Chapter Text
"No this can't be."
Kara stares at the letter in her hands, not wanting to believe it is real.
The evicted letter.
There have been some rumors that the city plans of building a new mall in order to make new jobs.
However, in order to do that, the apartment building that she and Alice have been living in has to be teared down.
The building itself is pretty old, around seventy years old. It's made out of chipping bricks and peeling paint. The walls grimy from the overexposure from the city. But the rent was cheap.
Kara bites her lip, worrying it.
What is she going to do? Sure she has her job at the bakery and part-time waitress in the weekends, but it was already hard enough taking care of Alice. She barely has any time to drop and pick up Alice from school during the busy hours at the bakery and Kara usually comes home tired after bustling around in work.
Now she has to go house hunting. But where?
A soft patter of footsteps reach Kara.
Alice looks at her mother, noticing the badly concealed distress over her face.
"Hey, honey. Do you need anything?" Kara asks.
Alice also notices that mommy is trying to look happy, giving her a tired smile.
"Mommy, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing Alice. Everything's fine."
Alice frowns at that.
"Mommy."
Kara signs as she holds the letter tightly. Of course Alice would notice something is wrong.
"Alice," Kara pauses, suddenly anxious "We have to find a new apartment."
"Why mommy?" Alice asks, confused.
At that moment, Kara feels like crying. Alice doesn't deserve this. She shouldn't have to worry about money.
"We have to Alice."
-(Time Skip)-
It's been six days since the eviction letter arrived and Kara has been continuously anxious since then.
Ever since the letter arrived, Kara would walk towards the library, for free wi-fi, with her old laptop she got from the second hand store. She would stay there searching for places to live that were close to her job and Alice's school.
So far she has no luck.
Kara groans in frustration as she stares at the prices of apartments, even studio apartments, that are on the costly side.
What is she going to do?
Looking at the time, Kara decides to go back home since it is already closing time.
After gathering her laptops and notes, Kara loses herself in her thoughts.
The letter says that the people living in the building must leave within two weeks time.
In moments like this, Kara really wants to curse at fate.
When Kara was very young, her mother died in a car accident and her father left her as an orphan. When she was in the system, she jumped from house to house. Usually it was because the parents didn't really connect with Kara or there was disagreements between her the other children.
Alice on the other hand-
No.
She will not go to him. Ever. Especially what he done to Alice.
Kara doesn't notice as she walking back home, she bumps into someone.
And falls on her back ungracefully.
"Oh, I am so sorry!"
The man she bumped into quickly goes to her side, gently pulling her up.
"Are you alright?"
Kara looks up at the man. No wonder she fell.
The man stands tall, maybe around six foot tall, compared to her stature of five foot four inches. He has a very fit built with broad shoulders. His head is shaved and he has a slight stubble.
But what caught her attention is his eyes. One green and one blue. Both twinkling, giving them a feeling of liveliness she doesn't see often.
In short, he is stunning.
The man took Kara's silence the wrong way.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Should I call the hospital? I think there is one nearby."
Kara blinks snapping out of her thought, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I had worse."
The stranger doesn't look too convince, but lets it go.
"Well anyway, I have to get back home. If you excuse me-," Kara says then stops when she looks at her laptop.
Broken.
The laptop's screen is broken giving the appearance of spider webs across the length of the screen.
How was she going to find a new apartment now? She could use the library's computers, but then she needs to pay for a library card. And even though the laptop was worn down, she payed $60 for it.
The sight of the broken laptop reminds her of how broken her life is now.
Kara begins to finally cry.
Gosh, she feels so exhausted from work, researching for a new home, and taking care of Alice. She feels angry at the eviction letter, wanting to will it away. She feels lost: what now?
Now she feels embarrassed. Look at her, she starts bawling in front of a stranger.
Before she knows, strong arms wraps around her.
They held her down, firmly. Reassuring and relieving her from her worries.
She doesn't even notice the stranger giving her words of comfort until she stops sniffling.
"Hey, Hey, it's okay. Breath with me... There you go."
When she finally stops crying, the stranger says something to her.
“Huh? Sorry could you repeat that again?”
“I’m sorry that I broke your laptop. Do you want me to replace it?”
“No! No. It’s fine. I think I take it to a repair shop.”
Even though Kara should have taken the opportunity, she doesn’t trust him that he would do something wrong.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Uh. Sure.”
The stranger pauses for a moment, thinking to himself.
He then asks, “Did you actually cry because of the broken laptop? Or was it something else?”
The genuine concern in his voice surprises Kara.
She doesn’t know what made her do it, but she begins to tell him about the eviction letter and finding a new apartment and how difficult it was. She even tells him about her stress, anxiousness and worries.
The man ponders at the information. Kara feels stupid. Why would she tell a stranger about her troubles-
“Do you need a place to stay?”