The days passed normally. Although Noha hadn't fully regained his peace of mind, he gradually relaxed. The dreams about that man became less frequent, and the fear of what he had seen that day in the forest dissipated from his chest. As he expected, his stay at the hotel had to end. He felt comfortable in a place like that, but he simply couldn't afford it any longer.
In the morning, before going to work, he finished packing his things. That room had become his safe place for a few days. Leaving that place and returning to the apartment definitely made him feel uneasy, but he tried not to dwell on it. He had to be responsible; he couldn't keep running away and behaving like a scared child. His stay had ended, and he had to say goodbye to Mai. He had only seen her a couple of times, and although she had seen him in an embarrassing situation, he wanted to thank her. Maybe he would invite her for a drink later or another day.
Upon arriving at the reception, Mai was there, as always looking focused while reading something on the computer. That day, she was wearing a long blue sweater with black pants. Her hair looked long and shiny as always. "This girl is pretty"Noha thought to himself. Girls like Mai were the type he had dated in the past.
"Hello, Mai, here's the key to my room," Noha said with a smile.
"Wouldn't you prefer to stay a little longer? We can give you a discount."
"I must return to my apartment, but I'll come back if I need to sometime. Thanks for your concern." "Don't thank me. You've been an incredible guest. We want you to stay with us for a long time," she mentioned casually while putting the key where all the room keys were kept.
"By the way, would you like to go for a drink tonight? I'd like to thank you for helping me that day. I know it's been a while…" Noha couldn't hide his embarrassment.
"Sure, how about we eat and have a drink at the restaurant on the corner at 7?"
"Sounds good. I have to go now, Mai. See you at 7."
"Take care, Noha," she added, waving her hand.
At the end of the day, Noha felt exhausted. He had had a long day at the store. Lately, Kai and he worked there regularly. That day, Kai hadn't stopped talking about a stupid alien story he had been reading for the past few days. It was always the same; he would get obsessed with any ridiculous thing and wouldn't stop talking about it for days. Noha pretended to listen most of the time, but that particular day he hadn't heard even a quarter of that crazy story.
"Kai is completely crazy, "Noha thought while smiling.
That night, the streets were especially crowded with tourists. Thousands of tourists visited the country every year, and in the fall, many of them visited the capital. The cold wind ran through the streets full of people, going in and out of restaurants and souvenir shops. There was an energetic air; no matter how late it was those days, the city seemed not to sleep. The noises of cars and people talking filled all the streets.
Noha walked quickly through the crowd. It was difficult for him to move, so much so that he began to get impatient. He didn't want to be late; he didn't want to have more reasons to feel embarrassed around Mai. She was a really nice girl. As if by magic, Noha was able to escape the tourists who were crowding the entire place.
The restaurant chosen by Mai was a small place specializing in seafood, with small private tables where university students and office workers spent many hours on weeknights. Right at the entrance was Mai, wearing the same clothes as in the morning, but she had on the coat she always wore.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"I arrived early, don't worry. Shall we go in?"
"Sure, let's go." Noha could finally relax.
They both entered the restaurant and took a table near a window overlooking a not-so-busy street. It had already gotten dark, it was cold outside, but inside it was a pleasant temperature. They both chatted about their jobs and their hobbies. Noha felt himself relaxing with every passing minute.
"Hey Noha, the guy who carried you for a while the night you had to go to the hospital, is he very close to you?" Mai asked with a nonchalant tone.
"No, I don't really know him. I didn't know who that person was. I would have liked to thank him for going to the trouble," Noha added, a little embarrassed. "Hadn't he told her at the hospital that he didn't know him?"
"Really? I thought you were quite close." Her voice had a slightly strange tone, but Noha decided not to dwell on it.
"No, you must have been mistaken, it's really not like that," Noha said nervously. "I'll go to the bathroom for a moment."
"Sure, go ahead. I'll order a couple more drinks before we leave."
"Yes, yes, let me pay for everything, remember I want to thank you…"
Noha took a couple of minutes in the bathroom. He found Mai's attitude really strange. He didn't understand why she brought up that topic when she didn't even know who that person was. He just wanted to forget about that embarrassing incident.
"You're back. I've ordered all these drinks, you have to try them," she pointed to a cocktail with a green garnish. "That one is especially delicious."
"Wow, impressive. Sure, I'll take that one first." Noha tasted the drink; it tasted like lemon, nothing special.
They both continued talking about the hotel and Mai's parents. Noha hadn't spoken to them much, but they seemed like good people. But after a few minutes, Noha began to feel dizzy. Everything sounded strange, and he even began to see a bit blurry. He didn't understand what was happening to him. That drink couldn't have that much alcohol; he wasn't a teenager having his first drink. These were some of the things Noha managed to think. He tried to get up, but his legs simply wouldn't work.
"Here you are, Noha." Someone approached the table and sat down beside him.
"What are you doing here?" Mai said with a clearly irritated voice.
"I came for this snack," he added in a mocking tone.
"He doesn't even know you, he wouldn't want to leave with you."
"Noha, do you want to leave with me?" he said while shaking Noha's face with one of his hands. "See, he said yes?"
"I won't allow it."
"I'll take him home, so don't try anything stupid. I'm not in the mood."
"You're an idiot."
"I know…"
This man took Noha in his arms, who had lost consciousness even before he realized it. Soon the man hurried out of the restaurant at a brisk pace.