Deal

“PUT ME DOWN!” Sierra yelled with all her might and the next moment, her back hit hard on the ground.

She shot an angry look at Josh who only smiled annoyingly at her as he said, “That’s what you want, right?

He sat on the edge of the cliff and stared at the ocean.

“You can run all you want but I don’t know if you can ever get out of that woodland,” he said when Sierra had gotten to her feet and stepped towards the woods. “You can easily get lost in an immeasurable place where everything looks the same.

Sierra sighed in annoyance, stopped walking, and checked her phone. It was nearly ten in the morning. Josh carried her for more than an hour. He ran miles at an incredible speed, carrying fifty kilos with him, and he was showing no sign of exhaustion. His breathing was normal. He was not even sweating. Sierra could not compete with that.

How can he even do that? With that arrogant attitude he can possibly be a superhuman but not a superhero. Or… is being an ace player in their basketball varsity team and other sports team the reason he can run like that?

Josh had been her classmate since first year college but she knew so little about him. She was busy enough with her life that she had no time to know other people, even her classmates. She would talk to them about their lessons and join them at group projects but she had never been interested with their personal lives. She did not want her classmates asking about about her life either. She was not comfortable with that. Socializing was her weakness. She could share bits of her life but only to her closest friends.

That was the reason she barely knew Josh and even though she was curious, she could not ask.

“Sit beside me and I’ll answer all your questions,” Josh said, tapping the ground beside him.

Can he also read minds?

Sierra shook her head and said, “Take me back to school, Josh.

"Sit here," he said, more of an order rather than a request.

Sierra refused to be intimidated and stayed where she was.

“I can’t skip other classes," she explained. "Unlike you, graduating is important to me. I’m working hard to earn enough money for my tuition. I can’t waste money and time like you do. If you want to play around, find a woman who also wants it. I don’t like it, so please, take me back to school.

Josh closed his eyes, clearly annoyed.

“There are plenty of girls in our class,” Sierra continued. “Most of them like to be with you. Just ask them.

“Stop extending hours at work and I will not bother you like this again,” he seriously uttered, as if it was a matter of life and death.

“How do you know I’m extending hours at work? And why do you care?” Sierra asked, starting to feel nervous. She was in the middle of nowhere with someone that seemed to be stalking her, someone that ran miles with fifty kilos of burden and did not sweat even a bit.

How can I escape from this?

She unconsciously held the locket underneath her scarlet shirt. In her dreams, it was a powerful protection. That must be what her dreams wanted to tell her. But instead of the monster turning into a human, it was the other way around. Josh becomes the monster.

He got to his feet, approached Sierra within a blink of an eye, as if teleporting, and grabbed her shoulders.

How can he do that?

“You need to get enough sleep!” he said out loud, tightening his grip on her already hurting shoulders.

Is he angry or worried? But…

“What is it to you if I get enough sleep or not?!” Sierra asked, anxious and confused.

“Just do it!” Josh yelled, looking desperate. “If you need money, I will give you money! I’ll pay for your tuition. Just get enough sleep!

“Ooohhh… What is this, Josh? Arguing with your lover? It’s not like you,” someone from behind Sierra had spoken and Josh finally let go of her.

“You better leave,” Josh said, his voice suddenly became threatening.

“What if I don’t want to?” the man asked, sounding as arrogant as Josh a few minutes earlier.

Sierra turned around and glanced at the person talking to Josh. He was a stunning man that was probably the same age or a bit older than she and Josh was. He was taller and more muscular than Josh. He had short black hair and charming blue eyes but his arrogance was overshadowing it.

“You don’t want to?” Josh asked back and his words were sounding more dangerous.

“How can I leave when there is a beautiful lady in front of me?

Oh please… not another playboy.

“I’ll be the one leaving,” Sierra walked past the arrogant man but he grabbed her hand before she could reach the woods.

“Who told you to leave?” he annoyingly asked that Sierra quickly turned to face him and punch him hard in the face and it was like hitting a rock. Her hand was the one who got bruised and bled while the face of the arrogant man was unscathed.

How unfair.

“How dare you hit my face?!” the arrogant man angrily bellowed and tried to punch Sierra back but Josh quickly caught his wrist.

“What are you doing?” Josh asked, sounding more threatening. She could not see his face because his back was in front of her. But she could not help imagining those fierce eyes in her dream.

The arrogant man looked intimidated. He was suddenly torn between staying and leaving.

“Do you want another broken bone? Or maybe…” Josh tightened his grip at the wrist of the arrogant man before coldly asking, “You want to die?

The arrogant man quickly pulled his hand away from Josh and vanished into the forest.

Sierra followed him. He surely knew the way out. But Josh grabbed her wrist before she could step into the forest.

“Let go, please,” Sierra said, as patiently as she could.

“I’ll take you back to school,” Josh said and the tone in his voice changed from threatening into pleading. “But you need to promise. No more overtime.

Sierra turned to punch Josh in the face but he easily dodged it.

“Punch me all you want. I will not get hurt. But you cannot work with an injured hand. Do you want to further damage your hand?” Josh said, looking as impatient as Sierra was.

“Take me back to school,” Sierra stubbornly commanded.

“No more overtime,” Josh repeated as stubbornly as Sierra. “I will pay you for sleeping on time.

“Are you crazy?” Sierra asked, annoyed yet confused. “Why are you doing this?

“Please, Sierra,” Josh said and that desperate look returned to his face.

Sierra got even more confused.

Why was her sleep so important to him?

“Please, Sierra,” he repeatedly pleaded without providing any explanation.

“Why?” Sierra asked, wanting to hear his reason.

“Please, just do it,” he said and it seemed that he would never tell her why.

“Okay,” Sierra sighed, not wanting to waste any more time in that place. She will be missing more classes for nothing.

“No more overtime,” she breathed in annoyance. “Lend me money if I need to,” she glared at Josh. “No interest. And don’t bother me like this ever again. That’s the deal. No more word from you.

“Deal,” Josh said, looking relieved. “Let’s go back to school,” he scooped Sierra in his arms then hurried back to their school.

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