CHAPTER 34

Questions piling up, all he could hear was his engine speeding up as he drove back to Thea. It was her choice to be left there he knows, but the thought of her alone in that dark waiting shed makes him worry. 

The moment he stopped in the sight of the shed in front of him, a sudden surge of frustration came over him. He furrowed his brows to look closely at what was happening in the shed. Two guys towered over her. Dimitri rushed over to the shed and, without a doubt, threw a punch over two drunk guys in front of him, revealing Thea trembling in front of him with tears walking out of her eyes. His gaze softened as he realized how terrified she must be. 

In the corner of his eyes, he saw one of the drunk guys getting up as the other one passed out on the ground with a bottle of alcohol on his hand. But before the man could get up on his knees, a fist landed on his head making him drop back on the ground, then Dimitri glared at Thea. 

"Is this why u asked me to leave you here so you can go see some drunk guys?!" Dimitri screamed at her making her flinch. 

"Sir I_I_I just want to be alone to think___" 

"No! You are being reckless Thea!" 

"No sir." Thea stood up and looked at him in straight in the eye. 

Suddenly Dimitri saw different, the same face but the eyes. It was same but the eyes he saw have more hope in it. He saw how the hair is braided up but the same face as Thea's. 

"I didn't intend for that to happen, as much as I wanna thank you for saving me, I just want to curse at you right now!" Thea cried as she walked away from him. 

Hearing Thea's voice breaking in front of him made him snap back to reality, he turned to see her crying as he walks away. 

"Where do you think you're going?! Get in the car I'll take you home!" Dimitri screamed. 

He waited in silence as he received nothing as an answer from Thea who kept on walking until she reached on the main road. He growled in frustration as he jumped in his car and started the engine. 

"Thea get in here!" Dimitri shouted as he peeked out of his window driving his car in low speed to follow Thea walking on the road. *Ugh! This girl dont know how to listen!*

"If you dont get in here, I'll fire you!" 

Thea stopped on her tracks as she looked back and glared at him. He stared back at her with disappointment. *So that's the only thing makes you listen to me...*

"Now get in the car. I'll drive you home." Dimitri ordered in a calmer manner. 

The drive was silent until they reached the busy streets in the main city, with traffic here and there. In every stop, Dimitri didn't miss a chance to glance at Thea on the passenger seat whose brows are still furrowed with her eyes looking straight in front. 

*Guess she's still mad about what I said, I wasn't thinking about what I said too.*

"Is that why you brought me there?" Thea started still her eyes on the road. 

"W-What?" 

"Sir Dimitri, is that why you brought me there, to show me the portrait?" Thea asked as she turned to Dimitri whose eyes met hers. 

"Yes." Dimitri intently answered not breaking his gazed into her eyes as his thoughts wondered on the image of the same eyes that he somehow saw back in the shed. 

"If you are thinking if it is me... that portrait. I'm not____" 

"Hmmm__" 

"Why do we look the same? I don't know either, if you're bothered about that, I am too." Thea explained to him and look away. 

Dimitri's eyes still wondered on her face as he listened to her talking. Until in the corner of his eyes he saw the light turned green. 

"Thea." Dimitri called as soon as they reached in the neighborhood she's staying, looking at her intently. 

"Sir?" Thea responded, this time calmer than her tone back in the drive as she unfastened her seatbelts. 

"I wasn't thinking about what I said back in the shed." Dimitri said and looked straight up front. 

"Hmm." Thea nodded as she went out of his car. 

His eyes followed her every move until she went out of his car, which he did the same. He looked around where he saw several guys on the side drinking eyeing on his car and at him. Some women with little to no cover on their body are either smoking or with a man who looks at them full of lust. He looked at her as she silently walk past him making her way to a small alley. 

* This is where she lives? This looks very dangerous and so...dirty.*

His eyes never left her image as he leaned his back to his car hood crossing his arms, as he waited for her to get to where she goes, or which door she might get in. His eyes wondered on the houses made of wood that looks patched up, and he saw her get in one of those doors in the second floor. As soon as she's out of his sight, he turned to his car only to see group of kids inspecting his car. 

"Hey! Kid go away!" He shooed as he immediately jumped back to his car. *Let's get out of here immediately....I dont trust this place.*

As soon as he left, Thea opened her door to peek outside only to see his car driving away from the place. The moment he left she breathed a sigh of relief before she almost jump of surprise to Ysay smirking at her. 

"I see you bagged yourself a rich man. That's the second man who drove you here this month." Ysay smirked at her as she huffed her cigarette. 

"Their my boss Ysay, it's not what you think." Thea rolled her eyes. 

Thea tried to close the door but Ysay stopped her. 

"So you sleep with your boss now? I thought you don't like my ways, girl."

"I am not like you Ysay. So I dont care if you believe what I said or not. I need to rest, I had a very long day." Thea explained holding back her anger at her next door neighbor. 

"Alright, calm down. You had a loooonngg day indeed. Seeing how that man look at you. No doubts." Ysay smirked and lets go of the door as she walked back to her rented room. 

Thea was left puzzled at Ysay's sudden intrusion. *Is she on drugs now?* 

The deafening silence engulfed over Thea as soon as she close the door. As if a speed of light, her thought travels back to the museum above all the things that has happened in her day. She remembers her face on the portrait. She turned to the window to see the busy squatter life at night as well as how the people are towards her. 

Thea flopped herself in her bed, in her school clothes, her bag beside her but her eyes shut tight as she succumbed to this familiar feeling she never felt for weeks of working at the cafe. Her troubles went back, her dept to Aling Sinang, the land lady, how to fund her education and surviving each day, but this time something adds up to the picture; the portrait back at the museum. She feels the familiarity on the portrait, but her doubts seized.

*Am I just feeling this way because it looked the same as me? They said, there are at least seven people around the world who looked like you, that should be it right?* 

As her temporary conclusion eased up her mind, her eyes felt heavy and slowly falls into a deep sleep.