Nina |18+|

08

THEO

Why made me say yes?

I never had anyone over—let alone a woman.

To my dismay, my heart rate sped up at the thought of having Nina in my home. It made me nervous. It put me on edge. For what reason? I don't know, and being alone with Nina wasn't a new ordeal. But it felt like it.

When she first asked, a burst of excitement consumed me and I was...relieved that she even considered it. When I turned the car back around and was left with my thoughts to simmer, I realised what we were about to do. And that was have coffee with the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my apartment. Holy shit.

If I wasn't driving, I would have been bouncing my knee.

I bit down on my lower lip, tapping my fingers against my thigh while I waited for the light to turn red. I wanted to do it—I just wasn't sure if I had the strength to act fucking normal around her. Was she aware of how she made me feel?

Was she aware that her dress was no longer covering the top of her thighs but was bunched up to just below her hips?

I didn't look at her, far too worried that my eyes would dwell lower than it should.

I took a deep breath in, but that only managed to fill my nose with her soft scent. She smelled so unbelievable good, and the brief notes of coconut and vanilla was the first thing I noticed. Was it her perfume? Or her hair? I didn't get close enough to her to find out but fuck, I wanted to.

When the light switched to green and I still hadn't looked at her, I drove off into the direction of my place.

Think of something to fill the silence.

I cleared my throat. "Do you like cake?"

What the fuck?

Surprisingly, Nina chuckled. "I love cake. Why?"

"I baked one last night," I answered, shrugging my shoulders.

I had spent four hours on a Brigadeiro cake simply because I had nothing else to do. I could have prepared for my classes, or text Nina like I was supposed to—but instead I put my time into a cake that was most likely about to waste. What was wrong with me?

"You bake?" Nina asked, turning to face her upper half towards me. I wasn't looking at her, but I could hear her smile.

"Sometimes." I turned the wheel, slowing down when I approached my building. I lived in a studio apartment on one of the upper floors, only because I liked the view and the privacy of it.

It was formidable—being above the clouds on some days while the sun set but it was beautiful at night.

There was nothing quite like a pretty view.

"Yeah?" Nina murmured, and I glanced at her to see her eyes engrossed on the tall building. "I can't bake for shit. This is where you live?"

I nodded, stopping at the boom gate to swipe my card. "Yes."

I drove into the underground parking lot and stopped Nina's car right next to my own.

She had mentioned that her car was in the shop for repairs, but the engine lights on her dashboard were bright and bold. I almost chuckled—the urge to sort it out for her almost feeling like a natural instinct.

Nina gazed around her, subtly lifting her hips to fix her dress. I wanted to ask if I could get a look at her tattoo to make sure it was healing okay, but I decided against it with the thought that she'd show me if she wanted me to see.