I looked up and saw her staring at me, eyes wide as if they were about to pop out.
"It's not what you think, Ruby." I pressed my lips together, feeling so guilty I didn't dare look at her. "Really, it's not."
"Not what I think?" She gave a cold laugh, arms folded tightly. "You expect me to believe that? Yesterday you got dumped by Tyson, and today, there's a new hot guy coming out of your room half-naked. And you say it's not what I think?"
My chest clenched. How should I even explain this? Last night… things weren't like that at all.
"Something happened but it's not what you're imagining." I tried hard to explain, my fingers tapping nervously on my knees. "He was hurt, so I brought him here."
"You brought a strange man home, Matilda?!" Her voice suddenly shot up again like a whip cracking, almost slamming the table.
"Are you out of your mind? At work, you're not stupid, so why does your brain short-circuit at critical moments?"
I lowered my head as I wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Honestly, I was cursing myself too but at that moment last night, I just couldn't ignore it. He was bleeding so much. The wind cut through, and his whole arm was red.
That instant… I didn't think.
"He's not bad," I muttered under my breath, barely audible. "He doesn't seem like someone who'd do anything bad."
"Hah?" My friend stared at me like I'd grown two heads, then suddenly smacked my arm hard.
"You've finally lost your mind, Tilly! Just because he's hot? Do you even think bad guys wear signs saying 'oh, I'm bad'? I'm so done with you. With a heart that soft and naïve, no wonder men keep dumping you!"
Her words pierced like a thorn, making my chest ache. Truly, this wasn't the first time, but what could I do? Someone was hurt... should I just walk away?
"I can't help it…" My voice was faint, like a deflated balloon.
"And you're proud of that?" She glared at me like I'd committed a crime, then her gaze suddenly sharpened, locking on me. "Wait a second--his arm, there's a bandage. I saw it just now. Explain."
"It's nothing… really nothing." I waved my hands quickly, forcing out a dry laugh. "Just a small wound, nothing serious."
"You think I'm an idiot?" She pressed on, relentless. "Where were you last night? How did you meet him? Why was he hurt?"
My mind was a tangled mess, but I bit down hard and stuck to my answer, "It was just an accident."
"An accident?" She let out a cold snort, voice dropping low. "Did you forget what kind of job we do? Did you forget how sensitive the case we're working on is right now? If you get tangled up in something and drag the company into a mess, do you think that cold-blooded director of ours will let you off?"
Her words hit like a hammer and my breath stalled for a second. She wasn't wrong, our current project couldn't afford any scandal.
But… I glanced toward the bathroom, where the sound of water was still running. No. Impossible! He wasn't that kind of person. He just wasn't.
"No way," I said softly, but firmly. "He's not like that."
"How do you know?" She rolled her eyes, so hard I thought they'd pop out. "You've known him for what, ten hours? You're soft with everyone. No wonder men play you like a fiddle every single time."
My lips trembled, but I couldn't refute it. She was right. But still…
"Forget it." She exhaled sharply, then shot a suspicious glance at the bedroom door. "How long has he been in there? Half an hour? What is he, a fairy? Gonna turn into a prune?"
"Pfft—" I burst out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand. "He's not a fairy. He's just… really clean."
"Clean?" Her brow arched, clearly not following.
I explained without thinking, "He cleaned my entire place this morning. Mopped the floor, wiped the table, even organized my bookshelf. Look around, doesn't the room look brand new?"
She turned her head, eyes sweeping the room, and froze in shock.
"Yeah, I noticed. Yesterday, when I came over, the takeout bags on the floor could've drowned a person."
Heat crept up my face knowing she wasn't exaggerating. Normally, my apartment was a disaster. But now… the cushions on the couch were perfectly arranged, the coffee table spotless, even those half-dead plants were standing upright like soldiers.
Last night he was bleeding, his hand was wrapped in gauze. And yet, this morning, he worked harder than my mom on a cleaning spree.
I couldn't help the flash of memory... him bending down, wiping the floor. The line of his back, the curve of his shoulders, the muscles in his arm flexing as he moved…
"What are you smiling at?" Ruby jabbed a finger at me.
"N-nothing." I quickly straightened my face, though my heart was still racing.
Just then, the bedroom door clicked open and we both looked up instantly... watching him walk out.
Wearing only a white shirt—the same one from last night, but freshly washed, damp with a faint trace of water. The fabric clung neatly to his body, collar slightly open, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, a glimpse of the bandage peeking through.
He was fastening his cuff lazily, exuding a cool, restrained aura... yet tinged with careless elegance.
The air froze.
Even my friend, who'd been scolding like a machine gun moments ago, went utterly silent, her mouth hanging open.
His eyes lifted, landing on me and my heart skipped a violent beat.
"Thanks for last night," he uttered not loudly, but with softness that couldn't be ignored.
I sucked in a breath. Last night… did he have to say it like that?
Sure enough, my friend's head whipped toward me, eyes like twin daggers nailing me in place. I frantically shook my head, throwing desperate eye signals: Not what you think!
But her gaze screamed, "Sure, I believe you not."
"It's nothing." I forced a brittle smile at him, my voice barely above a whisper. "Just… nothing."
He didn't even seem interested in staying. His gaze swept the tidy room once more before he said faintly, "I should go."
"Wait—" The word tumbled out before I could stop it.
But before I could add anything, he'd already turned, long legs striding toward the door, leaving without a single glance back.
The door clicked shut softly and I stood there, frozen, my brain blank. Gone? Just like that? I didn't even know his name, address or contact number. Nothing at all.
Last night… what was it all for?
"Hey," Ruby yanked me down onto the couch, her tone sharp. "What did he mean by 'thanks for last night'? Don't tell me... you didn't actually sleep with him, did you?"
I nearly choked on my own breath, waving my hands frantically. "No! Absolutely not!"
"Then what did you do?" She narrowed her eyes.
My voice dropped to a guilty whisper, "Just… bandaged him."
"What's his name?" she pressed.
My lips twitched, but no sound came out.
"You've got to be kidding me,Tilly." Her eyes widened. "You brought home a man whose name you don't even know? Are you out of your mind?!"
I hung my head in silence, cursing myself a hundred times over; Yes. I'm insane. Completely insane.
"Forget him for now." She drew in a deep breath, then leaned closer, voice turning serious. "What about work? Tomorrow's Monday. You and Tyson, still in the same office. You think you can handle that?"
Tyson Fraser... the man who smiled yesterday morning and said, "Let's break up Matilda."
The thought made my chest tighten painfully.
"I can handle it." I forced out a smile. "It's not my first heartbreak. Just a man, right?"
"Yeah, sure." She rolled her eyes, then lowered her voice mysteriously. "But, I heard a rumor... Tyson's chasing the director's daughter now."
"Really?" I mumbled, my head buzzed. "So that's why he gave me the good person card yesterday? Men!"
"You will be fine." Ruby patted my hand.
Didn't we just date for six months? Of course, I will be fine.
I nodded, grabbing the remote beside me absentmindedly and the TV flickered on. The screen flashed, bold text blazing across the news ticker.
"Last night, a couple was found dead in the woods at North Sydney. Suspected homicide as the scene was covered in blood..."
Ruby and I locked eyes, the room plunged into a terrifying silence... Another murder?