CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

For the first time since she could remember, Charlie had a spring in her step as she headed up the stairs. Yes, she could barely feel her toes after she’d covered most of the campus in the latter half of the day because her last two classes had been as far away as they could possibly be. And of course she was tired after walking home from the train station after yet another long day. But today she’d finally handed in her assignment. That meant nothing could put a dampener on how relieved and proud of herself she was after working so bloody hard. End of term was edging closer. God, she couldn’t wait.

In the meantime she’d settle for a nice relaxing weekend, her first since the start of the uni year. Maybe she’d treat herself and get Chinese food delivered. She had an unopened bottle of wine at home that was calling her.

Almost there, she thought to herself, wishing she lived in a building that had a lift. Just as she reached the door to her floor, it swung open, knocking her off balance, causing her bag to fall off her arm and hit the floor. Luckily she didn’t follow it, managing to stay on her feet even as someone rushed past her. Charlie got a quick look at the man who had almost ploughed her down though his face was a little obscured from the black cap he wore. She saw he had pitted skin around his cheeks and jaw, silvery stubble suggested he was an older man. From what she could see he didn’t look familiar. Before she had chance to call him out on his lack of manners, he was already down the first flight of stairs. Not a single word said. It was like he hadn’t even seen her.

Yeah, thanks for the apology. “Rude bastard,” she snapped as she bent to pick her things up. Luckily, most of her work stuff had stayed inside the bag this time, and thankfully the strap hadn’t broken like on the last one. She grabbed her keys and kept them in her hand, then spotted her lip balm that had rolled over to the other side of the stairwell. Charlie wondered where the man had come from in such a rush. There were only three flats on her floor, same as the bottom and the upper two floors, and she’d never seen him at Mrs. Hughes’s place. Maybe he’d come from Jake’s.

Well, it was none of her business anyway.

She made her way down the hall, purposely slowing by Jake’s. On light feet, she was getting ready to listen to see if she could hear that nice music again when she saw his door was open.

Charlie carried on casually. Trying to act like she wasn’t being the crazy stalker lady she’d turned into, made worse since he’d stepped in and helped her and she’d seen how good looking he was. The guy had made it pretty clear since then that he wasn’t in the friend-zone territory, hard as she’d tried. And Charlie had been as friendly as someone could be without being creepy. Still, Jake had barely acknowledged her the few times they’d crossed paths. He’d continued to wear his hood up, head still down, barely giving her a nod.

Glancing quickly as she went to walk past, she was surprised how wide open the door was, especially when there was no sign of him inside. Maybe he hadn’t realised he’d left it open. Pausing, Charlie told herself she didn’t need to knock. He was probably grabbing something before he went out and would appear any minute. So she waited, still staying where she was so that she could get to walking again casually when he made an appearance.

Still no sign of him.

Edging closer, Charlie couldn’t hear anyone moving inside. Was he even home? Hesitating, she tried to tell herself to go home and forget it, but her arm moved defiantly. Right before she knocked, she heard a door opening somewhere inside, and Jake walked right into view at the end of his hallway. Wearing nothing but a towel wrapped low around his waist, he was facing away so she got a nice view of his back. And yep. . . As she suspected, he did workout. It was hard not to look at how lean and muscled it was, a deep groove down his spine. Shit. Her eyes wouldn’t move away from him, and she was just standing there like a fool.

Just go, Charlie.

But wait. If he’d just got out of the shower why was his door wide open?

Before he turned around and caught her gawping, Charlie knocked twice.

Jake turned abruptly and when her breath caught, she tried to mask her reaction with a casual smile, but she knew her eyes were very probably giving her away as they dropped well below his face. Shit. Christ. The front was even better. His body was solid muscle all over, wide shoulders, more abs than she’d ever seen in real life before. Her gaze drank him in for a second. Until the sound of his bare footsteps padding towards her made her realise he was moving towards her and she was staring at his body. She internally berated herself. Returning her gaze to his face, she felt her cheeks heat when she met his intense eyes, and forced hers to stay there.

“Hey.” He looked at her with a deep frown. “What’s going on?”

With his hair wet and tussled that way, Charlie was having a hard time concentrating, but she mentally kicked herself and went to explain before she noticed the suspicious look he was throwing her way. “Why is my door wide open?”

Annnd isn’t that as good as a cold shower.

“I can’t answer that, but it is the reason I knocked. I’ve just got back and when I was walking past I saw the thing open and wondered if you knew.” Her eyes made one last journey down his body and back up to his face again. “Clearly not.”

Charlie knew she’d said all that with a sharp edge to her voice, but honestly. . . What? Did he think she’d just wondered into his flat?

Ignoring the confusion on Jake’s face as he checked around the lock, she decided she’d done her neighbourly duty and began to walk away. She’d taken two steps when. . .

“Hey. Uh, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” she threw over her shoulder, wanting nothing more than to get home and have that glass of wine. Or maybe now she’d have two. Not to mention she was starving. “It’s Charlie, by the way.” Not that he’d asked. But she was sick of being called hey.

“Charlie?”

Pausing, she turned to see him half in, half out of his flat and she made sure to only look him in the eyes this time. So what he had a gorgeous body that she wanted to stare at, his attitude certainly wasn’t as attractive.

“Thanks,” he said with a hint of a smile that made her chest warm a little. Ok, so how was she supposed to stay mad when he looked like that? Smiling back at him, she gave him a nod then carried on up the hall.

A moment later she heard his door close.

So Jake Sure wasn’t as cold as he tried to make out.