A Life Saved

It was a miserable evening. I pushed back the blinds of my apartment and stared at the street below. The road was slick with rain and lightning flashed in the sky overhead. Thunder rolled ominously from far away. It was just the sort of night you'd expect to see Frankenstein's Monster walking down the street. The street was deserted though, save for a figure walking along the other side hunched under an umbrella. I could hear the clacking of her high heels on the cobbled surface of the pavement.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Emrys Jenkins, a 6' 20 year old with medium length dark brown hair and bluey grey eyes. I'm tall and lean, verging on the skinny side; I never have been any good at sport or physical activities in general. At school I got good results, although I had the tendency to be complacent and lazy. Still, I'd pursued the sciences at A-Level and had graduated from university with a degree in theoretical physics. That was a year ago, and I'd got a job at a research centre that was the southern UK branch of CERN. I could go on, but I'm probably boring you, I always have had a tendency to talk too much. I spent most of my childhood struggling against the fact that being skinny, wearing glasses and being smart made you automatically hated by 50% of the society. I would describe myself as a bit nerdy, but not to the extent of having no social life. Anyway, back to the story.

I closed the blind fully and retreated to the computer desk. My apartment was small, but cozy. There was a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and then a living room area with an open kitchen to one side. Fortunately due to a moderate inheritance left over from my dead grandmother I was able to buy the place without having a mortgage.

I was just preparing to settle down and do some research into a recent anti-nuclear newspaper article when I heard a cry from outside. I got up, slightly irritated at the interruption and peered out the window. It was too dark to see clearly, but in the dim glow of the street lamps and the brief illuminations of lightning flashes I noticed two figures struggling. One of them I recognized as the girl who I'd seen walking alone a minute earlier. She was shouting and clutching her handbag which the other figure was trying to rip from her. His silhouette was beefy and broad and he was trying to stifle her screams. I looked up and down the street frantically but no one else came, she was in serious trouble. I knew I had to do something.

Without stopping to put on shoes or a coat, I rushed out of my room. I'm on the second floor of the building and I raced down the staircase, covering four steps at a time and almost falling over. I crashed through the double doors and stumbled into the street. I knew I would have to attack the man, but I've never been much of a fighter and my only advantage was surprise. The rain soaked my t-shirt and water seeped through my socks to chill my feet. The man had now produced a knife and was brandishing it furiously at the terrified girl.

I knew that I may well get stabbed but I couldn't sit by and watch this poor girl get mugged or worse. I sprinted towards the pair, the man had his back to me and the thunder made my footfalls and breathing impossible to hear. Without stopping to think in case I lost my nerve I brought my knee up between his legs right onto his balls (hey, he had a knife, I wasn't going to play fair). He grunted with surprise and pain and doubled over, releasing the girl. She fell sobbing to a crumpled heap on the floor. I kicked the knife out of the mans hand, Bruce Lee style though with considerably less grace and finally brought my knee hard into the mans face.

I picked up the knife off the ground and brandished it none too confidently. The man looked up and although I couldn't make out the detail of his face, I saw his eyes lock onto the blade I held. He stumbled backwards then turned and ran off into the night. I allowed myself a moment's satisfaction at actually winning a proper fight (I haven't been in many) but it quickly vanished when I saw the girl lying unmoving on the ground a few feet away. I thought for a second I may have been too late, but my first aid training and the fact she was breathing proved the was simply unconscious. It was either from fright or from hitting her head when she fell.

I pondered what to do. I hadn't seen anything of the man and the rain would wash away all forensic evidence. There was no point phoning the police until she came around and could give a description. She wasn't injured, not worth sending for an ambulance. The best thing to do would be to take her back to my apartment and let her recover. Maybe even drive her home to be on the safe side. I slid my arms under her helpless body and with some effort lifter her up. I cursed, not for the first time, my lack of strength. I half carried, half dragged her back into the lobby of my block and called the lift.

