Match Made in Quarantine

19. Fountain of Fun

I did not like the way he was looking at me.

He was looking at me the way I was looking at my piece of lemon cake; like he wanted to eat me. It was a whole new level of disturbing.

I munched down on the sweet, lemony piece of cake, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched. Of course, considering how self-conscious I was ignoring him was impossible. Every sip of coffee he took made me jump a little. Letting out a long breath I glanced at him.

"Why are you staring at me?" What is your issue? is what I actually wanted to ask him but in the spirit of maintaining our good roommate relations, I opted for the less aggressive approach. And regretted it almost instantly.

Taking a sip of water I avoided looking in his direction as he seemed to ponder on his reply.

"Hm, I think...." He cocked his head to the side, a crooked smile on his face,"I'm interested in you."

All of the water that had been in my mouth was now spraying all over the counter. I choked, trying to catch my breath. Through eyes blurred with tears I glared at him.

His eyes went wide and I could see he was trying to contain his laughter.

"You okay?" He asked, taking a few steps toward me.

I instantly raised my hands in the air, taking a step back. "Fine! I'm fine." I muttered, clearing my throat.

What the hell was that?! What the hell does that even mean?! What the hell am I supposed to say?!

I stood in place, petrified, focusing on some non-existent spot on the wall. It felt like my spirit had detached from my body and everything was happening in a fog.

"Hello? Earth to Aimee?" I heard Maddox's voice and even though I logically knew he was right next to me, somehow it sounded like it was coming from a distance.

Was this shock? Was I in shock?

I could feel droplets of water still dripping down my chin; a reminder that I needed to come back to reality.

Maddox laughed suddenly and the sound was enough to snap me back to my senses. I looked at him, confused at the random outburst.

He was shaking his head, way too amused by this whole situation. "What a reaction...."

Was he kidding? Just goofing around... Or was he serious? Did I... want him to be serious?

"No!" I screamed out the reply to my internal question accidentally, earning another puzzled gaze from Maddox.

He bit down on his lower lip, trying to keep himself from bursting out in laughter. That asshole was having the time of his life and here I was going through all the stages of grief at once.

Before I could react he moved closer, towering over me. His hand reached out toward my face, his thumb wiping away the drops of water on my chin with surprising gentleness.

"You know, I was wrong, you kind of are a fountain—" He smirked, clearly mocking my little spraying incident, "—of fun."

My mouth fell open. He laughed again. Then, he turned around and walked away.

When Maddox was gone, I clutched my chest, trying to even out my breathing. Just when I'd finally managed to calm down, I heard him call out from the living room.

"By the way, in case you're thinking this, I wasn't kidding."

And so my heart stopped. Or at least that's how it felt.