"Why me!" I growled to myself.
You know what's truly amazing? The fact that someone can stand out in the rain for twenty minutes and still not have a taxi, I mean seriously!
I can honestly say that today has been a complete bust, like a major slap in the face because everyone felt like it, bust. I can tell you that the leading contributor to this utter failure of a day began and seems to end with rudeness. That's all I get to deal with all day every day. I actually had a lady start screaming at me because we didn't carry the wine glass she was looking for, then proceeded to request to speak to my manager who agreed with the lady, all I could do was smile and contemplate how much better my life would've turned out if I had just finished school.
Welcome to the life of retail, the black hole where you make just enough money to make it by. Where you deal with bull like this day in and day out for minimum wage and are expected to smile and take it.
In short welcome to my life.
This brings me to my current situation with the taxi, or lack thereof.
I could've walked there faster than this.
I'm late for my best friend, Alice's birthday party, a party I had planned. A great big huge surprise party filled with friends and family, a party that started in five minutes, a party that I was going to miss because not one taxi would stop for me.
I squinted looking down the street for the hundredth time but as luck would have it the rain was now turning from drizzle to torrential downpour. I leaned further over the curb, muttering profanity at the ridiculous weather, when I saw a set of headlights coming towards me rather fast.
I let out a slight scream and thought I was going to end up on tomorrow's obituaries. I started to back away but apparently I wasn't moving fast enough; I felt a hand grab my coat and yank me backwards.
I swear in that moment all I could think was 'I can fly' but in reality the stranger had pulled me back with such force that I had tripped on the uneven sidewalk while in my haste to escape death, sending my umbrella flying and me tumbling to the welcoming sidewalk below.
With inches to spare the stranger, that had just caused this near death experience, caught me.
"What are you doing?" He shouted at me over the almost deafening sound of rain.
Shock is how I would describe my reaction, but within seconds rage replaced it and completely consumed me.
"What do you mean?" I all but screamed in reply, "This was your fault!"
"My fault?" He shouted back, "My fault! Says the woman with a death wish!"
"I do not have a death wish! I was moving back when you so rudely grabbed me and decided to throw me on the ground, asshole!"
"You were going to get hit by that taxi!"
"Taxi?" I asked suddenly uninterested in his murder attempt, "Where?"
"It's gone now." He said in a confused voice.
Great the taxi was gone and here I am in the arms of a stranger in the pouring rain.
After a moment of silence from both of us I realized that I am basically holding this random guy in a death grip. I also realized that his bright green eyes were burning into my brown ones.
Two things happened then, the air suddenly felt hot despite the rain that continued to pour, and I felt like my hands were almost on fire with a tingling sensation. Not unpleasant in the least, but rather a nice fire, if that makes sense.
This random stranger looked almost familiar like a face I had seen years ago. He was gorgeous! Heart stopping, jaw droppingly handsome in every way. His nose was slightly crooked, as though it had been broken at some point and not quiet set right. He had high cheekbones and just the right amount of stubble on his face, perfectly trimmed to perfection I might add.
"Do you smell burnt toast?" I asked in almost whisper.
"Uhh.. No why?" He looked at me with a confused face.
"Isn't the sign of like a heart attack or a stroke normally tingling and the smell of burnt toast?" Welcome to the land of 'attractive men make me say stupid shit'.
"I couldn't tell you." He said with a hint of amusement adorning him.
Suddenly I realized that he probably didn't want to hold onto the random potentially suicidal and crazy girl he thought I was. In a flash I had let go of my death grip on his coat and arm.
With a look of what seemed to be regret he took my hands in his and pulled me to my feet.
Once I was standing I noticed how tall he was and how badly I wanted to be tucked under his chin sharing his warmth right now.
"Uhh, well thanks I guess." I said in the most awkward voice imaginable.
"Anytime." His response was short and seemed forced as though he was in a rush. He glanced at his watch and frowned.
At least I'm not the only one that's late…
With that he picked up my umbrella, gave it a shake, and returned it to me.
I looked down to see if I had dropped anything on the ground and when I looked back up I saw him walking away.
With a sigh I decided to start walking and turned in the opposite direction as him and head to the party that had started seven minutes ago, what a great host eh?
As I began the half hour walk all I could think was that I wish I knew the name of the man that had both tried to kill me and saved me.