When Melinda and the man were going away Jim went to the reception.
"Excuse me…"
"How can I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"The… The couple which just arrived… What did they want?"
"Technically I'm not allowed to tell you that but you seem okay. So I'll tell you. They wanted a room… But if you ask me the lady didn't know what he was planning… The lady was hot… d**n hot… Anyway, why are you asking?"
"Well, I have a bad feeling about this guy and the lady is a friend of mine" Jim said. "You know, I'm just worried about her. May I go and look after her? Which room number do they have?"
"They have room 535. 5th floor on the right."
"Okay. Thank you very much!" Jim said and ran to the elevator. He pushed the button. When he arrived at the 5th floor he immediately ran to the room Melinda should be in. He knocked at the door.
"Can't you read? We don't want to be disturbed…" a deep male voice said.
"Okay, excuse me" Jim answered.
2 minutes later Jim heard the man's voice again through the door.
"Now to you, honey. Stretch out your legs…" Then nothing but a sob.
"C'mon… don't fight against it… It will happen anyway" the man said. "It'll be over faster than you think… Come here… You make me so hot…"
The man sounded really horny. That was enough for Jim. He broke down the door and found two half naked persons in the room. The woman seemed relieved that it was over.
"What the hell are you doing here? Leave us alone" the guy said but Melinda just shook her head and Jim knew that she would like him to stay. So he stayed.
"Hello? Are you deaf? LEAVE US ALONE!" the guy shouted.
"No, I won't leave. I'll stay right here till you're leaving" he responded.
"Is that my room or yours? Who pays for it?"
"Technically it's the manager's room…"
"Shut up."
"Hands up!" Suddenly the police came in and with them the receptionist.
"d**n…" the guy said. Melinda couldn't say a word.
"You?" one of the officers said surprised. "We've been searching you for like two years and now we found you!"
"You must be mistaken…"
"No, Daniel. You've spied out other peoples computers in order to rape women. Now we got you" the other officer explained and went to Melinda who was standing in the corner of the room.
"Everything will be fine. Just tell us what happened. Then we'll call an ambulance just for your safety."
"You don't need to call an ambulance. I'm a paramedic…" Jim threw in. Melinda was confused. She didn't really understand what was going on but she told the officers everything. Because of the evidences were enough she didn't have to make an official statement. After they wrote down everything the officers left. Melinda and Jim were alone in the room. They didn't talk. Jim didn't know if Melinda wanted to talk and in fact she didn't know that either.
20 minutes later she started to speak.
"I know you" she said quietly. "From the crash side. You were one of the medics there."
"Yeah, I was there and I saw you, too" he answered shyly.
"But I knew you before…"
"I know… I had the same feeling and I figured it out when I saw you going away… with Daniel…"
"What?"
"Look, you followed him just because he had a rose…"
"Jim?" Melinda asked.
"The one and only" he continued.
"How could I possibly be so stupid? I saw a picture of you…"
"Because Daniel is a pro… How could you know?"
"Dunno… I should have felt it… Can you please get me out of here?"
"Sure, where do you want to go? Home?"
"No, I just can't go home now… let's go to Village Java."
"Okay. After that I'll have a surprise for you."
"Thank you but I don't want any surprises right now. I think I've had enough today…"
"You're right… Well, I thought we could look for a building where you could open your store…" he told her while they went out of the building.
"Really?"
"Sure… There's an empty building at Town Square. We could go and look."
"That would be great."
They went to Village Java, bought a coffee and went to the building.
"WOW. This would be the perfect place for my store. You know, I love antiques. An Antique Store is my dream. I'd call it Same As It Never Was…"
"Cool, that's something we'd need here."
"If I just had the money I'd buy it…"
"Why don't you just rent it? You could buy it in a few years…"
"Good idea" she smiled a bit. "I'll rent this place."
"May I help you with the renovation?"
"Sure… I'll need a handyman. Thank you for everything you did for me, Jim…" she hugged him.
"No problem… I'll talk to the real estate office for you."
"How can I ever thank you enough?" Melinda asked.
"It's fine" he said smiling and kissed her cheek. Melinda's body went hot all of a sudden although she didn't know Jim.
"Why do you do this?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Being so generous. I mean you barely know me and you helped me twice today…"
"C'mon… Its okay, you're welcome. Ouh, look at the watch. It's almost 8 pm. Wanna have dinner at Lento's?"
