Khalid reduced the gap between them and tightly embraced her quivering body.
Cassidy felt so safe in his arms that she subconsciously pulled him closer and hugged him tightly as though he was her last anchor to the world.
The dam was finally broken.
Cassidy sobbed uncontrollably.
****
Ba-dumb... Ba-dumb...
Cassidy tried to calm her chaotic heartbeat.
Her heart had been beating rapidly but violently in her ribcage.
And even after so much time, she just couldn't control it.
She was currently sitting at the edge of Khalid's bed ( almost looking terrified.)
She glared at the colourful wall in his room.
The furniture all had the same black and white colour.
The patch was bright and lively but she could still discern that his home lacked human warmth.
She sighed in contemplation if this was right or wrong.
This would be the first time she would be spending a night in a man's house.
Not just any man, but a random man and a stranger to add to it.
A handsome, breathtaking stranger.
She hadn't planned for this as she wanted to stay in a hotel for the night.
Khalid had come her way and insisted she stayed at his house.
The sound of the shower pouring from the bathroom didn't help to ease her tension at all.
She thought about various scenarios that might happen from here, and her face got even hotter.
Cassidy herself had taken a bath and put on Khalid's favorite blue shirt which suited her pale complexion perfectly.
She had collected it in a whim and Khalid had let her have it.
Clack!
The sound of the door opening startled her.
She felt her stomach churn.
Was it hunger?
Cassidy felt like she was going to die from the incessant and aggressive thudding of her heart when Khalid walked into the bedroom while wearing a bathrobe.
The lapel was loose and it let her take a glimpse of his well toned chest and beige skin.
She couldn't take her eyes off him for a moment, and she blushed when she realized how shameful and embarrassing her behavior was.
While Cassidy was distracted, Khalid was wiping his wet hair with a towel and only glanced at her when he noticed her presence.
He smiled charmingly at her.
" You waited for me so obediently. I'm delighted."
Cassidy couldn't bear his handsomeness, so she averted her gaze, or else she would die faster than planned.
Khalid threw the towel in his hand to a couch and walked over to her.
He sat down beside her, creating a light quake which cast a shadow on the bed.
Cassidy unconsciously held on to her breath - but she dared not raise her face.
" Cassy, look at me, please," he whispered softly in her ear, and she shuddered violently when she felt his warm breath on her earlobe.
Her heart couldn't take more pressure so she unconsciously inched her body away from him before she cautiously turned her head towards him.
Khalid chortled.
" Don't be afraid.
" I won't suddenly press you down or anything. I just want to make sure both of us want to do this and not force ourselves."
It stunned Cassidy when she saw Khalid's attitude ( his honesty and selflessness.)
She had been expecting the question anyways.
It was strange for her to follow a random man to his home.
She didn't have a choice.
Cassidy shuddered under his touch, and her drunk like gaze made him lose his breath for a moment.
She was breathtakingly gorgeous.
He pulled her closer to himself gently and Cassidy placed her hands on his bare chest.
She felt his erratic heartbeat which was similar to hers underneath his muscle.
The innocent and warm kiss quickly turned into a passionate one.
Their breath mingled together as Khalid hungrily tangled his tongue with hers as though he was about to devour her.
Cassidy felt light-headed by the intense kiss.
Khalid brought her to himself as close as possible, like he was trying to embed her into him.
She could feel his desire for her, and most importantly, his affection for her.
All her life, no one has wanted her this much aside Devin.
It felt good.
Or rather, it made her feel good.
His hot scent wafted through her nose, and it smelled like something she knew ( something she had perceived.)
It smelled like peppermint.
Peppermint?
But that wasn't how Devin smelled, or was it?
Devin smelled hotter than peppermint.
Just at the moment, it seemed to her like she had forgotten Devin, and the reason behind her return.
She was here for something else, and not to frolic around with some stranger!
But Khalid wasn't some stranger, or was he?
He had made her feel so much connection with him.
He had read her every thought and move like an open book.
He had known she was feeling pain and suffocation.
A stranger wouldn't do that.
Somehow, she thought they had something in common, and it wasn't just anything - it was something bigger and stronger that bonded them.
But, could it be something bigger than what she felt for her Devin?
Here was a bigger question for her to answer.
And she had to answer truthfully and not massage around the truth.
That answer would be what would carry her on from the path she had stopped, and it would lead her to what her heart had been searching for.
Suddenly, Khalid pulled out from the kiss.
He held his instincts back.
He didn't want to hurt her.
His demon was taking over him, and it was becoming more than he could control.
In as much as he wanted this, it wasn't the right time.
It won't be difficult if he waited some more.
Cassidy groaned with countless questions bouncing in her head.
Hadn't he liked her so much?
Hadn't they assured each other?
Or, wasn't she getting it right?
Her crestfallen face felt like a stab on his conscience.
Her voice wasn't left out.
" What's wrong?"
Khalid's reaction gave an answer she couldn't place.
He only looked away from her gaze, and when he stood up from the bed, his voice held no emotions in them.
" You can go to sleep now."
What?
Her eyes shot at him with every fierceness in them.
Go to sleep?
Even if he was agitated or wasn't reasoning properly, it wasn't any way to speak!