005

AVA

I saw how visibly angry he was, and I loved it. This was what he got for stepping on my toes.

He refused to give up, though. “You forgot the rule so quickly. Are you so narrow-minded, or are you still looking for attention that much?”

He hit me with the same words he did every time. This time, my heart had gotten accustomed to it.

I scoffed, glaring back at him. I wasn't going to let him talk to me the way he pleased.

“Enough. I don't give a damn about your rules!” I yelled, crossing my hands over my chest with my lips twisted to the side. I hated him so much, and he kept shoving himself in my face.

“Well, you're not obeying rule one, and you better start giving a damn about it because my house, my rules.”

I inched closer to him. “Well, your rules stink, and I've been trying my best to keep up with them since the past week!” I paused, and when he didn't say a word, I decided to continue.

“You should try lowering your music; I'm trying to study.”

I grabbed the bottle of water I came downstairs to get and then glared at him for a few seconds before heading up the stairs.

As I walked up the stairs, I felt his eyes on me and tried so hard to maintain my pace until I was able to reach the room.

The moment I reached the room, I shut the door, my back still resting on it as I exhaled.

He was such a jerk, constantly looking for ways to piss me off one way or the other. Like who plays music that loud at night???

I fell back to my bed, reaching out from my books when I  heard a loud thud. I thought something had collapsed, but it turned out to be Caden.

Another louder music!

I clenched my teeth hard, grabbing my pillow as I pressed my face on it, screaming as loud as I could.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling with annoyance plastered on my face. I had been reading, but it was obvious that there was a change of plans now.

Minutes past, hours maybe and the music had still not died down. I groaned, twirling around on the bed until I threw myself off the bed in frustration.

“I can't believe I had a crush on such an arrogant and insensitive man!” I muttered as I dragged myself to the bathroom.

Maybe a cool shower would calm my nerves that had risen due to the anger I felt.

I took off my clothes and got under the shower, humming my favourite song as the droplets of water washed my skin.

I slowly felt relieved, allowing the music to take me away.

“Baby, there's nothing holding me back…”

I sang my heart out until the shower suddenly stopped running.

“Huh, what's wrong?” I slowly opened my eyes, blinking for a long time to get the water off my lashes. I stretched my hand towards the shower tap, twisting it to every side possible, still nothing.

Did we run out of water?

I asked myself so many questions as I grabbed the towel from the rail. I wrapped it around my chest and headed out of the room.

The moment I stepped out, I froze. He was sitting there with a glass of wine, and he snapped his head towards my direction with a smirk on his lips.

“What are you doing here?!” I yelled but froze when realization suddenly hit me.

“You, you did this!” I growled; I was certain I would go crazy if I continued to stay with him.

“Last time he checked, this is my house, and I do not know what you're talking about.”

He made small movements with the wine glass in his grip.

“What I want to know is why you're trying to make yourself noticeable to my friends.”

I was taken aback by his words, but he had not finished speaking.  “I made those rules for a simple reason, and you don't seem to want to understand that.”

I exhaled, trying so hard to not respond to whatever he said, but if he mentioned anything about rules again, I would have to put him in his place.

“Turn the water back on.”

He clicked his tongue. “I wasn't done talking.” Then he continued. “I was talking about my rules. I told you to stay away from me, my friends, and my–”

“Shut the fuck up!”

I had finally lost it. I couldn't take more of his rule nonsense.

“Maybe I should give my own rule. First, this is our house now, and you'll have to learn to live with it. Second, I don't appreciate loud music or you turning off my shower just to get back at me.”

He raised one brow, his expression showing sarcasm. He didn't really care about what I said, but I knew for sure I pissed him off.

He stared at me for a few seconds; silence reigned, and I wondered what kind of thoughts went on inside his head.

“Is that why you came out with a towel?” His eyes sized me up from my head to my toe, and I started to feel insecure about myself all of a sudden. However, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he craved so much.

“Jerk.” I said it loud enough for him to hear, then turned my back towards him. In my next step, I slipped, losing balance, and I closed my eyes, expecting to hit the hard floor any second now. However, I heard glass shatter, and I instantly felt a pair of strong arms around me.

I snapped my blue eyes open and met his grey ones, staring back.

The world seemed to pause for a few seconds as his wine-scented breath fanned across my face.