Love In The Line Of Fire

Anya was about to lie down when she noticed blood stain on the edge of her bed.

"What the! Why now?" she said to herself, frowning.

She had forgotten to buy sanitary pads. She changed her clothes before saying goodbye to her grandfather, telling him she had some errands to run.

She went to the small store nearby, but it was closed. She checked her phone and saw that it was only past 7 pm.

"They closed too early." She had no other choice but to walk further. There was only one store in their village. Their village only had about ten households, and the rest were in the mountains.

"I'm so unlucky tonight!" Anya walked reluctantly, feeling frustrated. The highway was still far away. She also felt her skin getting wet from the small raindrops. She stopped when her phone beeped, finally getting a signal.

Most of the texts were from Sabrina. Anya hadn't texted her back earlier because she didn't have load. She hadn't realized that the signal in their area would be weak. The signal couldn't even open the internet, so she couldn't text. She had also forgotten to buy load when she went to the market earlier.

One text caught her attention, from an unknown number:

'Pretend to be Anya Naces not until I tell you to stop.' She turned off her phone, leaving only the flashlight on.

She was afraid to stop pretending to be Anya. She had grown close to her grandfather and didn't want to leave him if she could.

She felt the rain getting stronger, and she couldn't think of anywhere to take shelter. The only nearby house was the Carters', so she headed left, even though the highway was to the right, where she could buy what she needed.

She ran and rang the doorbell at the gate, but no one came out, and her clothes were getting soaked. Luckily, the gate was open, so she didn't hesitate to enter. The front door was also open, and just as the rain got heavier, she stepped inside.

The interior was stunning, and it was clear that the owner was wealthy.

"What the heck are you doing here?" She quickly turned around, but she wasn't safe from his piercing gaze. His demeanor had changed, and his ash-gray eyes seemed to be blazing. She swallowed hard, unsure of what to do.

He grabbed her arm and cornered her against the wall. She didn't want to make eye contact, so she looked away. Through the door and the glass wall, she could see the heavy rain and rushing water.

"Answer me! What are you doing here?"

"T-the rain got s-stronger, and this was the only place I could think of to take shelter." She didn't know why she was stuttering.

He released her and glanced at her body for a moment. Her clothes were wet, and her underclothes became visible. She swallowed hard and covered herself with her hands.

"What are you looking at?" she scolded, and he quickly looked away.

She didn't want to stay there any longer, but the rain was still heavy. She was restless, worried that she might get blood stain in her shorts if she stayed longer. She wasn't wearing any sanitary pads, so she was sure to get stained. She steeled herself and decided to ask to borrow his car.

Anya searched for Oliver, but he had quickly disappeared from her sight.

"Christian, where are you?" She stopped searching when she saw the back of the young man, who was shirtless. He had a wound and seemed to be treating it, but he couldn't reach his back.

"What happened to you?" He didn't answer her. "Let me do it." She took the betadine, cotton, and bandage from him.

They locked eyes for a moment, and it seemed like he didn't want to let her help.

"You can't even reach it, huh! Why are you being stubborn?!" Anya said irritably.

"Fine!" Oliver replied.

Anya noticed that Oliver had small scars on other parts of his body. She put her curiosity aside and focused on treating his wound.

After she finished bandaging his wound, Oliver put on his clothes right in front of her, seemingly unbothered even in front of her.

"Do you want a ride?" Oliver asked.

Anya hesitated, unsure how to respond. She had a different meaning in mind.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered.

"Oh right, let's go," Oliver said.

"Wait, um, I... I have..." Anya bit her lip, embarrassed to say that she had her period.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"I have my period!" she blurted out.

Anya felt her face flush with embarrassment. She couldn't look Oliver straight in the eye.

"And?" Oliver asked.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your car to go to the highway, if that's okay," Anya said.

"Yeah, that's why I asked if you want a ride," Oliver replied.

Anya's face grew even redder as she realized that Oliver had meant something entirely different.

"Oh, okay, let's go," she said hastily, quickly exiting the house and heading to the parked car outside.

"Nakakahiya!" (How embarrassing!) she muttered to herself.

'What's wrong with me? Why did I think something like that?' she scolded herself.

"You can drive?" Oliver asked, and Anya's face flushed again as she realized she had another meaning for his question again.

"What are you thinking, anyway?" Oliver asked, and Anya quickly snapped back to reality without answering his question.

She opened the car door and got into the passenger seat. As they drove, neither of them spoke.

The car stopped in front of the convenience store.

"Can you buy sanitary pad for me?" his expression changed.

"What the actual fuck?" Oliver's expression showed his annoyance.

"Come on, I really can't. I feel like I'm already got blood stained! Hurry up, don't be stubborn!" Anya urged, and Oliver quickly got out of the car and entered the store.

"What the hell is wrong with her? Shit!" Oliver muttered to himself, frustrated, and he couldn't help but mess up his hair.

He searched the shelves for sanitary pads. He was hesitant to buy them, especially since there were other women in the store. He slowly picked up a pack of sanitary napkins and quickly went to the counter.

The people in line stared at him. "Is that for your girlfriend? She's really lucky," one of them said. Oliver ignored the comment.

"Look, that guy is handsome," some college students whispered to each other in the store.

"He must have a girlfriend," one of them said before noticing the pack of sanitary napkins in Oliver's hand.

Oliver's face almost turned red with embarrassment as he noticed the students staring at him while he held the sanitary pads.

Oliver quickly paid and said, "Keep the change." He didn't wait for his change and instead hastily got back into the car. He threw the pack of sanitary napkins at Anya.

"Thank you," Anya said with a smile. Oliver gave her an annoyed look, but Anya just laughed. It seemed like it was his first time buying sanitary napkins.

As they drove back to Estrella Village, Anya asked, "Is this your car?"

"Literally!" Oliver replied.

"Are you Oliver's son?" Anya asked, and Oliver stepped on the brakes. "What the heck?!"

"Why not? You're always at the Carter's house, and you use their car freely. It's obvious you're not Oliver," Anya said.

'Lolo said Oliver is 40 years old, but this guy doesn't look that old. He dresses simply, too. I think he's just the caretaker of the Carter's house. He's just pretending to be someone he's not, trying to act superior and pretending the car is his. He's trying to impress girls! But he's actually really handsome. He's physically fit, his eyes are beautiful, and those abs... why am I thinking about these things?'