Always, Arlo [Published]

Chapter 6

Surprises

We walk into the elevator and Arlo presses button number eleven, the last button on the dial.

He holds the box in his hands firmly and I stand by him impatiently, I can't help but wonder what exactly is this job opportunity and why it's this big of a deal.

I also can't help to be nervous about being in Arlo's apartment. In his penthouse alone with him, A stranger whom I keep finding myself being near and overlapping paths with. He's there when I suddenly need it, as an if he were an angel; A saint.

"Nervous?" He speaks with a smirk on his rose tinted lips. The mole on his nose is more prominent from this angle. I shake my head in response, and Arlo raises an eyebrow at my uncertainty.

"I don't bite." He mutters while I shift from my vision from his intense dark brown eyes to the numbers on the elevator. It's unknown to me why he makes me so nervous, his presence alone is intimidating enough for me.

In a crowded room Arlo's stare would stand out, It would over-shine all the people in there. It would be the only stare you'll feel amongst the hundred pairs of other eyes watching you, you'll feel his burn, his watchfulness. Any other pair of eyes are merely a shadow compared to his stare.

I couldn't read him like a book, he was more like a puzzle. A puzzle you had to decode, an escape room you had to find the key for. But one thing I could tell about him was that behind those dark challenging eyes was baggage.

I was curious to find out the secrets behind this mystery man who keeps popping up into my life unexpectedly, I was curious because I was not so used to being so seen like he's been seeing me. I wanted to see him too, but looking at Arlo was like looking at a maze. You had to find your way around the maze to get anywhere.

The elevator pings and the sound pulls me out of my thoughts. My thoughts often swallow me as I often get lost inside of the void that holds my mind. My mind was an endless loop of thoughts and feelings that I always try to hold in a cage like a feral animal.

The elevator opens and reveals a long narrow hallway, the walls are black bricks and the floors are a light birch-wood. The hallway is decorated nicely, the artwork captivates my attention immediately.

At the end of the hall theres a door, which I assume is what leads us inside Arlo's penthouse. He walks out the elevator and leads me down to the door numbered 600. Arlo presses his code into the keypad and it lights up green as the lock clicks open.

"Welcome to my casa." Arlo hums brightly as he opens the door and walks inside with me right behind him. As we enter inside my jaw drops in amazement. The whole apartment is neat and satisfying to the eye with the way the colors collide perfectly together and create a clean and modern vibe to the apartment.

"Monotone." I mutter, taking in the white, grey and black tones around the house. It was all so perfectly matched and the house was breathtaking to look at. The home matched perfectly to Arlo's vibe, it was just as intimidating but anticipating to look at.