Bear | ✔

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

"Leila! Can you please just leave the damn thing for one minute?" David asked; irritation coating his voice. He stood by the halfway-opened balcony doors. His hands were crossed over his chest in a way that was meant to intimidate her.

The blinds were rolled to each side. A breeze of warm air flooded the room with a low whistle that echoed against the silent walls. It was a signal that spring was approaching soon.

Leila looked up from the book that was set on her lap. She shifted up on the bed, laid her head against the headboard. She yawned exaggeratedly as her hand flipped to the following page. "No!"

"Oh! Come on," David grumbled. His eyes narrowed, shooting blazes of fire in her direction. Leila's eyes followed as he started to pace back and forth across the room. She didn't miss the split second when his hand went up to run through his hair, but he remembered at last and scratched his forehead instead.

That bang in her chest wasn't going to leave her alone anytime soon.

David stopped on his tracks and turned to face her. "It's not like I get a day off every week. It's as rare as you learning to stop being so stubborn for a single minute," He said, gesturing with his hand.

Well, he had a point.

"This is called being human, David," Leila replied flatly. She skimmed to another page without looking down at the book. "You should try it more often."

She had finally realized that this was the only way to change his unhealthy routine. It was going to be hard, but it would be worth the effort. If nobody stopped him at the right time, it would kill him.

She knew that she was going to give in to his demands in the end, though. But it was still worth the try.

"No! Seriously, now," He snapped all of a sudden, making Leila jump. She feared that he was experiencing those mood swings again. It never ended well. He strolled back towards her, and before she could realize it, David had already had his hand clasped over the book and he snatched it out of her grasp.

Leila gaped; her eyes narrowed. She sat up on the mattress and reached out to get it back. But with David being a range of inches longer than her, it was a hard task.

"You can't do this to a pregnant woman. This is abuse," She whined, squaring her shoulders in her best way to look intimidating.

"It's called blackmailing, hon," David commented quietly. "You should try it more often." His voice was cold, as if to get on her nerves.

It worked.

"David Brandon Gareth!" She exclaimed like an old woman. Her feet slipped to the floor and she pulled the covers away before she stood up. "Get back there with my book right now."

Her toes met the icy hardwood expectantly, sending a shot of frost through her.

David took wide steps back, until his back connected with the hard wall knowingly. He moved his hand behind his back, holding the other one out in front of her. A grin stretched across his lips. His cold reaction made her blood soar.

"Okay! Let's make a deal," He bargained, but Leila was still able to see it through his eyes. He enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed spending the late hours of night typing words into his laptop.

Leila huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot against the cold floor. "What have you got?"

"You owe me dinner and a movie. You said it when we were at the hotel," He began.