It's Not Personal, It's Official Business.

CHAPTER TWO " One ride One Hug"  

We eventually dropped her off back at her place.

Before that, though, something small happened that stuck with me. She accidentally dropped almost everything she was holding. Her phone, some papers, a few other things—all falling to the ground. She was still groggy from the medication she had taken earlier.

I instinctively stepped closer and asked if she needed help. I was worried about her. But at the same time, I didn’t want to invade her personal space.

She smiled and said she had it under control.

So I let her handle it.

After that, the driver dropped me off near the nearest exit where I could easily catch a tricycle going home.

When I finally got home, I went straight to my room. I was exhausted from that three-hour ride. My body felt heavy and all I wanted to do was lie down.

Then my phone buzzed.

It was a message from her.

She was thanking me for coming with her.

And just like that… the exhaustion disappeared.

Suddenly I felt wide awake again.

I replied and told her how amazed I was seeing her earlier—how she stood in front of all those people and delivered the message so confidently. I even told her about the stunned reactions of the people sitting around me while she was speaking.

We laughed about it.

She admitted something though.

She said she was actually terrified. She had no idea she would end up speaking in front of that many people. Public speaking wasn’t really something she was used to.

But despite that, she still did it.

She faced it.

And in the end, she completed the assignment the attorney gave her.

Time always seemed to move strangely whenever I talked to her. One moment we were just chatting, and the next thing I knew it was already almost two in the morning.

That’s when she jokingly told me something.

“If you don’t stop saying sweet things,” she said, “I might turn you into my keychain so I can carry you everywhere.”

I laughed and said, “Why not?”

Then she replied with something that caught me completely off guard.

“What if you come down here tonight… just for a quick hug? I’m a hugger.”

I don’t know what came over me in that moment.

Without thinking, I just replied:

“Wait for me.”

She was completely surprised by that.

I quickly ended the call, fixed myself a little, and booked another motorcycle taxi heading back to her place.

The night air was cold and clear as the motorcycle sped through the quiet streets. But I didn’t mind any of it.

My only goal was simple.

I wanted to see her again.

I arrived at exactly 3:00 AM.

The place was almost silent. No people on the road. It felt like I had arrived at an abandoned building in the middle of the night.

I messaged her that I was already outside.

She replied asking for a few minutes because she wanted to tidy up the place a little. She was still surprised that everything was happening so fast.

Then I heard it.

The elevator bell.

The doors slowly opened.

And there she was.

Smiling… waving at me.

It took me a second to notice her because I was listening to music through my earphones while waiting.

She gestured for me to come inside the elevator.

She pressed the button for the 6th floor.

When the doors opened again, we stepped into a quiet hallway. It felt a bit eerie with the dim lighting.

She laughed and joked, “It kind of looks like a motel out here… but wait until you see inside.”

When we reached her door, I could hear her dogs barking loudly as she jingled her keys and unlocked it.

And the moment she opened the door—

I was amazed.

Even though she had already sent me pictures and videos of her unit before, seeing it in person was completely different.

The whole place was bright.

Mirrors everywhere.

Every corner carefully decorated.

It didn’t feel like a normal condo unit at all. It felt more like walking into a beautifully prepared Airbnb.

Everything was clean and organized.

You could tell she had put a lot of effort into making the place look the way it did.

She immediately started acting like a host. She offered me food first, but I told her I wasn’t really hungry.

So instead, she offered to give me a tour of the place.

She showed me where she usually sleeps.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t in the bedroom.

She said she normally sleeps on the couch in the living room.

Then she explained why.

The bedroom held too many bad memories from the past. Being inside a closed room made her feel trapped. It triggered her anxiety.

She said she couldn’t stay locked inside a room for too long because it made her feel boxed in.

Then she showed me something else.

The mattress on the bed had been cut up and modified.

She told me she did that herself.

That mattress used to be shared with her ex, and she didn’t want to keep the same memories attached to it. So she decided to renovate it and change it completely.

After the small tour, we walked back to the living room.

I sat in the middle of a black couch covered with soft fur blankets.

She sat at the far end.

I noticed something.

She was starting to get shy… and a little awkward.

So I gently pulled her closer.

And I was happy when she didn’t resist.

She leaned her head onto my shoulder and wrapped both of her arms around my waist, quietly resting there as if she had finally found a moment of peace.

I held her gently, supporting her head and shoulders.

I could feel how exhausted she was.

Even though she kept trying to stay energetic and welcoming for me.

So I softly asked her,

“Do you want to go to bed?”

She looked up at me, smiled, and said,

“Yes… let’s go there.”

The space on the bed was small, so we ended up squeezing together.

But that seemed to be exactly what she wanted.

She liked the feeling of being held tightly.

I hugged her from behind, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her closer, giving her the sense of security and protection she seemed to need.

The night was still young.

But my eyes were already getting heavy.

Slowly, my eyelids started closing as I looked at her sleeping peacefully beside me.

And in that quiet moment, I realized something.

Just a few days ago, she was a complete stranger on a dating app.

Now here I was… falling asleep while holding this mysterious girl in my arms.

And somehow, it felt completely natural. I don't want it to end.