Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 11

I am standing on his porch, directly in front of the front door. It was too late to think about whether this was a bad idea or not because I already rang the doorbell. I didn't hear any shuffling and stood there for long seconds, just waiting. I was about to ring it again, when the door flew open and there stood the man who was always invading my thoughts. He glanced around before his eyes landed on me, squinting.

"Scarlett. Do you need something?" He asked me, large hand gripped the side of the doorway. He kept glancing up over my head, eyes darting from side to side as if he were looking at his lawn.

"Not exactly, I just wanted to pay you a visit, see how you were doing." I lied, planting a large smile on my face, but not too large that I looked idiotic. His brows furrowed and he turned his attention back to me, tilting his head. 

"I'm fine." His answer was short and he again, looked over my head. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. What is he looking at?

"Cool. Can I come in?" I got straight to the point since his attention was clearly somewhere else. He glanced at me and stood there for a second, before nodding. He stepped back, opening the door wider for me to come in. I thanked him and walked in, eyes darting around to look for anything out of place. 

"I don't usually have guests over, so I'm not exactly sure what this entails. But I was just about to finish my workout. You can help yourself to the fridge and the television." He was right behind me, his voice sounding distracted. I looked around his living room and everything looked normal, it was like I wasn't even here last night. 

"Thanks. If you don't mind me asking, I couldn't help but notice that you were looking a little fidgety a moment ago at the door. What was that about?" I asked him, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. His eyes met mine and I let mine roam his face, taking in his five o'clock shadow and his black tank that was a little soaked from sweat. I was so focused on looking to see what was out of place, I didn't do my ritual of checking him out. His curly, inky locks were tied down in a ponytail that was touching his neck, yet a few curls escaped on his forehead. 

"Um, well," He looked around before his eyes landed on me again. "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe someone was in my house last night." 

My eyes widened and I froze. I blinked and pretended to be shocked.

"Oh my god, did you call the police?" I asked, putting hand on his bicep discreetly. Well, I tried to be discreet at least. He didn't even flinch, it was like he didn't even realize. 

"No I didn't. I don't have proof, I just have a feeling and the fact that my front door somehow was opened and closed. I have security cameras, but somehow they were disabled from the outside. I think whoever was in here accidentally did it. But I don't know, I sound like an idiot. I'll figure out the truth when I get my cameras fixed and able to review the footage." He finished explaining and I froze, my hand dropping from his arm. He has security cameras in his house? That means he was going to know that it was me in his house. My heart rate skyrocketed.

"Oh wow, I hope you catch whoever did it...if someone really did come in." I spoke, trying to keep my voice steady. He nodded at me.

"Thanks. Now, I'm going to get back to my workout. Make yourself at home, unless you would rather grade some papers for me." A smirk appeared on his face.

I held my hands up.

"I would rather see what's on television if that's okay with you." I chuckled and he joined in.

"Go right ahead. Papers will still need to be graded though. Since you showed up to my house uninvited, it's the least you can do. But enjoy the television while you can." His eyes twinkled as his smirk grew and I shook my head, a smile on my own face. I don't mind grading papers, especially if it gave me access to his house. He turned and made his way down to the basement, disappearing around the corner. That's where he's working out? Does that mean I could possibly go down there and see what was there last night? What if I'm able to catch him in the act of something illegal? My eyes turned to the stairs. Or, should I go and see if the blood was still on the bathroom floor. He wouldn't be able to get all of the blood up in one night, right? I heard some clanking from downstairs and I shook my head to get out of my thoughts. I just needed to take my time. There was no rush, I had all day.