Maya
Conrad pulls up outside of my building. I don’t know what I think of him taking personal details from my file. I don’t feel like I am in danger from him; I’m just annoyed he would do it. I have been with bad men, and he isn’t one of them. I take my seatbelt off and turn to face him.
I find him staring at me with a hopeful look on his face. My eyes meet his, and my breath catches in my throat. I go to speak, but no words come out. Conrad reaches over and pushes the stray hairs from my ponytail away from my eyes and smiles. A soft whimper escapes from my lips.
“Do y-y-you want to come in and dry off and have some coffee?” I stammer.
It was the least I could do after he gave me a ride home.
He smiles and nods, “Sure. A coffee sounds good.”
He asked me to try being friends with him; maybe I can do that. It would be nice to have a friend. It has been a while. And it is only coffee. What harm could it do?
“Okay,” I whisper and climb out of the car.
I run over to stand at the entrance outside my building to hide from the rain until Conrad joins me. He appeared only seconds later, and I led us inside. I am sure my place will look tiny and a mess compared to what he stays in, but I love my little apartment, and it is all I can afford. One day, I will be able to afford something more once I am done with school and have a better job.
“Have you stayed here long?” he asks as we make our way to my floor.
“A few years,” I reply, and we arrive at my apartment door.
“Do you like it here?”
“I do, yes. There are never any issues, and it is quiet.”
There are mainly elderly or single people in the building, which works for me. I can’t be around too much noise; it makes me anxious, especially if people are arguing.
Conrad smiles, “That is what you want.”
I unlock my door and step inside. Conrad waits until I invite him in before he follows me. I close and lock it behind me. I need to lock the door behind me every time.
Conrad looks at me strangely, “Why do you lock the door? Is it not safe here?”
I can hear the concern in his voice.
“It is a long story. It has nothing to do with here not being safe.”
I keep my answer simple because I would rather not tell him my life story. It would make him understand why I always lock my door, but I refuse to tell him. I barely even know him. No one knows about my past except those involved in it.
“Promise me you aren’t at risk staying here?” he sighs.
“I promise, Conrad.” I smile.
Even if I wasn’t, it isn’t his concern. He doesn’t need to take care of me.
He nods, “Okay.”
“I will get you a towel.”
“Thank you. We weren’t in the rain for long, but my tee is soaked right through.” He chuckles.
I excuse myself and disappear to get us some towels. I hand one to him to let him dry off.
“I am going to change. I will be back in a minute.”
I head to my bedroom, strop out of my wet clothes and pull on sweatpants and a hoodie before I rejoin him. When I stepped into the living room, I stopped in my tracks when my eyes fell on a shirtless Conrad. My eyes run over his bare chest and stomach. His toned, muscular chest and stomach. Oh my, he is beautiful. I lick my lips as I take in the view. God, why does this man need to be so damn perfect.
Conrad lifts his head, and his eyes meet mine. I should pull away, but I can’t. He smirks and licks his lips. I bite my lip to stop from moaning.
“Do you have a dryer or a radiator I can put my tee over?” he asks sweetly.
I pull myself together, “Yes, I can put in a dryer. Do you want a blanket or something to wrap around yourself until it is dry?” I whimper.
He shakes his head, “No, I am fine. Thanks, though.”
How am I going to deal with being around when he is shirtless? I must manage and pretend I don’t want to touch. Oh God, what is wrong with me? I am not one for having such impure thoughts.
“Um, okay. Do you want coffee, tea or hot chocolate?” I ask, keeping my eyes off his half-naked body.
“Coffee will be fine, please.” He smiles.
I rush through to my kitchen and take a second to breathe. I prepare the coffee machine and grab two mugs from the cabinet. I turn around to call through what he takes, but when I do, he is already in my kitchen, standing by the door. My eyes divert downwards again, only for a second before I stop.
“What do you take in your coffee?”
“Just a little milk.” He answers.
I turn my back to him again, concentrating on making our coffees. I hear him get closer to me, and he appears at my side, resting against the counter. No, with where he is, I can get a clearer view of him. I do everything I can to make sure my eyes don’t travel again.
“Are you sure you don’t want a blanket or something?” I ask again.
“Do you want me to cover up? If you do, I will.”
“No, it is okay if you don’t want to. Where is your tee? I can put it in the dryer.”
Conrad stares at me for a second, and I watch his lips curl into a smile, “Am I distracting you?”
I open my mouth to lie, but what is the point? I am terrible at it.
“Maybe a little…”
Conrad laughs loudly, “I thought so. I knew you wanted me.” He teases.
I slap his arm playfully, “Stop. Now give me your tee if you want it dried.” I snicker and shake my head.
He lifts his hand, and I see it. I take it from him and toss it into the dryer. I can’t have him go home in a soaking wet tee; he will get sick.
“Thank you, beautiful.” He smiles.
I am a little taken aback when he calls me beautiful. Yes, he said very sweet words to me at the ball, but it was the first after he found out who I was. I blush and turn away from him.
I pour us coffee and motion him to follow me to the living room. I sit on the sofa, and he does the same right next to me. `I take a sip of my coffee, feeling slightly awkward suddenly.
“Maya, please relax; it is only me.” He whispers and rests his hand on my knee.
I draw in a breath and look at him, “I told you; you make me nervous.”
“Yes, but you don’t need to be. I promise I am nice and don’t bite.” He says, chuckling at the last part.
I find myself laughing, too, “I promise I will try.”
He reaches in and kisses my cheek, “That is all I need to hear.”
My cheeks and neck hear when he does. He chuckles and pulls away.
I have a strong gut feeling there is a chance I am not going to get rid of Conrad now. Something tells me he is going to stick around, and the idea scares me.