Page 28

ANYA

I nod at the security guard and he smiles back as I enter the building. Daniel is standing right next to him, his hands in his pockets. He looks too attractive in those gray sweatpants. I look him up and down, taking in the sight of him in his casual clothes. His hair is tousled, falling haphazardly on his forehead, and his face is still flushed from the cold shower he was talking about in his text. He had mentioned he liked taking a cold shower after his matches as it helped loosen the soreness from the muscles, and I wanted to say, ‘I could give you a massage,’ but I held back. That’s just too much right now, I guess.

His face lights up as he looks at me and a broad smile forms on his face. He walks towards me, his arms outstretched to pull me in a hug.

“Hey,” he whispers, his breath against my ear. The familiar scent of his cologne envelops me, and my heart rate instantly picks up.

I bury my face in his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. He squeezes me tighter and rubs my back softly, his tall build surrounding me.

Daniel pulls back slightly, his hand sliding down my forearm as he gets a hold of mine. “You are pretty,” he murmurs, his eyes roaming over my face.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I tease, giving him a smirk. His hand is warm against mine as he pulls me toward the staircase. I tug at it as if I could possibly stop him. “I am not a big fan of exercising, captain,” I whine. “I am not going to climb twelve floors.” I glare at him.

“Um…” Daniel begins but then stops. He opens and shuts his mouth at least three times. “I moved,” he finally says, smiling sheepishly at me. “To the first floor,” he adds.

“When?” I frown. “And why? Your apartment had a wonderful view,” I comment.

His face falls. “I just—” He sighs. “I did not want a repeat of last time.”

I tilt my face in confusion, and then it hits me: he’s talking about the panic attack I had when I was stuck in the elevator.

“You moved so that I do not have to use the elevator?” I ask carefully.

Daniel’s face turns red. “Yeah,” he says in a quiet voice, his eyes still fixed on me. “I could not risk you getting stuck in that goddamn elevator again.” His words surprise me, my heart skipping a beat at the thoughtfulness behind his action. “I hate the look of fear in your eyes. It doesn’t suit you,” he says, his voice sharp. “And me and my roommates decided to move to a smaller flat to cut costs.” He rushes out.

No one has ever been this careful or mindful of my fears and triggers before. I mean my family has always supported me, been there for me when I needed them, but no one has ever put in so much effort just for my comfort. My heart aches at the thought of him being this considerate. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face at his words. “Thank you,” I say softly, my voice thick with emotion. “You didn’t have to do that for me, you know.”

He smiles. “I know, but I wanted to,” he says and pulls me to the staircase. “Don’t make a big deal out of it because really, it’s the least I could do. Okay?” he says, grinning at me.

I nod, feeling a wave of emotions wash over me. We climb the stairs in silence, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the walls. Daniel opens the door to his apartment, gesturing for me to step inside. I step into the room, my gaze flickering around the space. The apartment is spacious, with large windows that let in the last remnants of sunlight.

“This is nice,” I murmur, looking around the living room. “Somehow better than the last one.” I smile as I look up at him. He kisses my hair and wordlessly guides me deeper into the apartment. We enter the kitchen. It smells nice, and as if on cue, my stomach rumbles.

“Sounds like someone’s hungry,” Daniel teases, a playful smile on his face. “I made spaghetti for us.” He takes my hand and leads me over to the counter, pulling out a stool for me to sit on. We had planned to go out, but then I had a sleepover with the girls. We have been doing it since the first semester. I told him if we go out, I will be too tired and end up sleeping, so he just invited me over. I thought we would relax, but I guess he went all out and cooked for me. I smile at him as I perch on the stool, my stomach rumbling again as the aroma of the spaghetti wafts toward me.

Daniel begins to ladle the spaghetti onto two plates before placing them on the counter next to the stools. He hands me a plate, and I take a bite, savoring the rich, flavorful sauce.

“This is good,” I say between mouthfuls. “You’re a great cook.”

He grins, visibly pleased by my compliment.

“Last time I ate spaghetti, I couldn’t stop puking for a week,” I say.

His eyes widen in concern.

I laugh. “Don’t worry; I ate from that questionable place behind campus. Cheap food isn’t always a win.”

He shakes his head, setting down his fork. “You really don’t think things through sometimes, do you?”

I blink at him, caught off guard. “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I’m serious, Anya. You’re always running yourself into the ground—classes, assignments. When was the last time you just stopped to take care of yourself?”

His words hit too close to home, and I glance down at my plate. “I’m fine, Daniel. People manage worse. I’m just busy, that’s all.”

“You say that, but...” He sighs, leaning forward on his elbows. “You act like you’ve got it all under control, but anyone paying attention can see how much you’re carrying. You don’t have to do everything alone, you know.”

I pause mid-bite, caught off guard by the conviction in his voice. He stares at me for a moment, his gaze unwavering.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter, trying to keep the conversation light.

“Yes, you do,” he counters softly. His hand reaches over, and his thumb gently swipes a bit of sauce from the corner of my mouth. His touch lingers for just a second too long, and I feel my face heat.

