Piercing Hatred | ✔️

23

~Flora's POV~

I stretched as I woke up the next morning, flinging my arms out and then above my head. The empty space beside me was something that I immediately took notice of, so I forced myself to get up and stumble my way into the bathroom to get ready. Knowing Knox, he was probably already making breakfast by now.

Once I was finished showering, I began to get dressed, struggling my way into a pair of sheer black tights first. I huffed as I finished pulling them on and slid a loose black skirt up my legs, making sure it wasn't too short before I put on anything else. My sweater, which was white with a black print of a face stitched on it, fit me loosely and almost covered my skirt.

Now dressed, I exited the bathroom and found a pair of black boots that I pulled on along with an across the chest beige bag.

I wandered out of the bedroom and, not to my surprise, found Knox making breakfast in the kitchen. He seemed to have already finished cooking everything because now he was just putting everything on two plates—one for him and one for me, as had become the ritual.

This time he had made cheese omelettes, mine with corn in it, and a couple of sausage patties. He even had a small bowl with syrup in it for me, knowing that I liked it. I peeked around him and saw the twitch of his lips when I did, amused. "You hungry, doll face?" He hummed, glancing down at me.

As if to respond, my stomach grumbled hungrily and a chuckle left him. "Here." He said, handing me my plate with a fork. I took it and the two of us sat at the table together, beginning to eat breakfast. To be honest, I was realizing as I spent more time here, waking up with him and going to sleep with him, that I had missed him far more than I had realized. 

**

"Hey." Knox nudged me as I tried to pick up a box, causing me to glance up at him with a confused furrow in my brows. "What?" I asked, hunching over again to attempt to pick it up again. And once more, he nudged me and I frowned as I stood straight, placing my hands on my hips. "Can I help you?" I asked sassily.

The edge of one side of his mouth tugged up in an amused smirk, as if he found my sass funny, which he probably did. "Get outta the way, Flora. I don't need you throwing out your back trying to lift something you can't." He teased, bumping me out of his way. I huffed and stepped away, wanting to prove him wrong yet knowing he was right. I'd already been struggling with that box for the five minutes, something which he must've seen.

Since he had taken over moving boxes, I went ahead and began sorting clothes instead, pouting to myself. I stocked the shelves first, managing to finish faster than I thought I would once I actually focused on what I was doing. 

I turned and glanced over at Knox, who was now talking to Odette after having moved all the boxes out of the way. For a while I just watched them, fiddling with my fingers as I leaned against the wall. Odette left again after a few minutes passed, and Knox's eyes immediately flicked my way, catching me staring. His brow twitched up and he cocked his head slightly, staring back at me. "Just gonna keep staring at me, doll?" He teased, stalking towards me from where he stood. "I was just thinking." I murmured, tilting my head back slightly to peer up at him when he stood before me. "Have anything you want for dinner tonight?" I asked, curious.

He paused and looked at me in thought, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "You don't have to make dinner, you know." He told me, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that made his muscles bulge. 

"Well, I believe I said the same thing to you about breakfast, and you did it anyways. Didn't you?" I grinned, watching as he smirked slightly and ducked slightly, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my cheeks. "What I've been craving isn't food, Flora." He teased lowly, a sparkle igniting in his eye when my eyes widened in surprise as I picked up the underlying meaning of his words.

"Knox!" I scowled at him in hopes to hide the fact that I was flustered, not angry like I wanted him to think. And I knew he saw right through it because he just chuckled, playfully brushing his lips against mine in a sudden, gentle kiss. "I'll take anything you give me." He told me, pulling away when I cast a nervous glance at the door in fear that someone would come in. Something told me being caught kissing Knox instead of doing my job wouldn't be a good thing. 

Noticing my nerves, he gently brushed back some of my hair, bringing my attention back to him again. I frowned and bit on my lip absentmindedly, feeling his fingers trail down the side of my neck. "Anything?" I echoed quietly, almost whispering. His eyes dropped to my mouth and I could've melted into a puddle at his feet when I saw the way his gaze darkened slightly, the way he clenched his jaw as if in attempt to calm himself. "Yes." He murmured in affirmation, tongue swiping across his full lips. 

My cheeks warmed and he tilted my head back slightly, teasing my lips with his until I gave in, gripping at the front of his shirt. He kissed me immediately, crushing my chest to his as I lingered on the tips of my toes just to return his kiss. 

It was only when I accidentally made a breathy noise again his mouth that Knox pulled away, muttering a curse under his breath. "Fuck's sake." He said, taking a step away from me. I frowned, confused, and reached out to grab him but he stepped farther away. There was a slight flush to his cheeks as he spared me a glance and then just walked off, leaving me by myself as he left the room.

Utterly confused and unsure if I had done something wrong, I watched him go, feeling a bit embarrassed. Did he not like the way that I kissed? Maybe my kisses were too wet, or too dry, or too sloppy. 

After about ten minutes, Knox returned, acting as if nothing had happened. I watched him for a while as he got back to work, unsure what had just happened and what I should say, or if I should even say anything at all. When I realized he seemed to have no intention to mention it, I decided not to either and instead just hesitantly got back to work.