The New Guy; My neighbour

Chapter 28 - Goldman

"Hey! You stupid daughter of a worthless human! Watch where you are going!" The strange lady thundered as Ashley stared at her in a confused state. Ashley held her plate of burritos tight to prevent her edibles from sliding to the ground. The lady's order had landed on the floor when she collided with Ashley, and Ashley had splashes of milk all over her. She wanted to scream like the lady before her, but something inside of her stopped her. She secretly believed that she was probably to blame because she should have taken more time to look before veering suddenly.

The petite woman had a gaunt appearance, with her deep-set eyes and freckled face looking flushed. She looked like a struggling young woman in her mid-thirties, and Ashley could tell she was frustrated. Upon closer inspection, Ashley noticed that her tattered top and trousers were hanging loosely on her lean frame. Ashley knew it would be best to remain silent and apologize as the woman rattled on. It was clear that the lady already had a lot of reasons to be frustrated.

Ashley looked at the woman, searching her face as though she could read her expression, and said, "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Her face had nothing else written on it but rage.

"Tell your sorry to your old mama! You must replace all my food. I won't take your apology," the lady yelled. She spoke in a loud, cracked voice that sounded inappropriate for her age and more masculine.

"I said I'm sorry. I had no idea that you were standing next to me," Ashley uttered again, but this time more firmly. Others merely stood and stared at them. Ashley could tell that the restaurant security was watching the situation with no movement and that they were only waiting for things to get out of control before intervening. Ashley hoped that the woman would understand her situation and leave her alone. She lacked the strength to engage in any sort of verbal sparring. After all, they both barged into each other.

"Hey, I saw all of it. You bumped into the blonde lady willingly. I think you did it on purpose, so why the fuss? Why do you have to insult her?" came the concerned, gruff, masculine voice of the man who had been watching them. He offered Ashley a tissue to clean up.

"Keep your stinky mouth where your business is, man," the rude lady boomed at the young man.

"Why are you trying to be mean? It was an accident," the man responded. He turned and said to Ashley, "Sorry about that. I hope you are fine."

"Yea. It's just that I didn't do anything. I can't wrap my head around how it happened. Even if I didn't see her coming, it was clear she should have seen me. I think she would have waited.

"That's because you have decorative eyes. I'm not taking any of your excuses," the lady slammed Ashley.

"Don't worry about it. I will take care of it," said the young gentleman politely to Ashley.

"No, you don't have to," Ashley responded.

"Don't worry about it. I saw everything; you were not at fault. She must be a psycho," the young man said again, this time more defensively.

"What did you say, mister?" With a sour expression on her face, the impolite woman questioned.

"You are such a weirdo. Come on, let me get you a replacement," the young man said to the lady. "You appear to be hungry, and that terrible food looked like it should have been thrown out. So, I will double it and give you something better.

He gestured at Ashley and said, "Miss, go have your lunch; I will settle it."

Ashley's face flushed with embarrassment, and she wondered how she came across the fiery lady in question. She had gone to her favorite open-air restaurant for her usual Friday meal of chicken burritos when she encountered the erratic woman.  She had just received her order and had her tray firmly grasped in her fingers. As she swerved to go to her usual spot, the lady bumped into her and started cursing. She found it hard to process how it was her fault because the woman's voice was by far louder than hers. The young man who had come to her rescue was the only one who seemed to be interested in their business.

She sighed a long-lasting sigh as she settled down to devour her burrito. Only a few days had passed since Trevor told her how much he loved her, and the memory clung to her like glue, allowing her to ignore the majority of her concerns and focus on the positive aspects of their relationship. She concluded that it was reasonable for her to try what was developing in their hearts, but she would keep her sleeping disorder a secret. She had to tuck away that part from Trevor, she decided.

She called Nita to schedule a time to chat over some burritos because the night Trevor confessed his feelings to her, she woke up wet in bed and felt devastated. She also needed to let her know she wanted to take a chance with Trevor. Although she found it hard to accept Trevor's affectionate actions, she knew deep down that she was already in love and didn't want to be too harsh on herself. Edmund's recovery has been going great, so she didn't really need to worry about him.

As she sat in a chair, she continued to look back to make sure the lady was settled now. Shortly after, she noticed the young man who had stepped in proudly approaching her. Indeed, an extraordinarily fine young man to behold. He had flawless skin on his face and long hair that was neatly arranged and pulled to the back. Although he was not very tall for a man, his height was attractive, and he had the build of a man who went to the gym regularly. He was wearing a casual shirt and jeans. Ashley looked at him admiringly but with an expressionless face. Every aspect of him exuded wealth, including his expensive-looking Nike sneakers. Ashley noticed the latest Samsung flip phone and his luxury Patek Philippe watch as he spoke with gentle hand gestures to her.

"I hope it's okay if I keep you company," he asked Ashley, his eyes lingering on her stunning face.

"It's fine. I do not mind at all," Ashley responded, without thinking much about it.

His movements were graceful and soft. Ashley was immediately aware that he wasn't your average man. He gave off the impression of being simple but extremely wealthy.

"My order is scheduled to be ready in eight minutes, so I figured I could come here while they work on it."

"It is fine by me. I can only sit on one seat, so it wouldn't hurt to share a table with you. Meanwhile, thanks for coming to my rescue. She was ready to roast me," Ashley said as her lips arched to release a broad smile.

"Don't mention," his brown, sparkling eyes were fixed on Ashley's face as he answered, "It's settled now; there was no need for her to bother such an alluring blonde."

Again, Ashley smiled, and they remained silent for a few seconds. Each to their thoughts.

"I've never seen you here before. This is one of my favorite spots to hang out, that's why I'm saying," he let out his observation as he sat very casually, swinging his legs, and occasionally glancing at Ashley as she nibbled on her order.

"Well, let's just take it that there was never an incident that made you take notice of me. There is surely no way you can know everyone that comes here for lunch."

"Sure, your point is crystal clear, but for someone with such attractive features, I would have noticed. So, is this your first time here?"

"Not at all. I've been here a couple of times."

"Do you work around here?" he asked curiously.

"I cannot disclose that information to a total stranger. No offense intended, but that's who you currently are to me," Ashley uttered without much ado about how he would feel.

"Hmmm. I will choose to pretend that I didn't hear your last utterances. But then your views are valid. I am a total stranger, regardless. I am Goldman, by the way."

Ashley raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the name and paused instantly.

"Goldman? Are you in any way related to Goldman of Glass House?"