Undefiled Queen

For the amount of problems Merlyn suffered in the last six months, she hardly thought she would make it home.

Merlyn entered the California university through a merit scholarship. The college fees were taken care of under the scholarship program. But she had to cater for her boarding and lodging. Merlyn earned while writing notes to the physically challenged.

It was the last day when she was supposed to submit her assignment and she was running late. So she asked her roommate to deposit the money to the flat owner in the bank. But her roommate was a cheater and ran away with her money. The flat owner sent her an eviction notice. Merlyn did not have any other way. She had to pawn everything that was with her including her laptop to discharge the room rent.

Many of her friends called her roommate a betrayer who did drugs by stealing money from people but Merlyn did not believe any of them for the kind nature she was blessed with. Ultimately she had to taste the bitter fruit of her generosity. By the end of the semester in spite of her hard work she was penniless. But thankfully it was her last month of graduation. Thus as soon as she finished her examinations she could run home.

Borrowing some money from her friends she bought a flight ticket and now here she was all muddled up and in chaos.

She could have called her uncle or aunt but for the financial doldrums they are already in, it was not ethical to trouble them more. With the little fortune her parents left for her, Merlyn and her brother’s basic necessities like food, clothing and a part of education could be met.

*****

She couldn’t believe the man accepted to take her home in his car. With an enthusiasm overpowering her she gathered up her things to reach the car trunk.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Merlyn tried to keep up with the man, but his long stride put him farther and farther ahead of her. His shoulders were stiff and jaw was tense. He smoothly slid his bag into the trunk telling of the way he lived his life with not a thing out of its place. Every action had a purpose behind it and he wouldn’t speak until required.

Finally she could have a chance to hear him. “Get into the car.” His voice was smooth but dark. He had jet black hair, and his brown eyes sparkled even in the dimness of the snowstorm.

“I can drive. I am an expert in driving on snow.” She mentally patted her shoulder for her excellency in driving and grinned, extending her hand to take the keys for the drive.

He turned his gaze towards her and she could tell he wasn’t amused. Rude. Without saying anything, he reached up with his long arm and shut the trunk before wrapping around to the driver’s side of the car.

She internally shook her head at him. He was impolite, reserved and insensitive. She wondered why he offered her a ride. For the personality she was slowly getting to know about him, these kinds of people wouldn’t even blink an eye to help others.

Nevertheless, count it on her lucky stars that he decided to help her. She bounced around to the other side of the car and got on in.

She pulled off her scarf and unbuttoned her coat. By the time they were pulling out of the airport parking lot, her ass was heating up. ‘Oh, these are those fancy seats that keep the bum all toasty warm.” She couldn’t stop asking in excitement.

‘Yes,” that was the only word he spoke and they rode in silence for many more minutes. Even though the seat was hot underneath, his cold demeanor shivered her to her bones. His face was stoic while he stared out of the windshield of the car.

Traveling with the man seemed to be more difficult than she thought. But all’s well that ends well. She was finally reaching home for Christmas, Merlyn tried to cheer herself and started wondering about the man. Who was he? What did he do for a living? What happened to him in another lifetime made him look like a robot, that he was so stiff with people.

Maybe she had to peel away layers of his stoical self and finally would get to see the smile hidden underneath. But before she could start up a conversation, the engine began to burp and with a heavy upload the car stopped.

“What happened?” Again there was no response. ‘The car tank should be full,” Ans said as she leaned back into the seat guessing the problem.

‘Do you want me to call the rental company?” She looked up at him, and as expected there was no response except his gaze that was too hard on her Stephen.

She quickly sat up in her seat, watching as he slid out of the car. He left her sitting in the car without asking her if she wanted anything. What kind of a man was he who would offer a ride and then not give a damn about anything else? Was he trying to save his face from the people working at the car kiosk? What did those people mean to him?

She sat back and sighed, allowing her eyes to close with the warmth of the seat. ‘Merlyn take a deep breath, men like these shouldn’t affect you. She needed to see good things in life. In spite of suffering so much she was still going back home.’ – She tried to boost her morale.

She watched out the window while the clouds began to cover up what was left of the dying sun. The thick smell of coffee reached her nostrils as he opened the door.

She would have just loved one such cup in the chilly weather but she couldn’t afford it.

He unlocked the fuel tank and poured the fuel in it.  His long arm flipped to the door of the bonnet and fluidly ran his hand there as if he had been treating cars for decades. Before she could reach him he closed the bonnet and hissed with the burning sensation.

“What did you do?” She came around and held his arm in hers which had a light red mark on his thumb.

He stiffened, he doesn’t do any sort of physical contact and distanced himself before he removed his arm resting in hers.

But Merlyn was stubborn, she would just not accept the man to be in trouble who helped her. She opened her handbag, took out an ointment and gently rubbed it on the burnt skin before she cleaned the area with water.

Stephen kept staring at her as she addressed his injury. “You know when you are traveling, you should always carry a first-aid kit with you for emergency purposes.”

“I did not plan for my private jet to go grounded.” He grilled his teeth. Nevertheless there was a part of him that was willing to confess – The woman wasn’t so much a menace as he thought.