Adam had been watching her since he saw her walk into the room. He was glad that she looked better. His friend did well in nursing her back to health.
Although he was not happy that she seemed aloof in his presence, he wondered if she had identified him. But if she did, he believed she should be running by now.
However, he concluded that she might have recognized him somewhere else, not as the man she was supposed to marry, but as someone else whose face was familiar but had no name.
"You know we already met before." He moved closer to her, watching her busied herself in front of the sink, still refusing to look in his direction.
He watched her closely, observing some tell-tale signs that she had also remembered that incident. The stiffness of her shoulder was one physical sign, but the sudden speed in her heartbeat and increase in her breathing was enough to prove he was correct with his assumption.
There was no doubt in his mind that she clearly remembered him, even if she should try to deny it. But in his case, it was hard to forget who she was.
"It does not matter if we had bumped into each other before." Ava finally admitted. "That fact is, you are still a stranger." She insisted as her hands finished washing the glasses.
Soon, she moved to the nearest cupboard to return the glasses to their storage. But, the cabinet was a little higher than her reach. She had to tiptoe and stretch her length to place the tip of the glass on the surface.
"Please, allow me to help." He quickly stepped into her space, grabbing the next glass from her hand.
But the contact of their fingers seemed to send jolts of electricity to their bodies, making her lose her grip on the glass before he could even touch it.
Luckily, his reflex was faster. He caught the glass in midair, making a swift show that he struggled to get it, avoiding it from crashing to the floor. Then, he slightly turned around to place the glass on the cabinet.
"Are you ok?" Adam asked afterward, although he was sure she was not hurt. His instinct automatically asked, a part of the trait he acquired living with normal human beings.
"I am fine." She breathily said. "You can finish that." Hurriedly moving away from him as she returned to the wet dishes she was still about to dry with a towel.
She could keep running away from him, but he already knew that she was affected by his touch as much as he was by her nearness.
It was more than enough for him to work on as he tried to win her over to his side. He could not afford to frighten her away from him. He needed her to feel comfortable around him.
But he still debated if he should make her fall for him. That seemed to be too much for his plan. All he wanted was for her to feel she could trust him. That was more than enough.
"Anyway, can we start over again?" He moved closer to her again, ensuring enough space was between them. "I am Adam." He extended his hand to her.
"I already know your name, but sure." He watched her act tough before him, dropping the towel on her right hand on the counter. Then, extending her hand to his. "I am Ava." She shook his hand firmly but also quickly pulled it away.
He could not help the smile from escaping his lips, finding her odd behavior adorable. He was more than willing to take this slowly.
Still, he liked the way her name sounded in his ears, but he still preferred to call her Avana. But it would sound suspicious if he started calling her that. He would have to settle for the shortened version.
"Can I also help you with those?" He pointed to the dishes that she was through wiping dry.
He had nothing to do anyway, so he might as well be of use to her for a change. Besides, he was used to doing mundane things. Dirty dishes did not frighten him.
"Fine," Ava answered him, seemingly slightly comfortable around him. "You can put them on those cabinets." Pointing to the other one on his left.
She probably gave up on getting rid of him, so she felt that she might as well make use of him. Although, he could still feel some hesitation on her part. But that was ok with him. At least she was working with him instead of running away from him.
"Sure," Adam happily responded, moving at regular speed, acting like an ordinary human like everyone else.
He was just glad she had not noticed the glass incident earlier, or she might find it unusual how he managed to save the glass from shattering into pieces.
He was not ready to reveal his identity to her. Not when he had not yet earned her trust. It would ruin his plans if that ever happened.
"Are you not done yet?" Suddenly, a voice interrupted the silence, making them both look at the newcomer.
Jace stood by the door, gazing between the two of them. First, he raised his brows at him, questioning what he was doing, then his eyes focused on the girl not far from him.
"We are almost through here," Adam answered his friend as he closed the cabinet. All he noticed that was left was to wipe the place clean and dry.
He grabbed the rug on the other side. At the same time, Ava also tried to get it. Suddenly, they bumped into each other, their heads colliding as they leaned on the counter.
In his case, it did not hurt at all, but he still pretended to be in slight pain. But he would assume that it had hurt her as she held on to her head.
"Are you alright?" Suddenly, the good doctor was on her side, assisting her onto a chair. He was not expecting that as he watched the two interact.
"It is nothing. It was just a slight pain." Ava told Jace as she rubbed her temples as if easing the pain.
Then, she was standing up again as if the pain was gone. Of course, she was a wolf, so he would assume that she had a high pain tolerance.
"Jace, go back outside. You have already done enough." Ava shoved Jace out of her side and hopefully back outside. But he could see how his friend hesitated to leave her side.
"If you are sure?" Jace asked. But when she nodded, he had no choice but to walk away.
"Adam, you should go back with the others. Thanks for helping, but I can finish up here." She told him, grabbing the rug on the counter again.
"No, I think you better sit down and let me finish this." Adam snatched the piece of clothing from her fingers and started scrubbing the tables.
He was not taking no for an answer as he cleaned up and wiped out the remaining dirt on each surface.
"Are you sure you are ok doing that?" Ava watched him closely as if she was surprised to see him working in the kitchen.
But he would prove to her that he could do more than clean the kitchen if it would help him to earn and to win over her friendship and trust.