Dexter teased, “If you get drunk again, I’m not taking you home.” Summer blushed and chuckled softly.
She eventually did get drunk, and the driver had. to carry her to the car. She lay on the seat with her-arms under her head, looking at Dexter. “I missed you, Dex,’ she muttered. Dexter’s wrist was tangled in her hair. He didn’t say anything.
Summer continued talking under her breath. “I had no money or connections when I left the country. I remember taking a bus for half a day to reach a forestry area in Northern California. The CEO of an investment company was staying at his vacation home there. By the time I got to the villa, it was dark, but I had to go into the forest with a flashlight. My team needed the money the next day.”
As she recollected her memories, she remembered that the mountain seemed to tower over her, its peak lost in the darkness. The night was dark, and there weren’t any street lights to illuminate her path. She was constantly bitten by mosquitoes and had to be extremely careful not to slip.
Suddenly, she lost her footing and fell, sliding down two stories. Her back scraped against a jagged rock, tearing through her skin and leaving her bleeding profusely. The pain was excruciating, and her injury left a deep scar on her back.
She continued to climb the mountain. cautiously, knowing that if she slipped again, she would fall to her death. As she neared the villa, the sky began to brighten, and she looked down at the valley below. Her blood ran cold as she realized how high she was, and her legs felt weak.
Dexter was holding a lighter to light his cigarette but stopped when he heard her mumble. He paused, his thumb hovering over the lighter’s wheel, lost in thought..
This hasn’t been the only time she’s had to face dangerous situations on her own. If Summer hadn’t been watchful and cautious, she wouldn’t be here today.
“When I first became a researcher, I would camp at the office from noon until everyone got off work, but I wouldn’t get any insights.”
“I had to pass by a dark and dangerous alley every day after work to return home. It was a known hangout for thugs, and I was always worried that they would target me. One day, as I was walking home carrying my laptop, a group of thugs stepped in front of me and blocked my path. They must’ve remembered me as I appeared there frequently.”
He finally lit up his cigarette and took a deep drag. The smoke masked his face, concealing any hint of emotion.
The thug was a large, muscular man with a scary tattoo. Summer felt a wave of fear wash over her as he roughly grabbed her and pushed her onto the ground. The stench of alcohol. wafted off of him as his red eyes flared with anger. He grabbed her by the shoulders and started to rip her clothes. Hopelessness tied her-down like an insect helplessly trapped inside a spiderweb. Her eyes flashed with darkness as she realized her life was about to end.
Summer smiled as she described her story. Suddenly, she leaned in closer to Dexter. Her lips expanded into a wide grin, saying, ‘Dex, do you know what happened next?”
Dexter turned his gaze away from her. Summer picked up the cigarette box he had thrown on the floor. She opened it and saw the neatly-lined black cigarettes. She took one out and reached for his lighter, a silver one from his favorite brand.
He was reluctant to give it to her, but her nails dug into his palms as she pulled harder, and he finally had to let go.
Summer placed the cigarette between her lips. and lit it. She took a deep drag, and her eyebrows furrowed in a tight frown as the cigarette was much stronger than any she had smoked before. The smoke stung her eyes, but she didn’t cough.
Dexter stubbed out his cigarette on the carpet. The embers bit into the carpet, immediately burning a black hole in it. “What happened after?”
