In which I fall in love with my brother's best friend.
*****
"Don't pretend like you don't feel anything." His voice is low, sending shivers down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"You know damn well what I mean."
"I don't know what you're talking about...
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My eyes travel around the room now that I'm finally able to take a good look inside Vaughn's apartment. Before me is a quite spacious living room, and the rests are the simple but modern kitchen and dining room, styled in a mixture of industrial and contemporary. The apartment only consists of one bedroom.
"Wow." I'm already liking the air here. It feels comfy but at the same time energizing. "Did you arrange all of these by yourself?"
"With the help of a friend," Vaughn says, walking behind me as I stroll further inside. "I need a space where my mind can be creative but where I can relax too."
I walk toward the glass window, staring at the amazing view of Boston. "This must be an incredible sight at night." I gape.
Vaughn lets out a small chuckle before walking off to show me his bedroom, and I follow suit.
His bedroom is simple and not that huge but has the same amazing view. He leans against his desk while I continue the tour. Then something on the cabinet catches my attention. There's a wooden box showcasing sea glasses, and oh my, they are breathtaking. Something about the colours is captivating. I've never seen anything like those before, as if each sea glass holds their own mystery, and I'm getting the atmosphere of some exotic beach far away just by looking at them.
"Those are souvenirs," Vaughn says. "I went to Bali around half a year ago. Got them there."
I snap my head toward him in disbelief. "They're beautiful."
"Well, you haven't seen anything." Vaughn walks closer to the cabinet and opens the lower drawer of the wooden box. And there, I see a pearl attached to a necklace, so gorgeous that a gasp escapes my mouth. It's simple but so pretty and accentuates elegance. The small pearl is brown to grey with purple and green overtones in colour.
"You like it?" Vaughn's question makes me snap out of my daze, and when I look up at him, I see a meaningful smile on his face. He's staring at me in the way I was staring at the pearl just now, which makes my heart skip a beat. "That's different. It's not a souvenir. I bought it at the local jewellery shop."
He takes the necklace and turns my shoulder so that we both look at the mirror hanging on the wall. I'm speechless when he slowly puts the necklace on my neck. "Vaughn--"
"It suits you," he whispers against my collarbone, making butterflies inside my tummy go crazy. "It's about time that this little treasure finds its rightful owner."
But can I just accept it like this? It looks expensive, and I've noticed it even just by first glance. "But, Vaughn..." I wonder why he bought such a thing and for whom he did it.
"I hadn't found anyone I could think of giving away such a gem, but I think I have now," he answers the silent question in my heart, just like magic. And I blush from hearing those words. "Six months ago, I was in a state where I needed a place where I could escape reality for a while, to refresh myself from some shit happening to me."
