Emily's POV
I try to get his attention, but the man is overwhelmed by his excitement and joy. During his celebration, he looks at me with his hazel eyes brimming with joy, quickly approaches me, and without even questioning it for a moment wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me off the ground in a hug.
The sudden closeness suddenly makes me feel nervous, for this was the first such intimate and physical contact we had ever had. I could feel the scent of his perfume hit my nostrils, his breath brush against my neck, and his arms around my body gripping me tightly, without a moment's hesitation. For the first time, I was aware that the guy was actually much taller than me.
Even though I assumed that many such moments were coming shortly, I couldn't imagine how we would make the whole dynamic of looking like a real couple work. Just thinking about it was already making my eyelashes tremble because yes, despite having made me as angry as anyone in a single day the man still seemed like quite the spectacle.
After a few seconds of overflowing excitement, he remembers that we are at my workplace and releases me, returning me to my place on earth.
"You saved my future, do you understand that?" He murmurs putting his head down so I can hear him. Narrowing even more the centimeters that separated us. "Thank you." He says honestly, with his eyes full of pure gratitude.
"Don't get excited, we still have a long way to go. Besides, from what you say your brother is very good at impressing" I remind him sounding a little sour for his mood, however that doesn't seem to matter to him.
"With you as my buddy, I feel like I've already won half the way" He says confidently: "My family is going to love you, you've got it all, mother of mine."
He suddenly blurts out a compliment of that caliber, not realizing the effect his words could have on me.
"I have a surprise for you." He announces, reaching inside his jacket for something.
"I guess surprises aren't your thing doll." I respond, crossing my arms in anticipation of the curious surprise that excites him so much. Then he pulls out a manila envelope and holds it out to me: "What's this?"
"I know you were really pissed off that I investigated you, but it helped me get to know you. So I asked my investigator..." He clears his throat, aware of how much that word unnerved me: "To report to me, just like yours, so that you could get to know me."
I look with surprise at the envelope in my hands and hesitantly thank him for the gesture.
"Totally normal that you have a private investigator, eh. Obviously, we all have one, but thanks anyway, it's noble of you to make the gesture" He nods, ignoring the sarcasm in my words: "I think you can go now, I have to keep working."
He raises his hand to the back of his neck and scratches it restlessly.
"I don't have time. When do you think you can move in with me?"
"I guess I start packing my things today. Tomorrow I have a full shift again, so in the evening I could be on my way to your house" I reply, answering his rush.
"Tomorrow night?" He corrects and I nod: "Then tomorrow night I'll pick you up."
"No need Nathan, I can take a cab anyway, I don't have too much stuff." I assured.
He shrugs his shoulders, downplaying my refusal. He cradles my face in his hands, once again taking me by surprise. He moves dangerously close again and with a charming smile answers me: "We should start working on that whole looking like boyfriend's thing. It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to allow my fake girlfriend to come all the way to my house in a cab with her things, don't you think?" He asks while his fingertips caress my cheeks with his fingertips.
Stunned unable to take in either the closeness or his touch, I nod.
"Yes, it's really crazy that all this happened in just one day." He laughs. Again I nod without being able to utter a word as his hands were still around my face.
With this, I rectified the urgent need to start exercising my communication skills in situations like this, otherwise, I was going to look more like Nathan's keychain than his girlfriend.
"Well, I'll let you get back to work then, Emily. Text me when you leave and when you get home, okay?"
"S… Sure…" I finally answer, trying to hold my breath from going crazy.
The guy then gives me one last smile and walks right up to my face with his lips steeped as if he's going to plant a kiss on my forehead but ultimately doesn't. He just plays with me and after a short goodbye, he takes his course and leaves, ringing the doorbell.
I take a few seconds to take in everything that has just happened. Seconds ago I had the hands of the man who had stolen my breath a day before around my face and now I had six thousand dollars in my pocket.
What kind of fairy tale was I in?
"Emily, hi." Jordan appears in my view again, interrupting the mental loophole I was in: "Now do explain to me what that man was doing here with your name in his mouth."
He holds out a steaming cup of coffee expectantly to the juicy story I wanted to hear. I take the coffee from him and begin to mull over my answer, I didn't know if it was time to start introducing him to people like my supposed partner.
"For now there is not much to explain." I respond by being evasive. His face fills with frustration and he snatches the coffee that he had brought me from my hands.
"Besides being blessed with exceptional beauty, I know when someone want to tease me" He assures me, holding my coffee in his hands: "Tell me please, I need to feed my ears."
I sigh, roll my eyes, and agree to answer him in a better way without revealing important information.
"We are in a process of getting to know each other better. He just came to visit me." I involuntarily squeeze the manila envelope against my chest, while Jordan looks at me dumbfounded with his mouth open.