relationship, Romeo's in-laws not really like him much cause they just disappointed about his job status as a truck driver. Not because the job only they worried about but most to his safety also. Worried too much what if he got into an accident or troubles away from home so...the debating keep on coming in their relationship.

Sofea just standing in the middle need to be in neutral position not more to the husband as well to her parents. I knew it because both her parents already old and worried if something happens to him and whose gonna take care of his family? They couldn't do the hardship anymore earning some money for the kids due to the old age.

I did understand it but what more can I said if Romeo still standing on his 'likes' towards his job. How passionate he told everyone whenever he drove sending the shipments off.

All this was caused by Sofea's elder brother who died on the spot when the trailer truck carrying a heavy load that he drove lost control and crashed flat with other vehicle also a trailer truck in front of him down the hill... Well, the rest is history.

And recently, I heard the rumors about the new position will be held as a freelance driver soon.

It's not limited to the shipments loader only, but if other company need the drivers it might be whoever suitable or any applying will be the one to held the position.

I'm not sure enough about that. Maybe our new boss will open the job vacancy to the public or give us the already truck driver here a chance to join into this new adventure. Who knows?

"Are you sure you can drive in this condition?" he concerned about me and I know he willingly to take over me if I can't because he was off road today...his paperwork still awaiting him to settle. I knew it he trying to run away from that desk job. He will accomplished it if I'm joining him like usual.

"Yeah...I'm managed. You gave me the cure so... don't worry about it! I was already worst than this if you still remembered back there...." I gave him a little hint.

"That was crazy, dude! I don't know how did you managed it but I was totally proud of you driving the shipments with your bad condition but you knew what happened after that, right?"

"Of course I remembered it! That was your stupid nagging from that accident until you cross with unrelated off topic and I had to opened my ears big enough to swallow every one of it..."

I was making an unbelievable faces to him scoffing and rolling my eyes. He just laughed it out loud did making me annoyed him even more.

He was my best buddy I've ever have but for the certain time he much more love to keeping his nagging compared with Sofea, his own wife. Even Danny couldn't stand when he started to nagging. Haish...