Obsession (18+)

Chapter 18

I was an early bird so waking up bright and early the next morning wasn't unusual for me.

I leaned against the patio door frame that was setup in the living room. I was up early enough to catch the sunrise and observe the hues of orange and pink that illuminated each crevasse of the Eiffel Tower, shining above the land. It wasn't quiet considering we were dead-set in one of the busiest areas of Paris, but it wasn't entirely loud. Definitely the quietest it would be for the rest of the day.

There was something about waking up early, sometimes even before the sun. It caused my days to be more easily distinguishable than blended together. Usually my mornings consisted of going for a run or a walk, then going home and showering to start my day. It was refreshing, really. Some people might turn to meditation or journaling to clear their minds and keep them grounded, but I liked to do something physical that pushed my body to keep me grounded.

Maybe grounded wasn't the correct term that I was looking for considering I was anything but grounded in life. That was obvious in the way that I was pining after this teenaged girl that I've known since she was born and I turned to her like she was my lifeline.

So, perhaps it wasn't the morning runs that were keeping me grounded. Maybe those were only something to keep me distracted. Jesse De Rose was what really kept me grounded.

The light shined in my soil colored eyes causing me to squint and scrunch my eyebrows at the sun.  Silence radiated the suite and it was quite obvious that everyone was still asleep from the exhausting flight the night before, or so I thought. 

The floorboards creaking behind me caused me to slowly turn my head in the direction that the sound came from. 

And coincidentally, Jesse was the second to wake up. Although, I knew she was an early bird as well. She woke up at five in the morning, everyday. Never once did she miss that timeframe, ever since she was a toddler. It ruins my whole day, she had once said when Carissa told her to sleep in when Jesse had slept over at our house.

She rubbed at her eyes with her palm, "Good morning." 

I shot her a tiny smile, "Morning. Sleep well?"

She pouted, shaking her head as she walked to me. Her jet black waves of hair spilling over her shoulders and falling at her waistline. "Definitely not. It was far too cold in my room and the comforter was equivalent to a thin sheet." Jesse stood next me and clasped her hands behind her back. The sun danced across her face which made her tilt her up with closed eyes and breathe in deeply.

This epitome of desire mixed with innocence wore nothing but skimpy baby pink cotton shorts and a white shirt—one that was very transparent in this light. I didn't dare to allow my eyes to trail down her body to see what was underneath despite wanting to. "Why are you up so early anyways, Mr. Marcelo?" She questioned, opening one eye to look at me and lolling her head against the frame. 

"It's normally always like this," I crossed one ankle over the other, leaning my body weight to the side. "I tend to wake up early in order to get a head start to my day....the early bird gets the worm, right?" 

She shrugged, running her fingers through her disheveled waves, "I guess that's how the saying goes. I don't particularly apply it into my life, however, to each their own."

Ironically, the soft hum of birds chirping filled the silent void of the hotel room as we both surveyed the beauty of Paris. And I admit, it was nice to be in each other's presence without my constant need to worry about everyone else around us.

Jesse pushed herself up, twirling her hair around her fingers in an attempt to brush through them, "Care to have some coffee outside on the balcony, Mr. Marcelo?" Her hands reached upwards as she stretched her body out and the sliver of tan skin from the area between the hem of her shirt and shorts appeared in my view. "It's rather beautiful outside, is it not?"