Bedmates Soulmates

His favourite white shirt drenched in red.

She tried in vain to staunch the blood gushing out of the hole in the back of his head.

She cradled his head in her arms and begged him to open his eyes.

But he never did.

'You're bleeding!' Kira sobbed.

The man whirled around, stunned at the sight of her tears.

Kira got down on one knee and, with a trembling hand, tried to stem the bleeding from his wound.

Tears poured down her cheeks.

"You're still bleeding," her voice quavered. "It has to hurt. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry."

The man snapped out of his trance.

He tilted his head and surveyed the girl's teary eyes.

She still had one hand on his pant leg.

His lips curled into a smile. I'm fine. It's just a cut. I'll survive."

He proffered the backpack with both hands. 'Here's your bag."

Kira ignored her recovered property.

Drawing herself up to her full height, she still had to raise her chin to look the man in the eye.

"You're bleeding!' she glared at him, irked by his insouciant attitude. 'How can you not care about your own life? We must get you to a hospital right now!"

Her face was pale, her eyes still shimmering with tears.

Concern and anxiety were writ large on her youthful, oval-shaped face.

24

Concern and anxiety for him.

The man cocked an eyebrow, intrigued,

The girl couldn't keep still like she had ants in her pants.

She crouched down to check his wound, but he was facing her at the moment and she couldn't see the cut on his calf.

Scanning the alley, she couldn't find anything to use as a bandage.

Kira looked down at her t-shirt, grabbed the hem and started pulling

What are you doing? the man asked, watching her with an amused glint in his eyes.

The girl was on one knee, looking up at him like a devoted supplicant.

"The shirt's made of cotton. I can use it as a gauze." Kira gave up when the fabric refused to yield.

She jumped back to her feet. There's no time to waste. Let's get you to a hospital.

Grabbing his arm with one hand and her backpack with the other, she tried to haul him towards the mouth of the alley. 'Come on!" Her hands were covered in blood and still shaking.

The smile had not left his face.

This trip had not been taken in vain, it seemed.

He let himself be dragged by her out to the main street and then stuffed into the back of a taxi she flagged down.

The driver was reluctant to get blood in his car but relented after she promised him a hefty tip.

Fifteen minutes later.

Kira paced in the corridor outside the operating room.

She couldn't sit still.

ER doctors had taken the man away on a gurney.

Kira stared at the closed double door intensely as if she could see through it if she just looked hard enough.

The door finally opened half an hour later.

The man walked out evenly without a limp.

If not for a band of white gauze around his calf, no one would suspect he had suffered a stab wound.

'I'm still alive." He greeted her with a rakish smile.

Kira heaved a long sigh of relief.

"You're not entirely out of the woods yet," a masked doctor came out after him. 'Don't let the wound get wet for the first twenty-four hours. No showering or bathing. Use a sponge bath if you must. Avoid strenuous activities if you don't want to pull the cut apart. If you notice any swelling-"

"Doctor," Kira raised a hand like she was a student asking a question in class. 'Could you slow down, please? I'm trying to take down your instructions."

She tapped away on her phone; nodding now and then

The man leaned a shoulder against the wall and watched the girl.

Kira had a serious look on her face and hung on the doctor's every word like they were crucial exam tips.

She had known the man for less than an hour.

Did she care this much about all strangers?

He Walks In Beauty

Thank you, Doctor."

Kira saved the memo on her phone.

When she turned around, she saw the man standing.

'You shouldn't be on your feet so soon after the surgery,' she gently pulled him to sit down on a bench." How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Water? Food? You're probably thirsty. I saw a vending machine outside." Kira stood up.

A big warm hand gripped her wrist. 'I'm fine. I'm not thirsty."

Kira sat down next to him. "Okay."

He leaned back against the bench and stretched out his long legs.

Kira's eyes went to the circle of white gauze around his left leg.

It was all her fault.

'I haven't thanked you yet,' Kira wrung her hands. "Thank you for stepping in. Thank you for retrieving my bag. I'm sorry for putting you in the hospital."

She bowed her head, looking genuinely contrite.

The man tilted his head to look at the girl, his eyes twinkling with a smile. "It's quite alright. I accept your gratitude and your apology."

Kira nodded gratefully.

The man was a true Good Samaritan.

She offered him a smile. 'I must have looked like such a mess just now. Sorry for getting tears on your clothes. I'll send them to be dry-cleaned, if you'll allow me."

He ignored the last sentence. "Why were you so upset?

He was the injured party, but she cried like she had been stabbed herself.

"The scene brought back some unhappy memories. I just lost it. Again, I'm sorry.

"What kind of memories?"

He sounded curious, but not in a prying way that offended Kira.

She hunched her shoulders and fixed her gaze on the floor.

Her voice was low. 'My father had a car accident two years ago. By the time I arrived, there was blood everywhere. His face, his clothes, the ground under him. Everything was covered in red. It was like a horror movie. The scene was seared into my mind. Seeing you bleeding unleashed that memory. I freaked

out."

The man nodded. 'I see."

Kira blew out a breath and ran a hand over her face. Anyway, I'm over it now. By the way, I still don't know your name."

The man sat upright, turned to face Kira, and gave a slight, aristocratic bow. "My name is Liam Cane."

Kira committed that name to memory. I'm Kira Hewitt

She stuck out a hand, which Liam shook.

The touch of his fingers sent a tingle through her arm.

'Kira Hewitt,' he murmured.

Kira had always thought her name was plain, but the way he said it added a nice ring to it.

"Nice to meet you,' Liam said with a gracious smile.

"He's so good-looking! Kira thought as she returned his salutation. "And that killer smile!"

His features were more than just handsome.

Kira decided the word 'beautiful' would be more apt.

His beauty was the kind that transcended gender..

The delicate lines of his brow ridge, his nose and his jaw were carved by the loving hand of a divine sculptor.

But no one would make the mistake of calling him a sissy.

The man carried himself with elegant ease, his deportment regal.

He was like the king's favourite son, born to be pampered and adored.

Despite the title, Kira thought Lord Byron's magnificent lines in 'She Walks In Beauty' could have been dedicated to Liam:

'She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow

Liam had not failed to notice the girl's dreamy look, the same look he'd seen on other women when they

first met him.

His smile deepened.