The Silence | ✔️

6. E

Aiden's apartment building was a mere few blocks from mine. But those few blocks made a difference to our living conditions. I stared up at the complex and marvelled at its luxury. Desmond earned a nice figure week to week. But this was another level of comfortable living. Even more so when I read the list of buzzers beside the door and saw that he was in the penthouse on the top floor. The view must have been exquisite. He would have paid for it too.

I touched the button but paused, biting down on my lip as I glanced over my shoulder at the quiet street behind me. The water was close, so close and the road was more sand than asphalt and aside from a few people walking their dogs or driving past, there wasn't a lot going on. Still, I knew that this wasn't a good idea. I could feel the ache and pain of sore ribs and bruised shins already. But I had come this far, so I figured that I might as well just get it over with.

My finger tapped the button and I recoiled with lightening fast speed, wiping my hand on my pants as if I could reverse the action. My heart hammered so loud that I took a deep breath, attempting to settle down as a voice came through the speaker box.

"Can I help?"

"Uh," I leaned forward and cleared my throat, clutching my handbag close to me. "Look— I'm looking for Mr Em— Aiden Emerson. I uh, have someth— I have his wallet from dinne— he left it at Stella Pines."

"Pardon?"

I blushed and internally scolded myself for being such a babbling mess. I closed my eyes and focused. "I have Aiden's wallet. He left it at Stella Pines. Where I work."

"Hang on a minute."

I began to shiver. My lip trembled but it wasn't because I was cold. It was more to do with the fact that I was incredibly nervous. I wasn't sure what possessed me to be so impulsive. I was never this careless. But the curiosity got the best of me and undoubtedly, there was something so damn fascinating about this man. What it was, I couldn't put a finger on.

"Come on up," the voice spoke after a short few minutes and the door clicked unlocked, allowing me to push the glass doors open.

The floor was pristine marble tiles with a subtle shimmer in the detailing. The sound of running water came from the middle of the lobby where a fountain sat. Aesthetic with sharp corners and finished with a black that was gloss due to its constant falling stream. The reception was closed for the night so I wandered past and pressed the button for the elevator.

The numbers blinked at a speed faster than I anticipated. I was hoping that it would be slower so that I would have more time to calm the nerves that were causing an upset in my stomach. But alas, the doors opened and I stepped into what appeared to be a small foyer.

A glass table with a few frames sat to the right and in the left corner was a coat stand. Lastly, the friend that Aiden had dined with at his birthday stood in waiting with little to no expression apart from a polite nod of acknowledgement. "Arian," he gestured for me to follow him so I toed off my boots and scurried across the threshold, on to the soft plush carpet of the corridor.

"I'm Arian," I caught up with him in time to see a look of mild amusement on his face.

"Mhmm, I know. I just referred to you as such."

"I was thinking that you might have followed up with your name," I lightly chuckled despite the fact that I was still humming with nerves.

He stopped beside the entrance to an immaculate living area and gestured for me to go ahead. "I'm Hunapo. Po if we're friends."

"Oh that's so unusual," I marvelled at his curious name. "But it's beautiful. I love it. Where does it originate?"

His brows pulled together and slowly, his lips formed into a small smile. "It's African. My family came here from Nigeria before I was born."