I abruptly turned around and clambered back inside the car. Screw this. I'm not on a date with him. I wasn't about to let him think that that was what this was. He'd just get all cocky and probably tell everyone he could that I went on a date with him, even if it was without my knowledge. He'd do it just to spite me.
He let out a hearty laugh, flashing me his dazzling smile as he placed his hand on the top of my car door, leaning against it. A strand of his dark locks fell down across his eyes and he ran his hand through his hair, brushing it back. "We're not leaving, Greene, might as well get out of the car," he grinned, obviously very proud of himself. I clenched my jaw and faced him, narrowing my eyes at his crystal blue orbs.
"This isn't a date, Grey. I don't like you. You don't like me. This isn't a date," I scowled and Grey merely smirked. He looked so arrogant right now. That crooked smirk on those perfect lips, that twinkle in those light blue eyes, knowing that he had me in checkmate. I wanted to smack that smirk off his face.
"You don't like me yet, Greene," he winked, leaning nonchalantly against the car door. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and listening to the silence of the forest. Against the surreal backdrop of this lush forest, he looked positively inhuman. It seemed like everything about him, save for his personality, was far too perfect to be real.
"I don't like you ever, Grey," I rolled my eyes and got out of the car, standing face to face with him. It was close, a little too close for comfort. His eyes wandered across my face, one of his eyebrows slightly raising as he went from my lips to my eyes. I scowled and cocked my head to the side.
"Move," I demanded and Grey smirked, knowing I didn't feel comfortable being this close to him. He took a step back, somehow making that mere movement seem arrogant, and reached in his back pocket, pulling out a key. As he did so, his cerulean eyes wandered up my body, before he turned around and walked up the wooden steps to his beautiful house. I followed him up the steps, watching the waves crash on the rocky shore below the house. Seriously, how could he afford this? And the car? His parents must be loaded.
He opened the door for me, and I let him, seeing as he threw a hissy fit the last time I opened the door for myself. I never understood the whole door opening thing anyways. Sure, it's supposed to be 'gentlemanly', but I have a pair of working arms. That, and, he's not a gentleman, and he knows I know that. I didn't know what he was playing at anymore. I swear, he was like a wild animal. I never knew what he was going to do next, let alone the purpose behind his actions. It bothered the hell out of me.
We walked straight into the living room, which consisted of a wall of windows overlooking the ocean, and very rustic decor. He had a dark grey sofa, a minimalistic coffee table, and wrought iron fixtures on the lights. The floors were grey wood, the walls the same dark wood as the exterior. Needless to say, it looked straight out of a magazine.
"Nice place. Your parents have great taste," my eyes roamed around the large room as I wandered over to the windows to look outside. Clouds were sweeping over the ocean, heading our way with a slight breeze. Right outside the windows sat an infinity pool. Seriously, this guy was loaded. The pool would be way too cold right now, but I imagined that, in the summer, that pool was the best part of this place. Besides, perhaps, the easy access to hiking trails.
"You mean I have great taste," he smirked and I turned around to look at him, raising an eyebrow. There was no way he could afford all of this by himself. He looked no older than 22. This was easily a multimillion-dollar home, and he drove a pretty nice car. Plus, he was in college! College costs as much as a home these days.
"You live here by yourself?" I asked, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden. I was alone. With Grey. In his house. Once again, I had wandered right into one of his webs. He smirked, his eyes twinkling as he took a step towards me.
"I do," he hummed, his eyes flicking outside as the rain began to patter against the large windows. I tried to imagine Grey living by himself. Grey cooking, Grey doing the laundry, Grey dusting- it kind of made me want to laugh. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to be so independent. He seemed like the kind of guy to pay people to help him be independent.
"Where are your parents?" I asked, turning around and looking outside again. The rain was getting heavier now, and I could no longer see the beach below us. The huge pine trees began to sway slightly back and forth in the slight breeze that accompanied the rain.
"Don't have any. They died a long time ago," he explained, and I heard his voice getting closer to me. I didn't have anywhere to run, anywhere to go to prevent him from getting too close. I was in his home, and I was practically cornered.
"So how could you afford all of this?" I turned around, suppressing a startled jump when I saw that he was right behind me. Too close. Too close. My heartbeat skyrocketed in my chest, so loud I was almost positive he could hear. His silvery eyes flicked between my eyes and he clenched his jaw, the shadows that defined his cheekbones becoming even more defined as he did so. It was then that I realized, he had a slightly hooked nose. It cast the slightest shadow over his lip, where a little cragged scar sat. I wouldn't have noticed were he not inches away from my face, but it was almost relieving to see that he had some manner of an imperfection.
"They were wealthy. Left me a lot of money. And I worked for Riel's dad, remember?" He raised an eyebrow and I shivered, my body not liking how close he was. It made me feel like a live wire. Like every nerve in my body was hypersensitive. More than anything- I felt nervous.
