Chapter 31: Stunned
1220 Words
Chapter 31: Stunned
Alice's POV
Knowing the undeniable truth, in the end, I couldn't do anything but let him in.
"Get…get in," I said, twisting it in, letting Lennox in her unit. Rapid yet slow heart beating—the first step he took inside left a loud thud in my head.
"That's more like it", Lennox said, passing through the entrance door, smiling gently at my furious and full of contempt eyes looking at him.
Of course, I can't subdue him under my control—because, in the first place, this devil isn't tamable.
If I think of it again, he might have just deceived me into thinking he's tamable, but in the first place—he really isn't. He only wants me beside him. His obsession—ugh, I thought this kind of set would be romantic, but hell no! This is creeping me way too much.
The two women employees he fired and making their lives miserable—
"It's because of you." Recalling how George said those exact words without any further explanation is more than enough for me to be convinced that it was Lennox's reason behind doing that.
Just because of me—the f*ck.
Entering the foyer's units, Lennox closes his eyes, breathing in the lavender scent I naturally spray all over her unit.
Ah, this scent. He loves it so much that even when we first met, this scent lured out the creep out of him that day.
"Hmmm, ah! The smell of lavender…" He said, looking around, walking in the living area, but before he gets in, closing the door shut, I called him.
"Hey, before we get into details, may I ask something out of the discussion?" I asked, not moving an inch from where I am. Looking over his back, he glances at me with a smile on his face that reaches his eyes.
The face he uses to always gets what he wanted. It's either through creeping everybody out or deceiving them. Damn, how I wish I can do this too.
"Mhmm? What is it?" He said, stopping from walking forward any further. Hands on waist, he sure looks like a total jackpot. Wearing the white plain shirt with his pajama pants, he certainly makes a seemingly effortless look that could only standout if and only if he's the one wearing them.
"Why are you so obsessed with me?" I asked, looking straight to his eyes.
One thing that paid off, with letting him closes and tests my patience for a long time with him now. Is that, being used to his keen eyes, I' am learning now how to use it directly on him.
Trying to read his expression, I knew, before he could even speak the truth, he'll first spout nonsense, not unless I intimidated him—
"Oh, you sure making it sound narcissistic—"
"Just answer the damn question, why?" I said, posing an authority on my tone. Learning his habits of teasing me before giving what I want in the first place this trick saved me more time dealing. And for a long time now, this doesn't fail me yet.
Locking eyes with him, he then faces me with his whole body, sighing, he puts his hands in his pocket.
"How much do you want to know?" He said, smiling but not reaching his eyes anymore.
"Of how much do you know about me?" I said, not batting an eye. And before I know it, a moment of silence invades the air until he tilts his head sideways, looking at me intently with curious puzzled eyes.
"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Lennox asked.
"Oh…nothing…" Then, I remember.
I'm still keeping the secret that I already know he's stalking me for years before meeting me. And, I can't disclose how as to Dove's identity is on the line. One of my source of headaches, but at the same time, my hope in getting away from him—Damn it, this setting's getting messier now that I've analyzed it. I'm using this psycho hatter to get away from my psycho brother and Dove to get away from this hatter who thought I'm his Alice.
Ugh, really. What kind of s**t hole am I in?
Giggling, Lennox takes steps forward until he's leaning down his face on top of me, making me lift my gaze to his tall demeanor to match up his gazes. "Weird, it sounds to me that you already knew I was stalking you."
He said, breath touching my face's skin, making me feel the warmth and remember the first kiss I had with him. Nonetheless, no matter how hard I want to push him away, I didn't and instead stayed on my spot, locking eyes with him.
I won't budge. I thought to myself, toughening my core. But hearing him seemingly admitting his stalking crime, I cringe a little. Frowning I look at him with pure distrust.
"… you're easily admitting your crime here, and it makes me more uncomfortable. I think I'd like it more if you told me lies." I said, realizing I'd prefer it more hearing him spot lies than truth. For I feel like that way, I could know he's telling the opposite of what he's telling.
Almost taken aback, he stepped back and started laughing. Laughs that echo throughout my unit's quiet space that lasted like for half a minute.
"Ha! Oh my, Alice. You're honesty's really getting me." He said, in between his suppressed giggles. Teary-eyed, thinking I'm cracking a joke, he puts his hands on my shoulder as his other hands on his stomach.
"And your honesty's disturbing me," I said, flat-out trying to kill his ambiance he's raising.
Getting ahold of himself now, he looks at me, smiling cheerfully from his fading guffaws.
" What? Do you prefer now that I lie?" Lennox asks sarcastically, still chuckling his way out.
"I suppose, yes, after hearing the first easy honest words coming out from that mouth," I said tonelessly. Realizing how hard it is to read his honesty.
How much is the lie, and how much is the truth?
The questions do not make me ask him what he gave me but what I'm afraid to think if he continues speaking the seeming truth.
Staring coldly at him, watching him calm and compose himself from his outburst, makes me think—
Really, why? Why me?
But, would hearing his answer would convince me? Probably not. The think distrust I have in him seems to be too thick to be broken through his words now.
That's why.
Dove, where are you?!
And just right then, one of his poems that drilled into me flashed through my mind.
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Be the eyes through the wall.
Mirror, mirror through the hole,
Expose his foul soul…
"Mirror, mirror…" I spouted, mindlessly but then, Lennox's hand become stiff on my shoulder as his dilated pupils suddenly got shocked and sharper, looking at me as if I said something off.
"What?" I asked. And just right then, I see how his handsome face turned pale, stunned, and wary.
Why was that? If I could have just turned back time—I wish I could have been less dense and get what his reaction was saying that time.
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