I glanced to my right at a closed door and held my breath.
“Please don’t let him be in there,” I muttered under my breath.
I pressed my ear to the closed door, searching for any sound. After a moment, when I heard nothing, I wrapped my hand around the knob and turned it.
It swung open, and my eyes squished closed, prepared for harsh words and maybe a slap to the face. That’s what Blaise would’ve done at least.
Silence greeted me still, and I cracked one eye open. The bathroom was empty, and I was freaking out for nothing.
My bare feet padded across the cold marble tiles before I stepped into the sleek glass shower. I grabbed the black bottles of shampoo and body wash and went to turn around.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
I screamed and dropped the bottles, one landing roughly on my big toe.
“You scared me.” My heart thundered in an out-of-control beat. I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure.
“I scared you? You’re the one snooping in my bathroom.” He narrowed his icy-blue eyes on me and crossed his arms over his chest. His lips were pursed in distaste, and a muscle in his jaw ticked.
“I wasn’t snooping,” I defended, steeling my shoulders. “I was borrowing your shampoo. I have none, and I need to get ready for work.”
His lips twitched slightly with amusement. “Did you look in the cabinet under the sink?”
“No,” I drew out the word. “I didn’t.”
He stepped forward, so close to me that our chests brushed. He bent slightly, closer to my height, and pinched a piece of my hair between his fingers. “Look there,” he whispered, like he was letting me in on one of the world’s greatest secrets.
“Oh.” I stood dumbfounded as he took a step back. I couldn’t seem to move, though—I was completely frozen by the intensity of his gaze. It was so similar to Blaise’s, but while his eyes held an intense danger, Liam’s seemed to come from a deeply imbedded hurt. I wondered what could’ve possibly happened to him to make him that way.
A sly grin lifted his lips and he wagged a finger between us. “You’re still standing there… Does that mean you want to shower together?”
I knew from the teasing glimmer in his eyes that he was only kidding, but I jumped anyway.
“No, no, definitely not,” I rambled as I scrambled past him.
His chuckle carried after me as I sprinted from his room.
Back in the safety of my room, I closed the door and leaned against it, pressing a hand to my racing heart. With a shake of my head, I dismissed the incident like I was erasing an etch-a-sketch. I was good at that—at forgetting uncomfortable situations.
I padded into the bathroom and looked in the cabinet under the sink.
There was a plethora of towels, washcloths, and the shampoo and conditioner Liam had said was there. I set the things in the shower alcove, turned it on, and removed my clothes. Under the steaming spray, I let out an audible sigh of relief. The hot water relaxed my tightly coiled muscles, and for a moment, I could relax.
It was short-lived, though, because once I got out and saw the time on the clock, I was cursing everything.
I searched frantically through the bags, looking for something work-appropriate, and ended up finding a whole bag of khaki shorts and brightly-colored polo shirts. I’d noticed the waitresses at Mo’s wearing them yesterday, and figured Ollie had told Liam to get them.
Once I was dressed, I tried my best to tame my hair into a sleek ponytail, but it wasn’t cooperating and little curls escaped to frame my face.
Glancing at the clock again, I groaned.
I was going to be late.
On my first day.
And I didn’t even have a ride there.
I felt on the verge of tears, but I dammed them back, reminding myself that I was free and that’s all that really mattered.