A Compulsive Criminal's Love Story

{3} Escaping this Coffee

Pia raced up the stairs to her bedroom and gently shut the door. She was beating herself up over the guilt of saying yes to that handsome stranger that she'd only just met.

What had he done to make her say yes? Recommend cereal? Or perhaps it was the fact that he'd swept her off her feet? Literally. Pia pondered on it for a while. Then realized that maybe it was his mysterious eyes that basically made her say yes. His eyes made her feel warm and cold at the same time. She just couldn't put her finger on it, and yet she wanted to know what else he could make her feel.

It's not a date. It's just coffee.

Maybe he needed help with something, and just wanted to discuss it over coffee. Or maybe he felt bad for knocking into her so he wanted to get coffee so they could be on good terms. Just a coffee. Just like she did with many acquaintances.

But she knew she was lying to herself. Forget about going for coffee with an acquaintance. She'd barely said two words to anyone recently. She communicated more with gestures than words. This handsome stranger was the only stranger she'd talked to at all recently. Other than the same girl that worked at the cash till #6 at the grocery store.

But it's not crazy to have a coffee with someone. It's just a coffee. A non-friendly, non-exciting, very plain, and boring coffee.

That's what she was trying to convince herself of at least. Because she knew very well that she hadn't been so excited to go out for coffee ever before.

The day went by dreadfully slow for both Killian and Pia as they waited for the sun to set and then to rise once again.

"It's not a date. Just coffee with an acquaintance." She whispered to herself as she fidgeted with her toothbrush.

Suddenly, she heard the floor creak in her bedroom. Her body froze and she busied herself with the task at hand. "You're up early for the gym today." A deep voice muttered roughly, sleep still evident in his voice as he opened the bathroom door and automatically unzipped his black dress pants to relieve himself beside her.

She looked away subconsciously, before spitting the foamy toothpaste into the sink. Her eyes locked with herself in the mirror.

Right, the gym. She thought to herself.

"Oh yeah, there's a trainer that-" she tried to lie.

"You didn't hire a trainer did you," he cut her off immediately with a roar.

She stood wordlessly, shaking her head in disagreement. Her hand quivering a little, "N-no, m-my friend did. She said that I should join her."

"You have a friend at the gym?" He watched her carefully, while zipping back up his pants and grabbing his toothbrush.

Pia immediately decided that her teeth were clean enough. Coffee stains teeth anyway.

She back away towards the door frame of the en-suite to give him space while he squirted a pea sized ball of toothpaste on his brush and started ramming it on his teeth vigorously.

"N-no not really, she just needed help with weights and started talking. I didn't talk to her much. She just likes to talk." She murmured.

He waved her off, "okay, yeah, you should be working on weights too anyway. Your arms need more muscle. Go iron my shirt for me." He ordered changing the subject instantly, before shutting the the bathroom door after she scurried away.

She let out a deep breath of relief, he hadn't questioned her too much today. Something must have been on his mind. She didn't want to know what. All she had to do was get through the next hour. And that would start by carefully ironing the dress shirt he'd laid on the chair next to the bed.