Several more tenants rode up and down and up again, before I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. This was getting ridiculous. I was ridiculous. I called the elevator down again, resigned to trying to forget about it. I was pacing the length of the hallway when the front door opened, and Haylee walked in.
I froze in my steps, staring at her. Her brown hair was pulled up in a bun that must’ve been neat at one point. Stray hairs fell out of the confinement framing her face in wild curls or stuck to every which way on top of her head. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell slightly open when she saw me. My first thought was of kissing those plump lips, which was the very thing I was supposed to forget about. How was I to do that when my blood was suddenly pumping twice as fast, and my brain was fixated on her smooth round cheeks.
I told myself to play it cool, but my brain had other ideas when “Hello, Gorgeous” left my lips. There was that flush. She stumbled in her steps, and her eyes dropped to the ground. There, I went and made her uncomfortable again. Shit!
Complimentary mockery
IDIDN’T RUN INTO MRUmbrella?for an entire week. An entire week! How that was possible, I have no clue, since it had previously seemed like he was there every time I took a step outside. Waiting in the lift. Driving up and down in it for a chance to see me. Absurd.
But no. He wasn’t doing any of that, and I didn’t know if I was disappointed or relieved that he hadn’t had a chance to comment on my appearance. Possibly disappointed, since I’d been meticulously making sure I looked my best whenever I left the flat. This is why Friday evening—after four back-to-back dance lessons—was the worst time for another encounter with the man.
I was exhausted to the core and skipped the shower routine this one time to get back home quicker. While the sweaty joggers and T-shirt dried quite decently on the Tube, my hair remained in a messy bun, and my body’s aches showcased themselves in my slumped posture. I just wanted to get back home, shower, and spend the rest of the evening on the sofa with a complaining Drixie and a moping Glen. What I didn’t want to do was walk into the mansion block to see Mr Umbrella pacing the corridor waiting for the lift to arrive.
He halted the moment he saw me. My own steps slowed as my eyes darted between the lift and the stairs, searching for a quick escape.
“Hello, Gorgeous,” he said, just as the lift dinged its arrival. He averted his gaze, cleared his throat, and waved at the opening doors. “Ladies first.”
I walked past him, hoping he couldn’t smell me, but that fleeting hope dwindled when he stepped into the tight space after me. There was no way he wouldn’t smell me. No way at all.
I stayed silent, counting the floors in my head. To my surprise, Mr Umbrella stayed quiet, too, and focussed his attention on his feet as his fingers danced against his thigh.
That was new.
As if his quieter demeanour invited me to study him the same way he had done the previous times we’d stood in this lift together, my eyes drifted over to him with greater ease.
He wore his fancy shoes again, although this time simple dark jeans replaced the khaki trousers. Hands in his pockets pulled the waistline lower. I involuntarily licked my lips, then raised my eyes higher where the button-up shirt pressed against his abdomen. The jacket was the same as last time I’d seen him.
If there was one of us who could call themselves stylish it was him. Yet, I would fight with every fibre in my body should he call me out on my sporty outfit. In fact, I was surprised when he didn’t say a word.
When I studied his face, I was happy to note he was content keeping his four o’clock shadow and hadn’t done a full shave. Mr Umbrella’s eyes flicked to me and back to the ground as if he felt me staring and didn’t want me to stop. His lips twitched. I sucked my lower one into my mouth on reflex.
“I expected you to talk more,” I finally blurted. “Especially after the mocking greeting.”
“Mocking? Red Cheeks, I wouldn’t even dream of mocking you.” Unable to keep his eyes pinned to the ground, he met my narrowing ones.
I should have possibly stayed quiet, because his gaze was intense and made me fumble with the hem of my shirt. I couldn’t even come up with anything coherent to say after this. Luck was not on my side when it came to the interactions with this man. I got it. Not meant to happen. Better off this way anyway.