“You’re too smooth for your own good, you know that?” I say, hoping to distract myself from how flustered I am.

“You think I am smooth?” He leans back, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t,” I shoot back with a smirk.

He stares at me, his eyes not leaving mine and a small smile plays at his lips. “I mean it, baby.” He cocks his head. “You do not have to go through everything alone. We are in this together and all your burdens, your worries are mine, too. Do you understand?” He raises an eyebrow .

I can't help but beam. “Yes sir.” I mock a salute.

“Good girl.” He winks at me and I shake my head.

“Dude, this smells nice.” I turn around to see the owner of the voice.

Daniel grabs the plate quickly. “Louis, don’t.” He glares.

“Hi, there.” Louis waves at me, and I give him a small smile. He looks between Daniel and me, and smirks as he takes a seat next to me.

“I have to file a complaint, Ms. Anya,” he says, faking a serious expression, but I can see the playful smile he’s trying to hide. Daniel rolls his eyes.

“I have no idea what you did to my brother.” He pats Daniel’s arm. “But this man is whipped.” He sighs. “It is so difficult to be around him.” Louis fake-shivers and faces Daniel. “He keeps smiling. It is very spine-chilling.”

“Whipped, huh?” I say to Daniel, raising an eyebrow.

Daniel shrugs, a smug smile on his face. “Can you blame me?” He looks at Louis with a bored expression on his face. “But come on, dude. You are overdoing it,” he says, a blush rising on his neck. He looks so cute.

“No, he is not,” Ethan says as he walks out of a room—probably his. “He’s a goner for you; believe me,” he exclaims, facing me again. I snigger.

“That I am. I cannot deny that.” Daniel winks at me. His friends groan and I chuckle.

“Shut up,” Daniel says, smiling at them. I laugh, enjoying the playful banter between us all. This is fun. I might as well gang up on him.

I smirk. “So, guys.” I gulp down the food. “Since you were complaining about Daniel’s—” I pause trying to find the right words.“---I would say exaggerated behavior .” I smile at him slyly. “I would really love to know some incidents.”

Louis leans in his chair. Ethan and Louis exchange a glance before grinning at Daniel’s horrified expression. “Firecracker.” He gasps. “You do not have to join them!”

I can’t help but laugh at his reaction. “I’m just being curious, captain,” I tease, sipping on my water.

Ethan and Louis can barely contain their excitement. “This is going to be epic.” Ethan rubs his hands together, a mischievous smile on his face. He’s so different than he was on the beach. He seems more comfortable and open here. Daniel groans, sinking in his chair.

“So before you guys started dating, he was trying to learn how to make your coffee order,” Louis says and pats Daniel’s back, who in turn gives him a death glare. My heart races as I remember how he not only knows my coffee order by heart but can also prepare it.

“Yeah, and he went through a whole trial-and-error process. I swear he must have made twenty cups before he got it right,” Ethan chimes in.

“It was not as bad, but the issue was he made the two of us try your coffee order at least fifty times.” Louis sighs. “I had to work extra to lose all those calories. God knows how you drink that much sugar.”

“I stayed at a friend’s place because I was so scared of him. I haven’t drank coffee since then.” Ethan pulls a face and I can’t help but chuckle.

“I left the house before he could even wake up,” Louis says as he slurps his spaghetti.

“I made Sam try it then.” Daniel laughs. “He’s the security guard,” he explains to me.

I nod, intrigued. “And what did Sam think about it?” I ask, taking another bite of my spaghetti.

Daniel grins. “He said it tasted like a unicorn barfed in a cup!”

I snort, almost choking on my food. I cover my mouth, realizing that isn’t a great way to laugh, especially around his friends, but the way Daniel is looking at me makes it clear he doesn’t care. Ethan and Louis burst out laughing, too.

“I had no other options, so I started drinking your order myself and I tried and tested until I thought it was perfect.” Daniel chuckles as he looks at me. His eyes seem so soft right now.

“This is only one example. We can go on actually,” Louis says.

“Anya, don’t you think it’s time for you to go?” Daniel says as he stares at the clock behind me.

I gasp, taken aback. “You want me gone?” I whisper.

His eyes widen, and he shakes his head furiously. “That’s not what I—” He quickly grabs my hand. “I thought you had girls’ night tonight. You were talking about what you were going to do. It starts in an hour, so I thought—” He shakes his head again. “I am so sorry.”

I look at my watch and stand up. “You are right!” I whisper-yell. I turn back to look at the guys. I smile. “I will see you guys around.” I mock a bow. “I hope I don’t make your lives more miserable.” They chuckle and wave at me.

“I will drop you off at your place,” Daniel says.

I frown at him. “There is no need. I will take a cab.”

He shakes his head. “No, I am heading out so I will drop you off.”

“Where are you going?” Ethan asks, a smirk visible on his face.

Daniel glares at him. “None of your business,” he says. His friend raises his hands in surrender.

“Okay.” I say, smiling at him. He’s so obvious, but who am I to say anything? I mean, I will get to spend more time with him.

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