HauntingAdeline {1}

C27

The Manipulator

I’m just drifting off into a deep sleep when I hear the creak of a door, my body
jolting from the disturbance.
When I turn to look at the door, it’s firmly closed. My brow crinkles in
confusion. Just when I convinced myself I was only hearing things, I see a
movement out of the corner of my eye.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I turn and see Zade standing outside my balcony
doors, a red cherry pulsating in the moonlight.
Wide awake, I sit up and glare. “How long have you been out there, you
creep?” I snap.
Zade opens the doors the rest of the way, smoke billowing from his mouth.
“Awhile,” he answers flatly.
He flicks the butt of the cigarette out over the balcony and then reaches up and
pulls his hood down from his head. The moonlight shines directly on him, making
him glow beneath the soft aura.
Such a contradiction that something so dark shines so brightly beneath the
light.
“Stop littering.”
“You’re much more pleasant when you don’t know I’m around,” he murmurs,
his voice subdued as he walks in and closes the doors behind him.
I frown, squinting my eyes in an attempt to see his face clearer. There’s
something off about him right now. He’s not his usual smirk-y hoity-toity self at
the moment.
He was here just a couple of nights ago, going through more training with me. I
finally got the hang of several of the moves he’s taught me.
I’m going to be a badass pretty soon.
“What’s wrong with you?” I snip, though the heat is missing. It’s almost like
I’m feeling actual concern right now.
I raise a hand to my forehead and feel for any warmth. I must have a fever and
be delirious from the sickness.
He steps from the shadows and comes closer. My body locks as he trudges to
the bed and sits down on the edge. It’s not unusual to see his muscles straining against his clothing. I think he purposely shops for shirts and hoodies two sizes
too small. But right now, his body looks rigid, and the muscles in his neck and
shoulders appear bunched up.
“Just tired today,” he says quietly.
I frown harder, not liking this side of Zade. Or rather, not liking how much it
bothers me seeing this side of him.
A battle renders me frozen as I try to decide what to do. Kick him out of my
house, attitude be damned. Or pry into his odd behavior and show him that I just
might care.
His head rolls, cracking his bones and making me cringe from the disturbingly
grotesque noises.
“You uh, gotta lot of tension going on there, buddy,” I say, awkwardness
dripping from the words. That makes me cringe harder.
He huffs out a laugh, but the amusement is missing.
Sighing, I relent and push the covers back. With great reluctance, I crawl
towards Zade and kneel behind him. His body tenses, and I never thought I’d see
Zade wary of me.
That concerns me more than anything.
“Take this off,” I demand softly, plucking at his hoodie. His head turns,
presenting me with his side profile.
Very few people have attractive side profiles. That’s something that most
people just don’t possess. But Zade looks beautiful, no matter what direction you
look at him from.
“Why?” he asks, his tone flat.
Bristling, I open my mouth and begin to snap something at him. I’m trying to
be nice, and he’s actually being difficult when this is already hard enough as it is.
What’s that saying, don’t bite the hand that feeds you?
But I stop myself, the harsh words dangling from the tip of my tongue before
falling to their death. This isn’t about me and how I feel, getting defensive isn’t
going to solve anything. It’ll only result in making him feel worse and probably
end up leaving. And oddly, that would just serve to make me feel like shit.
It shouldn’t. But it would.
“Because it would make things easier for me,” I say softly.
He opens his mouth, but whatever he was going to say fell to its own death
alongside my defensive words.
Relenting, he grabs his hoodie from behind his shoulders and pulls it over his
head, dragging up his white t-shirt. I see a glimpse of an elaborate tattoo before
his shirt falls back down.
He doesn’t say anything, just rests his elbows on his spread knees.