Pursuing Miss Introvert

Chapter 5. Like Jasmine

If anyone was around at that moment, they would probably hear her heart beating like crazy after Laurence disappeared from her sight. The skin on her neck still tingled from that whisper.

Amelia let out a loud sigh and grabbed her chest to calm down.

That mutt!

Her brain malfunctioned for a moment there.

Whew. She exhaled to shake the nerves she felt came alive with what he did.

Picking up the book that fell out of her hand, Milly walked casually back to where Claire was sitting.

The girl was already engrossed in her laptop and luckily didn't follow her.

Otherwise, she would have been in hot water with Laurence.

Remembering what happened again made her blush. It was so embarrassing even if no one noticed.

She had to find a way to confront him!

No, she wouldn't.

The embarrassment she felt was too much to even look at him again.

She even closed her eyes?

Ugh.

Milly let out a frustrated sigh.

"You, okay?"

Claire finally noticed her sudden mood change.

Looking up, Milly cleared her throat.

"Fine."

She barely moved her mouth when she spoke for fear of giving away what she truly felt.

Claire's eyes slanted in suspicion but didn't say more.

As her friend focused her attention back on her laptop, Milly grabbed her camera and her notepad back into her bag.

She had to get out of there and gather her wits for a bit.

Their classes wouldn't be on until one in the afternoon so she had at least a couple of hours to herself.

"Listen, I have to get back home real quick, okay?"

Keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing the others.

"I'll be back before one later."

Claire nodded, although there was a hint of confusion on her friend's face, she didn't say anything.

Milly went out of the building in stride. As if walking briskly would help her gather her thoughts well.

Suddenly feeling conscious, she casually scanned her surroundings for any sign of 'that' guy.

Clear.

The coast was clear.

She felt utterly stupid and it was his fault!

He was clearly mocking her. But why would he do that when they barely knew each other?

Unable to come up with an acceptable reason for what happened, she slowed down and walked home.

Good thing her aunt's house was only a few blocks away from her school. Well, a few were quite stretching it. It was a long walk indeed, but she wasn't in a hurry.

She only took either a cab or a minibus to school in the morning when she felt too tired to walk.

As she rounded the first block, Milly suddenly remembered the supplies she needed to buy for her makeshift den s***h shed at home. Feeling uplifted by the thought of shopping, she hailed a cab and went straight to the antique store she meant to visit.

Laurence buried himself in sweat after his last class in the afternoon ended. The stand-alone boxing set he placed on the balcony of his apartment strained with every jab he made. He had been at it for maybe an hour and his muscles felt sore. But he needed more. He needed to release the tension he was feeling.

Left, right, left, right.

The muscles on his arms glistened with sweat as he punched with force. When he thought his arms were about to break, he stopped and steadied himself on the bag.

With his breath huffing in and out of his chest, Laurence swept his wet hair out of the way and groggily strolled back inside. His sixty-square foot apartment wasn't the largest space, but it was enough for his needs. Both of his parents had been abroad for years. The only family he had by his side was his grandmother. She lived just an hour away and was the closest parent figure to him growing up.

Feeling his heart rate slowly return to normal, he opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. His mind was in chaos today. All because of his stupidity.

What was he thinking?

He didn't know what came over him when he saw her on that ladder.

She had looked so tiny and so endearing and so...

So...

Frustrated, he closed his eyes and leaned on the counter.

She looked so adorably sexy.

Shit!

He was losing it. He was losing his s**t!

What the f**k was wrong with him?

Even he was surprised with how things went down the first time he went close enough to her and smelled her.

Like jasmine.

She smelled like jasmine.

Laurence threw his head back at the memory of how he held her that moment.

Where was the cool and collected Laurence?

Gone.

Gone out the window in just a matter of seconds.

Oh, man. He shook his head in disbelief.

She must have thought of him as some kind of a creep.

Jesus!

Unusually nervous about her reaction, he left her there looking dumbfounded by what he did.

Whew!

He let out a sigh and ran his fingers over his hair.

He'd been needing a haircut for a while now. It was probably about time to visit the shop again. It might help him collect his thoughts on what to do next.

Grabbing a clean shirt from his closet, he pocketed his keys and left the apartment.

"What the hell are those?"

Ryan's face contorted at the pile of all things old in front of him.

Milly bit her lip not to burst out laughing at her cousin's confused face.

She called him saying she needed to be rescued and here he came shocked with her purchases.

"What in the hell-"

He cursed again and luckily eluded Milly's right leg when she tried to kick him in the shin.

"Hey, behave."

She cautioned.

"They're all very pretty and I wanted them."

She lifted her head in defiance.

Ryan sighed and rubbed his head.

After surveying everything she bought, he faced her with a serious expression.

"They're not gonna fit in my car."

Milly crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her brows.

"Don't you think I can see that?"

She replied sarcastically.

"I just thought that you being a city boy and all could maybe ask someone you know who can help us with these?"

Motioning to the boxes of antique finds she bought, she didn't seem bothered at all.

It was almost eight in the evening and they needed to bring those back home as soon as possible.

When she came earlier, she spent a couple of hours sorting through the store's storeroom for lamps and ceiling lights because there were just a lot she liked.

After her classes ended in the afternoon then, she went back and after hours and hours of marveling through the different woodworks and hanging decorations, she was finally done!

"Easy for you to say."

Ryan remarked as he lifted a small chipped side table off the ground.

"Will you still be able to use it anyway?"

He continued.

Milly's patience was running thin. After all, she was tired, sweaty and hungry, and probably looked dusty too.

"Ryan!"

She gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Fine, fine!"

Her cousin held his hands up in surrender.

"Give me a sec..."

Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and called someone.

Milly felt the soreness of her arms and legs from hours of lifting things here and there in the shop. The old lady who owned it had an assistant but after following her for a while, he eventually left her to roam around on her own. He probably noticed she would be there much longer.

She smiled remembering the old woman. She missed her grandma. Milly would go straight to her house every weekend when she was still in high school. Life in the countryside was simple and quiet. But her grandmother's house offered a different feeling of calmness to her. With her mom being constantly called back to the hospital, she had her grandmother to bond with.

Milly didn't even notice that she already sat on the pavement with her legs crossed in front of her. Then she knew she was really tired. A long, warm shower would do her justice right about now, she thought.

Just when she stood up and rubbed both her numbed legs, a gray pickup truck pulled up in front of her.

So her cousin was useful after all, she conceded.

Ryan was walking back to where she stood when the driver's seat opened.

Laurence strode purposely in front of her and smiled.

Amelia stood still, frozen in place.