Headace

He walked in like he owned the place, his tall, dark form throwing a long shadow behind him as he walked with a silent, tightly wound confidence that had my heart pounding.

His lower lip was swollen and bruised just beneath his eye-clearly the product of a fight.

He did not seem to mind. In fact, it was as if he accepted the pain. That he was strengthened from it.

I quickly looked away from him and concentrated on the nurse who was busy filling out documents at her desk. But I felt him.

His presence daunted me. He stood only a few feet away from me, and I did not dare to look into his eyes again.

I swallowed hard, my heart thumping painfully in my chest.

Derick did not utter a word but was staring at me.

It was as though he had been anticipating something. Waiting. I changed position in my seat, the air feeling suddenly too thick, too heavy. My headache throbbed more intensely now, but it was not the hangover.

The nurse finally looked up and beckoned Derick to take a seat.

He walked slowly and purposefully, sitting down in front of me with a look of ease as though he had nothing but time.

That's where it started-the staring.

I maintained a steady eye on the ground and pretended not to have noticed.

But I felt his eyes burning into me. My body constricted and an odd mix of fear and something else-something I wasn't about to name-had room in my chest.

I felt as though I almost heard the silence between us. The air was thick between us as if the stage had changed the instant he stepped in.

I did not have to look at him to know he was anticipating me cracking.

"Headache?" The tension was temporarily broken by the nurse's voice as she handed me two pills and some water.

I silently nodded, swallowing the pills and then putting the cup back on the table beside me.

But the moment she turned her back on me, I felt it again-Derick's eyes, persistent, boring deep into me as though he was looking right through me.

I bit the inside of my cheek, the feeling too much to bear. I had no idea why it was being so.exposing. So exposed.

His presence was overpowering, filling the room in such a way that made me want to run and hide.

But something made me glance up.

The instant his eyes met mine, I caught my breath. The darkness of his eyes appeared to penetrate me and I braced myself.

I could not look away, though every fiber of me cried out to do so.

There was something dangerous in his way of looking at me-something which shocked me along the spine.

His mouth curled into a barely perceptible smirk, as if he was aware of what he was doing to me.

The bruise on his cheekbone only worked to add to his dangerous air of attractiveness in a way that unsettled me.

My face flushed with heat, heart pounding as I suddenly turned aside, back to the earth once more.

My fists clenched in my lap, I did my best to remain still, but I just couldn't shake the feeling of his eyes on me. He had the space between us at his beck and call without saying anything.

The nurse finished what she was doing and left the room for a short time, and we were left on our own.

The ensuing silence was agonizing.

I saw him shift in his seat a little, but I didn't have the courage to look again. I couldn't.

"Headache?" He said it softly.

He appeared more amused than concerned.

I swallowed hard on my dry-upon. "Yes."

Then there was silence. I wasn't sure if he was going to stop at that point, but he leaned in closer and the tension thickened again.

I felt his presence standing in such proximity that I had goose bumps.

"Thought so," he muttered, his voice lowering even further.

I do feel like I've had a tough evening.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I held myself still, gazing fixedly at the ground.

I was unable to speak. My mouth was dry and my mind was confused. Why was he talking to me, anyway?

His presence lingered, just a bit too long.

My body instinctively reacted, every nerve on high alert, and for one fleeting moment I wondered what it would be like to look into his eyes again.

And I too stayed stock-still, not daring to capture what else his eyes would reveal.