Chapter 38: My Name is Ang

Atilla's POV.

"Ram?"

I couldn't believe that I would see him here and that he would be the one to save me from the person who tried to take advantage of me.

I felt like my heart was about to burst with joy at seeing the person I love again.

"Are you okay, Atilla?" he asked with concern as he looked at me.

I still couldn't believe that I would see him in Australia. I wondered if Henry had told him where I was, but I knew that was unlikely to happen because he promised never to allow Ram to come near me again.

I still couldn't speak and didn't answer his question. I just stared at him until I didn't realize my tears were flowing freely as I hugged Ram, who looked surprised.

Hush, hush, Atilla, I'm here, and I won't let you disappear from my life. I love you so much," he said emotionally.

I felt him lift my face with his hand to meet his gaze. I could see the love in his eyes that I had prayed for so much.

"Ram," was all I could say at that moment, but the scene didn't last long, and I woke up with my eyes open.

I woke up in an unfamiliar room and only then realized that it was all just a dream. I had dreamed of Ram again because of my intense desire to see him.

"Where am I?" I thought to myself as I looked around the beautiful room.

The walls of the room were blue, with a large flat-screen TV in front of the bed, a bookshelf filled with business books on the right, and a magnificent painting of a beautiful place on the left. I couldn't help but admire how the painting was made because it was obvious that it was not just a regular painting. However, I suddenly stopped as I remembered what happened last night.

Fear suddenly enveloped my chest as I recalled the face of the man who hurt me. I quickly checked myself, but I felt nothing had changed because I was still wearing the same clothes from last night, so I breathed a little easier.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and I was alarmed, thinking that maybe someone had kidnapped me. But instead of the foreign guy who hurt me, a gorgeous, handsome man appeared in front of me, and based on his looks, I could say that he was Filipino. He had a tanned complexion, thick eyebrows, black eyes like a starless sky, a sharp nose, and red lips.

I quickly shook my head, trying to brush off that thought because this was not the time to be admiring the person in front of me just because he was handsome. It doesn't mean he's not a bad person.

"What the hell did you do to me?!" I angrily asked him.

He just raised an eyebrow at me, as if he were amused by me. He went straight to an empty chair as if he didn't care about my anger.

He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and khaki three-fourths, and when he moved, it was as if he owned the world, which he probably did since this room seemed to be his.

I couldn't believe that he was acting as if nothing happened, while my emotions were raging because of his kidnapping me. I didn't even feel scared anymore because my anger towards him was stronger.

"Are you deaf or what?!" I screamed at him.

"Is that the way you treat the man who saved you?" He said it emotionlessly while still staring at my face.

Suddenly, I woke up from my reverie and remembered what happened.

I remembered losing consciousness from the blow of a foreigner who wanted to take advantage of me, and I also remembered a man who helped me.

As I remembered that, I immediately felt ashamed of my behavior.

"I'm... sorry..." but he interrupted what I was about to say.

"Don't you know how dangerous it is to walk around in that place at that time?! Are you stupid, or are you just ignorant? For Pete's sake, don't go wandering into places you're not familiar with," he ranted in his cold voice.

Every word that came out of his mouth felt like tiny needles piercing my heart. Despite my efforts not to cry, I couldn't stop the tears from freely flowing from my eyes.

I tried to wipe away my tears with my hands, but no matter what I did, I couldn't stop crying. I hate myself for being so weak and for being broken.

I heard him sigh and suddenly realized that he had come closer until he was standing in front of me, looking straight into my eyes.

I saw his expression soften; gone was the cold, stoic look that he had earlier.

"I'm sorry if I said that to you. I know you didn't want that to happen in the first place," he apologized.

Earlier, I was hesitant to believe that he was Filipino, but now I was sure based on the way he spoke our language.

For some reason, the way he spoke and looked at me helped calm me down. So in a few moments, my tears stopped flowing, replaced by a shy smile because of my emotional wreck.

"You don't have to apologize. I deserved it anyway, and thank you for saving me," I said, smiling.

"It's nothing. I can't possibly ignore a plea for help from a pretty lady like you," he said with a mischievous smile on his face, which made me blush and somehow surprised me.

I didn't know what to say, so I just remained silent.

"By the way, I'm Angelo Rodriguez, Ang for short," he said, smiling and showing his perfect set of white teeth that looked like they just came out of a toothpaste commercial.

"Nice meeting you, Ang. I'm Atilla," for the first time, a genuine smile appeared on my lips. There was something about him that was so likable.

"Just Atilla, no last name at all?" He teased, which made my smile even wider.

"Of course, I have a last name. My last name is Cer..." but I suddenly stopped when I heard my phone ring.

I was suddenly worried when I saw Nicole's number appear. I had forgotten about her, and she was probably very worried, especially when I saw her missed calls and unread messages. So I quickly answered her call.

"Hello, Nicole?" I moved a little further away from Ang and walked to the side of the room.

"Oh my God, Atilla! I've been calling you for so long. What happened to you?" Relief was clearly audible in her voice.

"It's a long story, Nicole. I'll tell you once I get home," I replied, feeling Ang's gaze on my back.

"As long as you're okay, I'm good with it," she answered.

"How about you? What happened to you? I called you several times last night, but you didn't answer," I asked her.

"Sorry, I must have slept too soundly and didn't notice my phone ringing," she explained.

I talked to her for a while longer, and after promising to go home immediately, I ended the call.

"Sorry about that, Ang. My friend was just too worried," I explained to him, even though he didn't ask.

"She should be, especially if she finds out what happened to you," he said matter-of-factly. He was right, so I decided to lie when I talked to Nicole later so she wouldn't feel guilty.

"Again, Ang, thanks for helping me, but I need to go now because I promised my friend," I said as I said goodbye.

"You're leaving already? Can I at least have your number so I can check if you made it home safely?" he asked.

I tried to check my phone to see my number, but I realized the battery was drained after talking to Nicole.

The battery drain was also the reason I needed to leave quickly. Nicole might get more worried if she couldn't contact me.

"Sorry, I don't know my number by heart, and my phone is drained," I showed him my phone.

"No worries; just wait here for a second," he disappeared briefly and returned with a piece of paper with his number written on it.

"Just call me anytime, whether you need help or you're bored," he said with a smile, handing me the paper, which I immediately put in my pocket.

"I will, and again, thank you for your help, Ang," I didn't stay long and quickly said goodbye.

He even called me a taxi when we left the building where his condo unit was.

A smile appeared on my face as I saw him still waving as the taxi I was riding away in drove off.

I was glad that there was someone nice I met while staying in Australia, but I don't think I would be able to see him again, I mean, this country is huge, so it would be impossible for our paths to cross again.