"Some people come and go. But Best friends are like chocolate; They stay sweet through the dark."
Her breath jerked as she shifted uncomfortably on the bed, nerves coiling tight inside her;
Silence, heavy and exhausting stretched between them.
Not wanting to meet his gaze, she fluttered her eyes; then softly,
''Yes''
Sullivan exhaled sharply but his expression didn't change instead his eyes darkened;
I thought as much, he murmured;
Catherine swallowed hard '' do we have a problem?''
A smile curved out of the corner of his lips, it wasn't from amusement; it was something more dangerous and deeper.
He fixed his gaze on her and sucked his teeth; not at all,
His voice was coarse with restraints, it's just that you are delicate, I have to be careful and take things slow so I don't trigger your attack again, his eyes filled with raving dark emotions.
Sullivan, she whispered softly,
He leaned in, his fingers spreading over her wrists, not forcing. Not trapping her but just there, comforting. Steady and wanting.
Last night, you wanted me right, Sullivan asked;
She returned his gaze for the first time that night, yes I did, Catherine mumbled;
What then happened Catherine?
I don't know, I was just. He couldn't control it anymore and his lips suddenly crashed against hers, quieting every fear in a slow, wet, consuming, and passionate kiss; frizzling the rest of her words away.
Slowly, he pulled away ending the kiss in a rush, his breath warm against her flesh;
Catherine, Easy; She nodded,
Take a deep breath, Sullivan whispered, She took in some air immediately,
Now, let it out, he instructed;
She calmly let the air sway out of her nostrils.
His jaw tensed as his fingers brushed off soothing circles against her skin;
''We will take it slow, I will wait''
Catherine heaved a sigh of relief, Sullivan was giving her the power to set the pace and that, more than anything wanted to make her want to trust him.
Let's go, the driver is waiting for us. He helped her into his car and held onto her, clutching at her waist, she eased in on him more and rested her head on his shoulder.
The ride to her home was a quiet one, the driver arrived and Sullivan opened the car door to help her out, he walked her to her doorpost.
Catherine, he murmured her name; a soft breath of restraint and danger, holding out her hands,
'' I am not in a hurry, anytime you feel, you're ready, I will wait for you and will make every experience worthwhile''.
Shivers ran through her spine causing goosebumps to spread out all over her body, not from fear but from the sheer weight of Sullivan's words.
He reached out and his knuckles grazed her cheek as he planted a kiss on her forehead and drew her closer in a tight-fitted hug, tracing his finger down her spine like a silent promise.
Goodnight, my queen, his lips brushed her ears as he whispered and off, he released her to go into her apartment while he stood and watched before heading towards his car.
Three months later, Catherine stood close to her window, a cup of coffee in hand; when she saw a delivery man coming right to her doorstep,
She went to the door and opened it before his knock came in;
Good morning ma'am; the delivery man mumbled;
Morning, she responded;
I have a package for you ma'am, handing her the logbook, pls sign here;
She took up the logbook and appended her signature;
Here you go Mister, handing over the logbook,
Your package ma'am; the delivery guy stretched forth his hands,
Thank you, she collected it and shut the door;
A look of excitement clouded her face but she wasn't surprised about getting a package.
Staring at a black velvet box, her hands trembled as she took off the seal, nestled against a dark silk was a silver necklace.
She picked up the necklace, peering into it like forever, when it clicked;
Ah!
I remember now; some night back, she and Sullivan had cuddled up on a couch, when she started scrolling through an e-commerce site on her phone, that's when she came across this particular necklace and wished she could afford it.
Sullivan had sensed her mood and asked what she was looking at, she showed him the picture but then, a maid came in and they forgot about the jewelry.
Looking at the necklace in her hands, clearly, Sullivan never forgot about the necklace.
She tapped her right foot on the floor and wrinkled her nose;
As days rolled into months, Catherine and Sullivan got closer, not a day passed by without a series of calls being exchanged between them, their connection deepened, the way she felt safe when with Sullivan, she had never felt that way before and he was so intentional about her - he listens to her unspoken words and spoilt her silly with gifts each week.
What started as a revenge mission spiraled into an uncontrollable entanglement.
Catherine knew she was being reckless but at the moment, she couldn't stop.
Sullivan was everywhere, In her head. In her dreams. In the late-night calls that made her heart beat raced.
He was possessive, and emotional and wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to his desires.
But, in their alone time, when he calls out her name the way a shy smile fades in on his face reveals a vulnerable part of him, which baffles her if she's the only one that had seen that part of him.
Still, her mind yelled at her to run, Sullivan was the enemy but when he touched her, she melted away in his arms, when his lips traced the path of her submission, her body betrayed her and his eyes weakened her knees but she affirms to herself;
I must get my head back in the game and not get burned in this silly euphoria.
She swayed her way to the kitchen to drop the cup in the sink and started washing the dirty dishes.
Catherine was settling into her usual Saturday evening routine—oversized hoodie, popcorn in hand, and her favorite television show already playing. Suddenly a rattled sharp knock hit on her door;
She stood up and sprung her eyes in alarm, she wasn't expecting anyone;
" Who could that be?"