As we ascended, I took a proper look at her. She was stunning, about 5'7" with long legs and from what I could tell a healthy tan. She was a little on the thin side, but she still had shapely curves around her hips and torso. Her hair was long and blonde and although it was soggy and dirty from her fall, I could tell it would radiate in the sun. Her eyes were a creamy hazel and complemented her round, innocent face perfectly. She was wearing a sexy black top that showed off her back while covering her front. It was accompanied by a pair of tight fitting jeans, adorned with embroidered flowers. I smiled a wry smile to myself thinking "Well Emrys, if you're going to play the hero you certainly chose a fine time to do it." I wished I had a jacket to put round her shoulders.

There was something about her that seemed familiar, but before I could dwell on it the lift dinged open. After a brief glance to check no one was around to ask awkward questions I hefted her up and padded through my still open door back into my apartment. Laying her on the sofa I locked the door and briefly changed out of my soaking socks. I only had one bed, but she deserved it more than me so I carried her through and lay her down. I stripped off her wet clothes. My apartment wasn't the warmest in the world and I didn't want her catching hypothermia. Fortunately she was wearing a full compliment of under garments, white panties with pink lace around the edges and a matching, 34b bra. I admit I was slightly turned on, but I kept myself professional and didn't cop a feel or anything like that. I was looking at her face when I made a shocking realization. How could I have been so stupid? It was Eliza, the girls I'd fallen in love with at secondary school five years earlier. Suddenly everything seemed so complicated. What should I do? Dare I keep her here? I'd been infatuated with her but had never worked up the guts to say it. She was popular, charming, intelligent and funny while I was a nerd with nothing really except intelligence. It was doomed to failure from the start and I cursed myself time and time again for falling for such a perfect girl.

I covered her over with a big warm blanket and added a few extra pillows. I could sleep on the couch if need be. I looked at her face, now at peace after her terrible ordeal. I could still see the glistening tear streaks in the grime on her face. I gently bent down and with the knuckle of my forefinger, brushed them away. Then I bent slightly lower and placed a tender, gentle kiss on her cheek. Her skin was so soft and I felt completely content in that second. I sadly realized nothing had changed. I was still the nerd and judging by her dress, she was still out there partying and living life to the full. I never did anything like that, my work taking up most of my time. I'd never had a proper girlfriend. I'd had a few kisses and tit gropings, but nothing else. Now I had the love of my life in my bed. I went to the bathroom and rinsed my face, I had always been a gentlemen. Even when some girls had offered themselves to me at the few parties I had been to I had declined, knowing they'd regret it in the morning.

I had a shower, changed into some nicer clothes (no harm in being prepared) and prepared a hot water bottle for her. I took it into her room and placed it over her forehead. She appeared to be coming down with a fever, and I was determined to make her as comfortable as possible. I retrieved a thermometer from the bathroom cupboard and placed it in her mouth. She definitely had a temperature. As I removed it I took her hand and squeezed it tight. The moment took me and I bent down and very softly lay my lips on hers. I had a slow and tender kiss, my tongue lightly parting her lips and brushing the fronts of her teeth.

It took me by complete surprise when I opened my eyes and realized what I had done to find myself staring deep into her gorgeous eyes. I reluctantly broke away the kiss, feeling like shit. I'd exploited her and now she was about to find out. However she appeared not to notice but instead began to sit up and look around. I gently laid a hand on her bare shoulder and guided her down to the bed.

"It's okay, you're safe, no one's going to hurt you." I cooed softly into her ear. I felt her body begin to shudder beneath me and a few small tears escaped her eyelids. The sight made me want to cry as well but instead I cradled her to me and whispered again.

"There there, please don't cry, all that matters is that you're okay, please don't cry my love." She was delirious, and half asleep, but my soothing tone seemed to calm her down and as she lay back, I once again wiper her tears away. She smiled as she closed her eyes and it lit up her face like a ray of sunlight. Unless you've been in this situation, you have no idea how joyous it feels to know you've made your love happy. She was sleeping peacefully now. I thought about returning to my research but realized I'd never be able to keep my mind on it. Instead, I set my alarm for 7.00 in the morning. I wanted to be awake before Eliza was so I could compose myself for what was ahead. I lay down on the sofa with a few blankets and drifted into a restless sleep.