Amber
Amber awoke to the soft sound of a knife on a chopping board and brewing coffee. She turned, burrowing her face into the comforters, taking slow, deep inhales of the soft scent that enveloped her skin.
It was heady.
Sweet and soft. It reminded her of something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something familiar.
She found herself pushing her nose against the fabric for a stronger whiff of that scent, but the smell was slightly masked by the synthetic tang of chemicals. The soap acted as a barrier, muddling her memories and causing her inability to make the necessary links in her mind. She frowned.
Damn. This laundry detergent smelled unfamiliar and nothing like the cheap one she got at the dollar store. It smelled like cash, like expensive high-end malls or more specifically, the bedsheets of that five-star hotel Miri had brought her to.
The thought shook her out of her sleepy stupor. And her eyes flickered open to be greeted by the sight of a cute little heart-shaped lamp that sat on the bedside table. She blinked, momentarily confused by her new soft blue surroundings.
Holy shi—
She sat up abruptly, ignoring the momentary sense of vertigo that hit her almost immediately.
Where the hell was she?
She panicked for a second, her heart hammering in her chest at the unfamiliarity. Did she walk into the wrong house? Got wasted so bad that she ended up having a one night stand? Did they even use a condom? Fuck, she could NOT get pregnant with another man's kid aside from her soulmates'!
COULD NOT.
Then the memories flooded her mind and she gasped, finally remembering where she was. Her mind jumped to her most recent memory of Ezra.
He had been shrouded lightly by darkness, the shadows enveloping his skin and gently highlighting his features like the outlines on a work of art. He had been dressed in a silky black button-down shirt and jeans, the soft shimmer of fabric clinging tightly to his frame. The top few buttons of his shirt had been purposely left open to expose his pale milky collarbone.
He had looked as if he were glowing, hair glistening with strands of spun gold and lips the colour of red wine. His skin had reflected the light of the moon, shimmery and creamy white. Charcoal dark eyes squinted at her as his lips pushed into a soft pout. At that moment, Ezra had been absolutely beautiful.
Amber's heart was nearly sent into cardiac arrest.
It had taken all of her willpower to remain calm and aloof to his sudden rare appearance.
It had taken her everything to not reveal her attraction to him when he had opened his mouth and spoken to her in that voice.
That voice.
A soft exhale of air, raspy from the natural timbre of his vocal cords. He made everything sound fucking sexy in that voice. She could barely concentrate on the content of his words.
Good God. She had struggled to rein in her emotions that thrashed within her frame. Struggled to hide everything that she felt for him. She had repeated the damn mantra in her head like a song: conceal, don't feel, don't fucking let it show.
Rubbing her eyes free from sleep, she pushed open the door and paddled out of the room. She turned the corner, peaking to look at whoever the hell was cooking in the kitchen.
The sight woke her a little more and she found herself pleasantly surprised. Her heart was fluttering pathetically in her chest and her stomach flopped about, churning nervously with delight.
The scene before her was one that she did not expect.
Ezra Lee was frying eggs on the stove.
He was bare-faced, a blue headband pushing his bangs away from his eyes. The new hairstyle made the sharpness of his jawline even more prominent.
His brows were furrowed together and he was staring at the eggs with a look of annoyance on his face, chewing on his lips as he propped one hand on his hips. A blue apron was draped over his lean, skinny frame, the ribbon loosely tied to rest lightly on his ass.
He was adorable like this. The soft morning sun kissed his usually pale skin, turning it into a soft golden hue. The shimmer reminded her of their soul bond and her traitorous mind flashed the mirage before her eyes. Fuck. Her lips turned downwards as she let out a soft sigh. She missed the glow of her firefly.
Her eyes trailed towards the plates on the kitchen counter. Cherry tomatoes, thick slices of roasted ham and salad on the side with generous heaps of greens drizzled with some kind of tangy oil. It was all western food-themed. Except for the random plate of kimchi and roasted seaweed that he'd placed at the very centre of the table.
Cute.
She was jostled out of her thoughts by the soft sound of the toaster. She watched wide-eyed as he turned to retrieve the two slices of crispy bread. She froze as his eyes trailed upwards to meet hers, they widened at the sight of her. He looked startled, lips parting open as he gave her a cute blank stare that made her heart melt into a gooey mess at the sight. Then his lips quirked upwards, eyes glinting with his amusement.
He gave her a shy smile.
A really cute and small one that was big enough to reveal teeth. It made the corner of his eyes crinkle a little. Then he dropped it, as quickly as it came. His face resumed its original position, with that pouty outward jut of his bottom lip. The neutral expression didn't hide the soft rosy pink that was steadily climbing up his skin to paint his soft cheeks.
The sight of him smiling at her like that sent a rush of heat through her body and her heart hammered desperately in her chest. She could picture the sight of her that he was seeing. A woman blushing like a schoolgirl and hiding behind the corner of his damn wall.
Hell, was this a school romance story?
She stepped away from the wall trying to look a little less stupid and sheepish. But the usually smouldering hot Ezra exposing his adorable, domestic side was something her heart could barely handle. She found herself back against the wall. The structure acting as her moral support.
"There's a new toothbrush in the bathroom and some of my clothes that I picked out for you. They're yours for the day." He said softly in a low growly hum and turned back to reach for a knife, buttering toast for the both of them.
She took it as her cue to escape and she rushed into his toilet. As promised there was an unopened new toothbrush on the counter. Purple so that she could distinguish it from the other two toothbrushes in the cup, one blue, the other black.
Two people. Her lips pressed together. One for Ezra and one for his partner.
Her eyes drifted down towards the shirt draped on her body. The soft white fabric was silky on her skin and smelled amazing. It had been worn so many times that the scent of its owner remained.
She took her new toothbrush, glancing up at the mirror to begin brushing her teeth. She stopped at the sight of her bed head that puffed out like an agitated chicken fluffing its feathers.
Shit. She let out a silent scream of embarrassment. Oh God, help her. With a sigh, she smoothed the furry mess down with water.
The events of the previous day had been wild.
Like a knight in shining armour, Ezra had been the one to save her. She was surprised at his appearance because he was famous as hell. And so the odds of seeing him on the streets at that time should have been close to none. For him to offer her board in his own home was even more surprising.
Would you let a random stranger stay in your home for the night? Someone you just spoke to for thirty minutes? Hell, maybe Amber would if she got to know the person enough but Ezra had not even hesitated at the idea.
They barely knew each other! He was an idol. Weren't they supposed to be more cautious of people like how MinJae was? Maybe a bit more fearful of crazy fans and haters? Amber bit her lips at the thought.
Suffice to say, Ezra was definitely extremely kind.