Encounter with the Crazy Head (2)

One foot ahead of the other, Carlisle made his way across the road—his shoes splashed around the muddied still water but he couldn't care any less about it. There was only one thing which mattered to him at that moment. He had to find himself a way back to his penthouse; or else, he would have to face his mother's wrath. And after putting in hours of work back at the headquarters, Carlisle didn't have the energy to go through it.

With only one thought occupying his mind, he brought his feet to a stop by the bus stop across the road. Anxiety was seeping out of each of his pore as he contemplated the idea of hailing himself a ride. It reminded him of certain memories that weren't the brightest, and neither was Carlisle too fond of them. Drawing in a deep breath to pull his bearings together, he shrugged off the creeping darkness. Now was not the time to let his demons out and take over.

"Taxi?" He stepped forward on the sidewalk and waved a hand out as a yellow car passed by. It was something he had often seen people doing. Though none of it helped him because it was already occupied. Heaving out a frustrated sigh, Carlisle stepped back to prevent getting splashed by the passing traffic. Being all sticky wet was another thing the man wasn't very fond of.

"I am for sure getting murdered today." He muttered under his breath. What happened next took him by surprise. A soft, but stern voice came from behind him, making Carlisle turn his head around to have a look at its owner.

There stood a young woman who must be around his age at the least if not older than him, wearing a biker jacket over a pair of black fitted jeans. Her eyes were smeared with running mascara, making it look like she had just finished crying.Though it wouldn't take anyone to figure out the real cause behind her devastated look—the rain. With her hair tied up in a sleek high pony, the end of which was still dripping with water, she looked like one of those strong headed girls who knew how to put you in your place with only a few words.

"Hey, Mister?" She snapped her fingers right before his face, pulling him to the present.

"Huh?" It was then that Carlisle realized that he was yet to reply to her initial question. But for that to happen, he needed to remember it firstly.

As if reading the confusion on his face, the girl began. "Who's gonna murder you? Do they need my help in disposing of the body?" She added the latter this time. "I mean if they do, I am more than eager to help them without any charges."

"Excuse me?" Carlisle stared back at her as if she had grown two horns on the top of her head out of nowhere.

"Yes?" She responded rather nonchalantly. The seething annoyance exposed on Carlisle's face didn't have any effect on her.

"Have you lost your mind?" He didn't hold back.

"What?" She tilted her head to the side, her scrutinizing gaze closely observing the man standing before her. "I can even offer them an alternative. I am more than willing to hold you captive instead in my basement."

"Are you crazy?" Carlisle took a cautious step back before answering his own question. "Oh, wait! Of course, you are. You surely are high on something."

"Pfft!" The girl took a step forward in his direction, reducing the distance between them. "You sure have some nerve to call me out like that. If there's anyone crazy between the two of us, it's you, man. I am not the one standing by the side of the road talking to myself." She stated out the obvious, making Carlisle frown. It had him realize how loud he must have been for her to hear him given he found her standing a few feet away initially. Now, he couldn't even hold her responsible for eavesdropping.

"I apologize if I was that loud." He nodded at him before he turned around to face the road again. If he kept on facing her instead of the road, there was no way he was going to succeed in getting a ride.

Carlisle sighed out in relief under his breath when he didn't have a response coming back from her. But his relief was only short lived since the lady clearly had something else going through her mind.

"You have never done this before, have you?"

A sigh of frustration left his lips when the lady came to stand next to him. Yet, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Done what?"

There had to be something very much wrong with him, or so Carlisle thought, for him to be still entertaining the lady despite the fact that she was stepping on every last bit of his patient nerves.

"Hailing a cab?" She replied, a slight hint of mockery dripping from her words, blatantly obvious. Carlisle didn't have to turn around to confirm his suspicion.

"No." He gave her a curt reply, still trying to keep the edge out of his tone.

"I wonder what made someone like you to step down from your throne." She added further, taking two to three steps in his direction. Coming to a stop next to him, she continued. "Is it a day thingy?" She nudged his arm slightly. "You know where royalties try to slide on the shoes of their subjects."

Carlisle shook his head at her insinuation, his fingers coiled tightly in a fist. "How do you know that I am not one of those subjects?"

"Pfft!" She scoffed. "Have you looked at yourself?" She shook her head, her lips curled up into a grin. "Even in your current drenched state, you scream of aristocracy. Especially the way you carry yourself."

"You seem to know a lot about the rich and their riches." He added after taking in her words. "Are you one of those as well?" His question was only met with silence.

"What happened to your car?" She spoke up again after a while.

"It broke down." Carlisle kept his response short, realizing that he was stuck with her whether or not he liked it. That was until he had managed to find himself a cab.

"Don't tell me that you don't have another one."

Carlisle found her staring up at him as if he was some unsolved mystery to her—one which she was trying her best to solve.

"My driver is stuck with the broken down car." He muttered under his breath, making sure his words were loud enough for her to catch on.

"You have other cars but not anyone else on duty who can drive you around?" Her eyebrows shot up her forehead, creating faint creases across it. "You have to be kidding with me." She scoffed.

"He's the only one who drives me around and the car is too important for me to leave it stranded on the side of the road during weather like today. Neither do I trust another person with that one particular car." Now that he was saying it out loud, Carlisle realized how kiddish it all sounded to his own ears. But it was what it was.

"Told you so… you drip off aristocracy." The girl added. "But keeping that aside, I think I can help you here."

"Really?" Carlisle was too eager to get out of there. Even if it meant taking the crazy head's help.

"Yep." She popped the 'P' at the end, a lazy grin spreading across her face. "And in exchange for my ever so generous help, you need to pay me…."