Piercing Hatred | ✔️

43*

~Flora's POV~

I entered the apartment complex on Saturday night, running my fingers through my hair as the door swung shut behind me. Odette had asked me to hang out earlier this afternoon, so I'd been gone for a good amount of the day. Still, it was nice to have a friend.

The elevator opened a few moments after I pressed the button and I stepped in, setting the destination for my floor, which was the fourth. I pulled my bag up as I felt the strap slipping down my shoulder and stared absentmindedly at my shoes, tapping my fingers against my thigh. A few moments passed before the elevator stopped and the doors opened, allowing me to step out. It was pretty quiet in the halls, so I was sure that most people were probably asleep by now. After all, it was almost eleven PM.

Easily navigating my way through the halls, I headed towards my apartment, grabbing my keys from my bag. I heard the sound of a door opening and looked up, narrowing my eyes at the sight of Gabriela exiting Knox's apartment. She was rather dressed up, so I assumed she was going out to a party or club.

Gabriela turned and noticed me, a mean glint in her gaze as she smiled at me. I clenched my jaw at the smugness in her grin, rolling my eyes as I twirled my keys around my finger. She sauntered past me, purposely making sure to bump her shoulder against mine as she did. Although I found her annoying, the immaturity of her action just made me snort in amusement. It was almost like I was back in fucking high school, with the way she was acting.

I shook my head and brushed her off, not bothering to say anything as I stopped in front of my door. She wasn't important enough to me to say anything to.

Thumbing through my keys, I eventually found the right one and pushed it into the lock, letting myself in when the door swung open. I dropped my keys into my bag again and looked up when I heard another door open, gripping onto the handle still. Knox poked his head out of his apartment across from me and I struggled to hide an amused smile at the sight, staring straight at him.

Knox's gaze met mine and relief flickered across his features when he saw me, quickly yet quietly stepping out of his apartment. "There you are." He sighed, gently shutting the door behind him. I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head to the side. "Were you waiting for me to get home?" I asked with a small smile.

He shrugged his shoulders and glanced down the hallway in the direction that Gabriela had disappeared down. "More like I was waiting for Gabriela to hurry up and get the hell out. She's been getting ready for over the past hour." He complained, causing me to smile in amusement. I found it funny that he complained at the fact that she took a long time to get ready, because he never has with me.

"Can I come in?" He asked in a hum, though he was already stepped past the threshold of my apartment, his hands grasping onto my hips to pull me closer. I cocked up an eyebrow at him and bit my bottom lip, only a little bit uncertain. "Are you sure? How long is she supposed to be gone for?" I wondered, knowing that he didn't like leaving her in his apartment alone.

"Knowing her, a long time. She'll probably be out until the early hours of the morning." He responded, gently pushing me backwards so I was no longer gripping the doorknob. I blinked, quietly watching as he shut the door and locked it. "You know, I never said you could come inside." I pointed out, turning away to set my purse down on the table. He merely made a humming noise in response and I kicked off my shoes beside the couch, intent on sitting down.

Before I could even make a move forward, however, Knox gently grabbed me by the waist and spun me around to face him. I gripped at his arms reflexively, using him as a sort of balance.

Though I should've known what was coming, I was still caught off guard when his lips came crashing down against mine, his hands tightening around my waist. He groaned against my mouth as I dug my nails into his arms and finally kissed him back, gathering my senses. "Fuck," He swore huskily, teeth nipping at my bottom lip. With a gentle tug that had my cheeks flushing, he allowed my lip to bounce back into place before sealing his over mine again, a bit rougher than before.