Chapter 7 - A Thrilling Action Sequence

• "What do you think you are doing here?" That stupid man asked me, and though I really wanted to give him a witty reply, his hold on my neck was choking me. I thrashed in his hold and scratched his hand, but he was way stronger... {I should have stayed at home today}... My vision started turning blurry when suddenly he let go of my throat, and I fell on the ground while coughing.
• "Think before doing anything, dude," I heard another male voice, and though I knew they were all bad people, still, I am thankful to whoever that was. "She is a girl," he said, and before I could even compliment himself in my mind, he added, "and that too an extremely hot one." Instantly, I regretted complimenting him in my mind too.
• I am done coughing now. I wiped the tears that left my eyes and found a pair of four eyes looking at me while the man they were beating before was unconscious and all bloody, lying a few meters away from us. One of those four men came towards me, bent down to my eye level, and said, "You should not have come here, kitten," while his eyes roamed all over my body.
• "What is happening here?" I heard a very familiar voice, and I took a deep breath... {I am feeling like the heroine of some drama right now}... Diego started coming towards us while his eyes were trained on all the four men standing in front of me. "What are you doing on the ground?" he asked me.
• "I lost something in the dark," I replied in sarcasm... {He should have asked 'Are you alright?' instead}.
• When he furrowed his eyebrows, I knew that he was really not good with sarcastic comments. "What?" he asked innocently, and I couldn't help but blame alcohol for making him look so innocent and cute in this situation too.
• "My balance," the reply escaped my lips without my knowing, and he finally gave me that 'are-you-serious?' look... {Please conscience, don't make me look stupid in front of this man. After years, I found someone attractive.}
• "Ignore it," I said in embarrassment and got up from my place, and damn did it not hurt... stupid man, what is the need to throw me at the wall so hard? My already sore body became sorer now, and I am sure I also started bleeding.
• "Listen, dude, there is no need for you here. Go if you want to stay safe," one of the bad guys said while Diego just looked at them with a blank face. I don't have any doubt that he surely works out because come on, no one can make this body without working their ass out, but having a sculpted body doesn't mean he is good in fighting. There are four men who are also buffed, and they have already beaten a man who is not as muscular as the others, but still, he does not look fragile to me.
• "I don't have any issue with anyone. Just let the girl go, and no one is disturbing you from doing anything that you want with that man." I was not expecting this kind of reply from him.
• "Excuse me," I said in shock and walked towards him. One of the bad men was in my way, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him backward while I made my way towards Diego. I placed my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes. "Can't you see that the man needs help?" I asked him, and he looked at me as if I was mad.
• "And how are you planning to help him?" he asked me, and I opened my mouth to argue, but no comment came to my brain to reply. He pointed his finger towards my side, and that's when I noticed that I was already bleeding, and patches of blood could be easily seen on the white shirt that I was wearing. "I have to say your style of helping is very different," he said, and now the face that was looking extremely handsome to me a little while ago is looking a little annoying to me.
• "Are you seriously forgetting about us right now?" one of the men asked, and this time I couldn't help but glare at him in anger.
• "Listen, you. Don't make me mad. This man has already spoiled my mood, that stupid friend of yours has already opened my wounds, and I am already drunk. I am literally not here to take crap from any of you idiots here. Now we are all going away from here, and this wounded man is going to the hospital," I said to all of them, and from their expressions, I clearly knew none of them were taking me seriously, and I could feel five amused pairs of eyes on me.... (Are men seriously this stupid, or am I the only one who gets to meet these stupids?)
• "Why am I liking this girl more and more with each passing second?" one of the guys said, and I rolled my eyes. I was about to go towards that injured man when they all came in front of me while Diego grabbed my hand and pulled me behind.
• I gasped and snatched my hand back from his hold.... (What the heck was that?)... "What are you, an electricity pole?" I shouted and rubbed my hand.
• "You seriously think that you will take this man in front of our eyes, and we will not do anything," the bald man who grabbed my throat before commented.
• "Is it really important for you to save that man?" I was busy glaring at that bald man when I heard Diego's voice.
• "Obviously, or why would I be here?" I said to him in a duh tone, and I heard him take a deep breath. I was thinking of some way when I felt Diego moving towards me.
• "I really don't have any other option then," he mumbled and came in front of me. "Call the ambulance; he will not live for much longer now, and call the cops too. I will take care of these guys," he said to me, but before I could even say anything, he walked towards them.
• The bald guy was about to punch him, but before his punch could make contact with Diego's face, he grabbed his hand and knocked his head with that bald man's nose. An involuntary 'ouch' left my lips. "Call the cops, woman. You can watch an action movie somewhere else," he said, and I called 911. I told them the address and situation while registering his swift and strong movements.... (And then I was doubting if he can fight or not.)
• I cut the call and started cheering for Diego. “Whoa… that’s awesome.” “Yeah, yeah, get that bald one too. That idiot threw me against a wall as if I was some rag or something.” “Watch your back too.” “Whoa, that’s awesome.” “That one deserves a punch in the face.” “Kick his butt.” “Yeah, exactly like that.”
