“I think we should get moving.”
She nodded without a word and stood with him.
“My legs are weak.” She said gently.
“I’ll carry you.” He said and before she could protest, he lifted her onto his back and started the long walk towards their streets which was several blocks away.
“By the way, my name is Shin... if you have joined the group of people who call me “Dean” I'll kick you when I hear you say that.” She laughed heartily and let him carry her for nearly three blocks before starting to fight for her freedom again.
He eventually dropped her and held her hand while they ascended the stairs quietly. Each ruminating about these last few minutes that would be so crucial in their friendship henceforth. When they walked past his door and he did not stop or invite her into the place, her head instantly started to calculate as to if her apartment was in the best of shapes. She started to think within her as to if the place was going to impress him or put him off. She didn’t really have much to worry about; she was a neat freak and always kept her home tidy, what she didn’t know, however, is if the place was going to be to taste in terms of furnishing or if he would turn his nose up at it.
At her door, she paused and started to fumble with the keys.
When he said “goodnight” her heart leapt violently as she suddenly realized that he had no intentions of coming in with her to consummate this newly found friendship of theirs. She looked into his eyes, searching for clues of what to do to get what she so desperately wanted but there was nothing in them. At least nothing that she could really decipher. Reluctantly, she returned his “goodnight” and opened her door. Once she was inside, she heard his footsteps going down the hall. It didn’t break even once. Her heart sank into the night until she fell asleep.
Chapter 7
The wall clock in the far end of the store chimed and Amie looked up in glee. If the world was filled with people full of happiness, she would be the happiest of them all. In the last few weeks since she became acquainted with him, she had been exceptionally happy with the turnout of events. It seemed to her that she was spending most of her free time thinking about him now.
From the day of the carnival, he had seemed aloof again. Leaving before she was awake and coming back to the apartment after she had slept. It was starting to seem to her like he was avoiding her but she couldn’t be sure. She often tried to stay awake long enough to catch him come into the house but she never seemed to be able to do it. It was as if he could see her and would wait for her to be asleep before he came back into his apartment.
The events of the night of the carnival played on in her mind from time to time. The way he had looked into her eyes and listened to her as if his life depended on it. The way he nodded over and over as she launched into the story of her dad even though she really had no business weighing him down with her stories. He had melted her heart when he had picked her up and rolled her around as they left the carnival, but, when she expected the hot kiss that was supposed to lead to the hot passionate sex that would be much better than the one she had watched him have with that Asian girl, he had said a courteous “goodnight” and had disappeared down the hall in the direction of his room. As she had heard his door open and close, she had been left so stranded that she wanted to burst into his room.
She still peeped at him through the hole and still watched him dress and undress. But perhaps the most exciting of all the things she watched him do was strut around his room with that long sword. She watched him cut through the air and strike different poses. The way his long legs would stretch forward and land on the floor gently like he was a chameleon one minute, and then the swift transition from being a slow walking, careful trotting chameleon to a swift fipper. Cutting through the air in ways that told her that if anyone had been within the range of that blade, they would be dead instantly. She silently watched him each time. Wondering what was it that made him so angry that he fought with himself so violently.
He was angry. She could tell that much from the way his brow knitted together anytime he was fighting in his room like that. His anger showed itself in the way his veins stood out when he held the sword. From the rippling of his biceps to the redeeming of his eyes. Even all the way through to the beads of sweat that fell from his hair to the rest of his body. Making little rivers of pain as it trailed down his body and looked around his loins.
She could see his anger in the set of his jaw and the look in his eyes. But who was he angry with?
What was the cause of this all-encompassing and all-consuming anger that he felt? Where did it come from and what could she do to ease it? Would he even let her come close enough to help? Would he even want to tell her the truth about himself?
She had gone through the past few weeks ruminating upon all these things. Wondering why he had not tried to kiss her. Was she not pretty enough? She admitted that the long jet black hair of the Asian girl was enviable.... But she also knew that she had a better face. At least she believed she did. Why did he give himself to her like that and ignored her? Why did he seem like he didn't notice how long she fumbled with her house keys? Why was he oblivious to the way she pushed her chest forward and pouted her lips while looking into his eyes?
Was he totally blind to the open invitation or had he chosen to ignore them? She was worried that perhaps he didn’t even like the scent of her perfume. After all, his room had smelt of some sort of special incense when she had gone in there.
“Hm, I’ll check my schedule to know if I’ll be free” she had said to him. She figured that if he wanted to act like a gentleman, she had better also act like a lady. She had rushed into the room and pretended to be looking through her diary for about a minute. Then she had walked back to the door and nodded in his face.
“Yes... lunch will be good. I think I’m free tomorrow afternoon.”
Now her shift was over and she could not be happier than she was at that moment. She put her cashier in order and started to get ready to leave the minute her colleague, Jon, walked into the store. She was going for a lunch date with her heartthrob.
