I leaned forward, changing the channel to something else. Neither one of us said a word until we entered the cafe.
Lifting my hands, I slid my strawberry blonde curls back into a ponytail. “Yeah, I can’t believe I’ve been ghosted by three guys now. Three Sadie, three. It’s like I’m an ogre or something.” I paused, lifting my eyes to Silas with a smile. “Good morning, Silas.”
“Good morning, Rosalie,” he held out an iced coffee for me.
I smiled, knowing exactly what it was without asking.
He knows me so well… How sweet.
“Oh, come on, you’re going to have to sift through the bad apples to find the right guy, Rosalie,” Sadie replied, eyeing Silas and me. I knew it’s because he made me coffee. She gave me ‘the look’. One in which I tried to subtly return.
I rolled my eyes, making her usual. I handed it off to her and watched her make her way to the boutique across the street where she worked. She really was something.
Silas stood slightly behind me. I took a sip of my iced caramel macchiato with extra caramel syrup just the way I liked it. He hesitated before leaning in closer. “I don’t think you’re an ogre, by the way. Those guys aren’t good for you anyways,”
And what did he mean by that?
My face flushed pink. He was sweet; I would give him that. Silas was a bit odd, but he was hot. I assumed his quirks came with the tragedy of his childhood. I remembered his parents’ accident being broadcasted on TV. We were only about seven or eight when it happened, but they died in a horrible car accident. It wasn’t until after their deaths that it came out that he had been abused by them, and then he was sent to live with his uncle in this shit town neither of us wanted to be in. It was something I could relate to, having dead parents and the childhood trauma that came from it. He however came from money that I never had.
Rumors were that he was rich, and he worked here because he wanted to earn his own money instead of relying on the money that came from his dead parents. Despite working with him literally all the time, I didn't ask. I thought it would be insensitive too even after all this time.
My eyes lingered on him, taking in his frame. He was much taller than me. At least a foot or so. Dark curls, dark eyes, a sharp jawline, and soft freckles. Tattoos covered his left arm and up his neck, and not to mention the snake bite piercings he had on either side of his bottom lip. I tilted my head slightly, surprised girls didn’t flock to him merely for his good looks.
Does he realize how hot he is? Or is he just incredibly humble?
“Well, I appreciate that,” I glanced briefly in his direction, our eyes met. I turned away, flustered that he was unexpectedly staring at me already.
Clearing my throat, I lifted my eyes to the customer who approached the counter. “Hi, I’m Rosalie. What can I get you?” I asked, proceeding to take their order.
3
Silas
My hands were in my pockets, following her just a block or so behind. With my eyes fixated on her, my heart was racing with anticipation, but my body felt heavy, weighed down by the conflicting emotions that had been plaguing me the past few days or so.
I have to do it; I have to take her. She’s mine. It’s the only way to keep her safe.
At this point, convincing her to fall in love with me would take too much time. There were too many factors outside of my control with it. Besides, I had been working on renovating the basement just for her.
Still, the idea of kidnapping the girl I was madly in love with sounded crazy.
Am I crazy?
Despite it being the only way, I was still conflicted. It’s not like I hadn’t tried other means first. Kidnapping her was a last resort, and with the way things were at this point—desperate times called for desperate measures. I had been watching her, studying her, loving her from afar for so long, and now it was my time to make my move. I was in too deep, and there was nobacking out of it now. I would be a fool not to follow through with my plans. I was doing this for her own good.
I love her.
It was dark, and the lighting was dim. The rain worsened the dreary atmosphere and reduced visibility beyond a normal Tuesday night. I lifted my hand to adjust the mask I had on my face, sealing the truth of my identity from her. My mind was elsewhere even as I toyed with the disguise. I was thinking about her, her laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, and how soft her hair looked.
I want to touch her hair so bad. Does it smell as good as it looks? I bet it does.
I would have my answers soon enough. I only needed to be patient.
My heart skipped a beat, watching her walk down the street, I noticed the way her hips swung with each step. I narrowed my eyes.
Shit.
I picked up my pace. She really wasn’t paying attention at all.
