The Breath Of His

23. Was this how the new dads would feel in the labor room?

Amanzi walked away after dropping a bomb like that, leaving me completely flabbergasted by his choice of words...

No one had ever said anything remotely similar about being interested in me, let alone an open confession made like Amanzi's right on my face.

What was I supposed to do or say to that?

Somewhere behind me, I felt a shift in the energy. Even a blind could say it was ominous in nature. I turned around to find Vann still standing there looking like he had licked something sour but as soon as he found me looking at him, everything from his unstable energy to that amusing expression was groomed back to a poker face.

And just like that I found myself back to the square one with him.

I sighed internally.

"We better get out of here before anyone catches us," I said softly after clearing my throat while not meeting Vann's eyes. I felt him stare at me without a word or a reply causing my cheeks to flare a bit in embarrassment.

"Whatever," I mumbled under my breath not able to act as normal while feeling so awkward.

I would die out of this embarrassment if Vann continued to be like that. For some reason, it made me feel like I was guilty for someone else being interested in me! The uncomfortableness was to the point that I even felt like I was going to throw up... Was this how the new dads would feel in the labor room?

Without another word, I turned around and headed towards the door. It was better this way, till I get over this first-hand embarrassment and he comes in terms with his second-hand embarrassment...

But the question was, was he even feeling awkward like me at the moment?

The answer to that came sooner than I thought I would receive, and the partially opened door was pushed closed again by none other than the man in the question, Vann himself. His hand was merely an inch away from my shoulder and I could feel his breath on the exposed skin of my neck, giving me goosebumps.

For a second over there, I had completely lost the train of my thought as it came out as a shock to me when I least expected it. I could feel his body buzzing at proximity of mine. The electricity between us could make the entire room light up had it not have any current at the moment.

What was going on? Vann seldomly takes it upon himself to take a step towards me, then why was he doing this now? Was he jealous of Amanzi?

My breathing labored upon the thought.

"Don't go out, yet," he softly mused making more and more chills travel down my spine before he added, "the teachers are heading this way."

Without another word, Vann grabbed my wrist and pulled me across the room to open the door at the other side and nudge me in. I was bewildered yet stepped into the equipment closet and watched him getting in after me and closing the door behind us.

Soon after, I heard the other door open and in came a few people that I couldn't quite put any names to those voices yet. Maybe it was due to the door between us.

Or it could be because I was very much distracted at the moment from standing so close to Vann at the moment...

The probability of it being the later was much higher, to be honest. Who was I kidding? It was the only reason that my head was not working properly. For me turning out to be the legendary Femme Fatale, I was pretty much sure, I could easily tell who all were there and how many of them.

All because I was busy ogling at the view that Vann was showcasing at the moment. Discreetly.

And all the fault was of this place which was filled with all sorts of equipment that made it cramped for two people to stand. Nevertheless, we stood in silent anticipation in dark. We were toe to toe, trying not to make anything fall. All I did was stare at his well-defined chest that was outlined under his white and black raglan t-shirt.

Does he even workout or is that a bonus for being a siren?

When I realized that I was staring, or more likely that I realized that Vann knew that I was staring at his six packs, I immediately turned my head in a random direction. My accident detector was buzzing all around my head but it was already too late.

My head had bumped into one of the cartoons carrying the speaker sets of the side. More than the pain, the surprise took over me and the embarrassment for being a klutz. But more than me it was him who reached out to nurse my head where the injury was supposed to have appeared.

His long fingers covered my cheeks as he angled it to the side to inspect the slight reddening of the skin. He had come a lot more closer for that than I expected making my breath stop in my throat.

The way his silver eyes twinkled in the absence of light had me entranced. It looked like mercury floated on the surface of moon in those irises of his. The amazing fresh sea smell that wafted from him made me take in a deep ragged breath that I was holding.

The warmth of his body radiated towards me making me ache for him, especially when he pushed away a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

He seemed to have felt my body's reaction for him, as his pupils dilated before elongating like the ones of a feline. Surprisingly, it did not freak me out. For some weird reason, it even made him more attractive.

Must be the Femme Fatale part of me...

We were still in daze at the sudden closeness, like the time had stopped still for us but then there was a world outside the stopped time of our tiny, little cramped space. And that world had determined to disrupt our little fantasy and drag us back to the reality as the door of the equipment closet and there standing before me or rather us was Mr. Stanley and of course, who else could catch me in the most awkward position that I could ever imagine to be in, my uncle Ted.

Fuck. My. Life.