Standing toes-to-toes

          Maria peered up from the small space he had cornered her in. She pressed her lips together and knitted her eyebrows as her gaze met his intense one. "I assume you did not read the contract. You should not address me with those kinds of words. Doing that is a breach of contract." She told him, her chin pointing out stubbornly with hands moving to her hips.

"Contract?" His brows rose and he gave out one of his humorless chuckles. "And I suppose you did not read the contract likewise, right?"

She huffed, finding his words ridiculous. " Of course, I did."

"No, you didn't." He shook his head once. "You called me a jerk earlier, finger flicked me in a way no other person dares, ruined one of my most treasured hoodies, disturbed my peace and privacy by spending so many hours in my room and even up till this moment." He stated, looking like he was reciting a list of sins to be punished. "So tell me," His eyes slid over her frame, his tone low and gruff. "Who deserves to be sued?"

Her lashes lowered as she considered his words. If she were being honest, she would admit that she did all those things. But all of her actions were caused by his exasperating behavior during the check-up. All of them wouldn't have happened if he had just answered her questions like every normal patient.

"Sorry about your hoodie," Maria muttered, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I-I can help you wash it--"

"Forget it." He cut in, eyes darkening with displeasure.

She remained her gaze on her boots, waiting for him to finish his pep talk. She was prepared to apologize once again and then leave.

When silence dominated the room, she looked up to find his eye boring into hers. It felt as though she was trapped between two walls of solid steel. The pressure of his stare made her feel claustrophobic. She could only imagine what was going on in his head.

"I didn't want to pay attention to this, but you know what?" He stepped forward, eliminating the smallest space between them until they were standing toes-to-toes. His arms raised and planted two palms beside her head, hooking her completely to the wall.

Maria stiffened with self-awareness, repressing the urge to hug herself with her arms. "Wh-What?"

He leaned down slowly, his nose almost touching her head. "You look familiar." He whispered, his words sounding as though they came from a deep cavern. "Is it possible that we have met before?"

She blinked more than necessary, his words baffling her without boundaries. "I am more than sure we haven't." She finally answered, dipping her chin with confidence. How in the world would she have crossed paths with someone as famous as him?

His face remained close to hers and it took a lot of her willpower to keep her gaze level. "Well, your hair rings a bell." He informed, his eyes shifting to her mentioned feature and her eyes widened when he stroked the tip of her hair in the briefest moment.

Maria shook her head to chase away his touch and frowned hard at him. Why was he so comfortable invading her personal space? "I am sure we have not met before, so let's leave it as that." She told him sternly. "And could you please back off?" She quickly added, wanting to push him away.

His eyes roamed her face before responding, "Don't have any wrong ideas, Miss Patterson." His voice dropped, becoming business-like. "I do not have any interest either." He added, taking in her reaction.

She laughed, but it sounded forced, not knowing another way to react to a man who was open about not finding her attractive. "Nice to hear. I am glad you see that as mutual. We should keep things this way to have a smooth treatment process." She retorted sarcastically, her eyes calculating how to escape his trap.

"Trust me, doc, you don't have to say that twice." He stated, his tone mocking.

Maria ignored his comment, focusing instead on how to remove his hands from the wall. "So, I guess we are done for today..." She voiced, in an attempt to sound professional, but his presence still bothered her.

"This is where you are supposed to run away, right?" He returned, his eyes flashing with derision.

She scowled, hating to be teased. She had had enough of his sarcasm for one day. He seemed so different from the way he was the day before. This time around, he wasn't even screaming at her to leave, he was deliberately making her uncomfortable for the same purpose to keep her from coming back out of her own will.

Her face tilted to his hand glued to the wall. She decided to keep him away herself if he was not planning on doing so. "Back off," she sounded, slapping his wrist down to create an entry for her freedom.

Jayden didn't budge an inch and watched her brush past him. His brown orbs followed her movements to the mini living room. She picked up her bag from the table before looking in his direction again.

"I will be out of your hair now, Mr. Stanley. Don't forget to use your night dosage after dinner and take an adequate amount of rest. Goodnight, then." She uttered, giving him the most professional smile she could muster.

He did not respond but continued to watch her with unblinking eyes. He looked like he was waiting for her to leave and she would not hesitate to carry out his wishes.

Her eyes darted to the entrance as she turned on her heels. His voice suddenly came behind after some seconds and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Wait a minute."

Maria slowly faced him again, curious as to why he wanted to prolong their conversation and the inhaler wrapped in his fingers welcomed her sight.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Jayden questioned, holding up the medicine with a frown.

She stared at it for some moments before answering, "I--"

"Take it or throw it away." He didn't give her a chance to speak before interrupting her. The inhaler flew from his grip as he threw it at her and she found herself jumping to catch the cylindrical container.

"Thank you." She muttered, returning the item to her bag. "Goodbye, Mr. Stanley." She started walking away as fast as her legs allowed her to.

The double doors concealed her frame as they shut once she had taken her leave and he contently watched her disappear through them.

***