17

Chapter 17

He could hear someone knocking on the door. It sounded like he was expecting someone important, so when he opened the door, he recognised the man who stood in front of him as Argo, who had already changed her shoes into flats and wrapped the scarf that she wore tightly around her neck. She was smiling at him, as if she had waited there patiently for a while now.

"Hi", she greeted with a small smile.

"You're early today", he commented with a smile and a shake of his head, stepping aside and allowing her entrance.

Argo stepped inside and closed the door. "Yes, well... I thought I might as well be early, I'll probably miss my bus if I'm late. Anyway", she said with a frown, "what am I doing here? You must've thought I was coming to beat you up again, or something like that. I swear to god, that doesn't make me feel guilty at all!" She exclaimed with indignation and annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"What makes you think I was gonna do anythin' like that?" Njat asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he stepped closer to her. "I told you that I forgive you. I'm not angry anymore. And besides, I've already forgiven you, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah I remember.", Argo mumbled quietly before looking down at the ground in embarrassment.

She then began to walk ahead, heading towards the stairs. Njat walked beside her, watching silently as she moved gracefully up the steps in front of him. After several seconds, he decided to ask why she had shown up so early. She obviously wanted him to join her in going bowling, even though it wasn't his favourite game. Although he understood her reason, he couldn't help feeling a little bit confused as to how she had found his address. He didn't have any friends in this area, except for his brother and uncle, and neither of them had a clue where he lived. Still, it was obvious that she had gotten his address from somewhere.

He didn't say anything, just continued to follow her silently, wondering if he should mention it to her and see what she would say.

"I got your address from Mr. Yuliya's phone", Argo suddenly blurted out, making Njat freeze in his tracks. He turned to look at her, unable to believe that she'd said anything so crazy. But he quickly regained composure after a few seconds and said that he wasn't surprised that Yuliya had betrayed her; he always had the same type of attitude. He couldn' t imagine why she would trust him at all, let alone want to spend time with him and kiss him again if that were true. If what Yuliya had said was really the case, then he had definitely disappointed her by turning her down. He didn't know why but after hearing Yuliya's voice on the phone and seeing her sad face when she'd hung up, he still felt bad about it. What did he have to offer anyone else? Nothing. He was only a pathetic loser with absolutely no friends. There was no way someone like her would ever fall for someone like him. However, he knew he shouldn't have expected her to fall for someone like him. He wasn't worth falling for, and it would just end in heartbreak in the end.

He was about to tell her that he was sorry for turning her down, when suddenly the sound of the bell ringing caused him to look up.

A lot of people walked away from the building, with some hurrying to catch their buses or cars, while others ran over to their vehicles to wait outside until the next one arrived. All of a sudden, Argo reached over to grab hold of his hand and pull him to the side with surprising strength and speed. Then, without letting go of his hand