My Artistic Mafia Man

Chapter 17: Expressing Myself

Chapter 17: Expressing Myself

Eltan Storm

I tapped my foot impatiently after ringing the bell of Faith's apartment for the third time.

It was eleven in the morning. Was she still sleeping?

Come to think of it, I didn't know whether she was a light sleeper or deep sleeper or an early riser or late riser. I wanted to know that about her.

I raised my hand to ring the bell once again when I heard shuffling from inside a few moments before the door swung open and soon I found Faith standing in front of me rubbing her eyes cutely like a panda, dressed only in a long oversized t-shirt.

"Eltan?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Sorry to wake you up." I gave her a sheepish smile. "I was just worried about you. Why weren't you picking up your phone last night?"

"Oh, that." She stopped rubbing her eyes and pushed her hair strands out of her face and yawned. "I was out with some of my friends."

As she yawned, I could smell alcohol in her breath.

"Were you drinking?" I asked in disbelief. Didn't she say that she didn't like to drink?

"Not at all. I wasn't," she instantly protested.

I furrowed my brows in suspicion. "But I clearly smelled alcohol from your breath."

She shook her head firmly, only to have her clutch her head in pain.

"Is that a hangover?" I asked suspiciously.

"No. You know, I get headaches a lot, especially after waking up."

Sounded awfully like a hangover. Was she lying to me? But I didn't sense anything like that from her.

"Anyway, won't you invite me inside?"

She opened the door wider for me, and I stepped inside.

As soon as she closed the door, I asked, "Which friends were you out with?"

"You don't know them." She shrugged and walked to her kitchen to drink some water.

"I'm asking because I want to know," I explained.

She sighed and said, "Well, I was with—" She paused abruptly. "I was with..." she trailed off as if she couldn't remember who she was with.

"Can you not remember or do you just not want to tell me?" I asked, walking to her.

"I honestly cannot remember, Eltan."

I backed her against the kitchen counter. "Faith, tell me the truth. Who were you with?"

Was she out with some guy? Just the thought made my blood boil. Maybe killing off Mark wasn't enough. Just because I didn't want to invade her privacy and wanted to get to know her gradually, I didn't have information dug on her. But now it felt like it was a mistake.

"Eltan, I really don't remember," she insisted, leaning back to maintain distance between our chest.

"Was it a guy? Were you on a date?" I further inquired, my boiling blood turning into volcano at the mere idea. I didn't want to picture her on a date with someone who wasn't me. She could only be with me.

"No!" she protested forcefully. "I was not."

"How do you know? You don't remember," I pointed out.

"I think..." Doubt clouded her face. "I might have gotten drunk somehow last night. That's why I don't remember anything."