His messy hair and crumpled shirt let me know how he's spent the last two hours, as my eyes fall into his, even as he moves his pupils to his friend by my side, looking at us confused, as if Ian's presence at my side was not normal.
I spent the last half hour in the company of the man who is now sitting three feet away from me, but it was enough for me to understand how different he is from Ethan.
He's so likeable that I don't think I've ever smiled so much at a man in my life, even though I don't know anything about him and his life, except the fact that his name is Ian and that he was born in New York.
But I couldn't help droppin my armor with him, at least for half an hour, indulging in his sleazy jokes.
I take my eyes off Ethan's image as soon as he is about to bring his gaze back to me, then grab the remote and hurry to turn up the volume on the television slightly, glancing quickly at Mary and Tommy, making sure they're still asleep on the sofa.
Silence falls in the living room and Ian doesn't decide to speak either, so I take the opportunity to bring a couple of the popcorn left on the plate in my mouth , pretending to be focused on watching the new film, but out of the corner of my eye I follow Ethan's movements.
He walks around the sofa slowly, sighing loudly as he doesn't stop looking at his friend with a strange expression on his face.
My breath freezes when he doesn't think twice before taking his place on the sofa between Ian and me, settling into the small free space, so much that my leg sticks to his.
I lower my eyebrows at his strange behavior, but still decide not to look at him and continue to eat in silence, rolling my eyes only when I notice that he is sinking his hand in my fries.
I understand that he does it on purpose to get noticed, but I decide not to give him satisfaction, not after the way he humiliated me with Meredith.
'See you later, princess .'
His words repeat in my head from the moment he left this house.
Maybe he's interested in Meredith, but I don't like that at all.
It was obvious that he wasn't referring to me: he couldn't call me 'princess', he hates me more than I despise him, even though I almost liked that nickname ... I think.
I hurry to push the popcorn away when I see him reach out his hand again, while continuing to avoid him when the scream of the film's protagonist makes me jump.
A sigh from Ian forces me to take my eyes off the screen, but I realize his intentions only when he stands up:
"I'm going to sleep." - he says, starting to walk in front of me and moving away, but not before placing a hand on my head and ruffling my hair:
"Go to sleep, Ian." -I jump on the spot to the cold tone of Ethan, who at the gesture of his friend hurries him away as if he was forbidden to stroke my hair.
I grit my teeth and look at him the same way he now stares at Ian, but I wait for his friend to walk away and lock himself in his room, before throwing a light punch on his chest, all the while realizing how hard the his body:
"You're a jerk!" - I exclaim whispering, trying not to wake the children, but his expression is more severe than mine:
"If I were you I would be careful to what I say." - he threatens me between his teeth, but his grimace does not make me hot or cold, so much that I reply with my chin raised, approaching his face dangerously to make him understand who he is dealing with:
"If I were you I would take a shower!" - I find the courage to say, adding immediately afterwards:
"You smell of alcohol."
I wrinkle my nose, pretending that it bothers me, but the scent of rum mixed with smoke pushes me to get even closer to fill my nostrils with its perfume.
"You are wrong. I'm a teetotaler. »- he raises a corner of his mouth in an almost amused grimace, while his eyes land on my mouth.
"You are also the most beautiful man I've ever seen." - I ironize his words, whispering, pretending a smile two centimeters from his lips, but his eyes do not leave my teeth and a sigh escapes from his mouth when I smile falsely.
"It's not alcohol, try to feel it better." - he tilts his head and puts his chin next to mine so much that I find it hard to look him in the eye, while he crosses mine, studying my expression closely.
I part my lips, again mesmerized by his way of looking at me, but when his fingers land gently on my knee I wake up from my thoughts, thinking that probably before me he will have already had sex with a stranger and that for him now I am nothing else than another woman to have fun with.
When he is about to drag his hand over my skin I can't help myself and I raise my hand in the air, clenching my jaw at his bullshit, so I don't think twice before giving him a loud slap in the face, so hard that I force him to turn my head to the side as soon as the palm of my hand comes into contact with his rough skin due to the slight pronounced beard.
"I'm not like the whore you did a little while ago." - I spell out each letter to make him understand to reserve this sensuality for those who have male genitals instead of brains.
I don't know whether to regret or leave him puzzled and walk away from his face, but I can't move an inch as he keeps his head turned and clenches his jaw.
