A Knight in Shining Armor

My heart is beating very fast! It's as if I just finished running a marathon race. I froze; who wouldn't? I could not say anything; I couldn't even shout. Fear took over my body and made me drop my keys on the pavement.

" 자기 (jagi)" A familiar voice reached my ears and sent shivers down to my spine-It is Michael! I don't know what to do. He has been harassing me through calls and messages for weeks now. I blocked his number and social media accounts, but I did not file a police report. He is still someone I used to love, though all of it is gone now; it is not love that I feel this moment, or else I will not feel like this – this is definitely Fear!

"Why did you block me?" another shivering voice reaches my ear; this time, he hugged me tighter. I can't even breathe.

"Michael, it hurts. Let me go."

I gathered all my remaining strength just to whisper these words. Michael let out a cruel laughter. It is frightening how people's perception of laughter changes as their feelings towards that person change. I used to love his laugh, it is something that I yearned to hear before, but now, at this very moment, this laughter makes me shudder- I can't believe that this is the same person I spent my years with. My former love loosens his grip on me. I pushed him away. Now I can look at him straight to his face. His eyes look frightening. I can't believe that these are the same set of eyes that always looked gentle, made me smile, and gave me butterflies. The same set of eyes, right now, clearly conveys a straight message of danger if things do not go along his way.

"Ya, Why would you call me on my name? Why? Why?!" Michael kicks the door of my car's driver seat. I was shocked, put my hands over my ears in panic as my car let out a siren. I can't hear anything. I am looking down-afraid of the man I once loved. Everything at the moment seemed to move slowly, as a man from the back pulled me right into his arms.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" The man shouted at Michael.

Michael laughed again. It is not a happy laugh that you will be delighted to hear; this laugh is like the sounds of nails being dragged on a chalkboard. I cannot describe how this kind of laugh makes me quiver!

The next scenes are chaotic. The man who pulled me right into his arms pushed me at the back. Everything still seems to move slow as I hear popping sounds in my ears. I think I blocked out for some seconds. The next thing I knew was that security came to drag Michael out of the way. I don't know if it is a sign of relief or tiredness, but after Michael was out of sight, I fell on my knees and cried. My loud sobs fill the air of the basement parking lot. I don't even know why I am crying. Is it because of this lost love? Is it because I am tired? I am not even sure; I just felt like crying at that moment.

"괜찮아 (gwaenchanh-a), cry as much as you want. It is okay." A soft voice in front of me says while tapping my head. I lifted up my face hidden between my hands, and an Angelic smile greeted me. I would recognize the deep dimples right away- It is James. He was there all along. I am not sure if it is James' good boy look or how he said, "it is okay," but instead of stopping my sobs, which I should do since this is a stranger in front of me, I hugged him and cried more. I was like a child begging her mother to give her more candy. I never thought I would weep this much while hugging a stranger. James continued to say that it is okay to cry while patting my back. I think that made me let my guard down…

---**---

It has been thirty minutes. James noticed that Angel stopped sobbing and was now sleeping on his shoulder. He smiled as he wondered how tired this woman was to fall asleep in this kind of situation. James noticed Angel's car keys under her car, struggled in picking them up using his feet while supporting Angel's head with his hands. When he finally succeeded, anyone who saw him would think he won the lottery. This man carefully puts Angel on the car's back seat, ensuring she will not wake up. Once the mission is complete, he moves to the driver's seat and drives Angel home.

James thought that Angel forgot her phone on the table after the meeting was a blessing in disguise. James is also glad to follow Angel down in the parking basement before attending the next scheduled meeting. He is happy to be her knight-in-shining-armor, even for a short time. James glanced at the sleeping beauty at the back of the car through the rearview mirror. He whispered, "She is sleeping as peacefully as a baby," worried that even this tiny voice might wake the princess up. James' smile is as bright as the sun on a hot summer's day. Everything would have been perfect if a call from Angel's phone was not received. James parked the car on the side of the street, attempting to pick up the call. He was afraid that his peacefully slumbering princess would be awakened by it. Frantically looking for the phone's location. Smiling, once he found it on the floorboard but frowned once he saw the picture of the caller. It was a familiar face, one who he is not particularly fond of – It was Kyle.

James recalls the night when he drop-off the files at Angel's house. He patiently waited with a smile until a man went out to greet him instead of a beautiful woman. Anyone with eyes will be able to see the clear tension between the two, the cold air sweep through the night while Kyle looked at James from head to toe.

"How may I help you?" Kyle asked in an uninviting tone.

James, who is usually smiling, seems to lose his ability to smile and hand out a hefty file set. "I came here to deliver this. May I talk to Ms. Angel, and may I know who you are?" James said.

Kyle responded by saying, "Are these files so urgent that it cannot wait for the sun to shine? Additionally, I did not expect you to be this rude. I am a man, Angel is a woman, who do you think I am? I don't seem to be his brother, aren't I?"

James was about to say something but was stopped when the person he was talking to answered a phone call, signaled him to go away, and practically ran inside.

"What a rude jerk," he grumbled while crossing his hands over her chest.

And that is why James' initial reaction to the call was to put the phone into vibrate mode, but then the call ended. He muttered, "Good decision." James was about to put the phone back inside Angel's bag when the person called again. With an annoyed expression, James answered the call.

"Hello," he said.

"Who is this?" The man on the other line answer back.

"That is funny. You are the one who called." James said.

"Why are you answering Angel's phone?" Kyle asked, agitated.

"She is sleeping; call later," James answered coldly and hung up the call, put it on silent, and flashed a playful smile on his face. James is pleased with his action, while the other person on the line is annoyed and confused at the same time. Kyle remembers the voice, and that is what bothers him the most.