Hooked

Chapter Five: Storm

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Chapter Five: Storm

I found myself caring. That’s what drove me to bring him inside my apartment as the rain began to pour from the sky in another downfall. I cared about him and his wellbeing; I didn’t want him out in that storm at night. But of course, being stubborn once again, I pretended I hadn't just realized something so important and tried to ignore the feeling.

I closed and locked the door as the first patters of rain began to tumble from the clouds. By some miracle, there were no leaks in the apartment, and I’d be ‘safe’ in that aspect of the word. What I wasn't sure I'd be protected from was the heavy pair of eyes I felt watching my lower back, and the gorgeous man they belonged to.

Adrian's body seemed to take up a lot of space in my tiny apartment, filling it out quite wonderfully. His scent overpowered the one of dust and almost had me hypnotized, but I forced myself to stay focused. I had acted out enough today already.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I'd be having company anytime soon," I said, almost wincing at the messy state of the apartment. "But you can sit anywhere you'd like, I'll be right back."

I excused myself immediately and walked quickly down the hallway. It was hard for me to ignore how overwhelming his presence was, but I was determined not to act the way I had before I pulled him into my apartment. I hastily changed from my denim shorts and shirt into a pair of dark leggings and a blue t-shirt, hoping the more athletic look would keep away the wandering-eye syndrome he seemed to have. I yanked on a pair of tennis shoes and redid my ponytail, and checked my face for any embarrassing smudges in my make-up from the day before breathing deeply to clear my head.

I was being ridiculous. It was just physical attraction, which was certainly something I could deal with. So with that thought in mind, I steeled myself and exited my bedroom to walk back to the living and kitchen area. 

The first thing my eyes settled on was the casual male lounging effortlessly on the small sofa against the wall. He didn't seem to have a care in the world, as if this wasn't an entirely uncharted situation in which he was sitting in my home, and the smirk he sent me was quickly becoming familiar. I walked in further, clearing my throat with difficulty, and stopped by the small kitchen across from the sofa. I tried to keep myself from fidgeting nervously as I discreetly observed him, before I summoned my voice.

“Would you like anything to drink?” I asked, hesitantly. “I’d offer you something to eat too, but I just haven’t really been able to go shopping or anything so I don’t have much food at the moment…”

I cut myself off from rambling. Adrian’s blue eyes were amused as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, never moving his gaze from mine. I felt a slight shiver run through my body, resting in the pit of my stomach and making me feel slightly flushed, before I quickly averted my eyes from his. He chuckled quietly before replying.

“Water is fine, Angel.”

I nodded and hastily turned to the kitchen, rounding the corner and leaving his sight. When I was sure I couldn’t see him, I let out a huffed breath of frustration. I had to get better control of myself; why was I acting like a nervous little high school girl around him? It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to interact with men— in fact, I was quite good at it, at least until two weeks ago  –, but it was as if I had no sense when I was in his presence. It certainly wasn’t a bad kind of nerves; against my better judgment, I’d admit that I almost liked the intense stares I received from him. Except, my reactions hadn’t proven to be ‘modest’.

Shaking my head, I reached up and grabbed one of the clear glasses from the cabinet. They were already clean, thankfully for me, and as I walked back to the sink, I kept a rigid distance from the faucet as I reached out to turn it on.