Chapter 37 Chapter 36:
Arya:
Devon’s looking at me with those sharp emerald eyes of his, I can barely concentrate because his cologne is suffocating me, not in a bad way, in a I want to lean closer and smell it way.
I can’t seem to get his words out of my head. He wants more; he wants us, oh gosh. To be honest, the date with Jim was a disaster, he’s a pretty nice guy and any woman will be lucky to have him, but as I watched him smile tonight, I imagined it was Devon smiling at me like that, or when he tried to tuck a strand of hair behind my ears, I imagined Devon reaching out.
The whole evening was frustrating and which was why when Jim asked if we were meeting again, I politely said no. I couldn’t do that to him, ever.
“Arya?” Devon probes gently and it occurs to me that I have zoned out. His words pop back into my head and my face turns a whole shade of crimson.
“Devon, I don’t know. I spent nearly half my life with Kevin.” I sigh and his jaw hardens, I get really uncomfortable whenever I am talking about Kevin. He cheated on me, how easy is it to trust again?
“It was rough...” My tone is breaking now, “And I just don’t know if I am ready to gamble that again.”
“Oh.” There’s a shade of disappointment in his eyes and I hold my hands up.
“I am not done yet.” I squirm on the kitchen island, suddenly embarrassed to meet his eyes. “Make me feel as though I can trust you, give me a reason to be with you.” When I look into his eyes, there’s determination there, my heart suddenly starts beating ever so hardly.
His hand courses my chin and his touch feels like electricity pounding hard through me. “I can do that.”
I am breathless as I nod, because all I am imagining is his hands roaming my body or what it would feel like to kiss Devon Brookes again.
He takes a step closer, and my breath hitches. Devon leans in closer before whispering into my ears. “Goodnight.” We stare at each other for some time, before he turns and heads toward his bedroom.
After my night routine, I go into the bedroom, falling on the bed. Our earlier conversations popping back into my mind, I can’t close my eyes without thinking about Devon, it’s frustrating.
The clock ticks without me falling asleep, I groan into my pillow. As of now, it’s one in the midnight. My first instinct is going to Devon’s bedroom, but for what exactly? Telling him I can’t sleep?
Will that sound desperate? I don’t want to appear clingy, but I just can’t explain the warmth of being in his presence, without thinking. My legs start to find its way to the other side of the hall and before I know it. I am standing in front of his bedroom door.
I can do this, all I just have to do is knock, but what if he’s already asleep? I should turn back and go to bed but then I hear faint gasps and I hurriedly push the door knob open.
Devon’s sleeping, but he’s turning, his mouth parted, sweat clings on his skin, he’s muttering inaudible words under his breath.
“Devon?” I call out gently, knowing that he’s having a nightmare, even in his sleep, he seems quite disturbed. “Devon, it’s okay. It’s just a nightmare.” I stir him, but his eyes are tightly shut. “Just open your eyes, it’s just a nightmare.”
His eyes peel open and wide green eyes stare at me, shock and fear is still all over his face, his chest is heaving and falling as he manages to gasp heavily.
“Are you okay?” I ask as he sits down upright, “Do you need water? Milk? Anything?”
He nods his head, telling me no. “Why are you here?” His voice is still hoarse from the nightmare.
I leave out the part that I couldn't sleep and was trying to seek him out for comfort, “I heard your screaming, so I rushed over here.”
“Stay.” He says, “Please stay.”
Without hesitation, I climb into the bed, settling beside him. The tension in his body eases as he wraps my hand around my body, pulling me close. I sink into him, resting my head on his chest, our breaths evening out.
“What was your nightmare about?” I ask, scared that he won’t tell me. Devon is a reserved guy, I am sure the last thing he wants to do is tell me about the bad dream he just had.
However, he shocks me by saying. “My mother.”
“Oh.” My heart breaks for me, but I just relax, “tell me about her. What was she like?”
“She was something.” Devon says. “Always painting or journaling, she always tried to make Liam and I spend more time together, if she wanted to give us a present, she would make it look exactly the same.”
There’s a change in his tone as he talks about his mother, that deep love. He must miss her a lot; I can’t bring myself to imagine what it would be like without my family, I don’t ever think I will be able to survive the pain.
“You must miss her a lot.” I say sadly, feeling sorry for him.
“Every day.” He sighs; he drapes a hand over my waist, pulling me closer. The scent of his body engulfs me. “Thank you for being here with me.”
“Anytime.” I whisper, my heart pounding as I feel his warmth seep into me, there’s something about being here with Devon, soaking in all his warmth. Is this the part of Devon that no one has ever seen because they didn’t even bother for once to unravel what was beneath all those coldness?
