As for me, my mind was preoccupied with the fact that I hadn't petted Bobby, my cat, before leaving the house. I hadn't hugged him or kissed him.
He would be waiting for me at the door, staring intently at the keyhole, not moving or sleeping...
Even if Conrad was at home, Bobby knew he didn't like him and wouldn't go near him. He wouldn't rest until he saw me.
...
My fingers clenched involuntarily.
People say that right before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. But my memory hadn't even started flashing, and here I was, about to die?
I stayed in that man's arms for what felt like an eternity, long enough to believe we had encountered some disaster.
Then, I heard a soothing baritone voice. "Don't be afraid. It's alright. I'm here; nothing will happen to you..."
The voice came again and again, sounding distant and unreal.
In a daze, I lifted my head and looked at him through blurry eyes.
For a moment, Conrad's familiar face overlapped with the man's in front of me.
The terror of surviving a near-death experience overwhelmed me, and I buried myself in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
It was as if all the tears I'd been holding back for so long were finally being released.
Eventually, I ran out of tears and my consciousness started to return.
I realized that the man before me was not Conrad.
I was just alone on this flight to Hord City, narrowly avoiding disaster.
...
"Here, take this."
The man handed me a tissue, and I wiped away my tears.
As my vision cleared, I noticed his once immaculate clothes were now wrinkled and damp from my tears and fear-induced grip marks.
I could even see faint outlines of his chest muscles beneath the soaked fabric.
"Sharon, get a grip on yourself!"
I silently cursed myself and looked at him apologetically.
"I'm so sorry, Sir. How much was your outfit? I'll pay for it."
He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
I assumed his manners prevented him from quoting an outrageous amount.
"It's fine, really. Just tell me. I might not have enough cash on me. Could you leave me your bank account number? I'll transfer the money to you."
"Can I give you my number?"
"Huh?" I paused but quickly responded, "Sure."
He took my phone and typed. A new number appeared in my contacts.
"Contact me when you're convenient."
"Okay, I'm so sorry."