Don't Talk to Strangers

XVIII

It was somewhere around one AM that I noticed something change. Something in my mind shifted.

I woke up in a cold sweat, my breathing unsteady and my chest tight. I gulped in air, throwing off the blankets and getting out of bed. I yanked my shirt off, throwing it into the hamper. I stood in the middle of the room, my head thrown back, trying to cool off.

I stayed there for a few minutes, attempting to calm down and forget. Then I moved slowly to the door, looking down the hall. I saw no movement and made my way quietly to the bathroom.

I grabbed a towel and rubbed myself off, throwing some cool water on my face. I hated these kind of nights, but this time it was even worse. I bit back confused, frustrated tears and stared at myself in the mirror, pale and tortured. I clenched my fists, whispering to myself, “Get a grip.”

I took a long, deep cleansing breath and tried pep-talking myself. “This is ridiculous, Cassidy. You’re going to turn him in, forget about it, go on with your life, and find someone else.” But he’s just confused, give him a chance! my subconscious argued. “No! No. He has problems, we all do, but you don’t have to fix them for him. He has to.”

I splashed my face again, drying it off once more before opening the door.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

He was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall and looking at me. My hand flew to my throat, swallowing. I took a shaky breath and choked out, “What are you doing?”

“I heard you get up,” he murmured. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I couldn’t see his eyes in the darkness, but I immediately felt self-conscious about the fact that I was just in a bra and pajama bottoms.

“Yeah, I—I’m fine,” I answered shakily. “Go back to sleep.” I reached back and closed the door behind me, not moving my eyes from his shadow. Then I pressed myself against the wall and started slinking toward my room.

His voice stopped me in my tracks. “Cassie?” he breathed, almost inaudibly.

I froze. “Yes?”

He took a few steps toward me until he was inches in front of me, and my entire body went cold. I could just make out his face, his eyes staring at me calmly. I didn’t register the movement of his head as he brought it closer. Then heat blossomed from my lips as Dan kissed me.

His lips pressed more steadily onto mine and his hand reached out to twist our fingers together. My heartrate sped up rapidly and I let out a breath against his lips. So much for the minimal kissing experience.

I nearly melted as he stepped closer to me, his body curling around me against the wall. Then his teeth grazed my lip and my eyes flew open, looking to the ceiling. They closed moments after and I gave in, kissing him back.

I was going to regret this in the morning.

Oooooooohhhh ;) Dis is different than how I’ve written romance before, but it kind of is only my second attempt, so sorry if it’s really bad. (I’m a huge sucker for cheesy romances so that might show lol)