5. Chapter 5 A Kiss A Day Keeps The Stalker Away.
Chapter 5: A Kiss A Day Keeps The Stalker Away.
Madison
I wasn't comfortable at the club.
My eyes kept focusing on my phone, checking the time to make sure that I wasn't late.
I kept asking myself if he was bluffing about the house being able to put itself on lockdown.
It wasn't making me get into the mood to party.
"Are you really that upset because I didn't come last time?" Gwen asked. She had a guilty expression on her face. I didn't tell her about what had happened with the stalker. If I had done it, she would have felt even more guilty.
"No, it's just I feel it's getting late," I chuckled nervously.
"It's eleven… you usually classify 3 a.m. as late. Is something wrong?" Now she's suspicious.
"No, I just… maybe I'm not really feeling it today," I explained.
"Oh, I understand; there are days like that," she says. "Let's go home then."
So here I am.
Standing outside Killian's house. It's fifteen minutes left to midnight, and my thoughts are telling me to remain outside and see for myself if he was bluffing or go in to avoid any potential consequences if what he said really happens.
I decide to go in.
Just to be sure that he wasn't joking, I stay in the living room and switch to YouTube, watching Vine compilations to keep me occupied.
I set an alarm earlier for midnight, so I'm waiting for it to ring.
Immediately when the clock strikes twelve, the entire house is filled with a low hum, almost as if it's a machine that is shutting down. After about ten seconds of the noise progressively reducing, the sounds of all locks clicking into place snap through the air before finally going dead silent, save for the voices on the television.
I don't know if I'm to be really impressed or really worried. I go to the front door and try opening it. It doesn't budge.
I let out a sigh of relief that I chose to go in .
It was hard to tell whether Killian was joking or not. Nathan is always easy to read. So, having someone I can't easily decipher is a major problem for me.
I didn't complete my midnight exploration yesterday, so maybe I should just do it tonight.
I go up the flight of stairs, and rather than going left to my bedroom, I decide to go right.
I've been feeling a little out of shape these days, so maybe the gym would help for a bit of midnight training.
As I open the door, there's soft classical music playing.
I walk in and eye the equipment. There are different dumbbells varying in size, a treadmill, and some weights.
I hear a metal clang, and I turn to see Killian there.
He's wearing only trunks, and his body looks sweaty. I haven't seen him shirtless before…
His chest, shoulders, and abs tell me he has never skipped a day of practice.
I swallow hard as I take in his sight. He's watching me, breathing heavily from carrying something that weighty.
"You're back. I thought you'd think I was joking and come back past midnight," he says as he puts his hands together and points them toward the ceiling, completely stretching his body.
"For some reason, I was completely uncomfortable at the party. Not being able to tell if you're joking or not doesn't help at all," I admit.
My eyes leave his stomach and go lower. I notice the bulge, and I look away immediately.
What was that size?
He's definitely not hard yet.
"If you came late, you could call me, and I'd open," he says.
"But you seemed really tired when I left."
"Nothing a quick nap can't fix," he shrugs and gets ready to deadlift again. "But thank you for worrying about my health."
"Someone has to look out for the doctor, you know?" I say playfully.
He gets the joke judging by how quickly the smile appears on his face.
"Are you here to work out? Or are you just exploring the house?" he asks.
"The latter."
I definitely cannot work out properly with him being here.
God, what is wrong with me? It's Killian we're talking about here.
Why are you getting flustered over him?
"Madison," he calls softly.
I turn my attention to him and respond, "Yes?"
"I love the fact you respected me enough to come back home early as planned," he says softly. "You're really a mature woman deep down. I will love it if we continue like this. Is that okay?"
There… He praises me.
Hearing him praise me makes me feel all weird and giddy on the inside, but I refuse to accept it.
"I will," I reply.
***
The next day is Sunday, so the only thing I do is wait for the day to get dark. To my own benefit, though, I try my best during the day to perfect my hands on a lasagna recipe, but in the end, I have no idea what I even eat.
Luckily for me, Killian isn't at home to witness my embarrassing kitchen failure. By the time it's evening, I already have my Uber waiting at the front gate, and after locking the house according to Killian's instructions earlier in the morning before he left, I head over to meet my best friend waiting at the club entrance, refusing to go in without me.
