Chapter 42: 35.𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬

The elevator stops and doors slide open. I stepped aside so Stella could walk before me and I followed her, guiding her to my apartment. "We are here and you are still not telling me why" She says, crossing her arms on her chest

"I won't tell but show you, so be patient freckles" I reply with a grin, her impatience makes it more exciting than before. We stand in front of my apartment door, a pile of boxes kept beside the door frame. I lean closer to them and read the receipt

Boards, needles, pins, lace

Okay almost everything is here. There are three small boxes which contain all the requirements. Wait but where's that?

I take a step to the side and I sigh in relief, I bend and take the small bouquet I ordered for her and it came before time thankfully. I turn to face her and extend the white rose bouquet towards her. She is coming to my place for the first time, I needed to give her something at least

Her eyes shining looking at the flowers, she quickly takes them with a soft smile on her lips, she likes them. Her fingers delicately hover above the flowers as she mumbles a number "one hundred and ninety four"

My body posture straightened up hearing the low pitched voice "what was that?" I ask stepping closer to her. She lifts her head and meets my eyes with the same smile as she says  "Oh that's the number of flowers you gave me. One hundred and ninety four flowers"

My eyebrows raise, due to amusement. She counted them? Even I didn't realize that "You keep their count?" I ask glancing at the flowers "Yeah, I do" she replies with a simple nod as if it's nothing, but her little habit makes my heart shake up filling me with a sense of warmth

She keeps admiring those flowers in her hand while I take a moment to admire her. The sun is beaming through the glass windows on the sides of the corridor wall. Falling on her face makes her bloom with the light like a flower.

She is wearing a red sweater that suits her complexion it's paired up with black flared jeans, with a miracle she isn't wearing heels today. I adore her clothing choices

What makes me more happy is that she doesn't hide her freckles anymore

I can admire her face as long as I want

"Let's go?" Her voice brings me back, I smile matching her expressions and head forward and press in the password and open the door for her "after you"

She takes a step inside, as I was about to follow her I pause and look at the boxes, I should bring them with me. It would be better to set up everything beforehand and not waste time. I take the first box in my hand checking what material it contains

A sudden yelp makes me drop the box then and there and step inside the apartment. It was definitely her voice and it was terrified

Hell what happened now-

Stella comes rushing towards me and with a swift moment jumps on me wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

My breath hitched at her action not knowing what to do, my gaze flickered on her noting if she hurt herself. My hand wrapped around her waist securely

When I was about to ask her what happened she glared at me staring deep into my eyes like I did something unforgiving "You have a dog!" She yells right at my face

Just then buddy hopes into the scene wagging his golden tail and sits across us with that innocent stare

"I said, I am a dog person" I say trying to defend myself "There's a huge difference between being a dog person and having a dog!" She says giving me a death glare but her voice has calmed down a bit. She notices buddy behind her and with a groan she hides her face in my neck making my heart drop out completely

Oh fuck-

I curse under my breath

I keep my feet stable to keep the grip, her hugging me like this is making this situation worse. Taking a deep breath I try to speak hoping my voice doesn't shake "buddy is well trained. He's friendly and won't hurt you. Please get down" I say the last sentence with a requesting manner

Having her wrapped up around me clinging like a Koala on a tree and this position is not my mind friendly because my thoughts are going somewhere they shouldn't be

I sigh realizing that she ain't gonna leave me anytime soon and buddy looks too excited to just leave her alone. He's a friendly gal but I can't do anything if Stella isn't comfortable with him.

"Okay, let's just take you there. But could you put yourself down first?" I ask gently, she slowly nods and gets down but as soon as her feet touch the floor, buddy shifts towards her excitedly. With a swift motion I pick her up in my arms while buddy tries to climb on me pacing around us

He is really hyped up today

Stella stays still in my arms without moving, her face shows her worrying about it, she is scared of dogs. I should have known about it beforehand but I can still try to help her with this fear. Buddy takes a few sniffs of her clothes before disappearing into the living room

Stella sighs in relief and relaxes a bit "what was he doing?"

"You are a new person he is acknowledging you" I explained while carrying her towards the room. Her hands slide around my shoulders, my one hand on her back and the other behind her knees keeping a gentle yet firm grip on her

"You can put me down, he's gone" she remarks,yeah I can  but I like this better

"He can come back again, buddy seems really eager to see you" I protest, well that's not true he won't come back until I call but this is a good way of keeping her close to me

I am enjoying this way too much

She chuckles lightly as her head falls back a little "you love carrying me around, don't you?" She teases brushing her soft lips against my cheek sending a shiver down my spine. I pause and look at her leaning my head closer to hers until our foreheads touch

"Yeah I love the feeling of you in my arms" I confess and resume walking. The door of the room was open making it easier for me to pass by inside. I put Stella down as we enter the room "your surprise" I gesture, her to look around

"Finally!" She exclaims turning around with anticipation, Stella was really excited for this

