Chapter 12: Part 12

Slowly tugging at the door, I let my mouth slack a bit and attempted to control breathing away from him, trying not to let the scent drive me. I had so many questions in mind, eyes straining to remain on the familiar figure in front of me. How did Abel find me? Was he stalking me now?

“Sir…” I slurred, a loud hiccup tearing through my lips. My cheeks reddened at his wide eyes, desperately praying for the ground to open up and swallow me right now.

“Have you been drinking?”

Shaking my head, I met his eyes, breathless and still overwhelmed as the first time we met. I pressed my body against the door frame, bottom lip poking out. How did he find out? It may be the slurring.

At his raised brow, I shamefully nodded, suddenly finding the carpeted floor to be more interesting.

“Just…a little!”

He mumbled something under his breath, fingers coming to massage at his temples. The Alpha was agitated, trying his best to control the temper as he stayed rooted on the spot.

"Professor Abel...umm...what are you doing here?"

"I live here."

Those three words were enough to make me still in the spot, a loud gasp flying out of my lips. For the first few seconds, I couldn't blink, vision getting blurry around the edges. What did he say? I questioned myself.

Nervous laughter escaped me, a hand coming to bunch at the sides of my shorts. "Huh? I must not have heard you the first time. Can you please repeat?"

"You heard me right, Miss Emma. I live next door, and also, I am the owner of this building." Abel rolled his eyes almost lazily as he crossed his arms against his chest. The motion caused his biceps to flex under that loose tee he was sporting. I realised the Alpha was wearing the most casual clothes I had ever seen him in.

Oh. I thought with a gaping expression, still in shock.

"The question is, what are you doing here? Late night party?"

We were extremely close to each other; I noticed while frantically shaking my head. The harsh lights from the ceiling cast a soft glow over his porcelain skin. His eyes appeared dark green; I could barely tell them apart from the pupil.

"No." Our eyes locked, breathing the same air, only a few inches of distance between us. I basked in the heat, rolling off him, my body being drawn towards the source of the warmth. In my defence, Axel doesn't look real, his jaw tight and his facial features sharp.

My throat was dry as a desert, tongue feeling heavy as I answered, "Actually, I share this flat with my friend Allie."

"Fucking great." He said under his breath, almost a whisper as if it was not meant to be heart. Raising his head, Abel ran a hand over his hair, slicking them away from his forehead.

"How come I never saw you around?"

"Uh...I don't get out much except for the university."

He hummed. "That explains it."

Silence lingered in the air again, tense and grating my nerves. His gaze was trained on my bare legs, lips pressed in a thin line. My skin automatically broke out in goosebumps, heat coiling in the pit of my stomach. Oh right.

I was still wearing baggy shorts, legs crossed, as I pulled on my loose top.

Clearing my throat, I wrapped an arm around the middle, pulling the door a bit wider. “Do you want to come in?” As soon as those words were in the air, I cringed, knuckles turning white.

“No.” He straightened his stance, making my shoulders sag in relief. Why would I ask him such a question now? “Thanks for the invite, but it’s midnight, Miss Emma. Some people have jobs, places to be early in the morning, so I would appreciate it if you could turn off that awful music.”

“O-Oh right, sorry for the loud music.” With that, I immediately rushed and turned the volume button down, my head feeling dizzy. Rushing, I stood in front of him again. “We won’t let it happen again.”

He grunted, and I watched him as he retreated until turning out of sight while I resisted my instinctual urge to let out a scream.

***

I just climbed under my duvet for bed that night when a soft knock at the door. I sighed and didn’t respond, knowing exactly who it was as I laid down and pulled the freshly washed linen to his chin, hoping I could feign being asleep well enough to fool the one person who wouldn't fall for it.

“Emma. I know you are awake!”

There's a pause, before my best friend sighed heavily and stepped through the door, stopping at the edge of the bed. There's only one candle lit in the room, the shutters on my window closed to block out the bright moon-lit clouds. Due to that, her face was barely illuminated, still, it's enough to see the frown pretty clearly.

“Why did you slam the door and walk out on me? Who was it?”

As soon as Abel left, I was mortified at the turn of events. Not only was he my Professor but also landlord and my neighbour. Does that mean he’s the one who played that violin? How much more messy can it get? Why did it take me so long to realise Alpha Abel is my neighbour?

Then again, when he gave me a lift, I told him to drop me off a few minutes away from home. He must have taken the elevator that day. That’s why we did not run into each other.

I decided to abandon Allie in the kitchen for the rest of the night, knowing well enough that she would drink just as fast as the sun sets and end up falling asleep still sitting in the single chair in the kitchen. It was the only reason why we got a comfortable chair in there at all.

“Our neighbour…” I breathed, eyes clenched tight.

“Oh, the hot guy I was telling you about. What did he have to say?”

I pulled the covers away, whirling around to face her. “Please do not call him that….”

“Oh, come on, he’s your type!”

“Allie, he is my Professor.”

Her face paled, colour draining slowly as she let my words sink in. My best friend rushed closer, plopping on the edge of the bed, groping my hand. “Shut up! Are you kidding me?”

“No! He’s Professor Abel. The devil incarnate I keep on talking about.”

“What a small world.”

I groaned, hiding my face between my folded knees, body sagging. “Too small! I don’t know what I am going to do now. Should we move?”

“No! This is an awesome apartment. Besides, what’s so bad about living next to your Professor?”

I didn’t answer her. Allie convinced me for a few minutes before leaving my room. As soon as she left, I tried to let the softness of the mattress under my back and the darkness of the bedroom lull me into sleep. I urged my body to relax and sink in the endless night, but the image of Alpha Abel kept me falling over the edge.

I gave in and thought about his face before falling into deep pits of sleep.

***

The following day I started resenting my decision to get drunk. What was I thinking? Clearly nothing. It also sank in that Abel had come over with a noise complaint. How will I face him in class afterwards?

I scrubbed my face, sitting up and letting the covers fall. My eyes fell on the nearby clock and almost popped out of their sockets, realising that I was late for my class. Moons! I cursed.

At the speed that racers should rival, I managed to slip out of my smelly clothes and take a shower. Allie was still sleeping, so I locked the door and picked a coffee tumbler on the way out.

“Hold it!” I yelled while watching as the elevator doors began closing, my hand flailing in front of me. Huffing, I managed to sprint towards the opened doors, lungs burning at the exertion.

When I entered, my eyes immediately landed on Abel, who was leaning his back against the button, facing me with his arms folded over his chest and a slight frown on his face. He didn’t look as annoyed as last night, more guarded if anything.

Shyly I cleared my throat, my face already turning several shades of red, the grip tightening around the tumbler. “T-Thanks for holding the lift.” All the mental prep and courage from a couple of seconds ago gone.

“So this is why you are always late.” He remarked with an amused tilt of his lips, a single brow raised.

Before I could reply, the lights above started flickering, noise going off in the vents before the elevator was suspended abruptly. Oh no.

***

So sorry for missing the updates but my kidney stones pain is almost unbearable. I am getting treatment at the moment, so I will get back in form by the end of this week!