Take Off Your Jacket

For once, Kathrina allowed herself to rely on others, strangers even. She slightly craned her neck to get a glimpse of Arthur's side profile.

'He was truly the descendant of a Greek god.' She quietly thought.

Even in his disorganized state, Kathrina couldn't fathom how someone could be as attractive as he was. It was not fair to be able to look good despite the situation. She, too, hoped she at least looked half as good as him. But the reality was not pretty because she knew her condition was far from pleasant.

As though feeling the weight of Kathrina's gaze, Arthur dropped his head. They were surprised and frozen in the stillness as their eyes collided again. The intensity of their gaze infiltrated deeply into both of their nerves, and neither tried to break it.

Breathed heavily, Arthur warned her, "Don't look at me like that."

In an instant, Kathrina felt as if someone had drenched her with a bucket of cold water. She must have lost numerous screws in her head because of Alex's punch.

'Right, Alex hurt my body, and now my brain is suffering as well well.' There was no other way to explain her actions adequately.

Kathrina raised her eyes again to look at him and said in a low voice, "Just bring me home, Arthur. After that, you should stop bothering me."

The grip on her waist suddenly became tighter as she realized how his jaw ticked in displeasure.

His physical responses were all ignored by Kathrina. She had no desire to engage in his game. All she wanted was to escape from him before it was too late.

"As your good neighbor, I will help you clean your wound."

Arthur did not mind her words. After all, it was normal. She had been saying the same things, so it was nothing new. He could pretend to be blind and deaf if the situation required him to do so.

"We are back at this again? Just…. argh"

Kathrina let out a loud scream of frustration; for a moment, she felt she had argued with her stubborn brother, which always made her lose her temper. She could feel the amount of patience in her jar of kindness was running out low. If Arthur was still adamant about letting her alone, she might beat his ass.

While Kathrina was trying to control herself, Arthur, on the other hand, was too engrossed in watching her little antics. The expression in his eyes showed amazement towards the woman in her arms. Then, intuitively, he patted her hand on his neck.

"Don't be mad. As I said, I was just trying to be your good neighbor." He was stoking her hand now, "Just let me help to clean your wound so you can rest for a bit. Right now, look like you would faint."

Regret began to fill Kathrina's heart after what Arthur said. She should have accepted Theo's help; if she had, this entire ridiculous situation would not have occurred.

"Okay," she said after exhaling the air from her mouth

'I think you've gone insane, Kath." Kathrina mumbled in her head.

She no longer had the strength to reason with Arthur because her wound started hurting more.

"Good," he stated while pressing number twenty on the elevator panel button.

"I'm on the twenty-fifth floor."

"I know."

"What are you planning?" Kathrina's pupils constricted with suspicion. "Don't you dare to…."

"Stop it, whatever dirty things you imagine won't happen, at least not tonight. You need rest."

Kathrina had lost her words and didn't know how to respond. Her body and mind were already exhausted, and this man dared to throw another burden on her. She was unable to think clearly. The ache in her body had taken over her senses. Apart from that, nothing else could enter her mind. So, she kept her mouth shut and rested her head on his chest.

'Only tonight, after this, let's avoid him at all costs.' She mentally remained herself.

Arthur didn't mind at all when Kathrina rested her body on him. He watched as she struggled to stay awake. Her eyes snapped close and then opened in an instant a few times. He found that to be adorable.

Not long after, the elevator stopped, followed by the sound of a ding, then the metal door opened. He leads Kathrina out slowly, afraid that his sudden movement will aggravate her injuries.

The walk to his unit was not short; he only needed to take a left turn after five steps, then his unit would be the first on the right side.

Arthur unlocked the door to his apartment. He pulled Kathrina into the room. He helped Kathrina with her shoes while holding her waist, and she did not complain. She appeared to be out of energy since she could be as docile as a child when they received their gift.

"I don't have your size, so just wear this one for the time being," he said while positioning a pair of white slippers in front of her.

Kathrina complied and noted how big the slippers were on her feet. Her feet were smaller compared to his, giving the impression that she was attempting to wear something that belonged to an adult. Her gaze wandered, and she discovered that his unit was not much different from hers. It lacked warmth as if no one lived there.

Arthur took her body with him to pass the hallways to his living room. He took his time, letting her eyes wander in his dull unit. Everything in his apartment was mainly black and white, from the walls to the furniture. He had no intention of changing anything because he would be moving to another place in a month. Arthur thought it was better to leave everything as it was. However, right now, he was uncertain whether he should proceed with his plan or not.

After ten steps, they turned left and continued straight to pass the kitchen and dining area. Kathrina's action came to a halt when she noticed the fireplace with a white insulated cover. Beneath the fireplace was a large dot painting that she found appealing, and in front of it was a small chair. She guessed Arthur enjoyed watching the fire burn the wood to embers because he seemed like the type to do so.

"What's wrong?" Arthur inquired, realizing her focus was fixated on his fireplace. "Let's go three."

When Kathrina did not respond, he pointed to his u-shaped couch and dragged her body with him again. He made her sit on the black couch and left her alone to fetch a glass of water for her. "Wait here," he voiced his instruction.

Arthur returned a minute later with water and a first-aid kit. He squatted in front of her to make their eye level the same, then took Kathrina's hand to give her the water. "Drink," he said, and Kathrina did as he asked.

Kathrina drank the water while still looking straight into his eyes. Once again, she believed he had cast a spell on her. Her being this good was a sign of it.

After she finished, Kathrina handed him the glass. Arthur then set the glass down on the round table next to him. He then held her right hand and turned it back and forth a few times to assess the severity of the wound.

While Arthur was examining her wound, Kathrina's gaze couldn't stop wandering to the handsome man in front of her. Somehow, She could see him doing the same thing in the future, making her body shiver.

'This is a bad sign,' the emergency siren began to blare in her head.

The sudden touch of cotton coated with alcohol jolted Kathrina awake and caused her to scream in pain. She tried to take her hand from his, but the man's hold on her was too strong for her current weak body.

"You must hate me, right?" she asked, feeling annoyed all of a sudden.

"No, it was quite the opposite." He answered, barely bothered by her question.

Kathrina really wanted to smack his head, but she held herself back since it won't be good to attack someone who feeds you. From time to time, she kept hissing because of the contact of alcohol with her exposed wound; it hurt so bad. At times like this, she hoped she had a high pain tolerance.

As time passed, Kathrina heard him exhale loudly and then said, "How hard did you hit your opponent until your knuckles became like this?"

"Really hard," she answered subconsciously.

Arthur clicked his tongue. He flicked her forehead playfully, which earned him a death glare from the woman. He must admit that he was being too comfortable around her as if he had known her for a long time. Arthur understood that his action was akin to a boyfriend caring for their sick girlfriend. But who cares? He only followed what his heart desired. He would think about the consequence later.

After cleaning the wounds on her knuckles, he stood up and looked down at her. "Take off your jacket," he said calmly.