Weird stranger

Leah slowly opened her eyes, feeling groggy and disoriented. She looked around and realized she was in a strange place, lying on a king size bed in a well adorned room that looked like a hotel's presidential suite. The memories of the previous night were hazy, but she remembered being at a ball and then feeling dizzy and sick after drinking the cocktail the bartender had served her.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," a voice said from across the room, startling Leah from her confused state. Leah turned her head and saw a man sitting in a chair by the window, looking at her with a cold and distant expression.

Leah immediately recognized him, he was the man she had stumbled into on her way to the restroom last night. But she couldn't remember anything that had happened after that, her head felt too fuzzy and her memory felt indistinct.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucius didn't reply at first, he just sat there staring at her with his blue, intense eyes. "You're in my room, sweet heart," Lucius responded , his tone clipped and a little bit unfriendly.

"You're lucky I found you," he said, in a somewhat serious tone. "You could have ended up in a really bad situation." He responded "I found you in the restroom at the ball last night, passed out and about to be taken advantage of by some creep."

Leah felt a wave of panic and shame wash over her as the memories of the ball flooded back to her. "Thank you for saving me," she said softly, feeling grateful and embarrassed at the same time.

Lucius snorted. "Don't thank me yet," he said, his voice taking on a teasing edge. "I don't do things for free, sweetheart, so you owe me big time for this, and I plan on collecting."

Leah felt a mix of fear and annoyance at the man's words. "What do you mean." She asked, a small frown appearing on her face.

Lucius stood up from where he sat and walked closer to the bed, looming above her while staring at her forest green eyes, an evil smirk appeared on his face.

"You owe me something special, sweetheart, which I will collect in due time," Lucius said, causing Leah to frown in confusion. "But for now, why don't you use my bathroom? Your face is a mess and everything else."

He gestured towards some clothes laying on a chair, his playful expression had already changed to a serious one. "You can put those on." Lucius said before leaving the room.

Leah felt uneasy about the man's words and his use of the term "sweetheart," given that she had only met him once before. She wasn't sure what he meant by "something special" and why he seemed so confident and smug about it. Her frown deepen as she tired to process and understand his words.

Trying to keep her composure, Leah stood up and headed towards the bathroom. She quickly washed her face and rinsed her mouth since she had no intention of using that weird stranger's things.

She did not dare to use the clothes and shoes he had provided, even though the dress she was wearing was ruined due to the struggle with the crazy man from last night.

The man who had given her the clothes was still a complete stranger, and she didn't want to appear indebted to him more than she already was. She decided to wear her own dress instead, even though it was ruined.

Leah couldn't help but wonder what he was up to and what he wanted from her. She decided to be cautious and on guard around him till she leaves at least, even as she tried to push his words out of her mind.

"You don't don't have to wear that dress," Lucius said, from where he stood casually leaning against the door with his hands and legs crossed with a dull expression on his face, startling Leah who wasn't expecting him to be inside the room.

"Sh*t!!" Leah exclaimed and turned around to face him.

"When did you come in." She asked with wide eyes.

"Just now," He said, running his tongue over his teeth.

"How?" Leah asked again with uncertainties.

"Through the door of course. Do you think I came in through the walls?" Lucius asked sarcastically, raising a brow like her question was silly.

"No it's not that. The door didn't make any sound when you came in, so I just thought... You know what, never mind," Leah said shaking her head before returning back to wear her shoes.

She did not have the strength to think about such silly things.

'She must have been preoccupied with her thoughts, thus she did not hear the sound of the door when he came in. but still the man was still weird.' she thought to herself.

"You should wear the clothes I got you," Lucius paused as if remembering something. "You don't want to go out there looking like you were raped last night." He smirked mockingly. "Cause that would be embarrassing and humiliating."

"And who said I cared." Leah retorted staring at him in the eyes. "I would rather go out looking like this than wear something some weird stranger got me."

"Some weird stranger?" Lucius asked, his smirk widening into an evil one. "Now that is a really rude way to address this handsome man who saved you last night, sweetheart." He said, pushing himself off the door as he made his way towards where she stood.

"Stop calling me, sweetheart." Leah said angrily.

"Why?" Lucius asked her feigning innocence, like he did not know that he was annoying her.

"Because I have a name." Leah said folding her hands. "And it's definitely not sweetheart."

"Then what is it?" He asked tilting his head to the side.

"It's non of your business." Leah replied, tiredly. She wondered if the man was sick in his head.

"Then what should I call you?" Lucius asked, finally standing in front of Leah. "Should I address you as pumpkin or sugar or honey or buttercup, flower maybe sweetie pie or..."

"Stop!" Leah yelled, cutting him off from continuing the name guessing. Now she was sure some nuts were definitely loosed in his head. "Don't call me any of those names."

"Fine. Then I think i'll go with sweetheart." Lucius said taking a step closer to her.

"Please don't call me that either," Leah said, hoping he would stop calling her that damn name.

"But I like it, and it suits you," Lucius said playfully.

"Something is really wrong with this man." Leah muttered to herself in a low voice.

"What did you say?" Lucius asked her.

"I didn't say anything," Leah replied, her brows drawn together in annoyance.

"Really? I thought I heard something." Lucius said with a calculative expression. "Your bag and your phone are over there." Lucius said, gesturing towards the table behind her with his head.

Leah turned back and walked to the table, she wondered how he managed to get her phone, she remembered looking for it yesterday but was not able find it, so why and how did this weirdo even have it in the first place. She shook her head, brushing the thought aside, she didn't have time to dwell on this matter.

Leah hurriedly stuffed her phone in her bag before hanging it. She was about to leave when Lucius came to stand in front of her blocking her path and stopping her from moving any further.

"Your forgetting something." Lucius said with a serious expression on his face.

Leah looked around the room before turning back to look at him. "And what is that." She said, furrowing her brows.

"You forgot to thank me." Lucius replied, causing Leah to frown.

"But I already..." Leah stopped talking, staring at him surprisingly. Leah wondered if this man had such a short memory, because she had already thanked him before.

She decided not to be too rude and thanked him again.

"Thank you for saving me last night..."

"From the hands of that creep," Lucius said, and she glared at him for interrupting her.

"....from the hands of that creep,"

'You're actually the creep.' she thought to herself before continuing.

"And for providing me some clothes which I politely rejected." She concluded, making Lucius to raise a brow. "Now can I go?" She asked and folded her hands.

"I'm wondering why you don't sound grateful at all." Lucius said frowning at her.