According to the Sun (Book 2 of According To Series)

Chapter 3

Apollo's grin became brighter, and it seemed to cause the whole world to become brighter as well. His eyes sparkled like stars in the sky, and it took my breath away. "You can move in right now," he said excitedly. He reached to take my hand, but I moved out of his way, panicking. Pain flickered on his face, and he slowly let his hand fall to his side.

My cheeks turned red, and I looked down. "Ummmmm." I licked my lips, hating that I had hurt him for some reason. I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry for moving away so quickly..." I cleared my throat again and licked my lips, not trying to meet his gaze. "I just have to check how far this place is from my work..."

Apollo nodded and looked relieved. "So, you don't mind staying here?"

I shook my head. "Not really," I said honestly, even though I had no idea why I was comfortable with him, but I was. "I-I just want to be prepared and see how long it would take me to get there..."

Apollo smiled. "I could take you to your work if you want me to," he said. "I wouldn't mind."

"But you're doing so much already," I said. "I mean, you're giving me a free place to live, and I can't help but be grateful for that."

Apollo nodded. "Where do you want to take your bags?" he asked. "Or do you want me to take them up with me..?" He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head before he studied me with golden brown eyes.

My cheeks felt warmer while he studied me, and I looked down so that I didn't have to meet his gaze. "Ummm, I don't want to carry them, but..." I shrugged my shoulder and grimaced.

Apollo slowly nodded his head, and for a second, I thought a flicker of sadness appeared in his eyes. "You don't trust me," he said. "Are you afraid that I will look through your bags?" He raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head because I didn't think he would go through them. Something in me told me that he'd respect my space as long as I needed him to, but that didn't stop the small voice in the back of my mind telling me that this was all a hoax, and he was playing me like a fiddle.

"Are... you trying to find another place to live?" he asked, and I shook my head no.

"I... think I am meant to be here," I admitted, my cheeks becoming slightly redder. I cleared my throat and looked away from him, silently cursing myself for bringing that up. I had no idea why I told him that I thought I was meant to be here, but I did, and I was silently cursing myself and the questions that it could lead to.

"Really?" Apollo asked, and for some reason, I thought I heard him sounding a little too cheerful. "Are you sure?"

I hesitated but nodded my head. "I'm so sorry," I said, looking at him. "I-I didn't mean t-" I stopped talking when he held up his hand, and I saw a huge smile trying to appear on his face.

"Don't be," he said. "Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways, and I think you being here is one of those mysteries." He stuffed his hands into his pocket and shrugged his shoulder. "It's like I'm meant to help you or something?"

I narrowed my eyes, having this small feeling that he was hiding something. I had no idea what it was, but I had this feeling that he knew more than he was leading on, especially when he seemed so content with helping me find a place in such an expensive city.

Apollo cleared his throat and looked away. He licked his lips, and for some reason, that caught brought my attention down to them and not to anything else.

I wonder how he tasted.

Quickly, I shook that thought out of my head because I didn't really know this guy. I hadn't known him for long, but all I wanted to know was how his lips tasted.

Did he taste like the Sun that seemed to be emitting from him?

I bit back a scoff and shook my head again, not needing those thoughts in my head. I didn't need to prove my mother right about me finding love and not focusing on my career as an artist and a writer.

I didn't need to go back to the farm life that I lived in where everyone knew everything and whispered behind my back and in front of me about my "strange" abilities that helped me create small drawings and short stories that I hope to publish one day.

"Are you ok?" Apollo asked, breaking me from my thoughts. Concern filled his eyes while he studied me, and his golden brown eyes turned a darker brown. "You just shook your head twice in the past few seconds as if you were trying to control your thoughts."

I cleared my throat and looked away from him. My cheeks turned darker, and I felt embarrassed that he had to catch me in such a predicament as this. "Ya, I'm fine," I said. "I was just shaking my head to get rid of some thoughts of mine."

Apollo raised an eyebrow, and a flicker of amusement and curiosity filled his eyes while he studied me. "Oh?" he asked, and I nodded. "And what thoughts were these?" He smiled, and my throat went dryer than the Oklahoma sun that I left behind. "Were they about me?"

Yes, and your lips, I silently said, but I shook my head. "No," I replied. I shrugged and grimaced. "They were stray thoughts that my mother had put in my head about what I would find in New York and what I was hoping to find."

Apollo's eyebrow grew higher when I said that. "And what did she think you would find?" he asked.

Love. I shrugged. "She thought I would find some one night stands and get pregnant as well as end up on the streets." I cleared my throat and looked away. "She didn't think I would be able to make a career for myself with the skills that I have."

Apollo nodded slowly. "And you wanted to prove her wrong?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes," I replied. "I wanted to prove to her that she was wrong and that I could do this. I could move here and make a living. I wasn't just some waste of space like she thought."

Again, Apollo nodded before he smiled. "Well," he said. "I think that you have a good head on your shoulders. I think you will do good with whatever you set your mind to. Just don't reject help on the way." He winked teasingly.

I offered him a small smile and nodded. "I won't," I promised. "I won't reject your help."

"Good," he said. He gestured towards the counter, where a man was waiting to help the people. "Let's drop your bags off with him, and when you are back from searching for whatever, you can just pick them up from him. Is that a good idea?"

I nodded, feeling relieved that he wasn't pushing me to let him take my bags back to his place. "Yes," I replied. "That's a good idea. I appreciate it."

Apollo smiled this small knowing smile, and his eyes grew softer. "Anything for you."