Walking The Line | ✓

Chapter Seventeen

When a knock came at the door the following morning my heart lurched inside my chest. I didn't need to look through the peephole to identify the individual behind those three short but firm raps. My mind had already stored the sound, associating it with the German. I wouldn't stop to think the reason behind my heart's response to it.

It was short of amazing how in the last few days I had started looking forward to the sound of his knuckles tapping against my apartment door.

Our morning runs had turned into a routine. Every day he showed up at 6 a.m and we jogged together to the park. Sometimes we talked. But other times we jogged side by side in comfortable silence.

This time though he wasn't here for our morning run. One look at the clock told me it was 5 p.m.

The German and I had exchanged texts during the week and gone for a run one more time since Monday. Now the reason he was showing up at my door on a Friday afternoon had to do with the game I had agreed to play.

Kühl against me.

I wasn't fool enough to think I had a chance, but at least I hoped it would help me pick up a thing or two. What I couldn't understand was why he would want to play with me. I was good, but I wasn't an athlete. He would be better off playing with one of the guys that showed up last time. Why he chose me over them was something I couldn't wrap my head around.

Dropping the glass snowman my brother had gifted me last Christmas inside its box, I dusted my hands on the back of my leggings and stepped around a few more boxes to reach for the door.

The sight that greeted me would have made any hot blooded female swoon. He stood on the hallway, legs on a stance, hands buried in the pockets of an unzipped sea green jacket that made his caramel eyes pop. The gray pullover he had underneath hinted at the toned muscles of his chest and I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from it.

"Hi." My face split into a smile.

I watched the muscles of his cheek twitch as he gave me one in return. The sight was so unexpected that I stood there staring at his stubbled jaw for a few seconds until I gathered my scattered thoughts.

"I...Um...I'm not ready yet."

"I can wait."

I stared.

"You gonna let me in?" He finally asked.

I blinked.

Then I realized I was barreling the door with my body. "Right. Yes. Come on in." I moved aside. "I was putting up Christmas decorations and I kinda zoned out. I didn't caught up on the time until you knocked. I'll be ready in a sec though. Sorry for the mess." I said all this as I made my way towards my room.

Once there I yanked on a jacket over the zip hoodie I had on then proceeded to wrap a scarf around my neck and pull a knit hat over my head, letting my hair down. I attached a hairband to my wrist so I could pull it up later. Grabbing my bag from where I had dumped it at the bottom of my wardrobe I trudged towards the kitchen for a bottle of water.

Over the door of the fridge, I spied the German eyeing the boxes and ornaments laying around.

I had to admit it looked like Santa had flown past on his slide leaving a tornado of ornaments on its wake. Christmas decorations had come out of their wrappings and been discarded to the side. Boxes had been tipped over, the contents spilling all over the floor.

I had had to move furniture around in order to make room for the Christmas tree and had yet to decide where to relocate it all.

I had set up the tree that morning at the front left corner of the room. It was a six foot artificial pine tree that looked as close to a real one as I could find. If I had a bigger apartment or a house I would have definitely bought the real thing. Nothing could compare to the smell of pine filling a room. Just the barest of smells evoked nostalgic memories of childhood holidays when my parents would take Lucas and me to pick up a tree to take back home and the fun we would have decorating it afterwards.