“You’re not from around here, I guess.”
“No, I’m not. Just visiting. But I know someone who can help. Except I can’t recall his number.”
Rory figured the man was still in shock and was trying to come to terms with the fact that he was still alive. She was surprised at that too. The outer wall of the house was sturdy, and yet the car had rammed a hole in it, almost all the way through. Barely anything was left of the front part of that Ferrari. It was a miracle that this guy had simply walked away from the wreckage.
It then occurred to Rory that she didn’t even know his name.
“I’m Rory.” She expected a response, but he just stared at her, as if pausing the thoughts in his mind to examine her. Rory steadied herself by putting a hand on the couch, her pulse suddenly speeding up. The phrase Greek god came into her mind.
“I’m Arsen.” His eyes met hers and for the first time, she realized how dark they were. To say that Arsen was handsome wouldn’t be right. He was attractive, in a rugged, manly way. She felt her body respond as her eyes went over the close beard that shadowed his jaw, giving him a hard look.
He squinted under his angular eyebrows when he spoke, completely oblivious to the lust that he sparked.
“Is there a cab service that I can call?”
“In Montcove? Are you kidding me?” she replied nervously, immediately feeling self-conscious at being so jumpy.
Arsen was silent again. Contemplating things in his head it seemed.
“I’ll compensate you for the damage to your wall. Here…” He got up to his feet, but then grunted and sat back down on the sofa with a thump and held his ankle with a grimace on his face.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a twisted ankle.”
What else did you expect wh
en you kicked the car? she retorted in her mind, but she could guess that this injury was more than just a twisted ankle judging by the pain on his face. Still, she was clueless on how to handle this situation, eager as she was to get this stranger out of her house.
“I hate to ask you for help, but it seems I have no other choice.” He stared directly into her eyes, and for the first time perhaps she saw a hint of helplessness and… contempt. The kind you see in the face of a man who usually has everything done his way. He spoke up again before she could reply.
“We’re gonna need someone who can tow away that car. I can’t leave it out like that. Do you know someone who can do that?”
Rory remained silent. Is he asking me or commanding me? She wondered if she should just call 911 and be done with all of this.
“Look I’ll reimburse you for this, and for your trouble.” Arsen pulled out his wallet and slammed what looked like about a thousand dollars on the couch. Rory was forced to weigh her options. This is a lot of money and all this man is asking for is a little help. There’s no harm in this, right? She bit her lip.
Rory sat down on the arm of the couch across from him and crossed her arms. Her heart tightened at the stark anguish that flashed on his face.
“I know a mechanic who could do this for you, but I am sure it would take a considerable payout for him to come at this hour.”
“Don’t worry about that. Would you be able to call him now?” Arsen asked in a deep voice that sent chills running down her spine. She nodded and pulled out her cellphone. You are too nice, Rory, too nice.
Walking out to the other room, she decided to call Mike, the mechanic. She certainly would feel calmer if he were around. Considering she had never asked him for help, it didn’t take her much effort to convince Mike to come. Rory chose not to tell him all the details.
It didn’t take long for Mike to arrive either. Once Arsen explained the situation to him calmly, Mike, in his own quiet way, seemed to understand. Clearly, the man had seen a thing or two like this before. Arsen handed him the keys to the Ferrari and five hundred in hundred-dollar bills. Arsen obviously wanted Mike to keep his mouth shut about the incident. Luckily for Arsen, Mike wasn’t the kind of guy that would randomly shoot his mouth off.
Besides, Mike perhaps was excited at the idea of repairing a Ferrari and racking up a tall bill.
“Would you happen to have an iPhone charger?” Arsen asked, once Mike had left.
“No, I’m sorry, I don’t.”
“Dammit! For the life of me, I can’t seem to recall the phone number of anyone I know.” Arsen’s rough voice reeked of frustration.
“Shouldn’t you see a doctor?”
“No. No need for that,” Arsen said, harshly interrupting her. “If you can just bring me some ice and a painkiller of some sort… that’d be fine.” Arsen let out a sigh and sat back on the sofa. Jeez, be more arrogant, she thought.