7This might be what a stalker or at the very least a creepy man did. As Elijah stared at Freya’s house, a house he’d lived in for several years, it seemed foreign, almost as if he’d dreamed the entire thing.
But he hadn’t moved. Instead, he was just sitting in his car because he didn’t have the nerve to go up and ring the doorbell. He worried about what she might say at his unexpected arrival.
It had only been a few days since Freya had come to his house and they’d had dinner. He said he’d call, that they’d meet up again, but nothing had been set in stone. He was really just trying to read her body language as far as how to proceed next.
But he hadn’t tried calling in these past few days because he didn’t want to come off as persistent. He wanted to see her again, wanted to have dinner, see a movie, hell, do something normal that people did on dates.
A date.
Yeah, he wanted to take her out on a fucking date, but bringing this up to her might be the worst thing he did. It could ruin their friendship or make her feel weird even just conversing with him. She’d especially feel that way if she had no feelings for him, and he’d totally read her wrong.
Elijah hadn’t been on a date in years. He couldn’t remember the last time he was even interested in a woman long enough to want to spend more than one night with her. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his nerves running wild inside him. But just as he was about to start his car and leave, maybe call her later and talk to her, the front door opened, and she stepped outside. She had a large, brimmed hat on, sunglasses in her hand, and was wearing these little shorts that had his cock instantly hardening. God, even now, from just the sight of her, all he could think about was how much he wanted her. But even if he had her in his bed, Elijah knew it wouldn’t just be for that one night.
He sat there watching for a few seconds as she made her way over to the side of the house where the garage was, grabbed a bag of potting soil, and proceeded to start planting flowers in the pots by the side door. It was such a mundane act, but it still brought a smile to his face to know she was at a comfortable place in her life and in this house.
He knew she’d hated living here, especially after her father passed away. Legally, she’d had to stay with Meghan as she was her legal guardian and Freya had no other family, but even still, being around a person she hated in a place that had to have memories was an awful thing.
Elijah let go of the steering wheel and climbed out of the car. He walked over to where she was, clenching his hands at his sides when she reached out and grabbed a gardening tool, and he saw the shorts she wore molding to her ass. God, she had a gorgeous ass.
Focus, man. Fucking focus.
He stopped right behind her and could hear the music coming from her earbuds. She didn’t know he was standing right behind her, and that made him feel even more like a fucking creep. He reached out and touched her shoulder, and she jumped and made a squeaking sound of surprise. She spun around, pulled off her glasses as if on instinct from her fear, and pulled her earbuds out.
“Elijah?” she asked and squinted. The sun was behind him, and without her glasses on, he could see a swatch of light cross over her face.
“Hey. Sorry for just showing up like this.”
She stood, brushed off her hands on her shorts, and smiled. “No, don’t be sorry. I’m surprised to see you, but it’s nice you’re here.”
Shoving his hands in his jean pockets, he didn’t know what the fuck he was doing here or what he was supposed to say.
You know why you’re here. You know you want her and want her to desire you the same way. Be a man and grow a set. She’s not a kid. She’s a grown woman, and you’re not with Meghan anymore. This isn’t wrong.
“I should have called, but I was in the neighborhood.”
Fucking liar.
Her smile told him she knew he wasn’t telling the truth.
“You’re at least a half hour from here, and that’s without traffic,” she said with a chuckle.
Yeah, she’d just called him out on his lie, and all he could do was laugh.
“So I wasn’t in the neighborhood, obviously.”
“I figured,” she said. “You want to come inside for something to drink?”
Elijah nodded. He followed her toward the front door, and once inside, he took a look around. She’d remodeled or at least redecorated. The house was still structurally the same, but he was pleased to see she’d made it her own.