Tough Love - Chris Sturniolo

Hounding

Anastasia

There was no other way of getting into my building, and as much as I wanted to avoid the fuck out of him, I also wanted to go home. I walked up slowly, trying to figure out how I was going to deal with this, and when he heard me approach, he looked up and saw it was me. He stood immediately, and from his other side that had been blocked by his torso, he lifted a small bundle of flowers.

"You did not fucking bring me flowers," I said, genuinely annoyed by that. Sure, I wanted flowers. But I wasn't giving him a single break right now.

"Well obviously I did," he countered with a smile. I envied him for the way he could do that so freely. His mess of brown hair curled around the sides of his face and I tried to ignore it.

"Well I don't want them," I said, moving past him.

"Well that's too bad, I brought them," he replied, following me up to the door and leaning against it as I fished for my keys. I was avoiding looking at his handsome face.

"What are you doing here, Chris?" I asked. I'd just had the weirdest fucking interaction with Ava, and I wasn't ready to deal with him yet.

"I wanted to see you," he answered. "And apologize."

"Apologize for what?" I already knew what for, obviously, but I was pretending like I didn't remember. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I couldn't find my fucking keys so I squatted down to look through my bag.

"Don't do that," he chastised me. I was being childish and we both knew it. "Don't pretend with me."

"No idea what you're talking about," I said, doubling down and finally finding my fucking key. I stood and reached for the door.

"Come on, just let me explain," he begged as I unlocked it and he followed in behind me. I headed up the stairs with him on my tail.

"There's nothing to explain, Chris. I already know everything I need to know about you," I stated flatly, but in my heart I knew that wasn't true. I was holding onto my anger. Even when I knew it was time to let go, sometimes I just couldn't.

I reached my floor and walked down the hall to my room. He followed me the whole way, and even though my anger was begging me to tell him to fuck off, my heart wasn't letting me.

When I got to my door, I swung around suddenly to look at him and he flinched back for a moment.

"Jesus," he breathed through a laugh, as though I'd startled him.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, you just scare the shit out of me sometimes," he replied and I raised an eyebrow. Jesus christ his eyes were so blue.

"Listen," I started. "You're not-"

"No, you listen," he interrupted me, command in his voice. He stepped into me and looked me in the eye. The sudden shift in power grasped my attention and I stayed quiet. "You may not want to listen to me right now, but I have something to say and I came here to say it. I know you like me, Stasia. And you know I like you back, you know I want you. You have no idea how much." He was dead serious, and I so rarely saw this side of him that I was powerless to disturb it. "I've fucked up, and I've done some stupid ass shit, but this is not one of those times and you need to know it. You're gunna hear me out, and if you can't forgive me today, I'll try again tomorrow, and the next day, and the fucking one after that, because I'm not letting this shit go."

We stared each other down outside my door, and if I said I wasn't completely turned on by what was happening, I would be a dirty fucking liar. I loved it that he wasn't taking my shit. I loved that he always said it like it was, and I loved that he was gunna fight like fucking hell.

"You're so dramatic," I sighed and turned to unlock my door.

"You're so annoying," he replied. I walked in and turned to face him, blocking his way in. I stared at him for a moment, and then stepped aside, letting him in. He pulled back his hoodie as he stepped inside and I shut the door behind him.