His Possession To Claim

Chapter 19

Aria waltzed limply through the corridor, her lips curling up in a dreamy smile. Someone was definitely in a happy mood. But who wouldn't be? Jared had been her dream guy since freshman year, and getting a ride from him today felt like ticking off a lifelong goal.

Reaching her doorstep, she paused, her brows knitting in confusion. A strange chill crept along her spine, seeping into her bones. She glanced around the empty corridor, searching for the source of the sudden unease, but nothing seemed out of place. It was just—her. Shrugging off the eerie sensation, she keyed in the pin for her apartment, the feeling lingering like a stubborn shadow.

As she stepped inside, relief flooded her. Home sweet—

"AHHHHHH!"

The scream tore out of her throat, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Seated before her was a man whose mere presence oozed power, with his elbows leaned lazily on his knees, his piercing gaze boring into her like a predator sizing up its prey.

Her breath hitched as recognition dawned. It was him—the man she'd saved yesterday. How could she have forgotten? Her thoughts had been too wrapped up in Jared to remember the stranger she'd dragged to safety.

"You're awake," she stammered, forcing a nervous grin.

"How are you feeling?" she pressed, dropping her bag onto the chair opposite him. But a deafening silence ensued, making the room grow stuffy and suffocating.

For a moment, she looked at the man totally lost, but it was immediately laced with pity causing the man before her to arch his brows.

"You must have been so startled back?" She let out sofly, her tone tinged with sympathy. "You poor thing."

His brows furrowed.

Her eyes wandered around with thoughts, just then her eyes sparkled as she did the unexpected. Aria's hands moved instinctively, forming a simple sign greeting. She was trying to communicate using sign language.

Aria had taken classes to help her communicate with kids with special needs and she couldn't be more relieved that it had come in handy. She took a deep breath, calming her excited nerves, before gesturing a "how are you feeling?" to the man, earning her a loud scoff. Aria nodded her head, with her eyes closed in great contentment as she raised a big thumbs up, like she just found a solution to the nation's problem.

She proceeded further. "Do you remember what happened yesterday? Those men?" But the man grinned, which caused butterflies to flip in her tummy but she waited expectantly for his response.

Just as soon as she wanted to gesture another, she was cut off.

"You've got guts, dragging a stranger into your home. Either you're incredibly brave or incredibly foolish?" he said, his voice a deep, rich timbre that left her stunned.

Her jaw dropped. She thought he was mute all along, but he was a perfectly healthy person and a rude one at that.

But then, a memory flashed—his whispered command from the day before: Do not move if you want to live. How had she forgotten such an important detail?

"I'll just take that as a thank you." She said through gritted teeth.

The air suddenly turned intense. His eyes narrowed, the intensity of his gaze making her feel small. But curiosity got the best of her, she wanted to know more, she wanted to know what had brought him to the farm or who he was hiding. She was suddenly glad he could speak, at least the language barrier wasn't going to be there at all.

"What were you doing on the farm yesterday? Who were you hiding from?"

But he had his eyes sliding shut as though dismissing her presence entirely, almost like he didn't like the disturbance. But he felt a poke soon enough, then another and it didn't just stop there, then came in another, causing him to snap his eyes open and the chill that emanated from those powerful sapphire eyes ran a cold shiver down her spine, making her gulp involuntarily.

The air thickened once more as she couldn't help but laugh sheepishly, but the fear was evident in her tone "i'll let you you be then, carry on with your yoga or meditation or whatever you were doing"

She just couldn't brush off those feelings she felt, it was like staring at death in the face. She decided to freshen up and wash away the exhaustion, maybe they contributed to what she was feeling. So without much thought,she fled to the bathroom, needing the comforting embrace of a hot shower to wash away her nerves. The water cascaded over her skin, soothing her frayed thoughts. She had to pull herself together. Whatever this man's deal was, she couldn't let him rattle her.

Dressed in cozy pajamas, Aria headed to the kitchen. She decided to cook—not just for herself, but for him. Surely, he had to be hungry after everything.

She tried stealing glances towards the man in the living room, but it was eerily quiet, like no life existed there except hers. Did he live? Just like that? But she didn't hear the sound of the door opening. She was about to search for him when she heard the shower running.

"What is he doing in the shower?" She couldn't help but wonder. It was mostly her in the apartment, so the sudden abrupt movement still felt strange to her. She tried fighting the urge to check out what he was doing, maybe maybe dinner could do that much.

Immediately she turned, she had her heart leaping to her throat. He stood before her, barely a breath away, his presence overwhelming. How had he gotten here so soon? Maybe she just didn't see him there because she was in deep thoughts.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down her spine.

"J-Just making dinner," she stammered, clutching a spatula like a makeshift weapon. "I thought you might be hungry."

"I don't do dinner," he replied bluntly, leaning closer. His breath fanned against her skin, making her stomach churn with unease.

"Ah, maybe you helped yourself to my kitchen earlier?" she joked weakly, trying to lighten the mood.

But he didn't reply, he just pulled out one of the stools in the kitchen as he just helped himself feel at home, without being offered, watching her intently as if she were some sort of puzzle he couldn't figure out.

She glanced at the kitchen counter, and she couldn't help but sigh out of frustration. She tried breathing in, trying to calm herself down. The weight of that morning gnawing on her, the kitchen was a mess. She hadn't properly cleaned it up before leaving.

So without being told, she got to work, cleaning. She wasn't about to cook in such an unclean environment.

As she worked, her eyes drifted towards a certain person who had made himself feel at home as he just looked on, to at least offer a helping hand. Unfortunately, his gaze just lingered on her as she worked, keeping calm.

"Patience, Aria. Patience," she muttered under her breath. Just when she thought the evening was going to go on without exchanging words.

"Do you live alone?" His voice came as it once again made her spine stiff. She probably have to force herself to get use to his voice in the meantime. But for how long?