The window, lighting it up and allowing the fresh air to come in. All the materials necessary have been arranged inside the cupboard but there's more to come. A couple of desks lined up, one which she can use for the designing and the other for switching. I have brought the sewing machine too which would make the work easier

Two mannequins kept at the corner. The large carpet spread across the empty floor and a couple of bean bags were placed to rest. I hung a few paintings on the walls and added some artificial plants near the window to make this room more animated

She walks around the room taking in every detail. she gasps, placing her palm on her mouth before facing me again "for the designing?" she asks, I could notice the little moistness in her eyes. I nod reducing the distance between us "yeah, you can design here, I have arranged for every necessary item"

She pulls me into another hug without another thought. I wrap my arms around her returning the gesture "This means so much. Thank you for everything" she mumbles against my chest. I smile tightening my grip a little more

A few days ago when Stella confirmed that she was selected for NYX's next round I wanted to help her but being one of the employees it was against the rules if I helped her in designing. So, instead I decided to arrange all the materials required for designing because her dorm room doesn't have enough space to keep all the requirements.

My apartment has two bedrooms, one which I use and the other I kept vacant but never happened to use but this was a good opportunity

And this way I could keep her safe too. After receiving the photographers I have been extra cautious with everything. I wanted to make sure she wasn't in danger and I found a way. After her classes she could come here to work on the designs and afterwards I would drop her back

But there's still some matters which troubled me, whoever that stalker is somehow knows about her whereabouts. For now this seems the best, I can't risk anything. I thought to propose the idea of her living with me but that's something totally different

We have been dating for a month now and this isn't something I can ask her without thinking properly and I can't even explain to her the situation which would terrify her more, right now her main concentration is on being selected and I am willing to be here for it

"I am glad you liked it, let me bring another few items till then you can check and see if you need more things" saying this I leave the room to get the boxes inside. Buddy barks, grabbing my attention, I kneel down to his level as he walks towards me.

"You actually did a good job unknowingly" I chuckled, petting his hair, this innocent act made an idea pop up in my head, I grabbed buddy's favorite treat and his ball.

Noticing it he gallops towards me to have it "If you want this, go and play with her" I put the ball in front of him and feed him the treat. He catches up quickly and takes the ball in his mouth and walks back towards the room

By that time, I brought the boxes inside. They just have some stuff for switching that wasn't heavy to carry them together. Walking back to the room as unexpected sight comes to my eye

Stella is sitting on the chair with her legs up as she hugs her knees, meanwhile buddy in front of the chair with the ball caught between his mouth, wagging his tail to play with her.

This scene makes me snort but I cover it up with a cough when she glares at me again but that anger flies away changing to a pleading one. I put the boxes down and walk towards her

"Don't worry, he just wanna play" I say, taking the ball from him and throwing it back into the living room "go fetch" with my command buddy dashes off following the ball. Stella puts her feet back down and stands up "why are you scared of dogs?" I ask with curiosity

"No particular reason, just growing up I didn't have good experience with them and I am not used to having pets around that's why"

My expression turns into a genuine concern. Small childhood fears can stay longer into life, everyone has a different level of tolerance and limits few are scared of smile insects and some are scared of huge predators

I have trained buddy well, he doesn't bark unless required. Biting is off limits but my assurance is not enough, I should just give her some time to adjust and get comfortable with him around until then.

"I understand, I will try to keep him away from you. Don't worry he won't harm you"

She nods, her attention diverts again making her eyes go wide. And here we go again.

I brace myself as she clings onto me again when buddy comes back holding the ball in his mouth. Stella doesn't dare to look at him and hides her face is my neck, her soft breath against my skin enough to make me dwell

Rubbing her back gently I pull her closer to me helping her relax.

I always wondered how Juliette felt when she saw Warner working out in those gray sweatpants. Oh I know now….

So, I have been spending time at Liam's apartment for the past week. After my classes he picks me up and drops me here so that I can work on the designs, sometimes he's at work and sometimes here with me. He even sets up a whole room for me with all the necessary things and it's gorgeous!

From the decor to the materials everything is ditto to my style and total opposite to his whole house's decor

According to him, he couldn't help me design because he is one of the members under NYX and that's fair. I want to do this on my own and prove myself but having him around and supporting me throughout gives me confidence to keep going, I can't do this is at the dorm. It would take a lot of space and disturb Jasmine too and I can't even go to my home, even thinking about it makes me remember Ethan's harsh words and mockery

Right now my main aim is completing my dream. There's no place for distraction

But!

What am I supposed to do when my boyfriend is sitting in front of me wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt while working on his ipad?

