Chapter 2 Two

Were intruders supposed to be very hot and sexily groomed?

Because who the hell was this man, looking all yummy as hell and standing his pretty legs in my empty kitchen? Bronze messy hair with a few curls sashaying around his brows. A black leather jacket advertising his strong looking arms.

Brown shorts exposing a fine pair of legs that looked like he'd been modeling since the day he was born; little hairs glistered in the open. Tall, like he wouldn't stress to touch a basketball hoop with his hand–I mean without jumping. He looked really young and he had shoes on. His fashion was weird. But he had shoes on.

His pearl blue eyes stared down at me while I glared up at him. We both stayed mute for a while waiting for an explanation from him obviously. I still held out the heel in front of me and at him. His eyes softened as he looked down towards me and settled themselves on my boobs.

I was wearing a tank singlet and a night silk jacket. But the jacket wasn't buttoned. Instinctively, I used my free hand to pull the wings closer to each in front of me so that the buttons met slightly. At least my little action helped to cover up before his eyes started to move again.

This time, they slowly crisscrossed from the heels in my hand to my face. Then gradually, he threw his hands up and to the back of his head where his fingers clasped together.

What was he doing in my kitchen?

"I...didn't break in. I'm..." he paused and licked his lips, wetting them slightly.

God! If I didn't know any better I'd say he was probably a secret admirer who stalked me down and had now come to seduce me.

"I mean no harm" he finished and I watched his Adam's apple dance up and down as he swallowed dryly. But you know how someone's voice sounds very delicious and crisp?

That's how his voice sounded. His accent sounded British but in a different kind of way that didn't sound British. It was like a full British who had now migrated among the Americans.

"Are you there, Bili? I can't seem to hear what he's saying and you either" I heard my sister's voice say but I decided to ignore her.

"Who are you?" Clearly I didn't buy his first explanation. Like, he needed to do more than just "I'm no harm".

"Ugh..." he stopped and brushed the tips of his bottom lips with a finger. Then, he started making some steps towards me.

"Stay right there. Or, I'll throw this at you" I really meant to be threatening and I meant to sound threatening but from the look on this man's face, he didn't look frightened one bit. Instead he chose that moment to start smiling. He had a very bright and mesmerizing smile, I had to admit. But fuck it, that wasn't the point.

"Were you going to fight off a thief...someone who broke into your house with that?" He asked, gesturing towards my weapon with his eyes as he dug his hands into his shorts side pockets. Then let out a light chuckle.

I felt a bit insulted but my confidence never fails me. I eyed him angrily and said "this piece here can dig out your heart if I want it to" I tightened my face even more and looked sternly at him.

"Didn't mean it like that" he'd stopped smiling by now which still wasn't doing justice to who he was. When he read my facial expression, he cleared his throat lightly.

"I. Brought. Your order" he slowly counted his words as if he was preventing himself from making a mistake while pointing towards my living room.

When I didn't say anything and kept looking at him, he continued "the door was open. I pressed the bell but didn't hear any response. I stood there for minutes and I just got worried that something bad might have happened. So...I let myself in"

Something bad indeed. How did I not lock my door?

"Bili? Are you interacting with this person? I'm not even hearing what you guys are saying properly. What the hell does he want? Should I call 911?" my sister screamed out in panic.

"No!" The man in front me and I chorused because we both heard her scream in terror. My phone was on speaker the whole time.

Then I took out my phone from the back of my shorts "he's the delivery guy Gigi" I told her and ended the call with my sister after saying I'll call her back once the man left my apartment.

"Delivery guy" he repeated after me and smiled.

"Is that how you break into people's houses when you make deliveries?" I asked and started walking to my living room where the supposed order was set.

But instead of answering my question, he said "you have a fine set of kitchen equipment. Plus, I noticed everything looks and feels sparklingly new. Have you not used any of them?" As if that was any of his business. Behind me I heard my refrigerator door open and close. "Even this fridge looks very new and it's empty"

Of course I know my own fridge! I almost said out very loud to him.

He was making himself feel at home, opening and closing doors in my kitchen but I ignored him and started unraveling my order. It smelt so good already. I closed my eyes and inhaled the aroma after I opened it.

Next thing, I felt him standing right next to the couch where I was sitting and two hands buried into his side pockets.

"You just moved in here." He said. "Nice apartment," he added. There was really no expression on his face when I looked at him. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking at that moment.

"Good observation" was what I wanted to say but I didn't say it.

And even though he didn't ask a question, I looked away from him and said yes then a thank you afterwards, before picking up the chopsticks. I was going to ask him to leave my house I swear.

Only at that moment, all that mattered was the food in front of me. He wasn't an intruder, so he could stay if he wanted while I ate my food. Besides, I would need enough strength to push a full grown, six feet tall (I guess) man out of my house if need be or to even scream for help.

I dug into my pasta.

"I'm sorry it took a while," he said and I mumbled a small moan. From the taste of the food and in response to his apology. An apology I didn't care for. I think I heard him chuckle. His words made me slow down my speed. He could be thinking I was a buffalo in food even though I really was.

