The MANny (Whip 4) ✔️

Chapter 17

MIHAIL

I pace across the room, every fiber of my being trembling as I think about my current situation.

I've just about managed to calm down after a close encounter with my boss when the realization that once David returns, the two of us will be alone for the first time since we met, makes my anxiety skyrocket.

Leo will be gone until, I suspect, late tomorrow morning, which means that the buffer the little kid will be missing, leaving me to deal with his dad all on my own for hours on end.

I cringe, realizing just how pathetic I sound. After everything I've been through, am I honestly such a coward, that I need a little boy to save me?

And it isn't as if I think David would do something to me, since I know that the man would never even look at me if I wished it so.

No, I'm not afraid of what David could do. What I'm really afraid of is that David will do nothing at all.

I'm terrified that the man will decide that what happened the previous night was just a fluke, a mistake, a lapse in judgment, and that we are better off without a repeat.

I sigh, feeling frustrated with myself. I need to do something because if I keep going like this, thinking and overthinking every damn word the man has ever said to me, I'll go crazy. So, I take a calming breath and then leave my room, making my way to the kitchen.

Dinner.

I'm going to prepare some dinner, I decide as I go, even if the last thing on my mind is food right now. At least, I hope, it will give my hands something to do besides cracking my knuckles and pulling on my hair, which must be in a hazardous state by now.

Once I'm in the kitchen, I open the fridge, glancing inside while thinking about what I could make, before pulling out a package of minced beef, onions, garlic, and some tomatoes, deciding that spaghetti is the way to go.

I pull out my brand-new phone, a Christmas gift from Misha, which is something I'm still feeling a bit miffed about since I think that it's too expensive, and I put on some music.

It's not too long before I lose myself in work, chopping the onions, garlic, and tomatoes, preparing the meat, and then mixing it all and letting it cook slowly on the stove.

Soon, the kitchen is filled with the sweet aroma of oregano, making my mouth water despite myself. I smile as I stir the sauce, my muscles relaxing slowly.

I've forgotten how much I enjoy cooking, not having an opportunity to do so in a long time, especially since I moved into the Cross household, seeing as Nancy is the one who's in charge of feeding us, and God help those who stray into her territory.

Half an hour later, the sauce is done, so I pull the pot away from the fire and glance up to the clock, debating if I should prepare the pasta or wait a little while longer. I'm not sure how much time has passed since David went to drop Leo off and I don't want his food to get cold.

I've just decided to wait a few minutes when I hear the front door slamming shut, making me jump from the suddenness of it. I turn toward the kitchen entrance, feeling my anxiety making a comeback but before I have the time to fully panic, David is already there, standing at the doorway, his gaze focused on me.

"Um... I made..." I start but that is as far as I manage because David is suddenly there, right in front of me, barely a half-an-inch between us, his hand grabbing the back of my neck and pulling me closer, our mouths crashing against each other, and his other arm wrapping around my waist.