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I helped Anna to my car. Her eyes widened as she looked at the sleek rental. I had gotten a Cadillac. I enjoyed driving around comfortably, especially when I was in a strange environment like the middle of nowhere. I could tell the car made Anna uncomfortable. She hesitated before getting in. "It's okay," I said. "You can get in."
"What if I make it dirty?" She looked up at me, her expression full of fear. I hated seeing her look like that. I didn't want her to be so nervous around me.
"It's okay," I said. "You don't need to worry about that. I promise."
She slowly got into the car, putting her crutches in the back seat. "Where do you live?" I asked.
"I have an apartment near the college. It's not far from here. I can give you directions."
I drove to her apartment building. It looked nice enough if a little small and basic. It was a plain gray building surrounded by a rundown parking lot. It looked devoid of joy.
"Thanks," Anna said. "I'll be able to take it from here."
"I would like to make sure you get to your door okay," I said.
"That's really not necessary," Anna said.
"I think it is."
She sighed. "I live on the third floor. There's no elevator."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "You were planning on taking the stairs by yourself? With crutches?"
She shrugged.
I sighed. Anna had no regard for her own safety. "I'm coming up with you. I'm not going to let you slip and fall and risk further injury."
"Christopher, it's really fine."
"No," I said. "Let me." I sighed. "You were hurt because of me, Anna. Let me do the bare minimum and make sure you get home okay."
Her brow furrowed. "I don't see why you think you got hurt because of me. That doesn't make any sense."
"You were on set because of me," I said. "I knew Mark `was drunk and therefore dangerous but I let them shoot anyway. I skimped on the budget for beach chairs--"
"You're being silly," she said. "It was an accident."
"I was careless." I hated it when people got hurt because of me, especially sweet, innocent people like Anna. "Please. Let me help you to your apartment."
Finally, she relented.
I walked with her inside. Once we were on the stairs, she handed me her crutches and used the railing to support herself on the way up. Finally, we reached her apartment. "Thank you," she said. "I... I really do appreciate it. I'm sorry if I've sounded ungrateful."
"You're okay," I said. "You've had a crappy day." I gave her a weak smile. "Shitty start to your acting career, huh?"
"I don't even want to be an actor," she said. "I just needed the money. I didn't know I would end up going into debt for this."
My smile disappeared. "You're not in debt. I told you, I have it covered."
"I'm in your debt, aren't I?" She bit her lip as she played with her keys. "I'll have to think about some way to pay you back."
"You don't owe me anything."
"I feel like I do. I'm not good at accepting help from people."
I snorted. That was obvious. And I guess I could relate. I was also bad at accepting help. "There is one thing you can do," I said. I held up my car keys. "Trade keys with me."
Her eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. You're in a rental."
