One-shots [𝓈𝓅𝒾𝒸𝓎]

𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 1 [part 1]

Well...

When a day starts, what do you expect it to be like?

You stir up? Barely open your eyes? Somehow reach out to your phone and consume an hour or two of social media content? Or just brush your damn teeth after washing your face?

Or...

...Get some thudding(?), rumbling noises from downstairs? More precisely, from the front patio of your house where you live all alone?

I mean... yes?

Living home, all by myself, taught me to just grab the defensive knife from the underneath of my bed. Grip tightly on the handle. No fierce. No... panicking.

Which I'm very good at.

I do grab the knife, my phone as well (in case, you never know). I quietly step downstairs with the nestle of my bed hair over my head and droopy eyes with floods of sleep in them, yet fully alerted ears of mine.

I carefully look out through the curtained window with my barely opened eyes, wincing quietly and grimacing at the slightest daylight on my vision. I split the gap between the curtain to scan outside sneakily.

Nothing unsettling....

Eh?

My eyes instantly open. Wide at first, then slowly narrowing down in confusion at the sight of a breathtakingly bulk man. He looks like he's trying to scan through the bushes to retrieve something while wearing a tight black tank top over that chisel chest with the comfy-looking blue&white fennel pants.

"Lord, have mercy..."

Something, I may have breathed out when that perfectly... meld.. rear bends in a way that his pants can't hide the curve in between his—

I gulp and put away the knife in a drawer nearby me. Maybe, in a sense that he may come in my —kind of organised— warm.. cave. Maybe, I'll die for him to come... in..

I brush back my hair, a clumsy attempt to fix my morning appearance.

Who cares? Nobody wakes up with a damn glow.

But, maybe I'm having one right now, behind my confused persona.

I unlock the front door, stepping outside to the cool wooden patio on my barefoot.

"Sir?" I say politely with a still confusion expression, getting this fucking gorgeous man's attention. "May I ask you what are you doing in my property?"

Yikes! That came out rather a wince.

This individual just takes a little glimpse at me before straightening his back, making my guts scream in agony at that curve disappearing.

I still keep my eyes on his fairly-enough stubble face, right near the pink lips— No! No! Up to his eyes! Dammmmm! Blue! Crystal! Eyes!? And those sweat beads... trailing down from his forehead and temples... Mercy!

I clear my throat. Putting out a patient questioning gesture towards him.

"...Ahh, I.." he hesitates. God, he's hesitating? "How can I put this..? I.." he clears his throat now, clamping his palm over his other hand's knuckles.

I really, really do my best to not glimpse down at those popping veins.

Come on, I rather not have those hands being on my throat, in my hair, fisting for its dear life and soul in my (occasional) wet dreams.

"I was jogging and.. a delivery man suddenly came in the way. We bumped, and I.. lost my fu— my AirPod." He circles his forefinger around his empty ear very smoothly and slowly after correcting himself from cursing.

Why do I feel warm near my abdomen..?

"Oh." That's what I could hear myself say to him.

"Ahh.. sorry for the disturbance."

Noo! Please, do! Disturb! Me!

"I'll leave after searching." He says politely in his now slightly troubled voice. "If you're fine with that." He adds.

I stay quiet and still, not portraying myself as the simple, duffer girl.

"Are you new in this neighbourhood?" I ask with my composed voice, crossing my arms over my stomach. Don't know why, perhaps a way to be more confident.

His lips curl very slightly to form a lopsided smile.

Now.. that's his iconic grinning face.

He nod to confirm my question. "Yeah. I've shifted last night." He brushes his hair back, his arm flexes from this ordinary movement. "And also, hi." He says while extending his hand towards me, offering for a friendly handshake. "I'm Barley. Barley Meadows."

I raise an eyebrow as I accept his hand, shaking it with my petite hand, comparing with his firm one.

He understands my expression and smirks in understanding. "I know, I know. The joke is running through your head now. But I'm fine with that."

I get my hand free as he lets it go.

I smile softly now, nodding at that statement. "Lily kels." I say.

"Pretty name for that pretty face." He says with an ease.

I scoff. Maybe laugh softly.

"Thank you." I still stay polite to him. "Also, I can help you out with the searching."

His right eyebrow lifts up and his lips moving to a mischievous smile. "Yeah?"

"...Yeah?" I echo in confusion.

"Well, I'll love the help. But I don't—" His eyes dart to my chest for a quick glance and then back up to my face. "—want to trouble you in this early morning."

Is he... really being a gentleman or am I just lusting over his firm and manly voice?

"I can find it quicker if you can tell me where did you get bumped." I simply say, gulping down my invisible drool.

"Ahh..." He says as he backs off slightly while looking around the grass, practically going to the same spot where he thinks he may have lost his AirPod.

"Somewhere from here.." He points with his palms vertically over his feet. "Then.. I think it flew off, over... there." He says, pointing to my left, near the bushes of my front patio's walkway.

I nod, tearing my eyes from his way to the spot.

I walk towards the bushes, gently part the branches and bending over to search the white thing.

Without thinking, I step onto the soil with my barefoot, something I believe he has noticed. I slowly step further, letting my feet feel the wet soil from last night's rain.

I bend over more and squat down, putting my weight on my right foot as I look closely under the bushes.

After a minute or three, I find his lonely AirPod, instantly jumping up on my feet. Standing still, I extend my hand towards him with the AirPod piece. "Told ya." I say cheekily with a tad smile.

Lord..? Have... Mercy!

I don't know if I'm still drowsy or dreaming or even hallucinating.. but, for sure, I have seen a heavy bulge (straight) to his right sideways in his pants.

Yet, I look at him innocently (yeah, I'm gonna be), deceiving him into believing that I did not see that.

He takes cautious approach to me and takes the piece from my palm.

Is that a blush!?

"Thanks." He nods, keeping his head down as he breathes out a little smirk. He shakes his head and looks up with his flat smile, blue eyes glistening with something mischievous inside.

"Alright then." I nod as well, not knowing what to say or what to do.

"...Yeah." He slowly whispers out.