Sofia's POV

"What a beautiful day!" I heaved the words with a deep inhale of fresh air and calmness. There was a feeling inside of me, an euphoria that sprung from something unknown to even me. The others would regard it as joy, a feeling that is stemmed from the inside, differentiating it from happiness that is caused by something outward. 

I was off for a fresh start of the day, aiming to get the best which the day could offer me. It was safe to say that I was ecstatic over getting a new job after an infinite amount of time it took for me to get the right one, and I was eager to start it as I was when I waited patiently for the acceptance letter. 

But as I proceeded to my place of work, I passed by a man who leaned against the wall with his legs resting on it and his hands placed in his pockets as he looked downwards. 

He had a cigarette in his mouth, a black cap that covered his face from being seen. At first I had walked past him without even giving attention to all the features he possessed. 

But as I walked further, I walked past another who was also seated on a bench positioned on the road, and he looked at me, striking fear inside of me with his eyes that portrayed doom and harm.

I looked at him with a squeezed face, a confused face, as I walked away. What was he staring at? What did he intend to do? These questions popped up in my mind as I doubled my paces to my workplace. 

Suddenly, I could overhear footsteps behind me, and I turned backwards to the sight of the first man who walked at a faster pace, and his hands dipped in his pockets, following me with so many intentions, as though I possessed something that belonged to him. 

I held tightly to my purse, wrapping my hands around the little leather bag as I tripled my paces. I walked faster, almost running, as I found another who followed behind him, mysterious as he was, like they both collaborated. 

These men were after me. And when I looked around to see if there would be another who would aid me, I realized that every man had their thoughts occupied with their problems, and no one was sensitive enough to notice what was happening around. 

I ran towards a dead end, staring at a huge wall that blocked further passage, and I turned back to the sight of these men who dipped their hands in their pockets to bring something out. 

The man with the face cap finally rose his head to the light, and I saw the smile that was seated on his face, that smirk that spoke danger, and my eyes were redirected towards his hands that slowly brought out a gun.

"Please don't hurt me," I pleaded with them. I was more than scared. I looked at them with sweat drops drooling down my face and my heart throbbing against my chest as I watched as they pressed closer towards me. 

"We won't if you just cooperate," the man uttered. His voice was deep and terrifying, pointing the gun towards me while I squeezed myself on the ground with my eyes closed and my heart uttering prayers. 

"What do you want from me?" I asked them. I pondered what they sought from me, what they thought I had. 

"Give me the purse..!" He said as he dipped his hands towards my bosoms, where I wrapped the bag tightly. He dragged it from my hands, smiling widely as he tried opening it before he was distracted by something else. 

It was a sound—the screeching sound of tires and the siren of the police vehicle that was passing by. I watched as he looked behind him, and I watched as fear was written on his face as he dropped the purse on the ground and tried hiding the gun inside his pockets.

They ran off in fear, while I rushed towards my purse and grabbed it from the ground. I searched through the bag to confirm if my things were intact, and I realized that he had not taken anything. 

I leaned against the wall as I breathed a heavy sigh. I escaped what these men intended and proceeded to my workplace. 

When the day was over, I returned home, and I fell on my bed with a heavy sigh. I looked towards the ceiling and could only be grateful for how my day went. Though it had started off roughly, it got better even until the moment I dozed off in my tiredness. 

On the next day, I was scheduled to work the night shift. This was certainly the first time I started the night shift, but I was determined to be effective the entire night. And while I worked, that was the moment I sighted this young man with an absolute stunning elegance and beauty.

He was beautiful, staring at me from afar as though he tried communicating what he felt with his eyes. And while I acted as though I never understood any of his gestures, I noticed how he stood from his seat and walked towards where I was seated, trying to start off a conversation with me. 

"Hi.." he greeted me. 

"Can I sit?" He asked me. I shifted slightly and allowed him to sit with me. He smelled like roses, smelling like the finest wine even when there was a slight distance between the both of us. 

He started off with introducing himself, and I did the same. I paid keen attention to every word which he uttered and listened to the sincerity of his words. 

But of all things that interested me, there was one he spoke, which made him sound truthful in my ears and also made me gush. He told me he fancied me, that he liked me, or perhaps I got his words wrong. 

"I love you..." He said to me. I could feel the softness of his skin as he ran his hands through my skin, and I felt like the luckiest girl in the entire world. 

"Do you feel the same?" He asked me. Though I was too stunned to utter the words to him, I knew deep within my being that I was attracted to him, perhaps deeper than how he was to me.