Good Terms

The scent of coffee and toast sailed through her nose as Eve stirred and immediately became wide awake. She glanced sideways and noticed a tray on the bedside table. Her gaze moved to the window where startling rays of sunlight flooded in, giving the room a sort of welcome warmth. She gently rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up. That was when she noticed him in his white shirt and shorts, silently watching her.

"Did I wake you up?" Elvin asked.

Eve looked to the tray at her side then slowly returned her gaze to him.

"Not exactly, but I've not had enough sleep. Thanks for breakfast though." She reached for the tray then looked back at him.

 "It's mine right?" she asked.

"Yes."

Eve set the tray on her lap and began to eat. When she looked up, he was still staring at her, and his gaze seemed to occasionally move from between her legs to her breasts. "You look hungry yourself."

His gaze met hers. "I have eaten," he said.

"Are you sure?"

His smile probably told her that he knew what she meant, and he said, "Yes."

"Preparing for work?" she asked.

"Not exactly."

Eve squinted her gaze at him. "What's the time?"

"Ten in the morning."

Now she raised her brow and thought him to be unserious at his job. "Don't tell me you want to get yourself fired. Hope this has nothing to do with you looking after me, because I'm a big girl? I can handle myself."

"No. It has nothing to do with that."

She looked a bit disappointed. She half expected him to say yes. "Great. Because after this delicious breakfast you just served, I should be on my way too. And thanks for last night. It was terrific."

"Uhm, you can't go?"

Eve gave him a curious stare, a smile appeared on her face. Somehow, this seemed to make up for the disappointment of him not wanting to go to work but watch her, but to be sure, she had to find out. "Oh my. This isn't about last night, is it?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"There's a lockdown."

Eve laughed. "Right. Good one... I'm sorry. I don't even know your name."

"I'm—"

"That's the point. You're not supposed to tell me. I doubt you know my name. We are going to go our separate ways and act like this never happened. It was amazing. I hope I see you again, and frankly, you're not my type. But sex-wise, you're great. So..." She stood from the bed and looked around for her things.

"They are all in the parlour," he said.

Eve gave a single nod, and said, "Right." She aimed for the door.

"You've not finished your breakfast," Elvin said.

"I should be more concerned with going to work," Eve said. "Thank you for breakfast. Also, you're romantic." She left the room.

***

Elvin met her downstairs in the living room getting into her clothes. She put on her heels, searched for her phone, and Elvin pointed it to her.

"Right there," he said. 

"Thank you," she said and took to her feet.

Suddenly, she paused, her gaze fixed on her phone. "Oh shit. Forty missed calls. Goodness. How do I explain myself? Hey, thank you again. Goodbye."

"You'll be quarantined if you head out," Elvin said to her. "Call someone from the office."

***

Eve dialed her secretary, Priscilla, and placed the phone to her ears, her secretary picked.

"Have I missed any meeting?" Eve asked.

"No," her secretary said. "You're not coming to work, are you?"

"I am supposed to. Why?"

"No one is in the office. No one reported to work today."

"Is this a joke?"

"No, it is not."

"Exactly. So, why didn't anyone turn up to work? Do they want to be fired?"

"The government issued a lockdown. There's been an incident. People are falling unconscious. No one is safe."

Eve slightly turned to look at Elvin who was still silently watching, she looked away. "When did this happen?"

"Last night." Priscilla moaned.

"Are you okay, Priscilla?"

"No, no. I mean, I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine. I can hear your breathing. Why are you breathing hard..."

"Faster. Faster. Uh."

Eve arched a brow, knew what Priscilla was doing or engaged with, and she hung up. She turned to Elvin. "What happened last night?" She hoped he understood and made no reference to the sex.

"The government has been unable to say exactly. I tried to see the nine O'clock news but it's blank. There's nothing on the screen."

"Are you kidding me?"

"If you listen, you can hear the wails of sirens."

"Those are from ambulances. Not the emergency alarm," Eve said, wondering if he thought her dumb.

"I know. They are going after other victims. Really, no one is allowed out," Elvin said. "I wish I was lying to you, but I'm not."

Eve saw the bulge in his shorts, and she saw him quickly turn away. What was he thinking? That she would be trapped here with him and that they would become bedmates. Not happening. She had a house, and a life that she needed to go back to. But she seemed closer to danger if she stepped outside. If people were falling unconscious for no reason, best she keeps to herself and stay right here with this stranger.

That bulge she hadn't missed, it had been in her last night. The way this man, whoever he was, looked at her with longing, she could tell that he wanted more. Last night was amazing. Totally breathtaking. But it was supposed to stop at that. Last night. Why were they still together?

How had she even ran into him again? Yes. She had seen her fiance with another lady, and although she was supposed to be meeting someone at a restaurant she arrived at, she had gone to drown herself at the bar across the street.

Eve looked at her phone to see her fiance, no, her ex-fiance had left her lots of messages, and she deleted them without reading them. She didn't want to know the content. She didn't want to break down before this stranger.

He seemed nice. He had prepared breakfast in bed for her, something her fiance, no, damn it, ex-fiance had never done.

Just when he was about to leave, she said, "Sorry for doubting you. I don't normally wake naked in strange beds."

Elvin turned to face her, and she saw the bulge in his shorts was no longer there. "It's okay."

"I'm Eve O'Neal. What's your name?"

"Elvin Field."

"Such a beautiful name. Well, now, we're no longer strangers." And she hoped he agreed. "However, if we're going to be locked in here, I must warn you, last night will have to repeat itself. I don't know how long, but till this lockdown is over, it will continue ."

Eve saw the bulge in his shorts return.