21.
February 23rd, 2020
Itook my boots off and placed them next to Gallan’s near the penthouse entrance once we’d descended the stairs that led us back down from the rooftop. I have to admit, I felt like a literal peacock in her prime time while coming down those spiral, black-metal stairs. I mean…how could I not? I felt fucking fancy as all shit justbeingin the penthouse.
Talk about wealth giving your middleclass anus an itch.
Gallan placed our phones on the coffee table in front of the fireplace, and then grabbed my left hand.
“Come on,” he said with a smile, and led me through his lavish abode.
I’d seen almost all of it when I’d first arrived. The warm contrast of the place, the wood-like walls, the plush carpets, the mahogany-and-beige furniture, the golden lights, and the toasty air surrounding the whole house – it all left me speechless and in awe.A second time.
Gallan’s penthouse felt likehome, just ashedid to me.
We’d decided not to use our phones for the rest of the night because we didn’t wanna feel overwhelmed by the constantly pouring in Instagram notifications. Whatever the people, thefans, had to say about us, could be dealt with tomorrow.
We’d face the world tomorrow.
The night was ours, and we’d live it the way we wanted to.
We reached Gallan’s massive bedroom, and he quickly switched the lights on before turning on the air conditioner.
I looked around the clean and mostly open space, and raised a brow at him. “Fancy.” I hadn’t seen his entire room during the tour he’d given me, but as I continued to glance around, I learned that he was a man of sophistication and simplicity.
To the left was a balcony with closed glass doors. Next to it was a large walk-in closet and a dressing table. To the right was an attached bathroom. Behind me was a king-size bed and an armoire that held all of Gallan’s awards, from both his school and college times, and his professional successes from over the years.
The walls of his room were wood-like, just as the rest of the penthouse. Several frames containing pictures of him, his costars, and his parents, were hung throughout the bedroom.
I felt Gallan watching me as I took off my brown flannel jacket and hung it on the back of the dresser chair. I felt the welcoming heat of his dark gaze as I walked up to the armoire and placed a hand on the cool glass.
“Is it crazy that I remember every bit of information from when you walked up those different stages to accept all of these movie awards?” I asked, and smiled as he came to stand behind me and placed a hand on the side of my waist.
“Nothing crazy about that,” he said.
Our gazes met through the armoire glass, and every fragment of me buzzed at the gleam in his eyes, which was so beautifully visible, even with the overhead lights haloing our reflections slightly.
“Yeah?” I questioned as I worked on maintaining a steady rhythm for my heart.
Gallan pushed my hair back, pulled the collar of my white turtleneck down, and placed a long kiss over the sensitive spot below my ear.
“Yes, Zaira,” he whispered against my skin. “I think it’s so fuckin’ hot that you remember such small things about me.” He slid a hand below my left breast, and I closed my eyes at the way a simple touch from him made me feel.
“You…” I arched my back when he kissed my neck. “Gallan…” I cupped the back of his neck and tilted my head to the side to give him further access. “You… God, you…”
He laughed airily and pulled me to him. “Iwhat, Zaira?”
I swallowed and gently pushed him away. Turning around, I worked at calming down, and then folded my arms over my chest when he raised a brow at me.
“You said you’d behave yourself,” I told him.
Challenge flashed in his eyes. “That I did, but I just changed my mind, so what’re you gonna do about it?” He stepped closer to me.
I pivoted on my feet to get away from him, and that’s when my gaze landed on the black acoustic guitar placed on the wall right next to the armoire.
I quickly grabbed it, and placed it in front of me just as Gallan made a move to grab my hand.
“Seriously?” he asked when I practically shoved the guitar at his chest. “You’d rather I play the guitar than kiss you senseless?”