As if on cue, Jon, her relief came into the store whistling and bidding his head around that time.
“Oh Jon, you’re a darling.” She exclaimed as she saw that he had come in on time. She checked herself out in the mirror and dabbled some more lipstick just so he sure that she looked perfect enough.
“You always say that Amie... You never mean it!” he called to her from the register as he looked through the sales for the day.
“I do mean it today, and just to show you how much I do, I’ll bring you something tomorrow. You’ll see!” he nodded unbelievingly at her and continued to do what he was doing.
When she was done checking herself out, she walked towards him and put out her hands.
“Hey... how do i look?” She asked.
“You look stunning!” Amie whirled around and her heart throb was right at the door. Watching her with admiration in his eyes.
“Oh!” she blushed all over and would have run away if she could. He walked over to her however and took her hand in his.
“Are you ready?” he asked after exchanging a polite “hello” with the surprised guy who sat behind the counter.
“Yes... yes I’m ready!” she said with the shock of his intrusion still in her face and neck.
“Alright then... let’s get out of here” he said to her as he led her to the front door, while Jon watched them with a small smile of admiration on in his face.
They had barely gotten into the car before he slid in a disc to the car stereo. Next thing she knew, Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean was playing and filling up the air.
“Oh my God! You listen to Michael Jackson?” She almost yelled in delight.
“Oh yea... Jackson is a personal favourite of mine.” He said as he raised his voice and started to sing along. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“You have the worst singing voice ever!” she said to him and he laugh
ed too but continued singing.
“Oh for Pete’s sake stop!” she said as she covered her ears in mock horror. At this point he turned to her and said
“The only way to make me stop is to sing it better than I do”
She shook her head in disagreement.
“I don't think so. There’s like a million ways I could make you stop without singing.” He laughed and nodded.
“Okay... give it your best shot m’lady” she leaned closer to him, feeling particularly naughty due to the direction their conversation had taken.
She stuck her fingers up his ribs and started to tickle. She started small and delicate and then increased it until it was nearly violent. He just continued to drive and smile.
“Hey! Do you have no sensibility at all?” she yelled at him in frustration.
“I don’t know... There are other places you could touch to find out, you know” he winked at her and she blushed again. Considering how many times she had fantasized about kissing him and touching him, she felt like a complete idiot for feeling embarrassed by his statement.
He finally pulled the car to a stop outside a quiet Japanese restaurant.
“Let’s go to this place. I am going to teach you how to use chopsticks!” she laughed.
“But I already know how to eat the Japanese way.” He looked at her and smiled.
“So you are one of those women who think that all Asians are the same?” She frowned slightly and started to shake her head but then he cut in before she could.
“Well... m’lady, it’s my pleasure to inform you that your stereotype is wrong. Especially when it comes to body parts. Not all Asians are small in the same places.” He said with a wicked grin. She almost fainted. She had never actually given it a real thought but now that she thought about it, she remembered that she had heard it said somewhere that Asian men have smaller penises. He laughed when he saw just how red she had become.
“Hey... There’s no need to look like that.” He said and she smiled.
“What is wrong with me?” She asked herself with a ready answer. She knew what was wrong with her and as she walked into the Chinese restaurant, she made a mental note not to let anything get to her anymore. If he wanted to be flirty, then she would be flirty too. It takes two to play that game.
He pulled her chair and she sat down. She was hardly on her seat before a handsome waiter came over to their table and took their orders.
“So tell me, what would you rather be having if not coffee and cookies with me right now?” he asked with a mischievous smile. She shrugged and said in a light voice.
“Hotdog.” his eyes widened and he couldn't hold his surprise at her obvious flirting.
“Are you for real?” He asked. She met his gaze with pouty lips and eyes blazing her desire.
“Why? You don't believe me? “
“Oh I do. I just can't believe my luck that I get to get you some hotdogs.”
“Who says i'll let you get me hot dogs?” She asked with one eyebrow raised in a mocking demand.
“I don't know… I… I guess I took it for granted that you would be letting me get you the hotdogs.”
She seemed to think about it for a minute and then she smiled naughtily.
“Well… I will have to check out the hot dogs anyway. Maybe if it is impressive, I'll gobble it up.” his eyes widened and he tried not to choke on the coffee that he has just sipped.
"Oh my God! You're so weird!" He said as he looked away from her.
"What... I'm weird? What does that even mean?"
He shook his head and looked her in the eyes.
“I'm not sure, you just seem a little too much.” he said with a wink.
“Weakling” she said under her breath and looked behind her as if something had caught her attention there.
“Excuse me? What did you say?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She said with a straight face.
“Don't you dare… You said something.”
“And you know this because?”
“I know because I heard you” she looked away from him a little bit.
