Joshua, on the other hand, was quite the opposite, but it was okay because I wasn’t expecting anything more than whatever was going on, anyway. This awkward, high-tension feeling wasn’t foreign between us.
He frowned, catching me just standing there like an idiot. Without a word, he came around and pulled the passenger side door open, holding it out like an order instead of an offer.
“Get in,” he said, flat, clipped.
The sound of his voice jolted me out of my head. I blinked, snapping back into reality, and gave a quick nod before sliding into the seat. Awkward.
Painfullyawkward.
—
When the car finally slowed, I glanced up and froze. My building.What the—?
Joshua pulled into a gated, private garage beneath it, and my entire body went stiff. My throat tightened as the car clicked into park.
He noticed. His head turned, brow furrowing. “What?”
I quickly shook my head, turning away before he could even think about connecting dots I wasn’t ready for him to connect.
Because yes, I lived here. But he didn’t need to know that.
We headed inside, and it didn’t feel like home anymore. The air was heavier, and it just felt… odd. Like I’m in a foreign place when I know full well that I’ve walked across this lobby thousands of times already.
How have I never bumped into him? I seem to do so all the time on campus, but it took a year for me to realise we’re just floors apart.
The elevator ride was the longest of my life. I tried to stand still, tried to breathe like nothing was wrong, but my thoughts spun out of control. If he ever found out I lived here too…oh God. I’d never escape him.
Same building. Same elevator. Same walls. I’d suffocate.
The number climbed floor after floor until it finally stopped at the top. His floor. The penthouse. He didn’t look at me as he stepped out, but I followed anyway, slipping my shoes off by the door without him asking. My body just did it automatically, like I didn’t dare cross a line inhisspace.
He headed straight for the living room, dropping his keys on the counter. I trailed after him, notebook already in hand, and when he dropped onto the couch, I sat too, just close enough to work, not close enough to touch.
“What are we doing?” His tone was flat, his eyes narrowing slightly as if I’d dragged him into something he hadn’t signed up for.
I scribbled quickly:You just have to answer a few questions.Then I held it out to him.
He frowned. “What kind?”
I tapped the page, writing again.About being the captain and some other easy stuff. If you’re too busy, then type a vague answer, and I’ll just correct your grammar and add more.
He leaned back, staring at me for a long moment as if he regretted agreeing to this.
Finally, he muttered, “Okay, whatever.”
Fine. Good. Easier for both of us.
I quickly scribbled down another sentence, hopefully the last one, before turning to him:It’ll take a bit; I couldn’t finish the questions in time.
He didn’t even blink and just let out a low hum. “Mm-hmm.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pull his phone out. A few quiet taps. Probably occupying himself while waiting for me.
So eerie.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, a knock came at the door. Joshua dropped his phone on the couch and got up to answer it.
He came back with a bag and simply set it down on the table closest to my side, like it was the most natural offer in the world. I looked down at it before my gaze went to him, confused.
