Amber sat up in bed after twisting and turning for twenty minutes, the snow had not stopped falling when she checked upon the condition. Suddenly feeling cold she forgot about the hulk-like man sleeping on her couch and walked out to get some warm milk.
The large open windows lit up the kitchen and she didn't bother turning the lights on.
"Can't sleep?"
She jumped catching the cup which slip out of her hands quickly and turned to look at Alex who by now was leaning on his hands over the counter. She sighs shaking her head and glancing at the clock. It was two in the morning.
They both share a knowing look before letting out a sigh.
Amber sipped on her warm milk with dry fruits watching Alex do the same as he stared out the window.
"What do you do in your free time?"
"What do you mean?" Amber asked in sudden confusion.
"To relax" Alex sat down and leaned back, his legs wide open, one arm slung over the head of the accent chair he sat on and the other holding his cup.
"I mean " he continued pensively, "it all well and good killing time in front of the television with your feet up, while you love how peaceful it is but what else do you do when you've had your fill of the great open spaces and lack of noise?"
"Well, I grew up in a small town" was all Amber could say.
"University must have been a change of space for you then" She smiled nodding as Alex's curiosity about the women in front of him increased.
"What was it like moving here then"
"Well, nerve wreaking of course but exciting"
Alex found her amusing, he had never paid attention to someone before like her. He was curious about her life before moving to the city. What she was like back in her hometown, how it was. Alex had never been to small towns before, he grew up in the city.
"I loved it back home and I love it here," She said and he rose his eyebrow.
"I see, and you started working here because you liked working as an assistant?"
Amber shook her head.
"I was more of an opportunity"
"So then you don't like it" Alex watched her face turn into confusion when she began thinking but immediately answered.
"No, I like it. It's just tiring, you won't get it"
"So you don't like it" Alex had a smirk on his face as he watched Amber fish for better answers. He knew she was nervous about answering questions related to the company.
"Like I said you won't get it"
"You're right, I don't. And you still haven't given me a better answer to my question"
"Well, I barely have time to relax!"Amber stood up abruptly, uncomfortable with his questioning, She rarely found her motives questioned.
"But I thought you said.." A smile quired at the corner of his mouth.
"Yes well" snapped Amber turning her back to him as he kept his smile on.
She turned the water on running the cup under it till he gently took it from her hand gesturing her to move and washing her and his cup. She softly took her lower lip under her teeth watching him.
"So, when do you...?" Alex followed her as she walked to the other side of the counter.
Amber had no idea what was happening, was this him trying to flirt? was he teasing her? She had told herself and was convinced that there was no way a man could have any interest in her, aside from polite interest towards someone who she had agreed to help out and let him stay for the night because of the pickle they were in, there was no way a guy like him could ever have an interest in her. But when his eyes landed on her like that.
Her mind broke its leash and it suddenly went in random directions.
He was arrogant, the typical spoiled rich boy who had all the women he could. He was the type of guy she could never think of in such away. She had no time for a guy like Alex, but he was so gorgeous, his intimidating frame made her think otherwise. There was something about him that made her body react in such treacherous ways.
He had shown her his relaxed side now, he was much more laid back than she thought.
"Seems like you don't really get much time for yourself here" Alex whispered, "It must be lonely, however mush you love the peace"
"Well.."
Amber blinked letting her eyes fall to the ground, she licked her lower lip.
Alex drew a sharp breath, riveted by the slight of her plumped lips, as she licked them soft and took in a deep breath. She had no idea how beautiful she looked to him. She was the definition of innocent for him. That wasn't one of those women who he talked to once and got in bed with then never looked back again but her, he knew she was innocent.
He stepped back and raked his fingers through his hair, breaking the feeling her had and the thoughts his mind was filled with. Amber on the other hand was trembling, she could feel the tremor running through her body. She could feel herself getting thoughts that she did not want to have.
He asked her about things no one did. It intimidated her, it made her question her decision.
He didn't ask her again whether she was lonely, nor did he ask her why she chose to be lonely or get a job where she knew she could never have time for herself.
When he looked at her it made her question everything.
He could not have been more meticulously polite if he had been obeying orders with a gun held to his head. She had accepted that him walking in her life was the most exciting thing that ever had to happen in her life which amused her or had her questioning her life.
And this was right when her sister's call had caused all sorts of mixed emotions in her again.
And was she okay to go ahead with any exciting opportunities she got in her life? Or was she going to ignore them? Where was the harm in experiencing new things? She was already isolated, and tired and she ignored her own calls for breaks.
She felt as though she had been on standby for someone and as he came, it shook her up.