“I said weakling!” he jerked the seat he was in backwards and stood up in a flash. He dropped some Dollar bills on the table and grabbed her by the wrist. He then half dragged her out of the place and headed for the car.
She got into the car beside him and the minute she was in, he crushed her lips with his before she could react and caught her tongue between his teeth before she could protest. He was working on her lower lips and upper lips simultaneously, kissing and sucking with fervour. Her hand came up as if to push him away but seemed to change her mind, and the hand that had been pushing him away started to draw him to her in no time. He put in all the anger and passion that was in him, kissing her so hard that she didn't even notice his hand when it went under her dress and unclasped the bra she had on from its front hook. As if he had just changed his mind, he pulled away and started the car.
Embarrassed, she sat up and started to adjust her clothes.
“Where … where are you going?”
“We are going home.” was his brief and simple response.
She remained quiet and let him drive her home. She followed him up the stairs and as they got to her door, with her heart beating so fast, she started to try to fumble with the lock. He pulled her close and resumed the hot nerve wracking activities that they were having before he drove them home. He pulled her dress from her and his mouth found her breasts while his hands smacked her closer to him so that she could instantly feel the tumescence of him. He brought her hand to him and made her wrap her hand around it. Her touch was tentative and shy and he had to repeat the movement of clamping her hand around him to make sure that she understood that she needed to touch him as he needed to touch her. She caught on and started to rub it. She instinctively trailed her hand up and down his shaft. Making him moan gently and lift her into the air so that her legs became wrapped around his waist. Just as he started to reach for her mouth again, his phone started to ring. He hesitated and looked at her. He picked up and saw that it was a text. He put her down and opened the text. Instantly, he tensed up and looked at her.
“I’m sorry… I have to go.” He said and before she could even say anything in response, he was running down the stairs. She remained there by the door, feeling like a complete idiot and wanting to cry.
Chapter 8
Amie pushed in the door and walked into the tea shop with her face averted. She was not sure why but she still felt funny about the night before. How could he abandon her like that? What was it that was so important that he had to leave her in the bed and disappear into the night? Where did he go? What did he do? Was the call from that other woman? Did he really prefer her to him?
A part of her was angry. And another part of her was just sad. All of her life, she had been used to men trying to take advantage of her. Men trying to use her for their own pleasure. Men who looked at her and only saw something to conquer, something to subdue. Perhaps the fact that she remained a virgin had something to do with the fact that she was often irritated by them. Their manners, their attitudes, everything about them generally anyway. She had made it a point to avoid such men and to only go out with people that she perceived as decent. Now for the first time in her life, her urge to make love and feel the touch of a man was looming greater than her irritation for self-indulgent takers. And for the first time in her life, she was being incessantly turned down. Somewhere inside her, she felt sad that it would be this sort of time of all times that she would experience this sort of thing.
Presently, she sat down at a corner, and when Amanda approached her table with a smile, thinking that it was one of her other customers, she fought hard to return the smile.
“Girl... what will you have?” Amanda asked with an attitude. Amie frowned and nodded at the menu. As Amanda walked away, Amie noticed three men walking into the place. They didn’t seem to be together but somehow, she had a feeling that they were together and
she grew highly suspicious of them.
There was something going on in the news. One of the old men who had been there that first day when Amie walked into the place was there, staring at it and mumbling to himself.
“Say Amanda could you give this thing some volume?”
“Go get your own damn T.V Joe and don’t bother me!” she yelled at him but one of the three scary looking men turned to her and nodded at the T.V. “increase the damn volume!” he said with an accent thick that one could cut through it with a knife. She obviously didn’t like people coming into her shop and telling her what to do but then she had also noticed how dangerous he looked. She increased the TV volume and Amie’s attention was drawn to the news. Three faces were shown in relation to a murder that occurred the night before and her eyes nearly popped out of its socket as she recognized the lady who had been in Shin’s room the other time. The lady with the long hair and slim body. She was one of the dead people alongside two other men. Amie nearly jumped out of her chair as she realized that the time frame of the murders was in line with the time he left her and the time she later heard his door open and closed.
“Did Shin kill these people? Did he leave her in bed to go on a killing spree? Did he abandon her in that bed because he wanted to kill the woman he had been in bed with only recently? What was all this all about?” Her heart raced as she wondered if she was fraternising with a murderer. She wondered if she had been spot on when she had been afraid of him when he had talked about poisons. Was it just her imaginations or was it starting to look like the man who lived next door to her was a cold blooded killer?
Her phone pinged and she reluctantly checked it. It was Shin. She looked at the phone for a minute, trying to decide if she should reply him or not.
“Well... he hasn’t done anything to me to make me ignore him. Besides... if he wanted me dead, I most likely would be dead anyway.” She thought to herself as she picked up her phone and responded to him.
Hidden: A Dark Mafia Romance (Forbidden Kiss Book 1) Page 7
