IX. The Unexpected Visitor

Cara

Ivan stood tall at my doorstep, staring right at me, his expression unreadable.

"Ivan? What are you doing here?" I asked, proceeding towards him. I can't say a part of me wasn't happy that he was here. Admittedly, I was elated to see him again. Question is, how the hell did he know my address? Perhaps Jasper told him.

I was standing a few feet away from him, his large form between me and the door.

He spoke huskily, his voice like a drug, addictive and intoxicating, " I came to apologise for not being able to bring you home yesterday." That seriously could not have been his reason for coming all this way.

"I don't believe you. You came all this way...just for that?" He visibly stiffened. I knew then that that was not his only reason for coming. Maybe he wants his hoodie back.

"I-I wanted to see you again...to see if you were feeling better." He moved out of the way as I pulled out the house keys from my bag. Fumbling with the keys,I searched for the right key then opened the door.

"Oh...I am much better. It was only a minor head injury. The scar is barely noticeable. See." I moved my hair out of the way showing him the rapidly healing scar on my forehead. I saw his hand twitch as if he wanted to touch the scar but he did not."Would you like to come inside?"

"Yes. " He came into the house. He looked around. I put down my bag right there on the floor and shut the door.

"I'm making a sandwich...want one?"

"Sure," he replied, looking at me. His eyes never left mine, not even once. He followed me into the kitchen, his loud footsteps echoing through the house.

He sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. I felt his intense stare burning right through me as I made the sandwiches. The way he looked at me, it was as if I was the most fascinating thing in the world doing the most fascinating action in the world, making a freaking sandwich.

"So, you like to cook?" He asked.

"Yeah...I don't really have a choice l, my dad's an awful cook. He somehow manages to burn and undercook anything at the same time." He chuckled deeply.

I passed him a plate with a sandwich and a glass of orange juice to wash it down then took a seat next to him. He took a small bit of the sandwich and ate more and more of it.

He was in awe of a simple sandwich. Or perhaps I am just a terrific cook.

"That was absolutely scrumptious. Thank you...so, what else do you make other than fantastic sandwiches?"

I put away the plates and continued to talk with Ivan, telling him just how good a cook I am. But I did not want to seem boastful.

"Do you cook?"

"No...but I would be happy to learn. Perhaps you can even teach me, Cara."

"Perhaps." I leaned closer to him. Everything about him drew me in, like a moth to a fire.

We ended up talking about all sorts of things. He was more open than the first time we met. He wasn't unreadable and stiff but open and free. I could tell he was not at all used to this.

"...And that's how I got this scar." I showed him the scar just below my left shoulder that I had gotten when my cousin got a bit careless with the knives. He surprised me by reaching out behind me and touching it. I shivered under his soft touch. He was gentle and soft on my skin as he traced around the scar.

I was startled by a low growl coming from behind me. I was even more startled when I felt something more than just his touch in my skin, his lips on my skin. My body abruptly quivered as his lips pressed against the scar.

Realisation of what he was doing hit me. I quickly pulled away.

"P-Personal space. I-I barely know you," I told him, accidentally stuttering. Regardless of how good it felt, he was a man I barely knew, who had at least five years on me. If not more.

So he's older...it's not like he's 500 years old, went the naughty little voice in my head.

"Apologies. I did not intend to make you uncomfortable, " he said. I saw the sincerity in his eyes but I was still sceptical.

"It's fine. By the way, I still have your hoodie. The one you told Jasper to give me yesterday as I was leaving," I informed him in an attempt to change the topic and to reduce the thick tension.

I only hoped he would not ask for it right away since I had not even thought about washing it. The hoodie smelled so good that I subconsciously decided not to wash it, fearing the scent would be washed away.

" Keep it. It looks good on you."

"But you haven't even seen me in it."

" Trust me."

***

He didn't seem like he wanted to leave anytime soon so I let him stay. Dad was working late so there was no risk of him coming home and finding me on the coach with a complete stranger.

Strangers are dangerous and I hardly knew the guy but he did save me. How harmful could he be?

Had it been someone else, I doubt I would have spent so much time with them. But it was Ivan. My deep infatuation with him was fogging all my common sense.

I don't know how but somehow the man convinced me that we should watch a movie...together...on the coach. Mentally affected by his mere presence, I agreed and we watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He told me he'd never watched it and it was one of my favourites.

Before the movie, I ran upstairs to change out of my filthy school clothes. Ransacking my closet, I struggled to find something casual, decent and at least a little cute.

I decided on my grey and blue pyjamas. A grey shirt written ; Cute but psycho. But cute.  and a leopard print style blue and grey short.

This is fine, right?...Of course it is. It's not like you're going to dinner with the queen.

With all the might and courage I had, I forced myself downstairs.

Ivan froze. He was immobile as he scanned me up and down. He swallowed noticeably, eyeing my exposed legs. A tiny part of me went ; feast your eyes while the much much bigger and more dominant caused me to shyly tuck my hair behind my ears.

I felt hot under his piercing gaze and my face was probably beet red. Before I died of mortification and discomfort, he cleared his throat, ending the moment.

We sat far apart from each other on the coach and only because he sat down first and I was too much of a wimp to take the spot close to him.

One extra large bowl of popcorn was shared between the two of us. This was hard because the way I saw it, the other end of the couch was miles away.

Even more a reason to move closer, Cara. The naughty little voice in my head insisted on me taking the leap and moving closer to him. She could be very insistent. He's not going to eat you...

I was in an internal war between myself and myself when I felt my side of the couch dip. Ivan was sitting next to me.

"I figured it would be easier if I am closer."

"What would be easier?" I asked, my mind completely blank, forgetting the fact that we were sharing the fricking bowl. Something told me that he did not just refer to sharing the bowl.

"..." He gave me a look as if telling me that I very well knew what he meant. " Sharing the bowl, Cara."

Indiana Jones being hypnotised by the Crystal Skull, as interesting as it was, could not keep my focus on the tv screen as I felt Ivan's stare on me.

To make matters worse, he was so close to me that I was just breathing in his scent.

"You're not watching the movie, Ivan."

"I only wanted to watch this one because it's the longest in the series and I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible."

***