Zeus

chapter 6 - ugh, feelings

I woke up feeling disoriented and sweaty. I turned to see the right side of my bed empty. So, it had been just a dream. A very, very hot dream, but just a dream. Maybe agreeing to paint last night was a mistake. One, I couldn't paint. Misha nearly had a heart attack when I clumsily drew over her precisely prepared sketch. Two, Misha stood behind me all the time. And that would usually be fine, but it did something to me. Made my stomach feel weird and heat race through my body. Her hand guiding the brush had felt so intimate with her breath hitting the back of my neck. I practically bolted out of there after an hour. I couldn't take it anymore. If I had stayed, I would have grabbed and kissed the living daylights out of her. And that scared me shitless because I never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as her. I wanted to fuck women – I knew that feeling, but never kiss them. That had become an unwritten rule. I grabbed my phone to stop the alarm clock and groaned when I saw Misha on my lock screen. "This is a joke." I mumbled and got up to take a shower.

I nearly hit the ceiling when I saw Misha sitting on my couch in the living room. I still had a towel wrapped around my waist and was dripping all over an expensive rug Aphrodite bought for me in India. "What are you doing here?" "You dropped in on my place unannounced, so I thought I'd do the same for you." She pointed to the couch table. "I brought breakfast." No, no, no. She was already in my head I couldn't have her sitting in front of me too. "Where did you get a key?" "Apollo gave me one." Her eyes dropped to the towel I was practically clinging on to. Her tongue came out for a split second to wet her lips and my head felt dizzy. She cleared her throat and tried to look me in the eyes before she went back to staring at my abs. Now I really needed her to leave, or I was going to explode. "What did you bring me for breakfast?" I asked to distract myself from thinking about how she would look naked, laying on my couch with me hoovering over her. "Food." She said mindlessly and I wanted to touch her even more. I made a step closer to her but froze when she looked up and smiled at me. The same smile she gave me the first time I saw her. So kind and breathtaking. Suddenly I didn't feel like touching her anymore. She felt too pure for me. Too good. "I need to get to work, so I'm afraid I can't eat breakfast with you." "That's alright. I wanted to come to work with you anyway." "What?! Why?" "It's my day off in the coffeeshop. I thought you could show me your studio. It will help shut the people up who think it was a onetime thing." She got up and made a gesture to her outfit. A classy skirt paired with a dark blue sweater. No jewelry or make-up. "I'm wearing my best outfit for you." I chuckled and finally relented. She was so... real. Fresh air when I was usually confronted with women who spent five hours in a bathroom (some of my siblings included) or told me whatever I wanted to hear. "Let me get dressed and I'll take you with me."

I hurriedly retreated to my bedroom to change into something more suitable for the day. My mind was still reeling from the unexpected sight of Misha in my apartment, her presence stirring up a mixture of excitement and unease within me. As I hastily slipped on a clean shirt and jeans, I couldn't help but wonder how Apollo, my mischievous brother, had managed to give her a key without my knowledge. But that was typical of him—always meddling and finding ways to stir up my life. When I returned to the living room, Misha was eating a croissant she brought, her eyes wandering around the space as she took in the bookshelves and a few awards I had won. She looked up at me and smiled warmly, causing my heart to skip a beat. This woman was captivating in a way I hadn't experienced before. "Ready?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite the turmoil of emotions swirling inside me. She stood up and nodded, her eyes still holding a hint of playfulness. "Lead the way."

We exited the apartment and walked down the hallway toward the elevator. The silence between us was both comfortable and charged, the tension inside me seemed to grow with every step. As the doors slid open onto the ground floor, I gestured for Misha to step out first, and we made our way to the news studio.