Seeing her in daylight

BRADFORD'S POV

The shock on Lynette’s face was unmistakable. Her face turned pale and her warm brown eyes widened.

She seemed to have recognised me even before I introduced myself. From magazines maybe, given that she's a fashion designer.

She was staring at me like she saw something that wasn't real. For a moment, I thought she was going to run. I found her reaction amusing, which was rare for me, but I tried not to smile.

And then I almost forgot why I came. Because she looked amazingly beautiful in daylight. I hadn’t really seen her last night due to the dim lights, her impatience, and all.

The late afternoon sun caught her fair skin and made it luminous. She looked exhausted from working, yet she still glowed. Her hair was put into a neat bun that hadn't dared move out of place.

I don't know how she managed to look breathtaking in such a simple outfit.

I stood there longer than I should have, staring at her, forgetting I had an arm stretched out until it started to ache.

“Um…my hand is feeling a bit numb here,” I said softly, flexing my fingers a little.

She blinked fast, “Oh, I'm…I'm sorry,” she whispered quickly and put her hand in mine.

Her hand was warm, just like her eyes. I wanted to hold it longer, but she quickly pulled her hand back, like it burnt her. Then she forced a tight smile.

I raised an eyebrow, ‘That's a first.’

I slowly put my hand in my pocket and brought out her wallet.

“Here,” I said, holding it toward her. “You dropped it in the room.”

She stared at the wallet for a moment before she took it from my hand carefully. She looked up at me, and I could see the confusion in her eyes.

“I put all the cash back in,” I added, sliding my hands back into my pockets.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine.

I nodded once.

“So, do you want to explain why you were in my room last night?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly.

Her brows drew together. “Your room? What are you talking about? she said quickly, “You came into my room, so I thought you were…”

She suddenly paused.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

She swallowed then added, “Anyways…why would I be in your room?”

“That's exactly what I'd like to know too.” I replied evenly.

“I left my room to pick up something I had left on the table downstairs,” I continued, “and you were already in my room when I came back.”

Her frown deepened, she shook her head immediately. “No. No, that's not possible. I checked the room number. I opened the door with my key card.”

“Why would my key card open the door if it wasn't my room?” she added, irritation sliding into her voice.

“Maybe that's because I left my door unlocked,” I said, looking straight at her.

She looked up to meet my gaze. “But it still doesn't make sense. I checked the room number before entering. I'm…I'm sure it was my room.”

I took my hands out of my pockets and took a step closer, hovering over her a little.

“Are you… really sure you checked the room number properly?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “Because I could tell you had a few drinks last night.”

She blinked, clearly not expecting that.

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Then she looked away from me.

That's what I thought.

A smile was tugging at the corner of my lips.

“Also I checked in earlier that evening for a meeting,” I continued, “if you had taken the time to look around you'd have seen my jacket on the chair. But you probably didn't, did you?”

She cleared her throat and met my gaze again.

“Then… why didn't you tell me to leave when you met me there?” she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty, like she already knew the answer to the question.

I closed my eyes briefly. “I tried to,” I said, my voice tightening, “more than once, you didn't give me a chance to. You were pretty fierce.” My voice lowered on the last words.

“Not that I'm complaining about how the night ended,” I said quietly, trying not to let amusement slip in.

She shot me a glare. She looked a little flustered, even though she tried to hide it.

I couldn’t help but smile eventually.

She's really making me feel things that are unusual.

“I thought I'd get an explanation this morning,” I continued, my chest tightening a little, “but you disappeared before I woke up.”

“Then I saw your wallet on the floor, you probably dropped it while rushing out,” I added, “and I thought maybe the universe didn't want me to be left in misery afterall.”

That part was true. But now, seeing how stunning she looked, I'm curious about more than just the events of last night.

Then she went quiet, her brows drawn together, her eyes moving from side to side.

“What was your room number?” she asked after a moment.

“111.”

“Mine was 117,” she said almost in a whisper.

“You could've misread,” I said, my voice softer than I intended, “maybe you would've realised if your key card hadn't worked. But I left my door unlocked because I was in a hurry.”

Her eyes flickered. Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

I watched as her expression changed slowly. She went completely still as she seemed to be putting the pieces together in her head.

She slowly looked up at me, her eyes softer than before. There was a hint of guilt or apology in them.

I met her eyes, keeping my face blank.

Then she shut her eyes and put her hand on her temple. The realization seemed to hit her painfully.

“I'm really really sorry,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She looked up at me now, really looked, for the first time since I got here.

She nodded once. “It’s my fault,” she continued softly, “I walked into your room by accident.”

I let out a slow breath in relief.

I almost thought I was losing my mind.

She let her hands drop at her sides in surrender. “I'm sorry I… confused you, and made you go through the trouble of bringing my wallet all the way here.”

I met her gaze slowly. find this surprisingly amusing.

She's apologising when I should be thanking her for an unforgettable night.

It was literally the first time I felt really wanted for being just me, no expectations attached, not because of my name.

I had forgotten what that felt like.

“I'm—” she continued, then her phone rang in her hand.

She closed her eyes and muttered something when she looked at her phone screen.

She answered quickly, “Hey…Gab, I'm so sorry,” her voice was softer than before. “I should’ve called you.”

She paused, then briefly looked up at me, I pretended not to notice.

“I can't talk now, but I'll explain later.” She said quietly, “I'm sorry, okay?”

After the call ended, she put the phone in her purse.

She cleared her throat and stared at me with a blank expression now.

“I'm truly sorry for everything,” she said, her voice steadier.

“So… how about we just forget what happened last night and go our separate ways?” She said flatly, then turned to leave.

‘What? Forget it happened? Just like that? She's got to be kidding.’

“I don't think I can do that,” I said before I could fully process the words.

She paused, then slowly turned back to look at me. “What?” she asked, disbelief creeping in.

I put my hands into my pockets and slowly walked closer to her, leaving just an inch between us.

“I don't think I can forget, Lynette,” I said softly but firmly, staring directly into her eyes.

“Infact… I don’t want to.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her mouth dropped open slightly, but she couldn't speak.

I held a gaze, a slow smirk forming on my lips.

‘You walked into my room by accident. But I'm walking into your life deliberately. And I have no intention of backing out.’