The first thing I noticed upon waking up was that I was not in my bed.
In movies, this realization is usually slow-burn and would dawn on you only after stretching, observing the room in detail, and blinking rapidly.
In reality, that was not the case.
As soon as I gained consciousness I knew I was in enemy territory. The mattress felt strange, the pine smell in the room was certainly not mine and the shirtless male shape snoring next to me was a whole new level of disturbing.
I knew, with dreaded certainty, that since this was not my bed it was Maddox's. And Maddox's room. And Maddox's pine scent.
Unable to stop myself, I groaned and I jumped out of the bed as if it had caught on fire. My heartbeat raced as I tried to recall the exact moment when I passed out. All I could remember was the sound of his comforting, melodic voice, and then I closed my eyes for just a second...
I cursed under my breath when I heard Maddox groan, clearly on the verge of waking up. Turning around on my heels, I tried to tip toe out of his room, probably looking a little too much like a cartoon villain.
"Are you trying to sneak out?" And failing miserably at it.
Hesitating, I threw a longing glance at the door before turning to face him. Maddox looked infuriatingly good for having just woken up. His curly hair was slightly tousled, his gray eyes open in lazy slits, his frame stretching across the entire bed... After our moment of peace yesterday, I felt increasingly more uncomfortable with how attractive he was and missed the moments only a few days ago when I thought he was just a shallow, dumb, playboy.
He smirked, clearly self-satisfied which is when I realized I'd been staring at him.
Clearing my throat, I looked away and stammered, "I wasn't sneaking out, I was--" Okay, Aimee, time to make that brilliant brain of yours shine, I was... "exercising."
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing me, an intellectual. Why? Why are you like this?
I cried out internally at my useless brain. It amazed me how I could go from having the perfect snarky remark to forgetting the entirety of the English language in a matter of seconds.
Maddox chuckled and stretched, looking me over.
"Ya know, I can give you a better exercise if that's what you're looking for." His voice was low and his lips raised in a crooked smile.
At first I thought he was legitimately offering to teach me some exercises. Considering this was Maddox speaking I should have known better. It wasn't until he wiggled his eyebrows and tapped on the bed next to him that I understood his meaning.
"Ew. Not even in your dreams." The words flew out of my mouth in a rush and I grimaced.
"Hm, well, that's debatable..." He answered and winked, making my stomach queasy.
Oh, God, so much ew. Well, I'm done with today.
Eager to get away from this conversation, I turned and opened the door to his room. Before I could escape, he laughed and for some reason the sound stopped me in my tracks.
I glanced back at him, my eyes narrowed into slits.
He raised his hands as if in defence and explained, "It's nice, seeing a girl sneak out of my room in the morning, for a change." The smirk on his face told me he wasn't going to let me live this down.
What had I done?
I left his room quickly and slammed the door behind me so hard for a second I was worried it would fall off the hinges. All I could hear from Maddox's room was another wave of laughter.
With heat rushing to my cheeks, I made my way to the kitchen, in desperate need of caffeine. Or a time machine that could take me three months back in time. But, I'd settle for a coffee.
After I'd made some coffee, I went back to the scene of the crime — the living room.
The remnants of yesterday's game night — crushed Cheetos, beer stains, and empty bottles — still decorated the table, the couch, and the floor.
I shook my head at the mess and got to work clearing it. A smile pulled my lips up as I remembered Maddox's shocked expression when he noticed I was good at Halo. But once my thoughts drift to how the evening ended, I feel a clenching sensation in my chest.
Was game night really cancelled? And why did that thought make me feel both happy and disappointed?
Letting out a sigh at my conflicting emotions, I went back to pour myself another cup. Deep in thought, I didn't notice Maddox had made his appearance until I felt his breath against my nape.
I jumped up in surprise, spilling most of the coffee on my shirt.
"What the hell?" I muttered at frustration, turning around to give him the nastiest glare I could muster.
He bit down on his lip, clearly trying to keep from laughing, "Sorry, sorry, didn't think I'd scare you."
"What kind of reaction did you expect?! Creepily standing behind me like that." I shuddered, rubbing my hand along my nape, trying to get rid of the tingling sensation.
He smirked, rubbing his chin with his fingers, "Well, usually I get more of a squee or giggling."
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they'd stay inverted in my head. Pushing him away, I made my way back to the living room and felt him follow behind me.
"Can I help?" He asked in his puppy dog voice and I knew looking at him would be a mistake, but I did it anyway.
He gazed down at me through his thick lashes, his head tilted slightly to the side, and an unbearably sweet smile on his face. I clicked my tongue, frustrated at how good he was at using his physical appearance to manipulate. Even more frustrated that it was working. I thought you were smarter than this, Aimee.
Huffing, and riding a self-deprecating wave of disgust, I pointed at the garbage bags I'd filled.
"You can throw that in the garbage can downstairs, I guess." I muttered through clenched teeth, glancing at him briefly.
He grinned like I'd just given him some great gift and picked up the two bags with ease. Considering one bag contained a bunch of empty bottles, the fact that he made it look like he was carrying a bag of feathers was kind of impressive.
As he made his way to the front door, I walked past him to go and change in my room. Before I could make it there though, he spoke up again.
"Hey, last night was fun. Game night, I mean. Talking to you and stuff." He said, his voice unusually warm as he nervously scratched the back of his head.
I looked at him in surprise since I'd expected the end of the night would ruin the whole thing for him. The expression on his face was so soft it made every other expression he'd worn look like a mask. Were they a mask?
"Yeah..." I muttered, all of a sudden feeling awkward about this new look on him.
"Next game night will be even better." He concluded before leaving the apartment and closing the door.
I stood there in shock for a few seconds, staring at the closed door.
Better? Next game night?
I bit down on my lip, trying to stop a smile from creeping onto my face.
I guess, game night wasn't cancelled after all.
Hi lovelieeees!
Sooo, game night is still ON! Ouyeaaa. *party hats for everyone!*
Though it'll be a few days before the next edition. 😂
I hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter! As always, it was incredibly fun to write, hehe.
Thank you guys again, so so much for your support! Every time I see you guys vote and comment my entire day feels brighter. I know it sounds cliche since everyone says that but it (and YOU!) really does mean a lot to me. <3
I hope you have a lovely day and stay safe. <333
PS. Apologies for any typos, it's been a hectic week and I haven't had time to really read through this in my hurry to post it up. :(