When I finally woke up it felt like it was only a couple of minutes, but I knew by the change in color from the window that it had been hours.
I blink the sleep out of my eyes and survey the first time since I got in here. Light grey walls along with white cherry rail give it a modern look. My eyes roam all over the guest room and slowly I realize that someone's been staying in there. A hamper with some dirty clothes was the dead giveaway. Now that I was well rested the smell in the bed wasn't a detergent smell, it was more of a musky manly smell.
The sound of hangers moving around in the closet makes me gasp and pull the covers around me tightly. Who was in here?
I found out soon enough when Harley stepped out of the closet...
Shirtless. A tattoo that I couldn't quite make out sat on his chest. The dark ink contrasted with his tan skin perfectly.
Oh, how good the heavens are.
"Is this your room? Finnic said first door on the left." My voice was scratchy, really scratchy. I bet he barely heard what I said.
I try, like really try to keep my eyes on his face but I fail.
His chest was muscular, like not lift weights muscular but like a farm handler. Just the perfect mixture. His stomach was toned; no well-defined abs just toned muscle. He had tattoos here and there and I wanted to know the meaning behind all of them.
I glance back up at his face, hoping he didn't catch me checking him out. His deep green eyes stare directly into my soul and a hint of mischief laces his lips. "He must have got confused."
Then this man hooks his thumbs in his pants making them tug down just enough to show off his v-line. All while staring me in the eyes daring me to look. I bite my lips begging my restraint to hold out.
"I'm sorry. Where is the other guest room?" I ask looking away from him and towards the door the tension in the air eating me alive.
"You can stay." My breath catches in my throat. My pulse beat hard enough for me to hear it in my eardrums.
"What?" It came out as a squeak.
He chuckles, "I said you can stay."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Because I'm headed to work."
It was silly of me to assume he was offering me to stay the night in his bed with him. I don't know why my mind went there.
"This late?" I deferred the situation by continuing to talk like I knew that's what he had meant. Playing dumb I guess because I didn't want to face the embarrassment yet.
He grabbed the shirt he picked out and started to button it up. Maddie, I don't care how tempted you are, don't look.
Don't look.
Don't look.
I can't help it. I got one more good look at his torso and even though he wasn't looking at me this overconfident grin took hold of his mouth. The thought of Harley liking me and looking at him made my insides boil with this need I don't think I have ever felt before.
"It was an emergency."
"What if I'm still asleep when you get back?" I question but still, I don't make a move to get out of bed. It felt too good and smelled like heaven came down to earth. Plus knowing Harley was sleeping here made me never want to leave it.
"I'll just climb in beside you." He was fiddling with something on his dresser so I couldn't see his facial reactions to tell if he was picking.
"Ha-ha real funny," I say and he glances over his shoulder with a somber expression on his face that stopped everything in the universe. Was he being serious?
The thought makes me squirm around feeling the sheets caress my exposed stomach.
"Think I won't?" He turns around, a look of pure determination written on his face as if he was taking this as a dare.
"Finnic would beat your butt." I shifted further away from him, pressing myself as far up as I could, the look in his eyes a little too serious. He was taking this as a dare.
"He could try." He moved closer, slowly taking his time until he was standing over the edge of the bed staring down into the depth of my emerald eyes. He leans over so that he is directly above me. My focus bounces between each of his eyes, not being able to pick which one to look at. "But he won't." He leans down and kisses my forehead gently. Letting his lips linger on my skin longer than necessary. This was the second kiss that he had laid on my skin this day, Harley wasn't the physical kind of person, unlike Liz. He tended to stay in his bubble.
"Sleep good, sweets. I won't be back tonight, so no worries." He pushes my hair behind my ear in a protective kind of way. His fingertips brushed the top of my ear causing my jaw to tighten.
"I'll wash your sheets when I get up," I speak in between coughs. Enough of me bothering him, I needed to start returning the favors of it would eat me up on the inside. I didn't like excepting help or kindness from others, because normally they always had something awful in store to ask in return.
"Don't bother." He says quickly. He slips on his shoes before walking out of the room. He seemed ill that he was having to return to work on the weekend, maybe that was what had stolen his good mood away earlier.
I drift off once again, but I make sure to nuzzle into the sheets a little more than the time before and get a good inhale of Harley's enchanting smell.
~.~.~.~.~
This week was awful.
