Kaden
If Sera didn't think you had a problem, she sure does right now.
The hour-long car ride to Sera's house is quiet. I'm not sure if she is as freaked out as I am because I fucking just mauled her in the elevator or she is still reeling from the fact that we work in the same building.
Tilting my head back, I try to calculate what the odds are but give up because it doesn't compute. If there is a god somewhere up there, he must be trying really fucking hard to tell me something!
I hear you loud and clear, Man. But it's obvious I have no self-control when it comes to this girl.
Shifting restlessly, I try to distract myself by thinking of the shit show that is my company right now. Clients are dropping us like flies left, right, and center; I can't even blame them because I would do the same thing if my cloud security provider kept getting hacked. I tug my short hair hard and roll my shoulders to get rid of the tense knot that has been lodged there for a week. Detective Mitchell practically lives in our office right now, yet the police have still managed to come up with zilch. No leads, nothing. All our competitors have been cleared, and the hacker is too damn good. He or she keeps on evading all our traps, almost like they are privy to our secrets. I've set up cameras, run manual checks on all our systems, and reconfigured our Next Generation firewall myself. Dayo has also been MIA strangely, and that fact is also a little worrying.
You haven't touched on the most worrying thing.
I have been getting some weird messages after each hack, and I dare say that's been stressing me the most. I finally caved and told Mitch about the messages. He now believes it's a case of stalking and white-collar crime, but that's where our thoughts stop aligning.
How can I tell him I think I'm being stalked by a ghost?
That will send me to the looney bin again. I sigh again; I've been running on zero sleep, which is not great obviously, for someone like me, and reality was beginning to take on that grainy, gold-tinted cartoon look when my brain starts manually rebelling against me.
The car slowing down brings me out of my thoughts and I realize we have gotten to Sera's apartment. She must have directed Thomas while I was deep in thought. Alighting, I tell Thomas to give me a few minutes, then I walk her to her door.
Sera
Kaden was preternaturally silent on the trip over. Coupled with that scorching, out-of-the-blue kiss, I am honestly confused. Opening the door, I hover on the threshold of my home. Looking at him properly now, I notice how exhausted he is. Those beautiful eyes have dark circles underneath them and he seems leaner somehow, like he hasn't been eating well. Impulsively, I ask, "Would you like to eat something?" Those gray eyes seem to sharpen at that, and I find myself trembling slightly when I add "I mean food. I was going to make some eggs and a sandwich. Nothing fancy."
Still silence, so my yapping starts, "It's just that you look exhausted and stressed. Home cooked meals make you feel better…" Kaden is still looking at me strangely, a mix of disbelief and something hot in his gaze. However, when he speaks he only utters a soft thank you and steps into the flat.
My flat is tiny, but his presence makes it look even tinier.
"I'll just change and be right back. Please make yourself at home."
I take the fastest shower in the world, the thought of only a few walls separating Kaden from my naked body an intrusion that makes my chest spasm. Toweling, I slip into loungewear, then head into the kitchen. Kaden is sitting down on my tiny couch, reading one of my books. Usually I cook with music on, so I stand indecisively for a bit. Now that we are alone, that invisible static charge that connects us both is in full force.
He seems to notice my jitteriness, as he says calmly, "Can I help you with dinner?" I jump and squeak out no, then hurriedly rush into the kitchen. A few minutes later, the smell of fried eggs fill the flat. I toss a salad and serve the food in the living room as I don't have a dining table. I made one for Thomas so Kade steps out and drops that off.
We eat in silence after I finally caved and put some music on. I notice how carefully he eats so I comment jokingly on his impeccable table manners.
A pause, then "I had etiquette classes when I was younger."
It's a simple sentence but something about it seems off.
Hesitantly, I ask "Are you okay, Kaden?"
He swallows his final bite and drains his tea cup before saying "Yes…" a slight hesitation then, "Actually, no I'm not. I've had a long week, and I'm so tired I'm not seeing straight anymore." He rubs a hand over his jaw slowly and I wish I could magically make his stress go away.
Worried now, I ask, "Can I help in anyway?"
Tired eyes turn to me, then he reaches out and runs a hand through my loose hair. I swear I feel it to my toes when he says softly, "This is helping Sera. You make everything better."
Done wondering if what I feel for this man is normal or not, I go with my gut and hug him, only a little surprised when he slides his face into the crook of my neck to place a small kiss there. I can't help the full body shiver this time, and I feel him smile against me. My heart is a runaway train at this point, but he just pulls me closer to him and relaxes against the couch.
"Just give me a minute to rest from dinner, then I'll be off."
I nod against him and close my eyes for a bit to rest. When I startle awake, I am half lying on Kaden, who is also sleeping, so I gingerly extricate myself from him. I check my phone and it's only been like fifteen minutes. Chewing on my cheek, I contemplate waking him up, but he looks so peaceful right now. Mind made up, I venture out to tell poor Thomas his boss is sleeping, and I think he should go.
Back inside, I go into the kitchen for some water, then come back to the living room. I am almost at the foot of the couch when I notice there's something wrong.
Unknown POV
He stayed with her. He freaking stayed over at her place.
Sitting in my car, I breathe in deeply to calm down. It's difficult though. Images of what they might be doing flash in front of me. I feel so betrayed now. This was not the plan. He had finally noticed me, and now this…this whelp of a child was trying to take it away.
Taking a drink of water, I empty the bottle then squeeze it, imagining myself squeezing her little neck. That thought makes me pause though. Mama won't like that. I take some calming breaths like I learned in yoga this week until I feel my heartrate go down. Calm now, I discard the crumpled bottle on the street, then get out of the car. My path is suddenly clear to me. She has got to go.