"Today is definitely your day to get picked up by one of the hottest guys in the club," she praises me as we do our little delusional hug. Both of us, despite chanting that today is the day we'll finally get into a relationship, bail at the first sign of anything that looks like it's going to be more than just spending the evening together.
I know nothing about relationships or how they work, having been in a very dedicated few my entire life, but I know one thing. Relationships that are bred from this kind of environment, more often than not, never last.
"If I get picked, I'll make sure to hook you up with his best friend. You'd just... better do the same for me." We share psychopathic smiles with each other as I talk and step into the club.
For the next two and a half hours, everything is bliss. Adrenaline rushes through my veins as more and more energy keeps being released through the music. I make sure not to drink too much, though.
Tomorrow is Monday, and it's terrible enough without a hangover. Adding a headache, sound and light sensitivity, dizziness, and nausea to the mix would be suicidal.
As Gwen and I dance, she stills for a moment, looking at someone behind me. I read no serious meaning into it. Many guys... and girls would beckon over at you in the club.
However, she keeps her eyes on the person, growing increasingly confused with each passing second, finally earning my curiosity. I turn back and see none other than Steven, the creepy stalker from my social media. He's staring back at me in relief as he finally gets my attention.
He gives an excited wave to me, and I send an unsure one back. I then lean into Gwen and tell her, "That's Steven."
"Stalker Steven?" she expatiates. I nod in panic. "He came all the way from Sacramento," she breathes.
"Actually, he's been here before," I explain.
"Wait, what? When?"
"Remember when I asked if you wanted to go to the club with me, and you had work?" I remind her.
"Yeah? Wait… don't tell me he found your house?" she asks in shock as she continues to look over my shoulder.
"No, I met him here at the club. More like he met me in an uncomfortable manner," I reply.
"Shit, he's coming," she warns.
"Baby doll. It's nice to talk to you again. I knew I'd run into you someday again," his drowsy alto voice mixes with the crowd noise and the music but is still very audible.
"Um... hi, listen. I don't appreciate you following me around like this, okay? You're making me feel unsafe," I let out. It's better I end his obsession here once and for all than continue to put myself at risk.
"Oh, yeah. I get that, really. But it's just because we're strangers. When we get to know each other, and it blossoms into something beautiful, you'll see that all the sacrifices I have made would be worth it," he says and tries to take a step closer, but I jump back.
"Oh, I get what you're trying to say," I reply with a wide smile, trying not to betray my terror and pretending just to understand his words. "I have a boyfriend, actually, so... I don't think I'm open for that kind of... you know..." I use my hands to gesture the word' entanglement.'
He twirls his sly face around, saying, "Well, he's not here, so..."
"Actually, he is," the voice I think I'm starting to mentally link with my guardian angel interrupts the conversation; Killian follows, draping a lazy hand over my shoulders. "We've met before, haven't we?"
Steven looks at Killian briefly before rightfully deciding with a laugh, responding, "Both of you are not dating. There's no need to try and fool me."
In a pick between two evils, desperation would allow me to pick the lesser evil, and in this case, Killian is a much lesser evil than Steven, so I do the first thing that comes to mind to prove my relationship with Killian.
I turn his face to meet mine and look at Steven, saying, "Does this convince you enough?"
With that, I sink my mouth into Killian's and take his tongue in a sensual kiss, moaning as emotionally as I can to give the illusion of its reality.
When I break away from the kiss, I'm flashing a smile now, not just to deceive Steven, but at how much I liked the kiss... and a sarcastic smile at how that probably might be the biggest mistake I have made in my recent life. Killian's eyes say the exact same thing.
"Well, you two could just be joking…" Steven tries to insist, but Killian holds my chin and faces me toward himself.
He starts kissing me again. Deeper than I did.
His hands secure my waist, pulling me close to him.
I wrap my arms around his neck, completely forgetting that we have to fool Steven and not give him a free show.
As we finally let go of each other, we stare into our eyes.
This time… I have just one question for myself.
What the hell have you done? You idiot!