Chapter1
1047 Words
Brianna’s POV
“Damian?”
I pushed the front door open and stepped inside, my voice echoing through the quiet house.
“I’m home!”
Silence greeted me.
Frowning, I glanced around the living room. Everything looked exactly as I remembered it. The cream-colored couch sat neatly arranged, magazines stacked on the coffee table, and Damian’s favorite throw blanket was draped carelessly over the armrest.
But there was no sign of my brother.
I slipped off my shoes by the door and exchanged them for a pair of house slippers before walking farther into the house.
“Damian?”
Still nothing.
I climbed the stairs, dragging my suitcase behind me.
“Damian, seriously! Don’t tell me you’ve already abandoned me on my first day back.”
No answer.
I checked his bedroom first but it was empty.
The bed was made, the curtains drawn halfway open, and the room looked untouched.
“That’s weird.”
Pulling my phone from my bag, I tried turning it on so I could call him, but the screen remained black.
Right!
My phone had died hours ago during my trip.
With a tired sigh, I headed toward the guest room I’d be using.
I dropped my bag onto the empty bed before digging through it for my charger.
The moment my phone was plugged in, I collapsed backward onto the mattress.
I stared at the ceiling.
This was going to be one very long year.
An internship at The Cross Fashion house.
The thought alone made my stomach flutter.
Most people my age would’ve been excited because The Cross Fashion House was one of the biggest Fashion Companies in the country.
Don’t get me wrong, I was excited too, but maybe for a slightly different reason.
A familiar face drifted into my mind.
Wesley Cross. The only son of the Cross family.
The boy I’d had the most embarrassing childhood crush on.
I hugged a pillow to my chest as heat creeped into my cheeks.
Back then, he’d been all sharp smiles and effortless confidence. Every little girl in the neighborhood had adored him.
Especially me.
I remembered hiding behind Damian whenever Wesley came around because I couldn’t form coherent sentences in front of him.
A soft laugh escaped me.
I wondered what he looked like now.
Perhaps Older? More mature, maybe even taller.
My imagination immediately betrayed me as an image of a grown-up Wesley dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, loosening his tie with an attractive smile grazed my mind.
I buried my face into the pillow.
“Oh my God,” I muttered.
Why was I blushing over someone I hadn’t seen in years?
Maybe I’d even see him again at the company?
Then I remembered that Wesley wasn’t in town.
Apparently, he’d been away handling their new business overseas.
The excitement in my chest dimmed instantly.
“Oh.”
I stared at the ceiling again.
Of course. Why had I expected otherwise?
I had barely settled into my disappointment when another sound reached my ears..
Running water.
I slowly pushed myself upright.
The house fell silent again except for the unmistakable sound of a shower running somewhere upstairs.
My heart skipped.
I listened carefully.
No. I definitely wasn’t imagining it.
Someone was in the house. In this room!
“Damian?”
My voice came out uncertain, yet no answer.
I swallowed.
“Who’s there?”
Nothing.
Only the steady rush of water.
Panic prickled beneath my skin.
I climbed off the bed, glancing around the room.
Think, Brianna… Think.
My gaze landed on a baseball bat leaning in the corner.
Thank God for Damian’s inability to throw things away.
I grabbed it immediately with shaky breaths, and I crept towards the door.
The sound grew louder as I approached the bathroom.
I pressed my ear against the door.
Water.
Definitely water.
I squeezed the bat tighter.
Who could it be?
A burglar? A serial killer?
Someone who broke into houses just to take showers?
Should I attack first? Or maybe call the police?
Yes… Police.
That sounded much smarter than dying in a horror movie because I made stupid decisions.
I backed away carefully and hurried towards the bed.
My phone screen finally lit up the moment I hit the power button.
Come on… Come on… Boot faster.
The loading icon appeared but then the sound of running water stopped.
I froze.
Every muscle in my body locked.
No.
No, no, no.
My phone slipped from my fingers onto the bed.
I raised the baseball bat with both hands and turned toward the bathroom.
But then I saw the knob twist.
This was it.
With a terrified scream, I lunged.
“Get away from me!”
I swung the bat with all the strength fear gave me.
Thunk.
The impact never came.
Confused, I slowly opened my eyes to see a large hand gripped the bat effortlessly.
Stopping it.
Hazel's eyes met mine. Deep and piercing and startled.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then my traitorous gaze drifted.
Past his eyes.
Past the straight bridge of his nose.
Past lips parted in disbelief.
A strong jaw shadowed by light stubble.
My breath caught.
He was handsome… Devastatingly handsome.
Water dripped from damp dark hair onto broad shoulders.
My eyes traveled lower before my brain could stop them.
Across a toned chest, defined muscles. The sculpted planes of his abdomen.
A towel sat dangerously low around his waist.
I immediately jerked my gaze upward.
Heat exploded across my face.
Oh God!
Oh God!
I released the bat so fast it nearly fell between us.
I stumbled backward.
My pulse thundered loudly in my ears.
Then I looked at him properly.
Really looked.
The sharp hazel eyes.
The familiar shape of his smile even beneath his stunned expression.
The face that had occupied an embarrassing number of my childhood daydreams.
Recognition finally hit me all at once.
My eyes widened.
“Wesley?”
The name left my lips as nothing more than a breath.
His eyebrows lifted.
For a second, he simply stared at me.
Then those hazel eyes widened too.
“…Bree? Brianna?”
I forgot how to breathe.
Because somehow, impossibly, the boy I’d once crushed had grown into the breathtaking man standing before me.
- Writer
