e m b r a c e

02

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NO WOMAN HAD EVER WALKED the earth without having been stripped naked by the male gaze.

The male gaze made me uncomfortable. It had nothing to do with me not liking my body, but everything to do with how men perceived it. Like they believed that it belonged to them. That it was made for them to adhere to their desires.

Yet, the man standing a few feet away wasn't stripping me naked — no, he was... appreciating me. His dark brown eyes held both a flicker of fire and a glimmer of interest.

I didn't think it was possible to be looked at in that way. Not like I was an expensive piece of art in a museum, or sex on legs, but like I was a living, breathing, human being with a complexity of layers.

And I hated it.

"Sorry for intruding, but I couldn't help finishing my favorite part in the song," he shut the door behind him and broke the silence, lips curling into a youthful smile. "It's nice to meet you all."

I couldn't help but feel like the last part was directed at me. His deep voice was magnetic, leaving me feeling aflame.

He was young, obviously well built beneath his plain white tee and black jeans, and tall, well over six feet perhaps. Around my age probably, no older than twenty-four.

"Right back at you! I hope you enjoyed the show!" Eddie smirked and I wanted to cringe.

I hoped Nyx deleted the video she still had going.

"I'm sure he did," Nyx remarked jokingly and finally stopped recording. "I'm glad you made it. Now we can finally get the real show on the road!"

I sent him a dumb half wave and then wrapped my robe closer together to cover the top part of what I knew was showing.

Carefully, I bent down to pick up my phone, and when I stood up after awkwardly lingering close to the floor to gather my wits, Nyx and Eddie had already started to tug him to the clothing rack.