14. "I would eat the purple if I were you. Look at it. It's adorable."
I woke up in the middle of the night, with an urge to pee. I sighed, making my way to the bathroom where I checked the water first. Yet again, there was none. With an exasperated sigh, I stepped back into my bedroom, remembering that Mr. Knight—Aiden— said I could use his bathroom.
So I walked up to his bedroom and knocked on the door as loudly as I could. I knocked a few more times, but received no response. My bladder was threatening to empty its contents any seconds, so I cautiously pushed the door open.
Then I tiptoed inside and stuck my head around the wall that separated his bed area from the bathroom. I could see him sound asleep, so I quietly walked to the bathroom and finished my business.
After washing my hands, I stepped out and peeked around the wall again. This time, I saw him stirring in his sleep, his lips moving.
Is he having another bad dream?
I tiptoed up to his side of the bed, sitting at the edge.
He was mumbling gibberish, his face showing signs of fear and distress.
It was extremely strange for me to see him like that.
The tough, intimidating man who could bury someone six feet underground with just his looks, appearing so vulnerable. So human.
I bit my lip, pondering over waking him up as he continued muttering incoherent words.
Then his words became louder, more clear and desperate.
"Stop! No! Please don't do that.... I'm begging you..." my eyes widened as his voice grew louder and louder, and his body moved as if trying to push someone off of him. "Let them go! .... Don't do this.... NO."
My heart started sinking with fear and worry as I saw his condition. I shook him, urging him to wake up. "Aiden! Wake up please! Aiden!!"
He sat up the next minute, panting, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Aiden?" I muttered, concerned.
He looked at me, gasping for air.
"It's okay." I assured him gently.
"It's not okay!" He exclaimed agitatedly.
I bit my lip, forcing myself to stay calm. "Please focus on your breathing."
As he worked on catching his breath, I poured him a glass of water from his nightstand and offered it to him. He stared at it for a second before slapping it away, causing the water to splash over me and the glass to fall to the marbled floor, breaking into pieces.
A small shriek sounded from my mouth, and I took an instinctive step backward.
He stared at what he had done while I stared back at him in fear.
"I'm sorry," he uttered. I stood frozen in shock. "I shouldn't have done that." He pushed the covers off his body and stepped on to his feet, taking a step towards me.
I took a step back.
"I'm sorry, Aysel. I didn't mean to." The vulnerability in his voice made me feel bad for him, but the broken pieces of glass made me fear him.
"I... I'll... I have to go." I stuttered, stumbling backwards.
He held me by my arms, making me stiffen. "No. Don't move. You'll hurt yourself."
"I'm... I'm going back to my room." I couldn't meet his gaze. His gaze that was broken and distressed.
"No, don't go. They... they'll come. What will I do then?" He uttered.
His words made me look at him. "Who will come?" I asked, confused.
"They'll kill everyone." He muttered, his hold on me growing tighter.
My eyes widened. "Who?"
He shook his head. "You... you should stay here. I'll... I won't be held down this time... I'll be strong. I'll be strong."
He was making me more and more confused and scared. "What are you saying, Aiden?"
"I'll be strong," He repeated, his voice almost a whisper. "Stay here please."
"Okay," I agreed. "I'll stay here.... Just calm down please."
He looked relieved. "You can sleep on the bed."
"I'll sleep on the couch." I mumbled.
"No." He refused instantly.
A loud, startled gasp left me mouth as he suddenly lifted me bridal-style in his arms with ease. "W-what are you doing?!"
Before I could protest more, he gently laid me on his bed and covered me with the covers. I gaped at him as he did.
"Be careful when you step down. There's glass everywhere." He said.
I couldn't stop staring at him as he retreated toward the couch and laid on it, closing his eyes.
"Aysel?" He spoke up after a few minutes of silence.
"Y-yes?"
"You won't go, will you?" He sounded afraid, and I had zero idea of what was going through his head or what had him behaving like that.
"No, I'm here." I assured him.
He didn't say anything.
And after several minutes of silence, my eyes fluttered close, but until I actually fell asleep, all I could think was about what was wrong with him.
———
When I woke up the next morning, I was the only one in the bedroom. Sitting up, I noticed that the floor was tidy with no evidence of the pieces of glass.
It was 10 am. I had slept in.
I slowly stepped out of Aiden's bed and decided to use his bathroom to freshen up. Afterwards, I headed to my room to change and then went downstairs.
I couldn't see Nina, so I decided to just make my breakfast on my own. I made french toast and after munching on it, I sat on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, contemplating on what to do with so much free time.
I decided to bake cupcakes and then go to shop for a dress to wear to the surgical conference. It took me a while to find all the ingredients I needed.
Almost forty five minutes later, my cupcakes were ready and I put them on the kitchen slab, decorating them with frosting and sprinkles.
"Miss, what are you doing?" I jumped a little, getting startled as Nina, Aiden's cook, walked into the kitchen and observed my work.
"Um... I baked cupcakes." I replied.
She stared at me like I had lost my mind. "Did Mr. Knight give you permission?"
My brows dipped. "To bake?"
"To use his kitchen..."
"Um... I didn't think I needed permission for it." I uttered unsurely.
"He gets very angry if someone uses his things without permission. I don't think he'll appreciate you using the kitchen like it's yours..." she said, and my heart sank, thinking he would yell at me again. "You didn't bake those for him, did you?" She pointed with her gaze to the cupcakes.
"Um yeah..." I trailed off.