And the best part? He is wearing glasses

It's the weekend and Liam asked me to rest because I have been occupied with studies and this project. So, I decided to read a book to relax obviously

His place is huge but comfy the white interior with a bit of blue decoration making this place more lively. Everything was fine as usual but when I came here he opened the door in that attire, I almost fainted at the sight

There's a separate fanbase for glasses and I am one of the members

Currently I am sitting on the couch while reading a book on my book. My legs are resting on his lap while he sits there working with whole concentration on the ipad. His face is stern extremely focused, I can't believe how much duality he has

But that's hot

Oh I totally feel how Juliette felt while looking at Warner. In Fact I feel so much more than that. I could gwap at him the whole day without getting tired, the best sight ever.

I am seriously giggling and screaming inside while glancing at him. Taking quick peeks hiding behind the book, it's acting like a good shield for me.

This first time I am interested in something else while having a book with me

"Am I more interesting than your book?" He asks with a smug grin. Shit- I got caught

I quickly drop my head down pretending to read "Wh-what?" I tried to act calm but my tongue slipped making my words shutter in between. I hear his deep chuckle while looking up at the ceiling before turning his gaze back to me.

His gray eyes hold his signature mischievous spark in them, his expression is back to the calm and soothing one but I know he's gonna try something. Keeping an eye on him I slide my legs back but he holds my ankle lightly and draw me towards him

Putting away his i-pad he places his hand on my waist and leans forward. My heart is pounding rapidly with each second passing "I want all of your attention" His voice low and seductive, brushing his lips on my cheek. Smoothly he takes away the book from my hand and puts it aside

"Why are you reading when I can make you experience it?"

I freeze and stare at him, my mouth going dry. Why does he talk like that? Making me go all weak and unstable

"Now, I have your attention" he grins pressing a soft kiss on my lips, my eyes closes melting into the kiss.

Composing myself I reciprocate. My approval makes him deepen the kiss, exploring my mouth savoring the taste. His hand run free in my hair as I keep mine on his shoulder pulling him closer. His kiss is soft but holds so much possession behind it

"Woof!"

I quickly pull away from him, he groans not wanting to stop yet, keeping his arm around my waist. He diverts his attention to buddy, Liam's Golden retriever sitting near the center table watching us "give us some privacy" Liam says ordering buddy. To my surprise he obeys and disappears somewhere.

For the past week I have been trying to adjust with him but always gets startled when he starts sniffing me but slowly the fear was vanishing and I wasn't clinging onto Liam anymore.

He has been teasing me for it and called me a koala a few times too

Liam holds my chin and turns my head back in his direction. His body and face still close to mine that I could feel both of our hearts beating in a sync "let's continue" he murmured and went for another kiss. My face is already flustered enough and he is driving me to cloud 9

Ding!

He pauses again hearing the doorbell, dropping his head down, he sighs and moves away "perfect timing!" his voice snarls, clearly displeased . I giggle at his reaction, finding his behavior cute and funny. He gets up to attend to the person at the door while I decide to lay on the couch, twisting my body a bit as I adjust the cushions.

A small notebook grabs my attention, it is slipped behind the cushions. I grab the book and examine it and realize it's the book I saw with Liam a few days ago. It seemed like a normal book but i wanna know what's inside

I glance at the door, Liam is talking with someone and it might take some time for sure

I take a deep breath, it's not a good idea but I just wanna take a peak. It looks too engrossing to me for some reason, Liam wouldn't mind

Shrugging off the consequence of it, I lay back against the couch and flip through the pages of it

My eyes narrowed reading through each and every page. My body reacts and I sit up straight not believing my eyes.

It was all about books

My favorite books

Each page had different quotes from them. Twisted games, king of pride, ignited me. A gasp leaves my mouth, they all are the quotes I annotated in my books

Oh dear-

Here's a whole page which has books and a few chapters written by them

• Twisted games- ch-19,32,36

• King of Pride- ch- 18, 22

and the list goes on....

My breath gets caught up in my lungs, they aren't just any chapters. I can remember them even with my eyes closed, they are the most spicy scenes of those books and he knows each of those

Should I be happy or scared?

Excited?

A small paper slips from the book falling near my foot. I pick it up and read it out, a flicker of amusement leaves me speechless. It was a list of books written, not just any list but a checklist

He read them

All of them

Made a list for it too!

Oh kill me please-

"They came to the wrong house for delivery" Liam's voice grabs my attention, he walks back to the hall and pause mid way when his eyes fall on the book in my hand and then back to my face to read my expressions

I keep my face stren and unhinged, I don't know how he got the books or what he did but I ain't happy. No one touches my books without my permission and he? He read all of them!

"I didn't know you had a book guide" I say sarcastically, waving the book, asking for an answer from him

He laughs nervously scratching the back of his neck, he has caught red handed and yet he is trying to ease it with that charming smile of his. I scroll at him to which he raised his hands in surrender "I can explain-" he says nervously

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

Author's Note

It's been a while since I updated but it's because you all didn't seem to be intrested in completing the target ☹️ it made me feel really unmotivated

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it the chapter and the last chapter might have shaked y'all but don't worry there are many sweet moments before I drop another bomb 🫢

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