A lock of his blonde hair ends up on his forehead, but I try not to be frightened by his menacing profile, even if I jump in place as soon as his hoarse voice comes out of his very red lips:
"I've always liked popcorn."
I wrinkle my nose in annoyance again, having the confirmation that I am dealing with an idiot who does not even know what he is saying, but makes me understand the meaning of his words when he places a hand at the root of my neck gently, encircling it between his fingers and making my eyes widen instantly when he pushes me back with his hand.
I refrain from yelling at him when I find myself lying on the sofa and with the popcorn left in the container now scattered over my body.
I start to get up and give him another slap, but before he can even raise his head and strike him with his eyes, he hurries to position himself astride my belly, leaving me breathless at how heavy he is, and then grabs my wrists and blocks them at the sides of my head.
"You ..." - I start to free myself when his eyes end up in mine and his face approaches mine so much that his fair begins to tickle my face.
The look he gives me is not at all beautiful, but I try not to show him how much this attitude disturbs me and I pull out my claws:
"You don't scare me." - I lie shamelessly, while my legs almost begin to shake.
I've always despised men, but I've never been afraid of them.
Instead, it's the second time I can't breathe watching Ethan in this condition, not knowing if he's sexier or scarier.
«I've always loved popcorn, Valerie.» - he repeats in a disturbing way, while his eyes do not leave mine even for a moment.
I try to hold his gaze and raise my chin in defiance, even though my heart is about to stop beating under the weight of his chest.
I don't understand what he plans to do as I hold back the urge to scream to bring Ian back to the living room, but my eyes widen when he looks down at my chest, swathed in the light fabric of the short-sleeved shirt I'm wearing, but at the same time covered by the popcorn that because of him I have to collect to clean.
"I'll kill you!" - I start to wriggle in his arms at the exact moment in which he tightens his grip around my wrists and lowers his head on my body.
When the tip of his tongue caresses the fabric of my shirt to grab a damn popcorn, a gasp escapes from my mouth, but I hurry to recover:
"Do you want to get punched?!" - I keep whispering in alarm, slamming my feet against the sofa as if it could help me in some way, while he's raising his head slightly just to go in search of more popcorn.
I curse myself mentally when he makes a grimace full of mischief as soon as his pupils are level with my bare collarbone, but before he can take any action he quickly crosses my eyes, then raises a corner of his mouth:
«Don't you dare.» - I arch my back to make the popcorn fall from my neck, but it seems to have stuck to my skin, so much that a groan of frustration leaves my mouth.
My reaction does nothing but amuse him even more and push him to accomplish his goal, but as soon as he moves his lips to the hollow of my neck I hasten to raise my head to bring my face closer to his and stop him , but I don't notice that in this way our lips are about to touch.
His pupils dilate slightly and he assumes a stricken expression for a thousandth of a second, and then resumes the grimace of a moment ago:
"Well, Valerie." - he says satisfied and proud at the same time, but I'm too distracted by the tongue that passes between his lips to interrupt him:
"If you really can't resist." - he whispers amused, while I try to fill my lungs with air, but the scent emanating from his body does not allow me.
He tries to settle better on my pelvis and bring his warm mouth closer to mine, but his muscles tighten and instantly freeze when Tommy's voice echoes in the living room:
"Aunt, what is he doing to you." - his voice is low and hoarse from sleep, but it catches the attention of both of us, so much that Ethan and I both turn our heads in his direction, but the man above me decides to hold back his anger and avoids talking.
When my eyes meet Tommy's, I stretch my smile, finally believing myself to be safe:
"Nothing, love." - my voice is so sweet that even Ethan looks back to mine, frowning at my words.
"But aunty ..." - he sits down slowly on the sofa to have a better look at us, but Ethan silences him instantly:
"Go sleep!" -he raises an arm in mid-air to threaten him and the child assumes an offended grimace, but does not think twice before falling back and covering his head with the sheet, after stammering an 'Okay. '
I take advantage of now having a free hand and, even before Ethan starts looking at me again, I grab the popcorn that has fallen on my collarbone and that he wanted to take between his teeth, and then bring it up to his mouth and, when he starts to speak, opening his lips, I hasten to push him away:
"Where were we ...? " - he starts saying , but I don't give him time to finish that I bring the popcorn between his lips and force him to eat it:
"You sleep too, Ethan." - I say with a stern tone, before pushing him lightly, enough to be able to escape from his muscular arms quickly.