• He took care of all four of them within a few minutes, and I was just looking at all of this in awe. And then I thought to ignore him. The ambulance, along with the local cops, came after a few minutes. He made sure that everything was taken care of, and after everyone went away, he came towards me. They also offered to take me to the hospital after looking at my blood-stained shirt, but I declined as going to the hospital is one of the least appealing things for me.
• “Happy?” he asked me. These small gestures of his were making my heart flutter and my mind lose control. I am really hoping that all of this is just because of the amount of alcohol that is in my body right now and not because of something else.
• “Thank you, Diego,” I thanked him happily, and for the first time, I saw a hint of a smile on his face. It’s not a proper smile, but still, I just felt for a second that he was going to smile… (seems like he's the kind of guy who doesn't like to smile). He nodded, and after that, we just stood there awkwardly, trying to think of what to say next.
• “It’s late,” he said, and I nodded instantly.
• “Exactly, that’s why I was going home, but then I heard that man’s voice, and I got distracted. It’s good that you came on time, or I would have killed them,” I joked, and this time he smirked and raised one eyebrow… (well, a smirk is better than that stoic face).
• “Yeah, they were lucky that I came,” I laughed at his reply and shook my head.
• “It’s great to meet you, Diego. I should go now,” I said to him, and he nodded. I exited the alley after bidding goodbye to him and walked towards my bike. In all this chaos and all the adrenaline flowing, I didn’t feel the effect of alcohol, but now that things are normal, I feel a little light-headed.
• “You can do it, Arya. Just a little driving, and we'll be at our house, enjoying the comfort of our home,” I mumbled to myself when I felt someone's presence behind me. I turned and found Diego standing there with his arms crossed… (damn, look at his biceps… I'm damn sure that the sleeves are going to rip any moment now)… “What?” I asked him, and after a few seconds of silence, he huffed.
• “You're drunk. I don’t think you should drive,” he said, and instantly, I remembered the words of Drake when he gave me this bike… “I'm giving you this to make things easier for you. Don’t make me regret this decision.” I huffed and sat on the bike while looking at Diego.
• “I really want to go home now,” I mumbled and took my mobile out of my pocket. “Shall I call Drake? But he's busy today. Elina said that guests are coming to their house today. Henry?... No, no chance. He's way more interested in me.”
• “I can drop you off if you want,” suddenly, I heard Diego's voice. I turned towards him; he still had that blank expression. I really wanted to scream yes. Obviously, I want to spend more time with him, but the way I am getting attracted towards him and the way things came out in the last 48 hours are not letting me drag him into matters that can be fatal for him or me.
• “No need, Diego. You have already helped me a lot. My home is not far from here; I will walk there,” I said to him.
• “I can walk you there, and if you want, then I can also drive your bike and drop both you and your bike at your home. I would have offered you a ride, but I didn’t take my vehicle with me here,” he said, but before I could say anything, he cut me off. “I don’t want you to kill someone if anything like this happens again.” Though his words were playful, he still had that stoic face.
• I couldn’t help but smile at his comment. “Fine, you can drive my bike, but be careful. I love my baby,” I told him, and he nodded while I gave him my bike keys. He sat on the bike, and I climbed onto the back seat. As I only have one helmet, I gave it to him because he was driving. He started the bike, and the engine roared to life. I don’t even know after how long I have sat behind someone on a bike, but this feeling is still good. When I drive, my whole focus is always on the road, and that’s why I have never been able to enjoy the little things that are happening around.
• I placed my hands on his shoulders and removed them instantly when I felt the same shock that I felt before from his touch. “What happened?” he asked me while I slipped a bit behind to make sure that I am not touching him.
• “I am getting an electric shock from you,” I said to him, and he chuckled.
• “Don’t panic. I like slow rides. You will not fall even if you don’t hold me,” he said, and I hummed. Is he really an electric pole? He started driving, and he really was telling the truth. He drove very softly, while I just enjoyed the cold air on my face and the peaceful environment of the streets. Damn, did I not miss spending time on roads at night? I really, really love the nighttime, and I never want to stay inside at that time, but it is not safe to roam on roads alone at night, especially when I already have a lot of enemies.
• He stopped the bike in front of the building and parked my bike on the side. “Here you go,” he handed me the key, and I smiled at him. “You are not from here,” I stated, and he nodded while looking around.
• “Yeah, I am more of a kind of wanderer. I came to this town today itself,” he said, and I nodded.
• “So how many days are you here for?” I asked him, and he shrugged his shoulders.
• “Don’t know,” he said while looking towards the forest. I also looked in that direction, but everything was extremely dark there. “Why did you ask?” he asked me, and I shifted my attention towards him.
• “If you have time, then let’s have lunch tomorrow. My treat,” I told him and waited for his response. He was directly looking at me in the eyes, but he was looking as if he had not heard anything. “Diego,” I said, and still, he looked as if he was a robot. I waived my hand in front of his eyes, but still nothing.
• “Fuck,” suddenly he cursed loudly, which startled me. “I need to go urgently,” he said and ran in the direction where we came from.