"This chef deserves an award. This is so good" I mouthed to myself between a mouthful.

"You think so?" he asked me. But I had almost forgotten someone was in here with me as I ate my food. His words reminded me of that.

"I know so" I affirmed. I gathered the empty pasta packs when I was done and went to throw them in the trash bin towards the kitchen.

"I can help you with that" he offered and bent over to take the waste from me before I could even stand up completely. I didn't protest. I just let him do it.

Well, now that I was done, I needed to address the issue–the issue of having a snack in the form of a man in my apartment.

"Don't you have other deliveries to make?" I asked, tilting my head at him.

"Ooh, about that. I am not actually the delivery guy. I just helped him get the food to you because he had an emergency to attend to" he said very casually.

"Ooh." I said, a bit surprised. "So, do you just help delivery men out so that you can break into people's houses?" I asked him.

I heard him clear his throat a bit. He didn't answer my question. Instead, he changed the topic from food entirely.

"I see you have some painting work to do" then he came closer to the couch. "I could help you do it if you want me to"

That sounded very tempting as hell but from my own experience, since when did people do things for other people for free? And people who are strangers? I looked over from him to the buckets of paint laid in a corner.

"Well, thank you very much. But if you don't mind, I have some work to do now" I told him.

"You must be a workaholic to still work on a Saturday." He said

"God, that's so fucking sexy" he murmured to himself but I heard him. And when he smiled, one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other. It was adorable. But I didn't know if he meant for his voice to sound that mesmerizing because I felt like I was going to melt away. Goosebumps danced on my skin.

I couldn't stop the smug smile that swimmed on my face. But what was I doing? It's not like I was supposed to say thank you or anything. This man came into my house without any permission now he was flirting with me?

I shook my head to shake off whatever thing this man was doing to me. Then I stood up from the couch. When I turned around towards him, I came face to face with his chest.

God knows, I was tempted to feel him. To touch him. And even then I smelt him. He smelled like ginger and wine. And cinnamon. And berries. And pepper. And turmeric, and...my head was turning because of this man. But I took two slow steps backwards and cleared my throat.

"I..."

"I'm..." we both started at the same time. He chuckled. And have I told you how only the sound of this man's little laugh could make a person quiver.

We both remained silent for a while waiting for each other to speak first. I was also trying not to look at him.

"You may speak," he said finally. And how polite he sounded.

Since when did being polite make someone hot?

I released some air that I didn't even realize I was holding in. "I was going to say, thank you for bringing my order" I told him but that was a lie. I was going to ask him to leave my house in a very rude manner.

"Well, welcome to our town" he ended up saying with a delighted voice. I could have sworn that wasn't what he wanted to say but...

"I hope we meet again, Bili. Next time I won't let myself in" he said and started his way towards the door.

My brain repeated 'Next time'

Next time?

And he called me Bili. The way my name came out if his mouth made me not bother correcting him that it wasn't actually Bili but that Bili was a short for a full name. I'd never been more proud of being called Bili in my life before.

When the door shut behind him, I immediately wished he asked for my actual name instead of calling me what he heard my sister call me. Or that he asked me out on a real date. I had forgotten what it felt like to have a male find you attractive.

The last man I was ever with was Fred. And he wasn't the type to sing to your ears of how sexy, or how beautiful you are. I didn't even realize how bad it was until we broke up and I suddenly found myself as ugly and non attractive. But what was wrong with me? I shook my head and exhaled, averting my eyes to my kitchen. I surely needed to go grocery shopping. In times like this, I required alcohol in my system.

~~~

When it was close to nightfall, I decided to walk out a bit. I wasn't after anything in particular. I just wanted to feel the evening breeze on my skin. I loved the way it felt–I mean evening breeze–blowing your hair and sending light chills down your spine. I loved it.

I walked a few minutes until I came to a stop in front of a food truck. The truck looked big. Bigger than most food vans I'd seen before. There was a short queue, though long enough to make you not want to wait but the delicious aroma coming from the van made my legs move towards the queue on their own accord.

I thought I saw someone who looked very familiar but I waved off the thought when the person disappeared into the van.

"Pasta and meatballs," the person inside the van announced. I could have sworn that I recognized that voice.

When it was my turn, I wrote down my order and pushed it into the van through the small window opening and waited. Minutes later, I heard my order call. And I came face to face with "the intruder". He smiled widely at me.

"Ooh, Hi" he offered but I said nothing. "I didn't plan we'll meet again like this," he added but I don't know if I heard him. So he planned to meet again? Seeing him in the van explained the smell of ginger and cinnamon...

It was the rough nudge of the man behind me that brought me out of my trance. I slowly took the food from him and mouthed a thank you that was possibly only heard by me.

"Don't worry about that," he said when I was about to pay but I dropped the cash into the jar regardless. I liked to pay my bills no matter who was involved or what was involved. He never stopped smiling at me till I left. I think the word, Chef has become the new sexy. It took everything in me not to turn around as I walked away.