8.0 "I must be really unlucky..."

After feeling down from all the flashbacks, Eloise decided to head to the convenience store to buy some snacks and ice cream for supper. She just grabbed her purse and handphone before leaving. She grabbed her favorite chocolate milk, honey flavored snacks and two lime ice cream. As she was walking home, she was eating one of the ice cream she bought. When she turned the corner, she bumped into someone causing her to fall down. She also dropped her ice cream and the bag of snacks.

"My ice cream…" murmured Eloise after noticing her ice cream on the ground. "Are you okay?" asked the man she bumped into. She looked up and said "I'm…fine…" To her shock, the guy was Nikolai. Of all people, she had to bump into him. Plus, she ruined his outfit with ice cream stain. "I must be really unlucky…" she murmured before she stood back up. "Um, I'm sorry about this. I will pay for the laundry fee," said Eloise. Nikolai just picked up the bag of snacks and handed it to her. He then said "Your eyes…I didn't know you will wear contact lens to a convenience store." At first, Eloise did not feel there was anything with his statement. Then, it hit her - she is not wearing contact lens. She immediately took out her phone to see her reflection. Her left iris was grey while her right iris was blue. She felt the urge to curse at herself for making such a stupid mistake.

Eloise then saw Nikolai shining the torch on his phone on the ground. "Wha-what are you doing?" she asked. "I'm checking to see if we can find your contact lens. It will be hard for you to walk home without it, no?" he replied as he searched their surroundings. Eloise knew she had to come up with some excuse so that he will not misunderstand. "Um, there's no need. I can still see. My power is not that high," she said in hopes he will stop searching. "Just give me a minute. If I can't find it then there's no helping it but let me try," he answered without showing any sign of stopping. Eloise began to worry because there was no way he could find the lens since she wasn't wearing one to begin with. "Looks like it's gone… Let me walk you home then," he said. "Eh! No, it's fine. My place is not that far," she replied, trying to shake him off. "I am not letting you whose vision is impaired to walk back on your own. No questions asked," he justified. When Eloise just stood there without moving, Nikolai grabbed her by the hand and said "You asked for it…", thus pulled her along.

It was hard for her to process but she knew that Nikolai was holding her hand and walking her home. He did not let go of her hand, not even for one second until they reached her apartment. "Thank you for walking me home. Um, about your shirt…" said Eloise, who avoided looking him in the eye. "Forget about it. It's just a stain anyway…" he replied. There was a moment of silence before Nikolai said "You still don't look me in the eye when we talk…" His statement caught her attention. She was unable to give a response so she just walked away instead. "I never knew I liked the color blue…" murmured Nikolai who looked at her as she walked into the building.

The next day, Eloise was reading a book under a tree when Katherine brought them lunch. "I was about to starve to death if you don't show up within 10 minutes," said Eloise who was happy to see Katherine. "My deadline is coming up, so I left the studio late. Plus, there was a long line," replied Katherine. "I told you I can eat on my own but somebody insisted to eat with me," teased Eloise. "I am not someone who abandons my friend, okay? Now, eat up. I grabbed the last soft shell crab burger set for you," said Katherine who knew Eloise loves seafood. "You are indeed my best friend," said Eloise who was happy to get her favorite menu. "Eloise, will you be free to attend my first fashion show? It's a small fundraising project so there is a ticket admission fee," said Katherine. "I won't miss it for the world. Just let me know when," said Eloise as she munched on her burger. "Two weeks from now. The fee is just $10. It's cool, right?" said Katherine. "Sure. Remind me again in case I forget," said Eloise. As she looked at her hand, she was suddenly reminded of Nikolai who held her hand the night before.

At the café, Eloise was cleaning up and prepping to close shop. "Eloise, I will drop you home tonight," said Hank out of the blue. "What's the special occasion?" she asked, laughing. "Didn't you hear? There have been a few sexual harassment cases recently in the area. It's not safe for you to walk home," replied Hank. "I take the bus anyway," she replied. "That's not the point. You still need to walk for a certain distance after getting off the bus, right? It is dangerous," said Hank, trying to persuade her. "Hank, I will be fine. It's just a 10 minute walk home from the bus stop. It is not in the same direction as your home so it will be troublesome for you," said Eloise. "You sure are stubborn," said Hank. "I'll call you if anything happens," said Eloise when she grabbed her bag. "I swear to God if anything happens to you-" said Hank. She cut him off and said "Trust me. I will be fine. See you!"

Eloise descended at the bus stop in her neighborhood and walked back like usual. She was reading up on the news about the sexual harassment cases. "I guess the world is still filled with ruthless people," she murmured. She continued to walk but after walking for two blocks, she noticed there was a man behind her who seemed to be following her. To double confirm, she would stop and coincidentally, that man would stop too. "Is this really happening…" she murmured after letting out a sigh. Eloise tried to lose him by walking fast and making detours. That man, however, was persistent. "Damn it…" she murmured as she decided to make a run for it. As she ran, the man ran after her so she became anxious. In the corner, she made a turn and immediately ran into another man. She looked up and saw it was Nikolai - again.

When the man who was chasing after her made a turn at the same corner, he saw that she was nowhere to be seen. He then walked away signaling he had given up on chasing her. The truth was, Eloise did not disappear. She was just hiding in an alleyway and was blocked by Nikolai. Their bodies were close so as to blend in with the shadows. It was as if Nikolai was pressing her against the wall. Not going to lie, it made her heart flutter since they were so close and she could smell a faint scent of flower coming from him. After he made sure the man had left for good, Nikolai moved away from her. There was another awkward moment between them. He noticed that Eloise was not only quiet but her face was flushed as if she was shy. He let out a scoff and asked "Do you like to be pressed against the wall?"

Shocked, Eloise cleared her throat and said "Are you crazy? I was just…just nervous. That man was chasing after me. Who would not be scared?" Again, she avoided making eye contact with him. "Your contact lens fell out again," he said after staring at her for a moment. Eloise panicked so she covered her face. "Don't look," she said. This time, her contact lens really did fall out probably from her collision with Nikolai since she literally ran into him. She didn't want Nikolai to find out the secret she had been hiding so desperately. "Hey, if you are going to cover your eyes, how are you going to look for your missing lens?" he asked. "It's fine. I don't need it," she replied as she tried to run away. However, Nikolai grabbed her bag strap and stopped her from escaping. "I'm walking you home," he said as he grabbed her hand. It was like Deja vu all over again. They did not utter a single word throughout the walk home. Eloise was panicking internally because she was anxious he would find out her secret. Plus, him holding her hand was making her heart race.