"It's okay. It's just a minor injury." Tom withdrew his arm before he rummaged through the first aid kit and found a roll of gauze. "Just wrap my wound up."
I immediately took the gauze and started tending to his wound. I felt so embarrassed when I thought back to the earlier moment. It was simply too awkward for me.
The moment I was done wrapping up Tom's wound, I rushed into the toilet to splash some water on my face. Only then did it feel cooler.
However, I kept thinking back to the moment when Tom pinned me underneath him.
"What's wrong with me? Am I going out of my mind? Come on. Snap out of it!" Then, I hastily splashed more water on my face.
I had Dawn to thank for this. It was her fault for filling my head with nonsense all the time. Seriously! I didn't know if I could face Tom again.
…
I avoided Tom for two whole days. On the third day, I tiptoed out of my place and closed my door. I was about to head out for work when Tom's door swung open.
"Top of the morning, Grace."
I was at a loss for words for a brief moment. Then, I responded with an awkward smile, "Good morning. What a coincidence."
Tom gave me a sarcastic look and said, "Indeed. We're neighbors, yet we actually haven't seen each other for two days straight."
I didn't know what to say. When Tom realized I was quiet, he gently flicked my forehead and said, "Let's go. I'll give you a ride."
It was just a five-minute drive to my workplace. However, there were a lot of cars on the road early in the morning today. Perhaps it was because it was Friday.
Mr. Burke didn't expect me to reject the offer. He was stunned for a moment before he blinked and asked, "Why?"
"It's a private reason."
Mr. Burke felt a little anxious and tried to convince me. "Here's the thing, Grace. Mandy is a celebrity with international recognition, and she intends to expand her career in the country. Right now, Mandy is in a really good place in terms of popularity and reputation. You'll secure a strong footing in the voice acting industry if you become her exclusive voice actor."
Countless voice actors couldn't even dream of an opportunity like this.
"I genuinely don't want the offer." I gave Mr. Burke an apologetic look, but I said firmly, "Please turn it down for me. Otherwise, you can let someone else take up the role."
The point was that I wanted to steer clear of Mandy as much as I could.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Out of Ashes Into His Heart