"It does kinda get lonely-" Amber said, wrapping her hands around herself.
She cleared her throat, realising that this was something she had never said aloud to anyone.
"I say that because, I am bust most of the times. And Althought I do make time for myself, it mostly ends up beind for cleaning up or having food that I want at the resturant I like. Or just getting dessert-" Amber suddenly paused. She was rambling.
"But-but you were right-" She finsihed.
Alex sat back on the couch and looked at her with a smirk. He had do a lot to find out more about her, there was no goal or reason in knowing about the women he was with. But he was strangely curious to find out more of her life.
And now that she was telling him, but she wasn't confident in her own answers. He could see that in the soft embarrassed flush in her cheeks as through she was doing something her wishes.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked her softly and Amber frowned at him.
"Bceause You asked me, if I felt lonely"
"But why?"
She stopped and questioned herself.
"Because you have been resisting my questions ever since I truned up here and asked those exact questions you would never answer"
Amber felt her cheeks her cheeks warm up. She was blsuhing.
"I don't know you" She shruggedand answered honestly. "And once you leave, we would go back to being strangers. We would be strangers and only business related. You are not the sort of person who would continue being friends with someone like me. We justtalked because we are stuck here at my apartment"
"Hmm, charming" he whsipered ctaching her eye and putting her nervous body under light.
Amber chuchkled and the warmed when he smiled back a watchful assessing smile.
"I didn't think you would be the type to be honest with yourself"
She smiled shaking her head.
"Do you like teasing people?" She said walking over to the window and admiring the snow.
"Not much. Its not teasing. It me hunting for answers because I was curious"
Amber gulped, his eyes staring her and she could feel his gaze from teh corner of her eyes.
Alex thought about how soft her voice was, it was like mnay other girls who irritated his ears. Her laugh was soft and quite,it was contagious.
"I suppose someone like you doesn't feel like you aren't sure where you are going or what to do next"
The question caught him by surprise because it wasn't often anyone ignore his personal zone, and for a few seconds he contemplated not answering. But her question was like his, filled with curiosity. And he had never been questioned on simple things like these before.
And she had nothing to judge him on. She was honest. He liked that shy look she gave him as he tenderly sat on the accent chair in front of him and pulled her legs under her chin wrapping her hands around them. Her soft cheeks pouting very slightly.
He liked the fact that she was open to him, he was normally unintrested in most women's stories. He never found them intresting and they would start talking without him ever showing intrest at all.
But Amber wanted nothing from him, that was different. Those no expectations allowed him to be himself. Of course with certain limits that he could not cross. He had kept half his life dark.
"No," He drawled, "I make sure to always know where I am going I always have a purpose, I never get myself in conditions where I am to question myself"
"Never?" Amber laughed uncertainly. He was so confident and his answers were well thoughtout.
Such attitude wouldve left her in the cold and she wouldve found them annoying but in him, she fond it sexy, endering.
"Nothing has ever happen in your life that made you feel..lost?"
Alex frowned. Outside through the kitched window, he could see the snow fall stop but the light fog stayed. Inside it was warm and however small the apartment was in his veiw, he found it homey. He hadn't felt stressfree in a while. He recalled why he has been stressed for the past few months, nothing to do with work, the stress of work was what got him pumped to work harder. But he was stressed out by his father. That was teh first time he could leane back and think what made him stress in reality.
"My Father has been under the wheather these days" He heard himself say suddenly. Out of the blue with no thought before saying that.
"He was okay last year and then suddenly he had health problems. So thats that"
A,ber wanted to reach out and squeeze his hand or touch his shoulder and let him know that it would be okay because he looked different, suddenly it felt like he was holding back a lt more than what he said. She wasn't used to comforting people. And Amber wasn't used to pouring out her heart to people nor was he.
Alex wondered how he managed to end up here, with virtual stranger leaning towards him to try and comfort him.How he could open up to a complete stranger and that to a women.
"How is he now, and your family?"
"My family is huge actually but, I only have my father close to me. My mother left long time ago. We talk but, its not that great"
Amber sighs with a frown, "Everyone has something they stress about in life."
"True" Alex added.
"You feel sorry for me?" Alex asked looking up at her. Amber was now next to him, standing. She looked down at him resisting the urge to run her hands through her hair.
He smiled very slowly noticing her face. She was in delimma.She wanted to looj away but she couldn't move her eyes from his. His eyes were so captivating.He knew he held her in his gaze, he liked it.
He like dit lot more than he thought he would, telling her about his worries, simple conversations, something he had not been a part of for a long time.