Afraid to Love ✔

Part 6

Mia
"Canard. If it walks like a duck. Quacks like a duck, guess what?" (It's a duck.) He gives me another amused smile and I roll my eyes.
"You want me to ignore your previous actions and believe your words? Hmph, why should I? You never answer any of my questions." I challenge look at his face relaxed as his eyes close.
"If I answer you questions, you sit with me?" He leans his head back.
"For a little while." I sit down a good distance from him.
"Is a duck. No, I not satisfied. You cute when you flustered. I here for know you better. What I want to eat not in réfrigérateur." My eyes widen with each of his responses.
"Larry came here to sleep. Again, I here for get to know you better. You no dance with me at the club. Larry see you eyes fire more than you sister. You not fair to me. I think I miss my chance is why it matter. No, the drink not make me feel better. And, I no was calm watching you, I not want to scare you. I made mistake." Laurent pulls me closer, leans my head against his chest and wraps his arms around me. I actually feel like he's telling the truth.
I'm stunned and cover my open mouth as I process his answers. Wait, he just answer every question I ever asked him. What did he mean by he wasn't satisfied? What did he want to eat? I have more fire than Mai? Okay, I can see why they would think that. He made a mistake? Great now I have more questions... He's so warm and holding me so tightly but it doesn't hurt. I squirm and he loosens his grip but he doesn't release me.

"Wh..."

He covers my mouth with his hand. "No more questions, no more talking, I sleepy." He pushes my face towards his chest then sighs. He leans his head on mine and never says anything else. His scent was so strong I could barely think, I can hear his steady heartbeat and I'm irritated.
I'm very irritated with myself. Why did I let him get so close? My body felt like I had too much caffeine. There's the stupid feeling again, why does he make me feel like this? He could have any female on any number of continents, right? All I have to do is fight this feeling until he gets bored and moves on.
His arms finally relax enough for me to escape. After I carefully move out of his grasp, I am able to breathe a little easier. I got a blanket from the hall closet and placed it over Laurent's sleeping form. I have to be more careful around him until he gets bored. He looks so innocent, I shake my head then went to my room and close the door.
~~~~~~~~
There is a knock on my door waking me up, then Laurent poked his head in my room. "Aww, I was hoping for a peek." He frowns seeing I am covered by a sheet. "Come out when you ready. Larry cook." His voice is cheery despite the frown on his face.
I put my arms in my robe, head to my bathroom, wash my face and brush my teeth. I pull my hair into a messy bun then head towards the kitchen.
"Morning! Smells great." I say grabbing a plate, ignoring them fighting over the eggs. "Thanks for cooking, Larry." I add food to my plate.
"Welcome." Larry says as Laurent grabs the last piece of toast. "That was for Mia, Lau." Larry chastised his brother.
I look at Larry then giggle to myself. "Has Mai been here?" I can smell her on him.
"No." Larry answers never looking up from his plate but that slight smile he was trying to hide says different. I smirk. Yeah right.
When I finish eating, I clean my dishes then head back to my room to shower. Dressed in a tank and cut off shorts, I head back to the kitchen to clean up, but it's spotless.
I hear the shower running as I approach Mai's room. It's probably one of the twins.
With my Relax playlist playing, I grab my phone and laptop then walk out to the balcony to start to working. After dealing with the more urgent emails and making notes on the consolidated schedules. I roll my shoulders back a few times, then a pair of hands start rubbing my shoulders. I quickly jump away then look back to see Laurent's face beaming at me.
"Merde! You need a bell around your neck!" Taking a few breaths to calm myself, "How long have you been standing there?"
"A couple of songs." He answers kissing my hair. Sneaky ass.
"You sleep well?" I ask moving out of his reach. Again he's too close, how does he get so close without me feeling him?
"Yes, your bed is really comfortable and you so cute when you sleep." He smiles.
"Really?" I said knowing he's picking, but my heart sputtered anyway. Relax, don't let him get to you. "Where's your brother?
"Stuff to do." He answers with a shrug.
"Do you have 'stuff to do' today?" I asks walking past him to collect my tablet before heading back to the balcony. Please say yes. My heart stops when I notice he is staring at me. Breathe.
"I plan for to spend the day looking at you." He smiles while he following me back to the balcony. My heart stopped and apparently so did my breathing. Breathe! The little voice screams. He wouldn't seriously stare all day, would he? I can't take that chance. I could go to the office, but he'd probably bother Anna until she let him in. I could go running, but he'd probably follow me the whole time. What does he want from me? OMG Breathe!
"Look, I don't know what your game is, but I am too busy for it right now. So how about we cut to the chase, hmm?" I walk over getting in his face. "I flirted with you over six months ago and you claim you didn't want to scare me back then." I push him backwards to the sofa.
"Yesterday, you send your brother to bring me to you and every time I turn around you're flirting or walking away," I push him one more time and he sits on the couch.
"Then you and your brother invited yourselves to my house. I appreciate the answers you gave me last night, but now you're scaring me, what do you want?"

Laurent

"What do you want from me? Tell me what's your endgame?" She stops pacing to stand in front of me. She looks angry but her eyes show fear, like she was fighting the urge to run or burst into tears.
"I not play games with you. I want to get to know you, I like when we together, and I no know how it go but I have to find out." I answer. "Plus I like your laugh." I try to reach for her, which apparently terrifies her. She quickly steps backwards falling then scrambles for her room.

Mia

My laugh.... No, don't touch me! Don't look at me like that! Don't hurt me! I quickly move out of his reach but I end up landing on the floor. Before he could stand up, I hurry to my room closing the door and bracing myself against it.
Please don't follow me. Please don't follow me. I'm out of breathe, I feel light-headed and I can hear ringing in my ears.
"Mia? I sorry." He calls from the other side of my door.
Come on Mia, calm down, you are safe, and you're stronger than this fear. Right? I face the door, "Look, I'm going to be very blunt. I may look like a good investment but I promise you I'm not who you want. I don't trust males, like to be touched nor have personal relationships outside my immediate family. I do not trust easily. I'm not an advocate for second chances nor will I give you a fair chances to earn my trust. I can maybe joke with you and your brother and maybe, in time, we might become friends but I doubt it. Anyway none of that matters because my work will always come first."
*chuckling from the other side of the door.*
Laurent

Difficulty with personal relationships, trust issues, and work comes first. She sounds so much like me, I couldn't help laughing. She opens the door.
"How about you and I hang out a little? We go slow, get to know each other then we see. I work a lot too but you have to make time to play, right?" I offer with a smile.
Her eyes lighten a little. She raises an eyebrow then whispers. "What do you mean by play?"
"Go get changed, we're going to street carnival."
She grabs her electronic devices from the balcony, puts them to her room and closes the door. She changes into jeans and some Nike.
"Got everything?"
She runs back to grab a jacket and her phone then nods. I open the door for her letting her go first, she laughs, "Thank you for the sweet gesture. Would you do that for your brother or male friends?"
"Non."
"Then please don't do it for me." She frowns.
"Ok."
She smiles, "So how are we getting there?"
"Train." I check my watch.
"Okay lead the way."