Never Been Kissed

Ch.05 ↬ J

I'd never personally delivered a contract before.

Even during my time shadowing other CEOs, they never requested that I hand deliver a contract or official documentation for clients. They always instructed their personal assistants to perform that task. So maybe that was why I was just loitering outside Madeline's apartment door, the manila envelope clutched against my chest.

I hadn't even knocked yet.

Do you think she could see me?

Do you think she perceived noises and curiosity consumed her, so she utilised her peephole? Frankly, I didn't think so. I think that just applies to me when it concerns my neighbour that seems to weave into my life at the most opportune moments—either for her or myself.

And for the record, I'll fucking kill Vincent the next time I see him.

With blips through high school as the exception, I'd never particularly been an all-round confident person. Sometimes mortification engulfed me, and it can govern how I subsequently act until I'm capable of washing the embarrassment away. Vincent, on the other hand, seldom lost his charisma and managed to charm the pants off just about anyone if he desired. Mysteriously, we balanced each other out. He remained grounded with other emotions I'd managed to weave into his narrow emotional spectrum while he brought out the bravado in me, especially when we were together.

Before I could compute another thought, Madeline's apartment door burst open and she stood there, gaze low and gripping a bag of trash. When her eyes settled on my legs, her head snapped up and she jerked, clutching the door handle tightly. Her cheeks darkened a few shades as she attempted to curtain her face with her hair. For a few heartbeats, we simply didn't move or fracture the silence. Then she adjusted the weight of the bag of trash in her hand.

"You scared me," she said, mercifully smiling. "How long have you been stood there?"

"Too long," I admitted. "I have the contract for you." Without contemplating my ensuing movement, I thrust the manila envelope at Madeline and she recoiled again, though amusement tugged at her expression. "Sorry."

She dropped the bag so it rested against the adjoining wall and took the manila envelope from me. Her cheeks remained reddened as she extracted the thick contract from the folds. Shuffling my weight from foot to foot, I observed the way her eyes virtually glazed over as she flicked through the pages.

"When do you need this signed by?"

"Whenever suits you. Read through it at your own leisure. If there's something you don't feel comfortable with, we'll negotiate and change it. You can either drop it in at Kelly Industries or... I'm right there," I added lamely, gesturing with my thumb over my shoulder. "And I should be getting back." As I stepped backwards, I fixated my gaze on Madeline. "Take your time with it."

She smiled at me. "Thank you."

Before I could wallow in the overwhelming urge of grimacing at myself at how I handled that interaction, I busied myself in my apartment. It was only when I settled on the sofa, phone in hand, when my gaze dipped to the dinosaur movie on the coffee table in front of me.

I bet those dinosaurs didn't have to worry about tongue-tying neighbours.

***

I finally caved.

As I knew I would.

As everyone knew I would, to be more accurate.

And Vincent was surveying the bar for potential women for me, humming with frowns and murmuring "potential" or "no way" under his breath. Raegan even partook in the activity, though she nudged Vincent in the ribs every time he muttered "no way" under his breath. Still, it did nothing to thwart his efforts. He was relentless during this particular activity, as I knew based on years of experience.