Page 120 of The Addict

“Uh-huh.”

“I was simply making sure that your eye...y’know…was doing better.”

“You were worried about my eye?”

“I mean no—wait, yes, I am concerned about the condition of your eye.”

I laughed. She sounded like a bad nurse.

“I’m going to go now,” she said swiftly.

I frowned. “Why?”

She sighed. “I don’t want to embarrass myself anymore.”

I could picture the blush that took home upon her cheeks. I had seen it before. Her face looked so cute when she was flushed.

“Okay. I’ll see you on Monday,” I said, not wanting her to be uncomfortable. The fact that she was even thinking about me after turning me down to hang out, made my confidence soar. She had called me.

“Bye. Goodnight, Noah.”

I saw my clock read 12:02AM from the corner of my eye. “Good morning, Delane,” I blurted.

I cringed, wondering if she remembered that reference at all or if I had just made a complete fool of myself. Not too long ago, she used the exact words to me on the night we met.

Then she laughed, deep and fulfilling. The sound filtered through the phone like a delicate melody, and I knew that she understood.

“Good morning, Noah.”

Chapter thirty-three

Just Pretend

NOAH

The soft rapping on the window broke my concentration. I remained motionless, eyes looking out into the blackness outside, the curtain of my window casually pulled back to reveal nothingness.

Did I really hear that just now?

I paused and paid close attention. A few seconds later, the same gentle knocking pattern returned. I got out of bed and headed for the window to take a closer inspection.

I peered out into the night and jumped when my sight came in contact with the grey eyes I knew too well. Silas was there, perched atop the shingles of the roof like a vulture. He was dressed in a full black on black business suit, tie included, and I was in awe wondering how he managed to climb up to my room’s level without breaking a sweat in that. His knuckle, the source of the knocking sound, slid down the glass when he noticed me gawking. He winked at me from the other side, causing my cheeks to flame. I fumbled to open the window, knowing I probably waited too long due to my staring.

“What in the world are you doing here?” I asked, hastily helping him through the opening.

Silas only smiled, and I turned from him, scowling.

“You could’ve gotten injured, you know,” I muttered, returning to my seat on the bed as Silas dusted off his pants from his trek.

“You were a no show after our drive,” Silas remarked, striding over to me. “And I was so looking forward to your visit.”

I swallowed. I had completely forgotten about the prior plans we had made after our… meeting in his car. A sharp pang of guilt waved over me, but I dismissed it as Silas grew closer to where I sat.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, reading my body language like a damn book and bending forward so that his face was looking down into mine.

I angled away from him, fidgeting with the actual book I had in my hands moments before his arrival. “No, I’m fine.”

The bed shifted as Silas took a seat next to me, his warm presence both inviting and repelling at the same time. I was stiff, my eyes unable to come together with his. The tension in the air told me all I needed to know.