Temptations | ✔️

8

~Jagger's POV~

The next day, I pulled into the parking lot of Crumbl Cookies, which I had learned just yesterday was where Eden worked, evidently. Silas had told me she worked at Crumbl Cookies, of course, but there was likely more than just one of them here in Indianapolis so I hadn't known which one it was. Although I didn't usually go to bakeries or eat anything sweet, the only reason that I had come here yesterday was because Alaia, my sister's girlfriend, had wanted me to come with her to get my sister cookies. I had been more than surprised when I saw Eden there.

I checked the time on my phone as I sat in my car, waiting for Eden's shift to end so I could take her back to Silas' apartment. However, when I checked my phone I found that it was nearing seven PM, and she had told me she'd be out by six thirty PM. She was over thirty minutes late, so I sent her a text asking if she would be out soon, but even after five minutes passed I didn't get a reply. Then ten minutes passed by, and there was still no response, nor did she come outside.

Wanting to be sure that she was actually still inside, I hopped out of my car and made my way inside, expecting to see her behind the counter when I entered, but I saw no sign of her. There was just this short man that was probably about Eden's age with a patchy looking beard that I recognized as the guy who had been behind the counter yesterday with Eden, who had called her to come out when Alaia and I had come in.

Frowning, I walked up to the counter and the younger man narrowed his beady little eyes at me, his arms crossed over his chest. "Is Eden here?" I asked him before he could say anything, as I figured he'd know if he was here when she was on shift.

The guy hesitated. "She's busy cleaning the back." He told me. "Do you need something?" He asked almost immediately after, brushing the topic of Eden aside. I raised a brow, something about him grating on my nerves a little. He seemed like an unfriendly, sour little man for no reason. "Yeah, I need Eden. Can you send her out here?" I responded, leaning against the counter in a way that seemed to make him realize that I wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon. His right eye twitched and he spun around, poking his head into a door on the left to call out her name.

In response, I heard an alarmed sounding squeal and then a slight crash, as if something had fallen over. "You have a man out here asking for you." He said, not acknowledging whatever it was that had fallen.

Eden came rushing out after a moment, a slightly panicked look on her face. "I'm so sorry, Jagger!" She exclaimed immediately, the messy state of her attire making me raise a brow as I looked at her. Her vintage looking floral skirt was a little bit wet, as was a little bit of her dark maroon colored tank top over one of her breasts, almost as if she'd spilled something on herself. "What on earth happened to you, birdie?" I asked, chuckling to myself.

An embarrassed look formed on her face as she glanced down at herself, crossing her arms over herself in attempt to hide the dampness of her clothes. "I was wiping the shelves and I spilled some water on myself." She told me, shuffling on her feet.

"Well, are you ready to go?" I asked, not paying any attention to the man behind her. I wasn't here for him, so he had nothing to do with this, but she glanced over at him for permission nonetheless. I assumed he must've been her boss, or something of that sort. "The shelves are already finished. Can I go home now?" She asked him, fiddling with her fingers. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her slightly, like he was actually contemplating it. "I guess you can finish cleaning the rest of the back room tomorrow." He eventually said, causing her green-blue eyes to light up with excitement.

"Yay!" She cheered, running back through the door to her left before she came back out with a little white cardigan slung over one of her arms. She rounded the counter and left the building with me, trailing beside me as I led her through the parking lot to my car. "Thanks for agreeing to pick me up from work, by the way. I don't think I ever said that." She said as we approached my car, tilting her head back to glance up at me.

I looked down at her, the sun hitting her eyes at an angle that made them look like crystal waters. "It's no problem." I assured her with a simple shake of my head, unlocking my car with a click of my keys.

She climbed into the passenger's seat while I got in the driver's, setting her fluffy cardigan on her lap as she pulled on her seatbelt at the same time I pulled on my own. "Your boss seems like he has kind of a stick up his ass, by the way." I mentioned to her, reversing out of the parking lot. She laughed softly, shifting in her seat as she looked over at me with a smile on her lips. "He's technically not my boss, just a coworker." She told me, causing me to cock up a brow as I drove down the street.

"Yeah, that just makes it even worse." I responded, snorting as I shook my head. She giggled and the noise was light and airy, one of her legs curling up beneath her in the seat. "My best friend doesn't like him, either, but I don't mind it so much anymore. He's just a little bit of a sourpuss." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders, making me think that she was simply used to that sort of behavior from him. However, it wasn't my business and if it was anything that was actually a problem, I was sure she'd say something to someone or even just quit.

Taking a turn onto the street that led to Silas and Eden's apartment complex, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye and saw she was now looking out the window, just watching the scenery as it passed by. We arrived at their apartment complex and I parked in the parking lot, following her into the building just to make sure she got back safely. "You know, you don't have to come up with me." Eden told me as I stood in the elevator with her, causing me to look down at her. They lived in a nice apartment, but I didn't know any of their neighbors in the other apartments so I wanted to be sure she got back okay.

"I know." I responded, shrugging my shoulders. "But I just wanted to see that you'd be okay up here until Si gets back." I said, stopping in front of their apartment as she unlocked their front door.

Eden pushed open the front door and then turned to me, fiddling with her house keys. "I'll be fine." She assured. "I did basically live here alone for four years." She added in a playful tone, something which had somehow slipped my mind. I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced away. "Right." I said with a shake of my head. "Sort of forgot about that." I admitted, chuckling. She just smiled and waved a hand, her dark black hair falling forward over her shoulder.

"Thank you for seeing me up here, though." She said, pushing the fallen strand of hair back. I just nodded my head, watching her enter into the apartment before she gave me a small wave and shut the door, the lock audibly clicking back into place.

Running a hand through my hair, I turned and went back down the hall, taking the elevator down to the first floor again. I made my way back out to my car and got in the driver's seat, still able to smell Eden's faint coffee scent lingering within the air of my car as I headed back to my house.