Why aren't you working?

Liliana woke up in the morning, her head was throbbing and spinning, she didn't even bother herself to recall last night because she was feeling exhausted. She tossed her leg to the ground and staggering, she got to the bathroom.

Liliana washed her face, still feeling tired with her body aching so much. Why does she feel so sick and tired? She went back to her room and got herself some painkillers. She swallowed the tablet with water, and afterwards, she asked for a day off through a video call. She was granted a day off.

Liliana went to her bed and curled up before falling into a deep slumber.

When she woke up, it was already noon and her body, burning. She managed to get to the kitchen and make herself a herbal drink and also dinner. She ate and had the drink and eventually, she felt she should take a walk out to get some fresh air.

When she went out, she saw Tristan going into his house surrounded by girls dressed in a sexy, attractive manner. The girls were up to three and had their hands around him as he smoked.

Liliana watched from where she stood, disheartened and sad. She couldn't believe Tristan could bring women into her house for fun.

Watching, Tristan gazed her way, and she gasped and lowered her gaze before leaving for the stroll. When she arrived back, his house light was off, so she guessed he might be asleep.

When going to work the next day, she was welcomed with a smile from her neighbor as she walked out of her door.

Tristan was reading a newspaper, and she only greeted before driving off.

Liliana hadn't recovered from her sickness yet, but she did her best to save people's life. When it was time she head home, her colleagues reminded her that it was her threat tonight. They all went with her to her house.

On getting there, they found chairs to sit in. Liliana made dinner and brought drinks for the five of them. They were all having fun, and she watched them, but Raquel, her close friend, dragged her to sit in a place a little far from the others.

Raquel noticed her friend hadn't been okay. After losing her parents, she hadn't been okay, but she sometimes had a smile on her face and still cheers up until she had this new neighbor. Was it a bad idea to let her give the house out for rent? With orange juice in their hands, she started a conversation.

"What's wrong with you, Liliana? Tell me I'm listening," she said sitting next to her and curiously looking at her.

Liliana sighed and glanced at her friend. "I know you'd see that I'm not okay."

"That's why I'm your friend. Tell me, is it your new neighbor?" She asked.

Liliana chuckled. "I've not been feeling well… My head hurts a lot from time to time," she said.

"Did you get a check-up?"

"I did, nothing's wrong with me," she said and took a sip of the juice.

"You've been stressed, is it because of your neighbor?"

Liliana stared at her for a while, and slowly she had tears bubbling in her brown hazel eyes.

"Why?" Raquel stroked her back.

Liliana sniffled her tears. "Yes," she replied. She really doesn't lie. Liliana preferred saying the truth and explaining the whole details than lying about it. "He acts really strange and wants to get something from me," she glanced at her friend, the liquid released from her eyes and she wiped it off. "He's too mean and wants my body… He harasses me" she cried. "Tease me… Makes me upset. He even got me drunk to take advantage of me… He saw me naked." She cried more.

"Oh Liliana, don't cry," Raquel patted her back. Raquel didn't know what to say to stop her from crying. In her eyes, she could see not only did the man hurting her cause her to cry, but she also misses her parents.

"And last night, he brought ladies into my house taking me to be nothing," Liliana wiped her tears. "I don't even know why I'm crying," she said.

"It's because you are hurt… If you don't want him anymore you can ask him to leave."

Liliana laughed. "As if he'd listen to me, besides he paid for the whole year, and it's only been a week," she said. "I'll just have to cope with it… It would be fine," she sniffled in her tears and glanced at her friend, telling her she was okay through her gaze.

Raquel smiled and pulled her close for a hug. She comforted her, and then she pulled out to wipe her tears for her. "Show me your smiling face," she smirked at her and Liliana forced a sweet smile.

When the night party was over, she walked with them out of her house. Closing the door behind her, Liliana's gaze fell on her neighbor. Her colleagues also saw the man, but they walked away except Richard. A man who had been pursuing her for years. He laughed when she came to stand next to him. "Is that your new neighbor?" He asked.

She nodded.

"And it's a man."

"Tell me what you want to say," she glanced at him, she knew Richard well, he wouldn't just laugh if he didn't have something negative to say. And with his reaction beholding her neighbor, she already guessed what he'd surely say.

"I'm hurt, that's it… You know how much I've wanted you and want to be with you, and you let a man who looks more like a criminal into your house. And I'm sure he is," he said with so much confidence, Liliana glanced at him, she was never wrong about him. But what he just said pissed her off, she was never interested in him and will never be. He should get that into his head!

"I told you I gave the house out and because it was a man doesn't mean I shouldn't take him in… And Richard… When you don't know anything about someone, don't judge… He's not a criminal," she frowned.

"Defending him?"

"No… Just not jumping to conclusions"

"Okay, so what about my proposal?" He asked. She gave him a questioning look. "I still love you"

"Richard."

"Don't decline again," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry…again… I'm not ready for any relationship," she declined for the nth time, and he sighed in frustration before raking his hands through his hair.

"That means I'll keep trying," he said. She didn't offer a response because she had already called off the conversation which exasperated her a lot.

They all left eventually and Liliana bids them goodnight before going back to her house. Tristan was still outside, but she only greeted him and went into her house. She knew he'd never give her a reply, and she was getting used to it. Liliana cleaned her house and was about to sleep but couldn't. She felt uneasy about something. She just had this feeling that something bad was going to happen. She tried to sleep but couldn't, she kept rolling over and over and eventually, she took her jacket and went to the balcony to watch the gloomy night covering the city.

Looking up in deep thought, still having that feeling… She caught a glimpse of someone entering her house. She looked down from upstairs to see someone in black walking into Tristan's house. 'He looks more like a criminal' those words repeat themselves in her head.

Could Richard be right? Was Tristan a criminal? Could he really have bad motives? Tristan looked like a bad guy though… He smokes, drinks, takes girls, has tattoos on his neck and arms and he had these dark eyes that scare her so much and his mean behavior… His sexual attitude towards her. What should she think about him?

She shouldn't jump to conclusions, right! Because He might not be who she was thinking he was… She shouldn't judge yet.

She didn't know who he was, so, she tried to put together all that she knew about him. Tristan only told her that he doesn't have parents and got no surname. 'The tattoos aren't drawn' huh! Where did that come from? That voice, she had heard it before but couldn't recall where and when. Weren't drawn? If they weren't drawn then, how was it on his body?

Tristan was just strange, bad and mysterious. If she wanted to know more about him, she needed to get to know him.

The next day at work, the news about Richard's house burning down and him being burnt to ashes spread like wildfire. According to the news, it was an explosion caused by gas leakage.

How did that happen? She spoke to him yesterday, she couldn't believe her ears when she heard that his house got burnt down…

He still proposed to her yesterday and told her, he loved her. Did she make a mistake by not accepting him? Oh… She had lost another favorite person. Liliana was now extremely devastated… No one could believe something like this could take place soon, so, it was a shock to her and her colleagues.

When she got home, she was in tears as she rested her head on the steering wheel. Liliana sobbed for her friend and eventually, with her eyes turning red, she climbed out of her car and turned in Tristan's direction. He was sitting outside his corridor reading a newspaper. It was still noon.

Liliana wiped her tears and went to him. "I thought you are a security guard… Why aren't you working?" She asked.