After You... (Official Edit)

Chapter 4 - Leith Street

Chapter Four

        Leith Street

The guy looked irritable. All tapping his foot and hands in pockets with a slight lean on the edge of his bonnet so as not to fully sit. Darius didn't come off steady but that didn't make him look a fool either because nothing about this should feel easy. I wanted him to be uneasy. At no point should he not be sweating this.

I expected him to be a little antsy to be honest but Darius made on-edge look borderline manic. If he hadn't made semi-casual look Abercrombie, from the grey T shirt lingering over his form, to the dark slacks belted around his svelte waist, he'd be a crazy person you'd quicken your way home over. But stupid good looks made crazy seem forgiveable. Funny how he could be that dude but also that throw-anything-on-but-damn-I-look-good guy.

He straightened as I made my approach in the honeyed flood of the street lamp that spread dim on the entrance doors. It stretched down the short wide steps of our mansion block and swept its fading light wide over the quiet street when I kept on walking.

"Bree—"

I sent a nod forward to get to walking as far out of sight of my flat as possible and strode ahead of him. Mrs Pratten was nosy as all hell, and though I doubted Kibbie would look out, I refused to chance it.

"Ten minutes." I walked backwards to face him, pulling my jacket tighter into me and marching forward again. I hadn't cast any thought to what I wore, all low-draped top and my jacket as cover. "That's all you get. Make it quick." I threw behind me.

We turned into the side street. I stopped and he had to pull the breaks on his pace to an abrupt standstill. He looked like prey right now and from the looks of it he felt like it too. He backed up a step.

"You wanna talk?" I said. "You've got ten minutes, then I want you gone."

"There's not much I can say in ten minutes."

"Take a deep breath and get it out like a small-print disclaimer, but don't push your luck 'cause ten minutes is generous."

"Considering you've taken so long to come down."

"Considering I even came down in the first place."

"Why did you?"

And just like that my brain snagged. I held his gaze for longer than I'd have liked. I didn't want to answer that. "Is this your pitch?

"No, I– Don't switch the subject."

"I'm not."

"You are."

His ability to frustrate me still made me scowl. I looked elsewhere.

"You wanna see me as much as I wanna see you."

"That's not it."

"Okay okay." He pacified what he could see in my eyes. He knew when to keep a lid on it. Like an ex who'd spent two years with you and could still get parts of you right. The parts where you're pissed off, when you're about to snap, when your eyes narrow with warning because he's getting too close for comfort. When the gravity of what he says sinks in and forces you into a space that contradicts every word you say.

"It's near enough midnight." I measured my words, acting on calm. Trying to. "Remember what I said to you? About late night calls and visits? What does this look like to you? I mean, you mentioned sex before. It's because of this, right? So you could visit me all hours of the night and—"