Chapter 17: THE BREAK IN

MIA

"This is ridiculous."

I was standing in front of my closet for the third time in twenty minutes and had changed my shirt twice already. Dante had invited me for dinner and I was acting like a teenager getting ready for prom.

It was just dinner with my neighbor who I'd had dinner with a dozen times before. Except this felt different somehow. My heart raced at the thought of seeing him.

I ended up settling for a black dress that was a mix of casual and still nice enough to show that I put in effort. I left my hair down, did minimal makeup and when I looked in the mirror I barely recognized the woman staring back.

She looked hopeful and that scared me more than anything else, making me look away.

His apartment smelled like garlic, wine and a sweet scent I couldn't identify. Jazz played softly from speakers, the lights were lower than usual making the space feel more ambient and romantic.

It almost felt like a date.

"You look beautiful," he said when I walked in.

"You clean up nice yourself." I smiled.

He'd changed into dark jeans and a button-down that was probably more expensive than my entire outfit. His hair was still damp, barefoot and looking more relaxed than I'd ever seen him.

"Wine?" he asked.

"Please."

He poured two glasses from a bottle that definitely cost more than twenty dollars. I had started to notice just how rich he was but never bothered to ask. He handed me one and when our fingers brushed, I felt a tingle shoot through my body.

This was a bad idea. I was falling for him but at this point, I was ready to throw caution to the wind. Dinner was perfect as he had made pasta again but different from the carbonara. Something with mushrooms and cream that made me close my eyes and moan on the first bite. We talked about everything from the books we'd read to places we wanted to travel and joked about the time he'd accidentally locked himself out of his apartment in his underwear.

I laughed so hard I had to set down my wine glass.

"You're making that up."

"I'm not. Marco had to bring me the spare key and ever since he has never let me forget it."

"Who's Marco?"

"My business partner. He's been with me for years." He refilled my glass. "Your turn. Tell me something embarrassing."

"I once shot an entire wedding with my lens cap on."

"No." He gasped.

"Yes. I didn't realize until the reception and had to reshoot everything. The bride almost killed me."

He was smiling all through. It was the one I'd only seen once before during the photo session that made him look younger and made me feel like I could fall for him and never get hurt. He made me feel so safe.

We moved from the table to the couch soon after.He sat close enough that our legs almost touched. I became hyperaware of his musky scent and the heat emitting from him.

"I like this," I said. "Whatever this is."

"Me too."

"Are we going to talk about what it is?"

"Do we need to?"

"Probably."

"Or," he said quietly, "we could just let it be what it is."

I bit my lips, thinking. His eyes followed the movement and pinned there for a moment before looking back up.

"Can I kiss you?"

I drew in a sharp breath. If I had my way, I'd literally fuck him right now. But that was rushing too much.

"Yes."

He moved slowly, giving me time to change my mind as he brought his hand to cup my face, thumb brushing my cheek and then he kissed me. It was gentle at first and I could taste the wine which was addictive. I leaned into him to get more, deepening the kiss. His  fingers threaded through my hair, tightening around it while my hands up his body to his chest.

My head spun as the kiss felt so consuming.

When he pulled back we were both breathing hard.

"We should stop." he said, hand still in my hair with his forehead pressed against mine.

"Why?" I said, panting.

"Because if we don't, I won't want to."

That was all it took and I kissed him again, harder this time. This one wasn't testing water anymore but demanding more and more and he let me. My hand started to slip underneath his shirt, caressing the hard lines of his abs as heat pooled in between my legs but then, he pulled back.

"Not tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to do this right." He brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. "I've waited this long. I can wait a little longer."

My stomach flipped. I guess I wasn't the only one who has wanted this since we met.

"Okay," I heard myself say.

"Okay?"

"I should probably go anyway before I change my mind about the waiting thing."

He smiled, walked me to the door and kissed me one more time. It was sweet, brief and filled with a promise of more.

"Goodnight, Mia."

"Goodnight."

I practically floated across the hall. I had never felt so giddy and light. I had finally kissed him and it was everything I wanted and more. With a giggle, I unlocked my door, stepped in and turned on the light and that’s when I froze in my tracks.

There was a flower on my kitchen counter.

A single, white perfect peony sat on the middle of my counter that I didn't buy. I stood by the doorway, staring at it. I had locked the door when I left and even double checked because of the stalker and no one had a spare key.

I walked toward it slowly like it might bite or explode. Someone had either duplicated my key or picked the lock and came in while I was at Dante's place.

The stalker had come in tonight.

My hand started shaking badly, making me back up towards the door, my eyes never once leaving  the flower. It was a gift and a threat that he could access me whenever he wanted. He had touched my things and could even do that while I slept. The stalker thought this was romantic but it was terrifying.

My brain told me to call the police, or Yuna or even Dante. But I could barely even breathe as my vision started to blur, heart racing painfully fast.

Nowhere was safe anymore.