Under the Oak Tree - Time Before You

10 Discomfort

As Riftan led Maximillian up to his apartment, the man feared his palpitating heart could be audible in the quiet stairwell. Riftan tried to widen the distance between the professor and himself by taking a few more steps further up. He was beginning to regret his reckless invitation, uncertain how she would interpret his move. However, he really wanted to just stay by her side a little longer. The man turned his head swiftly to check on the professor. Maximillian was climbing up the stairs carefully, pulling her cloak up in case she tripped over it.

What if she's unimpressed by my apartment? She owns a grand mansion, after all. Hold on. Why the fuck are you even concerned with what she thinks? You're just trying to shelter her from the heavy snowfall.

Riftan frowned and soon reached the door to his apartment. His thoughts wandered back to the servant's statement back in the mansion. It's been awhile since our Lady has hosted guests over... does this mean that she's single still? How could this be possible? He had observed her fingers for the past few days. It did not appear that she was married.

The man chiding himself mentally before reaching his thumb out for the digital lock. A red light blinked in response instead. Frustrated, Riftan was about to curse aloud when his hair tingled with the incoming presence of Maximillian.

"Sorry, please give me awhile."

After a few unsuccessful attempts, a green light finally flashed with approval. Sighing with relief, the man was about to push the door open when he heard the impatient sound of nails on the floor.

"Steady, Talon."

The hound responded to his command with a whimper. Riftan threw a quick glance at the professor before opening the gates wide. He could then hear his dog backing away from the entrance. However, to his horror, the large Dobermann immediately launched himself on to the petite woman once she stepped in after him.

Riftan was about to react defensively when he heard a giggle from the woman. It was a bright, bubbling and unmasked sound of happiness, quite unlike the usual guarded expression she often held around him. Even though the hound was the height of Maximillian when it pounced on her, the woman showed no fear just like when they met by the roadside. As for Talon, his wagging tail blurred with enthusiasm and his tongue was all over Maximillian all over. This was extremely unlike his usual aggressive stance towards strangers in the house. It had taken much persuasion and money to have the past few part-time housekeeper accepting his job.

The detective took in the sight before him. Maximillian had removed her down jacket before squatting next to the dog. Her turtleneck was tightly fitted and her bosom was accentuated when she crouched over. Riftan coughed drily before remembering what he had wanted to do. Scanning his apartment hurriedly, the man assessed his bachelor pad for any abnormality that might embarrass him in the presence of a woman. It was after all, his first time bringing the opposite gender, anyone in fact, to his home.

After a close scrutiny, Riftan eventually sighed in relief. The part-time cleaner had visited last afternoon. Fortunately, his apartment design reflected his personality and was kept neat and speckless. Done in a modern industrial style, the raw cement flooring he had was effortless to maintain. His Knoll leather sofa was free of dirty laundries, his open kitchen were cleared of unwashed cutleries, and his king-sized bed just had a change of lining.

Fuck. What are you thinking?

Clearing his throat, the man drew his attention from the bed and to Maximillian fussing over the dog. Shaking his head, Riftan proceeded to the kitchen cabinets and rummaged about to prepare Talon's meal. Surprisingly, despite the rustling sound of carton and canned food, Dobermann did not rush towards him in his usual maniacal manner. For the first time in the canine's life, Talon was more interested in a human than chow.