"I remember. Grey, why are we here? You said you had stuff to do today, and we're not doing anything," I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, even though my heart pounded in my throat. Grey's eyes bore into mine, holding me hostage as he ran his tongue across his bottom lip. I couldn't suppress the little jump that escaped my body when I felt Grey's hand touch my wrist and slowly drag up my arm, goosebumps erupting across my skin in a trail that followed his fingertips. I don't know what kind of magic he was working right now, but I was under his spell.
And then-
Knock knock.
Grey closed his eyes and clenched his jaw in frustration. I looked past his shoulder and back to the door, where I could see a shadow through the tempered glass around the doorframe.
"Shit," he growled under his breath and let out a heavy sigh. He took a step back and I realized I had been holding my breath. I let it out, my muscles finally relaxing now that there was distance between us. Grey sauntered over to the door, cracking it open just the slightest. I heard hushed whispers being exchanged, a voice that sounded- feminine?
Did Grey have a girlfriend?
"-no, you can't, she's here right now," I heard Grey whisper angrily and I narrowed my eyes, starting to walk over towards him. Were they talking about me?
"-and he needs a status update, so you better let me in, or I'll tell him," I heard the feminine voice threaten. Tell who? It was hard to believe anyone could have power over Grey.
"-it would be done and it will be, I just need more time, Onoskelis," Grey whispered through gritted teeth and I took a step closer, peering around him slightly and glimpsing black hair.
"-I said, let me in," the voice demanded, and with a heavy sigh, Grey moved aside, revealing a girl. She appeared to be about my age, maybe a little younger. She had a round face like a child and a wide, hooked nose that stretched down towards her thin lips. She had olive skin and big, beady eyes that glared at me beneath her over-plucked brows. She was a lot shorter than me, by around half a foot, it seemed, and a lot curvier too. A sly smirk grew on her lips as her eyes ran over me and she ran a hand down Grey's chest. I clenched my jaw at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Who are you?" I asked, sounding more like a demand than I had intended it to be. She smiled, looking a bit more like a rabid chipmunk than a person, and took a step towards me.
"My name's Onoskelis, but you can call me Skel. So nice to finally meet you, Jordan, I've heard so much about you," she reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into a hug before I had a chance to push away. She squeezed me tightly, as if trying to suffocate me, and then pulled back. "Sorry, I'm a hugger."
"It's... fine," I said uneasily, taking a step back from her. My eyes flicked between her and Grey. Not to be rude, but she wasn't pretty enough to be his girlfriend. Grey looked perfect, but she- she looked like a cross between a rabid chipmunk and a gremlin. But still, her touching him like that- they had to be.
Grey took a few steps towards me, standing between Skel and I. She pouted at him as if expecting him to move. "Alright, that's enough, Skel," his voice was low, threatening. Her beady eyes flicked to me, running up my body and flicking back to him. A slow smile spread across her face, slightly making me want to hurl. I wondered why I had such a visceral reaction to her.
"No need to be rude, babe, I just wanted to say hi. I'll be on my way, and you'll hear from him soon, I'm sure," she hummed, a devious twinkle in her black eyes making me realize how much more I preferred Grey's twinkle. With that, she turned on her heel and sashayed out the door, swinging her hips too much to be a normal walk. Grey rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut behind her, running his hands frustratingly through his midnight hair.
"I think you owe me an explanation," I folded my arms across my chest and eyed him suspiciously. Grey's eyes flicked up to me and he clenched his jaw and nodded. He took a step towards me and I took a step back.
"Let's just say, I work for a... rival company of Riel's now. Skel works with me. I have this... project that I was paid to do, and she needed a status update to report back to... my boss," he appeared to cringe a little at the last word. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"That's not the explanation I was asking for, Grey," I sighed, raising an eyebrow at him. Grey raised one of his eyebrows in response. A slow smirk grew on his lips as he realized what I was asking.
"She's not my girlfriend, no. And no, we're not sleeping together either. That's just how Skel is. She thinks we're all infatuated with her, a lot more than any of us are," Grey chuckled lightly, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine in an obvious effort to gauge my reaction.
"I don't like her," I scowled, breaking eye contact and looking back outside the windows. She gave this awful vibe. It wasn't like Grey's unpredictable vibe, which I had unfortunately become accustomed to. She just made me feel sick to my stomach.
"Neither do I," he narrowed his eyes at me slightly. I didn't like this. I didn't like how I felt right now. Grey had made me melt at his touch not ten minutes ago, and I hadn't protested. I hated that. I hated that Grey had also made me feel just the slightest twinge of jealousy, when I saw Skel touch him, drag her brittle hand down his chest. I hated how I felt right now. I hated that, even though I hated how I felt, a small part of me was also okay with it?