Pursuing Miss Introvert

Chapter 6. Too Close Too Soon

He must have been joking, right?

For sure her cousin had a bunch of buddies he could call for help, and here he was, calling the very person Amelia wanted to avoid seeing again at all cost!

She could strangle him right about now.

And where was luck when she needed it?

Laurence, again. Pressing her temples, she could feel the tension in her head building up from stress and annoyance. After she recovered from the initial shock when he arrived, she pretended nothing extraordinary happened between them just hours ago.

While the two guys talked a bit, she proceeded to load the small items she could carry to Ryan's car instead. That was better than standing on the sidewalk like an awkward kitty.

Inside the safety of her cousin's car, she took a chance and studied his profile.

Usually oblivious to guys, she never really gave any interest to anyone before. Not that she was interested now, she thought. It was just, that he seemed different.

Illuminated by the vehicle's headlights, he had black jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt on. He must have pulled the sleeves off when they started loading the items to his truck, exposing a series of small tattoos snaking along under his left arm. Amelia couldn't clearly see what those were but strangely, it made him look kinda cool if she must admit.

Feeling brave enough that he couldn't see her, Milly studied his face.

Did he always have that haircut? She was trying to remember his hair just hours ago but couldn't come up with a clear image. Now it seemed shorter, still jet black as she remembered, but now had an undercut on the side just above his ears.

Why did that make him look a little bit dangerous now? He seemed pretty laid back the first time they met. Amelia couldn't quite get a grip of what she felt about him.

And his eyes, she shivered at the thought. His eyes burned when he looked at her at the library, but then turned too soft when he held her close. Seeing those images again in her mind made her gasp for air. And his lips...

No! Her mind protested from going further. She couldn't go any further. The air conditioning inside the car was on and yet beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Clutching her chest, she could feel her heart hammering like crazy just from remembering what happened between them in the library.

Feeling panicky and suffocated with her feelings inside, she desperately wanted to escape for fresh air. Having no choice, Amelia grudgingly got out of the car and pushed the door back with a loud thud.

Startled by the sudden noise, Ryan and Laurence stopped what they were doing and openly stared at her in confusion. Her cousin's face was both questioning what was wrong and slightly annoyed at the same time. Laurence on the other hand looked curious and amused. The corners of his mouth tilted a little trying to stop a smile, but his eyes gave him away anyway.

Instantly regretting her actions, Milly cleared her throat and went back inside the car as gently as she could.

Shit, she thought. She was making a fool of herself in front of him. He might think she liked him that she got so affected by what happened!

No way, Milly decided. She couldn't let that happen. She would make it clear to him as soon as possible. They didn't know each other, and he had no effect on her whatsoever, period.

Exhausted from her internal struggle, Milly let out a sigh and rested her head on the windshield as Ryan opened the driver's seat.

"What was that about?"

He was clearly annoyed by her behavior.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it."

She truly felt sorry for her cousin who had no idea at all about her feelings.

"I was just checking and didn't mean to push it so hard."

That was the best reason she could offer since she couldn't exactly tell him everything.

"You know that sounded rude, right?"

It seemed her cousin wasn't that easy to fool at all.

Milly smiled sheepishly.

"I know, I'm sorry."

Trying her best to be patient still, she lowered her voice to show him she was serious.

"Yeah, but tell that to Laurence."

Ryan scolded.

"He came here at short notice 'coz you needed help and you were acting like a brat the whole time."

Now he was full-blown lecturing her.

She couldn't blame him though. From an observer's point of view, she might have appeared rude and ungrateful.

When the truth was, she was just having a battle with her own thoughts. He would laugh at her if she would so much as give him any hint of that.

But knowing she was in the wrong, she apologized again.

"I'll tell him I was sorry, okay?"

She had to pacify her cousin for now or he might suspect something and focus his attention on her instead. That would be a terrible scenario if it happened.

Ryan was pretty cool, except at times when he felt he needed to protect her.

Seemingly satisfied with her apology, Ryan drove in silence until they were home.

She didn't risk trying to come up with a conversation when she f****d up earlier. It was in her best interest that she behaved well to avoid him nosing around her business.

"Where do you want those?"

He inquired as soon as they parked in the driveway.

Pushing her luck, she smiled timidly.

"In the shed, please, if you could?"

Ryan looked at her sideways and sighed, but didn't say anything else. He just got out and moved straight to Laurence's pick-up, probably to ask for more help from his friend.

