Immigrant girl

Chapter 27. Anya.

Streams of hot water ran down my body. In my head, Alex's words echoed again and again: "I love you." These words pinned me to the ground like a five-ton concrete slab. I definitely wasn't prepared for this. Everything was happening too quickly. Undoubtedly, I liked Alex a lot; I was drawn to him, and in a way, you could say I was a bit obsessed with him. But love? No, I hadn't felt that towards him. Or had I? What were the chances that Alex meant he was in love with me? He would have said that directly, wouldn't he? What kind of love could it be when we had only known each other for a month and a half? Did Alex even know what love was? Did anyone, for that matter, know what love was?

I heard a soft knock on the door, and then it creaked open slightly.

"Anna, everything okay?" Alex's voice was muffled by the sound of water.

"Yeah, of course, everything's fine," I replied, clearing my throat.

"You've been in there for a while. I thought something might have happened, and you needed help."

"No, everything's fine. I'm almost done. Couldn't get the water temperature right," I lied, not being good at lying at all, Stern.

"Alright. I ordered us breakfast; it's already here." I felt a hint of distrust in his voice regarding my assurances that everything was okay.

"Okay, coming out."

I turned off the water, grabbed a towel from the hook on the wall, dried myself off. Combing my hair, I put on a long, stretched-out, homey T-shirt and walked to the kitchen.

Alex had already set the table. Coffee, bread, shakshuka, and a salad of fresh vegetables. My stomach growled.

"Someone's hungry, huh?" He smirked and gestured for me to sit down.

"I don't even remember when I last ate," I said, grabbing a fresh piece of bread and starting to scoop up the eggs with tomatoes and onions. It was delicious. In pleasure, I closed my eyes. "I didn't think my morning would start so swiftly," I slyly smiled.

"I have a hard time controlling myself around you. You're enchanting," Alex sat across from me, crossing his legs, watching me eat. Only now did I notice that he was dressed differently than usual. Instead of the usual formal style, today he opted for casual wear. Faded blue jeans with worn-out knees, a white T-shirt with a V-neck, and on top, a red flannel shirt in black checkered pattern. On his feet were soft black moccasins.

"It's unusual to see you like this," I murmured after finishing observing him.

"Like what?" His eyebrows raised, and a half-smile appeared on his lips.

"Ordinary," I tilted my head slightly, scrutinizing his face. The sunlight sparkled on his russet curls. Blue eyes followed every move of mine. Everything about him was perfect. So perfectly beautiful that it even hurt. I looked away. "I like this style."

"What's good about ordinariness?" He frowned, his thick black eyebrows meeting in the middle.

"Ordinary doesn't mean boring or bad. For me, it's a sign of normalcy. In my everyday reality, there's nothing better than ordinariness." I stared at my plate.

"I know, princess, that you're upset. I'm upset too. I don't want you to deal with all the problems of my world, believe me. And I understand that you don't belong to this world. I promise you that I'll do everything possible to shield you from all the bad things." He continued to watch me intently. I was sure he would do everything in his power.

"You know perfectly well that you won't be able to protect me from all problems and dangers. You're a person of heightened interest, constantly in danger, and as long as I'm with you, I'm also a target," his gaze showed so much pain and fear, but after a second, it all disappeared, and two cold icicles seemed to look through me. "I understand the risks, Alex. Being with you is my conscious choice. I don't ask for the impossible, just try not to involve me in troubles, if possible.