Piercing Hatred | ✔️

31

~Flora's POV~

I flopped into my bed after work the next day, finding the sheets cold enough that goosebumps raised on my legs and arms. My apartment had finally finished getting repaired today.

After I laid in bed for a bit, I reluctantly got up and decided to put up all the clothes and other things I had brought over to Knox's apartment. Thankfully it didn't take me too long since I just had to hang up some clothes and then put a few things where they belonged, but I still felt relieved when it was done anyway. I didn't like having things that I needed to do, so it was easier to do it right away—most of the time, at least.

My stomach grumbled so I went ahead and ordered myself some Italian food, making a mental note to go grocery shopping soon since all my food had probably expired by now. While I waited for my food to arrive, I went ahead and tidied up my apartment, first starting with throwing out any old food so it wouldn't begin to rot and stink. That was the last thing I wanted. Luckily for me, it seemed like I hadn't had much food left anyway, so I only ended up tossing out a couple of things.

Next I cleaned up the kitchen and then swept and mopped, a content smile on my face once I had finished cleaning. I plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV, searching through the channels for something good to watch. These days, it seemed like there were less and less good shows being made, or maybe I was just too picky. Either way, I was struggling to find anything new that sounded interesting, which is why I ended up putting on reruns of Friends instead.

There was a knock at my door a few minutes later, so I got up and went into the kitchen, digging through the junk drawer in search of some cash to tip the delivery person. I opened the door and tipped the teenage girl, giving her a friendly smile before I shut the door and hauled myself back into the living room, taking my spot on the couch again.

Hungry, I ate my pizza and then took a shower, changing into a comfy pair of pajamas once I was done. I then laid down in bed, playing episodes of Friends on my laptop despite the fact that I wasn't actually watching the show but rather just had it on for the sake of having noise. Eventually, however, my mind began to wander to Knox and what he was doing. A large part of me wanted to go over to see him, but the smaller, more unsure part of me told me not to.

The two of us had just seen each other all day, and yet I wanted to spend more time with him. I worried that he'd think I was too clingy, which is why I convinced myself to leave him be and try to focus on watching Friends.

Yet even though I tried not to, I still thought about him anyway. It wasn't like it was really unprecedented for me to think that I might come across as too clingy, and that was the last thing I wanted when he'd told me how he disliked over clingy women. Perhaps the best thing to do was simply to give him space, being that he already saw me for more than half the day every day as it was. He might feel suffocated, seeing too much of me.

I rolled over onto my stomach and sighed, chewing on the inside of my cheek. It was, admittedly, not a decision that I was happy about making but I was realizing that I was perhaps growing too attached to Knox. Even being here in my apartment by myself felt off, felt...wrong, and I had only stayed at Knox's for maybe a month at most. Being around him so often had made me realize just how lonely I had been before, and coming back to that made me see that it had gone away at some point after meeting him.

My eyes fluttered shut as I spread out beneath the blankets, burying my cheek into the softness of my pillow. Although I said that the quietness of my apartment made me lonely, I would admit that some part of me had missed the comfort of my own bed, and I did like knowing that I wouldn't be crushing Knox in his sleep anymore.

A sigh left me as I tried to stop thinking about Knox, trying to drift off to sleep instead.

**

The next day, I began to get ready for work after taking a shower that morning, setting out my clothes on my bed before I pulled on a pair of undergarments. I pulled on a black, wavy skirt and an oversized white t-shirt with a black and white sweater vest, beginning to search around for a pair of socks.

After I found a pair of black, shin high socks, I pulled them on and slid a pair of black Doc Martens onto my feet, spritzing some perfume on once I was done. Snagging an across the body bag, I slid my phone into it and then left my apartment, heading off to work.

I entered the back room, my eyes meeting Knox's as the door swung shut, and he brushed his hair back as he scanned his gaze down the length of my figure. "There you are, doll face." He murmured, striding over to me. I smiled up at him, feeling my heart thundering in my chest. "You're late." He teased, causing me to raise a brow as I glanced up at the clock that was hung on the wall. My shift had started at eight, and it was five minutes past that.

My eyes slid back to his again and I snorted, amused. "I don't know if I'd say five minutes over is late." I responded, tilting my head back slightly when he stepped closer and wound an arm around my waist. He tugged me into him and I placed my hands on his chest, biting my cheek. "Well, later than you would've been if I had driven you with me." He said. "But something tells me you were probably sleeping still when I left." He chuckled, clearly teasing me, and I smacked him on the chest playfully.

He ducked his head and sealed his lips over mine, kissing me deeply until I reluctantly broke the kiss, glancing over my shoulder to make sure that nobody was going to come in and see us. "Worried?" Knox asked, reading me easily. I looked up at him again and shrugged, pulling away after a moment of hesitancy. "No," I fibbed. "But we should get to work, just in case."