Amelia felt another wave of embarrassment coming over her. She felt so childish and bratty with how she acted earlier. Ryan was right. She had to apologize properly, or else she would feel guilty all over again.

After getting off the car as carefully as she could, Milly grabbed the hanging decorations she bought with both hands before turning towards the shed. Looking back, Ryan and Laurence were talking and had a piece of small furniture each, ready to follow her.

She didn't want to delay them any longer because it was almost nine o'clock. For sure Laurence wanted to be home and rest as much as she did. And Ryan too.

The front of the house was illuminated well but the pathway going to the far side wasn't. Her aunt hadn't been using the shed for a long time and wouldn't normally turn the lights on there. Realizing it was too dark to go ahead, Milly stopped and waited for the guys to catch up.

"What's wrong?"

Ryan came right behind her.

"It's too dark."

She quipped.

"The lights here aren't usually on in the evening."

Her cousin for sure didn't know, 'coz the place didn't interest him a bit.

"We should have brought a flashlight."

Ryan commented, more to himself than her.

"It's okay, we can use my phone."

Laurence interjected from behind them.

"I presume there's a switch we can turn on in there?"

He asked before making a beeline to the front, clutching a small wooden desk in his chest.

He was wearing a dark cap now, so Milly couldn't quite make out his features.

"There's a light switch there connected to the house."

She answered.

"'Kay."

Was that the best reaction he could say?

"Be careful."

Laurence cautioned, his voice soft but clear in the dark.

Milly blinked a few times to try to adjust to her surroundings.

After a short walk, they finally reached the shed.

Putting away the furniture he was holding, Laurence proceeded to look for the switch on the wall.

"It's right there, in that corner."

Milly pointed at the opposite column to the right end corner.

With a small flick of his finger, the lights turned on and brightened the entire space.

"Woah, Mil!"

It was Ryan.

He could be a bit dramatic sometimes, too.

"This place looked like it would give way at any moment."

Well, he wasn't lying though, Milly conceded.

"It just needed a little cleaning, that's all."

Deeply feeling proud of herself, she tried to hide it to not sound too boastful.

"Nice place."

Laurence observed as he scanned the small structure.

It indeed looked old, but the columns were still in good condition. It was sturdy enough to stay in except maybe if there was a storm coming.

"Right."

Ryan sighed.

By the sound of it, he too was already exhausted and probably wanted to hit the sack already.

"We'll bring the rest of your things here."

He instructed, facing her.

"You go on in the house first."

Dismissing her with a wave, her cousin walked back to the porch to get the rest of her furniture.

Laurence turned his back too, knowing Ryan wouldn't be able to bring everything by himself.

"Laurence..."

She thought her voice was too small for him to hear.

But he stopped and faced her.

Reluctantly looking at his face, she bit her lip and fidgeted in place, unable to stay comfortable even if it was her home.

When he didn't say anything, she looked straight at him and saw that same expression he had on in the aisle at the library.

Milly's eyebrows furrowed at the reaction on his face.

Why was he always looking at her like she was some kind of a fascinating creature or something?

Feeling in the spotlight, she cleared her throat and continued.

"Um, I just want to say sorry about um, earlier..."

Damn it, when did she ever have any trouble speaking straight?

Milly let out a sigh to calm herself.

"Sorry about earlier."

Her voice surprisingly sounded steady this time.

"I didn't mean to appear rude."

Finally, she managed to let it out.

"No offense taken."

He answered.

That's it? Milly didn't expect him to be that concise to talk to.

At a loss for anything more to say, she bit her lower lip in awkward silence. If crickets were still out at that hour, they probably would have interrupted to deafening silence between them.

After what felt like an eternity, Laurence let out a long, suppressed sigh.

"You better stop doing that."

His voice sounded just a tad lower than normal, cautious, dangerous, even.

Milly looked up, confused.

"Doing what?"

She asked.

Even with his cap on, she could still feel him scrutinizing her face.

"What?"

He was making her nervous with all the staring, she should have felt offended.

Finally deciding what to do, Laurence moved closer one step at a time. Maybe he was giving her a chance to move, or he too was unsure of what he was doing. But he kept coming to her until he was just a breath away from her face. Milly groped the back of the table behind her in surprise. She had time to stop him, or even get away from him, but she felt glued to the spot and it was too late to move away anymore.

Blinking in confusion, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Stop biting your lip, please."

Laurence murmured, lowering his lashes to gaze at her mouth.