Chapter 18- A Promise Is A Promise

Terror swooped in when Polly noticed the bloodstain on Rafael's arm, and a shocking gasp tore from her lips. Thankfully, it was only a scrape, but that did not nothing to soothe the alarm ringing in her head— it was almost as if she could hear an ambulance approaching, or was it just her ears ringing from the powerful shot of that gun?

She went on her knees to have a proper look at Rafael's bleeding arm, muttering incoherent words to herself before she asked, "are you…alright? You're bleeding."

Rafael hissed in frustration, his darkened eyes locked on the plate number of the car. Whoever it was, that person certainly made the biggest mistake they would unfortunately never live long enough to regret… and he was going to make sure of it.

His slanted gaze flickered to Polly. The worry on her face made his gaze soften momentarily, and she was presently checking his arm to see if the injury he sustained was mild or serious.

"Are you out of your senses?" Polly met his watchful eyes, "who in their right mind uses their body as a shield to stall a bullet. You're not made of iron so don't ever do stuff like that again, you could have seriously died. You..!! Just come with me."

Knowing arguing with him was pointless, Polly helped Rafael to his feet. She took him into the hospital where she had previously walked out from, and one of the nurses was quick to attend to Rafael's needs.

While his wound was getting cleaned, Polly waited outside the ward. Her phone buzzed in her coat pocket, and when she took it out to see who was calling, she wasn't surprised that her brother's name was the first thing that popped up on her screen. After that incident with Andrew, he's been a lot more protective than usual, calls her every minute he gets the chance.

As for what happened today, he doesn't need to know a whim about it. She'd rather deal with her own problems than make others worry too much about it.

Answering his call, Polly barely had time to greet her brother when he threw the question at her.

"Where are you?" His displeased tone made it obvious that she was in trouble, "I'm at your workplace, but Emily told me you stepped out. You clearly don't understand that it's not safe for you out there at this moment, why would you leave your car behind?"

"I'm fine." Polly immediately assured her brother of her safety over the phone. "I'm perfectly fine so stop worrying. How about you come pick me up instead. I'm at Dr Patel's hospital, and it's raining quite heavily so I can't leave."

"Be there in ten minutes." And the call was disconnected.

Polly moved aside when the nurse in the ward stepped out, and she explained to Polly that it was only a mild injury before walking away. After confirming that Rafael was fine from the nurse, she entered the ward he was in, and he was presently up on his feet.

He was buttoning his shirt up with the same hand that had been bandaged a few minutes ago, the milky tone of his healthy skin getting shielded the more he buttoned up.

"Does it hurt?" Polly's voice was gentle when she questioned him, and Rafael paused the minute she started to approach him. "I honestly don't know what to say. I'm incredibly sorry this happened to you, but I also wanted to thank you for saving me. If you hadn't stepped in at the right time, I'd probably be–"

"You're not hurt, are you?" Rafael interjected, turning his body so he was completely facing her. His eyes seemed to roam over her, not in a way that made her feel disgusted, but in a way that made his protective aura known to her. The worry in his eyes was incredulously evident, and there was a spark of rage embedded in them.

"I… I am fine." Polly assured him after registering his question. "but you have to promise me you won't put yourself in danger like that in the future."

Polly felt she was indebted to this man. A stranger literally risked his life to help her, and a few seconds before the shot, she had the intention of rejecting his coffee date.

If the shooter had a perfect hit, he wouldn't even be alive at this point, and she was super relieved that that didn't turn out to be the case in the end.

The milkman, however, seemed to hesitate before murmuring, "it's only a scratch, It'll heal."

"Honestly speaking, I won't forget your actions today, and in return, I owe you a coffee date." Polly added, "but not today unfortunately, after what happened, you need to get some much needed rest. We'll have our coffee date some other time."

His eyes met hers briefly, and Polly still wasn't able to get used to the sight of it, however, the glint she spotted told her he was satisfied with it. He wasn't wearing his cap now, so his handsome face was crystal-clear to her.

"A promise is a promise." He finally said something, and he spoke too little for someone with an attractive voice. "I'll be expecting our coffee date."

Together, they stepped out of the hospital, and from the corner of her eyes, Polly had caught him multiple times staring at her, but each time she looked back in return, he'd lower his gaze to the ground or fix it on something else entirely, plus, he was wearing that face cap again.

She wasn't sure why, but he made her sound like a talkative person all through their walk. He spoke less, but watched her more. He seemed to be the quiet type, and it made her wonder if he was just shy or anxious to enter a conversation with someone who literally accused him of stalking.

He stayed with her, and in the end, they both shared an umbrella while waiting for her brother to arrive.

When Norman finally showed up, they offered him a ride which he kindly declined.

"Some other time." He said, and only when Polly was safely in the car did he walk away.

He reached for his phone in his pocket and dialed a number. That earlier innocence he exuded was long gone as he commanded over the phone.

"I need you to track a car's serial number."