Devon and I ended up talking throughout the night, we talked about everything and nothing, we shared some of our childhood stories, I told him about Vera when she was just born; from her first food, the silly things she said, her first steps.
He laughs softly, the sound rare and beautiful, and I can’t help but smile. As the hour passed, our words slowed and we drifted off together, falling asleep in each other’s arms.
\--
The next morning, I wake up still wrapped around Devon. His breathing is steady, his face soft, strands of hair falling over his face, his lashes edged together in a contented sleep. How does one manage to look sexy even while sleeping?
Gently sliding out of the bed, I pull the duvet over his body before walking into the bathroom. As I shower and brush my teeth, I am careful not to wake him up.
I wake Vera up, shower her with kisses. She seems excited today for some unknown reasons. After settling her on the couch in front of the TV with a baby cup of apple juice, I set about making breakfast.
I am almost done when I hear footsteps descending down the staircase. The scent of pancakes and freshly brewed coffee fills the air as the morning light streams towards the kitchen window. Devon walks into the kitchen, his hair damp from the shower, he’s dressed in a comfortable t-shirt and chinos trousers.
“Morning.” He says, leaning against the kitchen island.
“Not dressed in a suit today?” I raise my brows.
“I have to meet with Liam soon; we are uh, meeting someone, so I will wait until the babysitter comes in.” He explains. “What are you making?”
“I made pancakes and Vera already had her cereal, but I am thinking of making French toast too. Oh, but I thought you said you wouldn’t eat anyone’s food except made by you?” He hasn’t yet told me the story about why he won’t eat anyone’s food and it baffles me, what’s the story behind it?
He’s watching me with a lazy smile that somehow feels more dangerous than his usual sharp glare. “You are right, I don’t. But I’ll eat your food, Arya.”
His words are simple but the way he says it makes my pulse quicken. I turn back to the counter, continuing to chop the vegetables.
But in my distracted state, the blade slips, nicking my finger, a sharp sting shoots through me, blood gathering around my finger. “Damn it.” I hiss, dropping the knife.
Before I can process anything, Devon’s at my side, “What happened?” His eyes scan my hand as he gently takes it in his. The tenderness of his touch sends a jolt through me.
“It’s just a small cut.” I say, but he’s already peeling through the cabinet, bringing out a bandage.
“Stay still.” His tone is soft as he wraps the bandage around my finger with practised ease, his brows are concentrated. My heart races as I look up at him, his gaze flickers to me and neither of us moves for a second.
This is dangerous....Me, him. Us. This closeness, spending time with him, seeing this free part of him that no one else has seen, is just too much- and I have to be careful around him, I am pretty sure I just won’t get attached, I will get obsessed with this man.
If I am not careful, I will fall for him. Hard. And I am not sure I will survive that.
After Devon wraps the bandage around my finger, we both have breakfast.
I leave for work after kissing Vera goodbye, when I arrive at the design house, I park my car. There’s a black sedan car in the parking space and for a moment, I see Alisha in the car staring right through me.
When I blink, the sedan car drives away. That was Alisha I just saw, I know it’s her, but why is she at my designer house? Is she following me?
The idea of Alisha stalking me sends me the creeps; Have I seen the wrong person? I know what I just saw! That was her, I check my phone, wanting to text Devon, but I stop myself. What exactly will I say?
‘Hey, funny story. I just saw your friend, Alisha, outside my designer store. But funny twist, the moment I saw her, she just sped away?’ That doesn’t sound the least bit reasonable to me.
“Hey!” Wanda loops her hand around me, grinning brightly. However, when she sees my shocked expression, she looks at me in concern. “What’s wrong? What has got you so riled up in the morning?”
I shake my head; maybe I am just misreading things again. “Nothing, just a fright, not serious at all.”
Wanda furrows her brows, wanting to press further, but she debates against it. “Alright, if you say so. Let’s go get some coffee.” She says, still grinning.
In the coffee shop as Wanda gets our coffee, I am scrolling through my phone when a figure catches my eyes yet again.
Alisha.
She’s wearing a dark hoodie, the hood pulled over her face. She is taking a sip from a paper cup of coffee, standing beside the door, her eyes never leaving me for a second. Fear fills me. Why is she here? At a coffee shop?
Wanda returns to my side, holding two paper cups of coffee. “That queue was long. Can you believe the number of people that want to drink coffee in the morning; anyways I got you your favourite, pumpkin spice.”
When I turn to the direction of Alisha, she’s no longer there. Did she slip out without me knowing? Fear is starting to take over me, why is she following me? Should I tell Devon or not?
“Let’s just go,” I say to Wanda, still visibly shaken. As Wanda and I make our way out of the coffee shop, the thought still bothers me.
What does Alisha want from me?