"Oh you'll never get him to eat them. He doesn't like dessert at all." She stated.
I sighed. "Oh."
"I'll wash the dishes." She announced.
"I can wash them." I offered.
She shook her head. "Mr. Knight will fire me if he learns that his guest was doing chores like dishwashing."
I finished decorating the final cupcake and then put the tray in the fridge.
"Oh you'll never get him to eat them."
I didn't know why that made me so sad. I didn't know why I was baking him cupcakes in the first place. Maybe as a thank you? Or because I thought something sweet would help him feel better after last night?
Why did I care about him feeling better?
I called an Uber and went to the mall to buy a dress for the conference. I returned to Aiden's place empty handed a few hours later as I didn't like anything. More like anything I liked cost more than my entire salary.
I found Aiden sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby when I entered.
"Hi." He greeted, his eyes on his phone as he typed on it.
"Hey." I greeted back.
"Where were you?" He inquired.
"I went to look for a dress to wear to the conference." I answered.
He pocketed his phone and looked at my empty hands. "Where is it?"
"I didn't like anything..." I trailed off.
"I hope you'll like what I picked." He responded.
"Huh?"
"I got you a dress. It's in your bedroom." He explained.
I gaped at him. "You did?"
He nodded.
"But why?"
He sighed. "You ask too many questions. Go look at it. If you don't like it, we can get something else."
I bit my lip, turning toward the staircase. He stayed on the chair. Realising he wasn't coming, I jogged up the stairs and went straight to my room.
I gasped as I saw the gorgeous dress laid over my bed. It was black and floor length with the prettiest, most intricate design I had ever seen. It looked like it cost a fortune.
I jogged back downstairs, my face gleaming like a child's. He was in the exact same position I had left him in.
"It's gorgeous! Thank you so much." I gushed excitedly.
He nodded, standing up. "I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Wait!" I called.
"Yes?"
"Can I... show you something?" I asked nervously.
He gazed at me for a moment before nodding. I led him to his kitchen. He leaned against the island, watching me as I took out the tray of cupcakes from his fridge.
His eyebrows knitted together when he saw them. "Did Nina make those?"
I shook my head. "I made them."
He raised an eyebrow. "You used the kitchen?"
My excitement died a little. "Yeah... I didn't know I couldn't."
"You could have asked Nina if you wanted cupcakes."
"I made them for you." I said softly, my heart hammering in my chest as I awaited his reaction.
His stared at me, his face impassive. I was dying to know what he was thinking.
"Would you like to try one?" I asked nervously.
He stayed quiet while I awkwardly stood with the tray in my hands and my erratically beating heart in my chest.
"Sure." He took an eternity to respond.
I blinked at him in surprise before my face broke into a relieved grin. "Okay! Let me just warm one a bit.... Which one do you want? The one with the pink frosting, the blue or the purple?"
He looked at me, amused. "Which one do you want me to eat?"
"Ummm... I would eat the purple if I were you. Look at it. It's adorable."
His eyes seemed to hold laughter. "Purple then."
I beamed. "Okay!" I could feel his eyes on me as I placed it on a tray and then put it into the microwave to warm it for only a few seconds, so the frosting wouldn't melt.
I took it out and held the plate before him. "Here you go!"
He watched the plate, then me. "Feed me."
I gaped at him, before raising an eyebrow. "I thought you could eat on your own?"
He smirked. "My hands are too tired today."
I rolled my eyes, setting the plate down and picking the cupcake up, holding it to his mouth. He bent his head and took a small bite, holding my gaze as he did.
My heart thumped in my chest for some reason.
I watched him chew slowly, nervous about his comments. "How is it?" I asked once he finished chewing.
He nodded. "Good."
"Just good?"
He smirked. "Very good." I gaped at him as he darted his tongue out to lick the purple frosting ever so provocatively. I couldn't bring myself to blink, let alone look away. I was caught up in a trance, his intense gaze stilling me in place.
I gulped once he retreated his tongue.
"Here. Try." He said, taking it from my hand and holding it to my lips.
I blinked, before wrapping my lips around the cupcake, getting frosting all over my mouth. He held my eyes in a magnetic hold as I struggled to chew with the way he was staring at me.
He ate the rest of the cupcake, licking his fingers at the end. I didn't know why that simple gesture seemed so wanton and indecent, sending currents of a foreign sensation down to my core that made me press my thighs together.
I stiffened as his thumb swiped over my lower lip, my heart drumming erratically in my chest. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he licked the frosting on his thumb that he had wiped from my lip, all the while holding my gaze.
I almost choked on my saliva.
"Mr. Knight?"
I jumped at the sound of Nina's voice, creating distance between Aiden and I. The playful look on his face vanished as he looked at her with his usual, impassive expression.
"You have a visitor." She told him.
"Who?"
"Luna."
He nodded. "Tell her to wait in my bedroom."
Tell her to wait in my bedroom.
His words echoed in my mind. I didn't know why I wanted to know who she was. Or why I didn't want him to be with her in his bedroom.
I cleared my throat. "Um I... I should go to my room now."
He only nodded.
I carried the tray back to the fridge, hearing him exit the kitchen behind me.
Afterwards, I walked upstairs, stopping in front of the closed door of his bedroom, my thoughts running wild with thoughts of what was going on behind it.
I went to my room and headed straight to the bathroom to wash my face. I peeled my shirt off my body first, standing in my bra and jeans, but as I stood in front of the mirror, I noticed something behind the door, making me scream at the top of my lungs.