"Sure, great idea… But I'll pay…"
"No way. I'll pay. The man has to pay!"
"But you…"
"Shhh, c'mon, let's go" Jim interrupted her. They went out of the building and crossed the street to Lento's. They sat down and ordered for Melinda some pasta and for Jim a plaint pizza.
"Why don't you eat fish or meat on your pizza?" Melinda asked.
"I don't like it… It's a long story… How's your pasta?"
"It's delicious. Wanna have a bite?"
"Sure, why not?!" Melinda gave him her fork with some pasta on it. "Hmmm, you were right. That's really good."
They talked for hours until the waiter told them that the restaurant would close half an hour later.
"So what are we going to do now?" Melinda wanted to know.
"Well, we could take a walk and then… Dunno."
"Yeah, let's go."
Jim paid the check. Then they went through streets. Suddenly they heard the clock belling midnight.
"Wow, it's really late. I should go home now. I have to work in the morning."
"Time runs so fast when I'm with you. Melinda, I want to see you again."
"I got an idea" they said in unison.
"You first" Melinda said.
"No, you…" Jim answered.
"Okay, I'll give you my address and my phone and cell number, and then you can call me."
"Well, good idea. I wanted to make the same suggestion" he smiled and Melinda smiled back. She wrote everything on Jim's hand.
"I don't want to walk home alone. Could you please walk me home? I don't feel save…" Melinda asked.
"Sure. In which direction?"
"On the left." So they went to Melinda's apartment.
"Thank you" Melinda said.
"For what?"
"You know, for the day and your surprises."
Then they arrived at Melinda's house. Jim got down with his head in order to give Melinda a kiss at her cheek. Right in this moment she turned her head around so he toughed her lips with his.
"Sorry" he said.
"No, its okay…" she answered and kissed him passionately.
"Wow…" he said quietly when they both needed to breathe again.
"That was amazing" Melinda said breathless. "Where did you learn that?" she asked.
"Dunno…" he smiled. "But you're not bad either!"
They both smiled at each other.
"Hey. Do you want to make a movie night?"
"Sure, great idea."
"How about a horror movie like 'I know what you did last summer'?"
"Sounds good."
"Okay. Could you put the DVD into the player? I'll go and make popcorn" Melinda said when they where in her apartment.
"Where's the DVD?"
"Oh, sorry. I thought you'd know it although you weren't here before. It's next to the TV:"
They smiled.
"You know, you have a nice style here in your apartment. You don't want to see my home. It looks like there was a bomb attack."
"Come on. I can't believe you that. You look like a guy who has a much tidied up apartment" Melinda said while she went in the living-room with a big bowl of popcorn in her hands.
"No really, I'm the untidiest person in the world."
"I think I'm gonna find out in time soon."
"Of course I'd clean up if you'd come to my house!"
"What if I'd make a surprise and stand in front of your door one day?"
"Dunno… Then you'd probably see it. Let's start with the movie!"
"Okay. Press 'play'" she said while they sat down on the couch. They started the movie. At first both of them sat on one end on the couch but as the movie was running along Melinda came nearer and nearer to Jim because she was scared.
"Hey, are you scared?" Jim asked when she was very close.
"Yeah, a bit" she answered.
"Oh, come on don't you know the movie?"
"Sure I know it."
"So why are you afraid?"
"Dunno… The guy with the hook is just too scary!"
"Really? I don't think so" he smiled and put his arm around Melinda's neck. She came even closer. They sat there like a couple.
"Oh oh oh… ahhhhh…" Melinda screamed and buried her head in his chest.
"Wanna stop the movie?" he asked trying not to show her how much he liked the closeness between them right now.
"No, I don't want to stop it… It'll be finished in half an hour anyway."
"Okay. But can I leave you alone when it is over?"
"I don't think so…" she smiled. "Do you have to work in the morning? You know, you could sleep here."
"I don't have to be in till noon. So, yeah, I'd love to sleep over."
"Great. I'll go get some sleeping things for you but I don't think that I have a PJ for men since I'm a woman, you know…"
"Sure. I could sleep in my shorts. I do it all the time."
"Okay" she said and stood up.
When the movie was over they went to the bathroom (but not together) and then they climbed into bed.