First was my apartment getting broken into and having to change my locks. That alone would have been enough to set off the rest of the week but that wasn't good enough for whatever force was working against me.
Second, my cell phone fell into the sink when I was listening to music while I did the dishes. It quit working. I just got it a couple of months ago. Maybe it was my fault for being clumsy with it, but I didn't have the funds to replace it right away.
Finally, the cherry on top of the Sunday was my favorite breakfast place closing. They weren't getting enough business to justify staying open any longer.
The owners were a really sweet older couple, which breaks my heart, but maybe they enjoyed their retirement. Not being busy was my favorite part about it, it offered a peaceful place for me to get out of the house without having to worry about being crowded with a bunch of people.
Now it was gone.
When I pulled into the parking lot of Peaches Bakery, Liz's car parked in the front threw me off my normal routine. What was she doing here? Wedding planning for the cake, maybe? Excitement makes me clock in a few minutes early. Was she going through here for the cake?
I wonder if Debra would let me decorate it. There were only two decorators here, and I had been here longer, so the odds were in my favor. Walking past all the tables and refrigerators that stored the premade cakes, I peek into the front part of the store looking for her familiar blonde hair.
I spot her shuffling through some papers in a folder. Glancing around I make sure there isn't anyone else in there before I go toward her. Debra realized that I couldn't work front soon after she hired me and put me decorating cakes. I was glad for the more hands-on experience. It was good practice for when I opened my bakery, that along with culinary classes, I should be ready whenever I save up enough money.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her and she jumps nearly spilling her paperwork everywhere.
"Goodness. Don't sneak up on me like that." Her hand rested over her heart from the jump scare. I was known for having light footsteps, sneaking up on people came naturally even if I didn't mean to.
"Sorry." I chuckled.
"I'm going through here to cater, is this the bakery you started working at?" I nodded excitedly, I had worked with her for a few months now and hadn't mentioned it to anyone, I didn't feel like it was important enough to share.
"That works out perfectly then." She shuffles through the papers once more before handing me an order.
"Well here. We're doing the wedding in August, so we have plenty of time to get everything situated." I look over the order and nod unable to keep the smile off my face. This was the perfect opportunity for me to do something for them for the wedding. I would make sure I did my best work and give them exactly what they wanted.
"I'm so excited," I admit.
"Me too. We're officially going to be sisters-in-law." She smiled a cheeky smile and grabs my shoulders pulling me into a hug and squeezing tightly.
"I'll let you get back to work, don't want you getting into trouble because of me." She teases and pushes me off in the direction I came in from.
I start towards the door, but her voice stops me. "Oh yeah. I and Finnic are wanting you and Harley to go to dinner with us tonight. To discuss wedding plans,"
Before I even have time to protest, she is out the front door. I had been avoiding Harley because I wanted, no I was needing these tingles to go away.
I walk towards Mrs. Debra's office and hand her Liz's order. "My sister-in-law is wanting to cater through us for her wedding. This is her order." I pass over the papers, and she smiles at me showing her pearly whites encased in her ruby-red lipstick. She was an older lady, probably late forties but she didn't look a day over twenty-five.
"Already bringing in business, might have to up your pay." She teases and I smile back at her before I head to my station. She was an amazing boss; I loved the work environment that her cheery attitude brought to the table. She gave me a chance even though I didn't have much work experience.
The aroma of icing fills my nostrils making my sweet tooth beg. That was one of my favorite parts about working here was the smell.
"Hey, girl." Nancy waved at me through her bangs, she was nearly as socially awkward as I was causing us to click well but keep our distance.
She had black hair, and her skin was pale causing her to have a snow-white complex. She even had red cheeks to match.
"How have you been?" She holds up her hand and makes a so-so motion. Well, at least I wasn't the only one having a rough week.
The hours went by quickly and somehow, I had avoided Tom until the last few minutes when our eyes locked as he comes in with a packet. He smiles a sad smile and waves at me. I wave back feeling like a horrible human being.
I was the cause of that sad smile, instead of moving on from the past traumas in my life I had just held them deep inside me and swore off men. Tom wasn't a bad guy and if it wouldn't be for some of the things that I've been through then I would have given him a shot. In a way that seems like I'm cheating myself out of living life as I should. it didn't matter how much sense my brain tried to talk; I still wasn't going to go out with him. I just ... couldn't.
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